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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-09-22, Page 1(519)235-1115 www.hurontractor.com . . vi1PAITA '@l0? 0 } c 4o? JC)age TIMES -ADVOCATE Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday, September 22, 2004 x.25 (includes GST) Students at Exeter Public School got into the spirit of the Terry Fox Run last week, raising $573, an increase over last year despite having fewer students. Above from left are Noah Rothbauer, Emma Haines, Nicole Russell and Jessica Knee. Below, students wall< around the playground as a tribute to Fox. (photos/Scott Nixon) Manure spill at Oakwood Inn resort By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF GRAND BEND — Ministry of the Environment officials were called to Grand Bend Sept. 17 to investigate a sus- pected manure spill into the creek at the Oakwood Inn Resort that killed a number of fish. Resort manager Leo Ducharme said the spill was seen Thursday morning by an Oakwood employee and it was "flowing pretty good." Ducharme said it was the first type of such an incidence at the course. "I know there have been signs and traces of it coming through the field tiles, but this is the first spill that I know of." The spill, according to Ducharme, cov- ered a mile and a half to two miles of the creek and was less than a mile from the Ausable River. Ministry officials who are investigating suspect manure spilled from a hog farm east of the village near the Huron Country Playhouse. The spill appeared to originate when a farmer was pumping manure Wednesday night and a line ruptured. The Port Blake Conservation Area Beach was posted by the Huron County Health Unit. Health Unit inspector Bob Worsell said they had done a risk assessment of the wells in the area and said "we don't think there is any risk to ground water at this time and it is a surface water issue." Worsell said the Health Unit would be taking samples this week prior to taking down the signs at the beach. Ducharme said the spill was confined to the creek and didn't effect any of the Oakwood customers. "We're all worried about the lake ... and the water we drink," said Ducharme. The ministry said the report of the probe will go to the ministry's investiga- tions branch, which will determine whether charges will be laid. Major flood control project for Exeter By Scott Nixon TIMES _ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — A new $700,000 flood man- agement project in town should go a long way towards fixing Exeter's flooding problem. The project, which will include two holding ponds, was officially announced last week and will be funded by the Exeter Community Development Fund (the money from Exeter's hydro sale). A meeting was held Sept. 16 at the South Huron municipal office to explain the project to those who have property neighbouring the project. The work takes place south of Huron and Simcoe streets. Project engineer Bill Dietrich said the project is "not the be all to end all, but will make a great difference" on the amount of water that flows into Exeter. The project involved buying property from Gerald McBride and Gary Bean. A large dry holding pond will be dug on McBride's property south of the Stoneyridge subdivision and will be able to hold 32,000 cubic metres or 7,000,000 gallons of water, enough to hold water from a 260 -acre watershed area. The pond, which will remain dry except during heavy rainstorms, is designed to be big enough to hold the equivalent of a "50 -year" storm. It will take up five acres of land and will be only 1.5 metres deep at its deepest level. The level of the pond will be tapered, with a 1.5 metre high berm around it. When full, the pond will take 30 hours to drain down an existing creek that will be improved, cleaned out and re- designed to be able to take the water. The municipality will maintain the area and cut the grass. The field, now a hay field, will likely remain a hay field to reduce maintenance. Another, smaller dry holding pond will be dug just south of Simcoe Street and will be able to hold water from a 10 -acre area. That pond will be designed as park land. Dietrich said soil tests in the area show the land is favourable to this type of work. Some neighbouring property owners have expressed concern that there should be a gate and fencing on the property. The matter is being looked into. South Huron Coun. Pete Armstrong, who sits on the flood committee along with fellow councillors George Robertson, Harvey Ratz, Ken Oke and chief adminis- trative officer Larry Brown and opera- tions manager Dennis Hockey, said the project will benefit the whole southern portion of Exeter east and west of Main Street. "The area we intend it benefitting is huge," he said. The committee has been working for about three years. It was decided no municipal funding would be used for the project, but the hydro fund would be used. South Huron council had to approve the flood committee's decisions. Previous engineers were replaced when the committee wanted to speed up the process. That's when Dietrich Engineering was brought in. Armstrong said the flood committee has had "excellent dealings with landowners (McBride and Bean) in the past three months to make this process go as quick- ly as it did." Armstrong would like the project com- pleted this fall, but it's not known yet if that is possible. Work will start this fall and tenders should be out in about three weeks. The surveying and engineering work has been finished. Armstrong said the project will cost at least $700,000, and hopefully not more than $800,000. After the project is paid for, about $1.2 million will remain in the Exeter Community Development Fund, which started at about $3 million. Once this project is finished, the Exeter Community Development Fund commit- tee will meet to discuss another flood con- trol project to improve the Eastern Avenue and Pryde Boulevard area. Armstrong said initial negotiation steps have been made with some landowners in that area. More work on that project will take place next year. SH council reduces fall schedule By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF SOUTH HURON — Council is going to try to meet less often for the next three months. Council reached the deci- sion at its Sept. 13 meet- ing, although it wasn't unanimous. Until the end of December, council will hold regular meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month, down from the regular schedule of meeting on the first three Mondays of each month. The reason for the reduc- tion is the success of coun- cil's so-called "Communication Sessions" held on the fourth Monday of each month. Those meetings are informal dis- cussions between council and municipal staff — no motions or council deci- sions are made. As a result of those meetings, regular council meetings aren't as busy. Council also reduced its meetings during the sum- mer, holding regular meet- ings only twice in June and once each in July and August. Not all councillors were in favour of the new reduction in meetings, though. Deputy Mayor Dave Urlin said he wanted to stay at three regular meet - "That's because we're the most aggressive and the most successful," DEPUTY MAYOR DAVE URLuv ings a month because, when council only meets once or twice a month, councillors are faced with a stack of paperwork Urlin See COUNCIL page 2