HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1975-02-06, Page 1NO 5 - FIRST WITH THE LOCAL NEWS
44.14.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1975
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CAR DAMAGES HOUSE - A car driven by Howard Hartley, of Oil Springs went out of control
on Highway 21 north of St. Joseph on Sunday afternoon, and ended up crashing into the home of
Dolph Sopha. The top photo shows the vehicle after it hit a.mail box .and tree and ended up backing
into the home, while the lower photo shows the interior wall of the Sopha home where the crash
took place. Mrs. Hartley was taken to hospital in London by Westlake Ambulance, while Mr.
Hartley was taken to South Huron Hospital. The roads were quite slippery at the time of the
accident.
Huron MOH criticizes province
Dr. Frank Mills, medical
officer of Health, told county
council at last Friday's session
that the Huron County Health
Unit would qualify for a 25 per-
cent increase in its provincial
grant if it would 'amalgamate
with other county health units.
Provincial grants now cover
50 per cent of the health units
operating budget but the
county health unit would qual-
ify for a 75 per cent grant if it
joined other counties.
Dr. Mills told council that
the Huron County Health Unit
is being discriminated against
by the province and agreed with
Warden Anson McKinley that
it is simply and unfair arrange-
ment.
Health Minister Frank Miller
will visit the county Friday
February 7 and Dr. Mills urged
councillors to contest the issue
with the Minister as he makes
his way through the municipal-
ities in the county. Health
Minister Miller will be in God-
•erich at the board room of the
assessment office from 10 to
11:45 a.m.
Dr. Mills stated that the fac-
ilities offered in Huron County
by the Health Unit were excell-
ent and thus they deserve a
larger grant portion from the
goverrunent without having to
amalgamate withother bodies.
In other county council bus-
iness the committee of manage-
ment of Huronview had met wits
representatives of the three
Associations for the Mentally
Retarded in the county and
established a coordinating com-
mittee to provide activities for
retarded adults in the County.
The committee also took on
the secondary role of checking
into suitable residential facil-
ities for the County with rec-
ommendations to be made at
a later date.
Committee chairman, John
Tinny, told council that the
province of Ontario will Prov..
ide 80 per cent subsidy for both
capital and operating costs of
approved homes and up to 80
per cent of the cost to operate
auxiliary homes for the ment-
ally retarded.
Arrangements are now being
completed to provide transport-
ation for a number of residents
of Huronview, as well as others
in the area, to attend a work-
shop in Dashwood. At least six
residents of Huronview are
benefitting from the program
and an application has been
made for a complete survey of
the county to determine the
present needs of The programs.
Both of these programs would
operate under a provincial grant
of 100 per cent.
Planning Director, Gary
Davidson, advised the Planning
Board that the Province of Ont-
ario has established a program
of Community Planning Study
Grants. The program finances
50 per cent of the cost of'stud-
ies by a municipality up to a
maximum of $5, 000.
The municipalities eligible
to receive grants under the
(continued on page 2)
County road budget
shows big increase
(by Shirley J. Keller)
Huron County Council appr-
oved a 1975 roads budget of
$2,536,000 a 23.8 per cent
over the 1974 budget. In 1974
the grand total budget was
$2, 129, 000 while actual exp-
enditures amounted to only
$2, 053, 850 which was within
99.7 of the budget.
The increase representing
almost 3.8 mills is the first
increase in the road levy since
1968 and represents an increase
in local funds of less than 6
per cent a year. Roads commit-
tee chairman Ralph McNichol
stated that the budget was
reasonable since hot mix paving
which accounts for a large
portion of the budget increased
almost 50 per cent last year.
In May of last year the paving
mixture doubled in price from
$30 per ton to $60.
However this year the Min-
istry of Transportation and
Communication allocation of
$1, 480, 000 is 22.9 per cent
Hensall
council
(by Rena Caldwell)
Hensall council met on
February 3 with all members
present. Minutes were adopted
on motion of Murray Baker
and Harold Knight. E.R. Dav-
is reported "ploughing snow"
on the sidewalks and removing
snow twice from Main Street,
Councillor Paul Neilands
reported on the question of
street lights and the recommend-
ation for the reconstruction of
Highway 84 from Nelson Street
westward was sent on its way.
Harold Knight reported sitt-
ing in with the parks board.
He felt that council's particip-
ation with the parks board
should be clarified.
The reeve felt that the
parks board should decide what
they intend to do and they
should know that council is
behind them. Knight and
Murray Baker will attend the
next park's board meeting.
A letter will be sent to the •
councils in the area regarding
their participation in the nec-
essary projects.
A general planning discussinn
will take place in conjunction
with the regular council meet-
ing on March 3. Planning dir-
ector Gary Davidson will be in
attendance and council is to
bring ideas to this meeting.
Since the Department of
Highways wants a complete
study of drains, council will
meet with B'.M. Ross on Feb-
ruary 18 at 8 p.m.
Regarding the opportunities
for Youth Program, 1975, any
young people desiring to qual-
ify are asked to contact 'any of
the members of council or the
clerk with their ideas for sum-
mer projects as the applications
must be in by February 21,
In correspondence, council
learned that Agripress will be
(continued on. page 3)
more than the $1, 204, 000 allot-
ted in 1974. The cost to the
county of the new budget is
only 16.4 per cent more than
in 1974 but since the county no
longer has the reserve fund to
draw on because it was includ-
ed in the '74 budget, local
funds will now require an inc-
rease of 38.3 per cent. The
committee did not budget to
use the reserve fund of $138, 000
recommending that it be ret-
ained at its present level for
future emergency use. The
committee also cited the back-
log of deficient roads in need
of repair as a major reason for
the substantial increase.
John Tinney, chairman of
the Huronview committee pres-
ented the 1975 budget which
totals $2, 013, 000. The County
share of this budget amounts
to $171, 700 which is 8.5 per
cent of the total which comp-
ares to the 1974 cost of $77, 494.
71 or 5 per cent.
Some of the major items in
the budget included $25, 000
to replace dishwashing equip-
ment. $4, 000 for a washer -
laundry extractor and day rate
increases of $13.24 for resident-
ial care and $23.57 for extend-
ed care effective April 1, 1975.
The rates will increase from
the present $9.71 for residential
care and the extended care,
which is a floating figure will
rise frornits rate of $17.01.
Also negotiations have been
(continued on page 14)
0
Bomb
threat
About 600 employees were
sent home last Friday afternoon
after bomb threats were tele-
phoned to Dashwood Industries
Ltd., of Centralia and Bendix
Hom Supplies Ltd. of Hensall.
About 300 workers at each
firm were told to leave the
building while provincial pol-
ice from Exeter conducted
searches.
No bombs were found and the
incidents are being treated as
pranks, police said.
James Finers, president of
Dashwood Industries, said the
plant switchboard operator
received a call about 1:10 p.m.
from a man who said a bomb
had been placed in the plant
and that it was due to detonate
at 1:30 p.m.
He said there are no theories
about what prompted the prank.
He called it "just one of those
things that are sent to try us."
The firm makes windows for
homes and industry.
E,R. Brundson, general man-
ager of Bendix, said a man
phoned the stock room about
1 p.m. and said a bomb was
planted in one of Bendix's two
plants in Hensall.. However, he
would not say in which building
it was located so both had to
be evacuated.
Bendix produces mobile home
and recreational vehicles.
Vatie