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The Times Advocate, 2004-12-29, Page 22 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, December 29, 2004 Regional wrap up Puy mill BL — Two people have been charged by the Ontario SPCA fol- lowing an investigation of an alleged puppy mill in the Township of Central Huron. The Citizen reported investigators from the Ontario SPCA, Huron County Branch, along with a veterinarian, attended the property Sept. 22 to follow up with a previous inspec- tion of the kennel facili- ty, which housed approximately 100 adult dogs and 50 pup- pies of various breeds. "The dogs were found to be in extremely unsanitary conditions and several were iden- tified by the veterinari- an as having health concerns including inadequate socializa- tion and exercise, which is essential to a dog's physical and emo- tional health," said Ontario SPCA Inspector Carol Vanderheide. Test wells SEAFORTH — Test wells will be added at the current Welsh Street well and to the north of Seaforth before any decisions are made about Huron East join- ing the South Huron pipeline project. The Huron Expositor reported while previous tests of the local water has shown radionuclei- des are least likely to be found in groundwater to the north of the Seaforth, Water and Earth Sciences Associates Ltd. hydro - geologist Ian Macdonald told Seaforth and Tuckersmith council- lors there are no guar- antees. More than two years ago Seaforth's Chalk Street well was closed after radionucleides (radioactive elements including uranium, radium and radon gas) were found in the water. Shortly after, Seaforth's Welsh Street well was found to have fissures in the sides and be letting in surface water. Usborne resident asks for road upgrade By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF SOUTH HURON — Albert Weernink of Usborne wants to see his road improved. Weernink attended South Huron council's Dec. 20 meeting along with his son Chris Weernink and neighbour Mervin Shute to express his concerns about the state of Union Road, just northwest of Highway 23, which Weernink said was tar and chipped with a single coat about eight years ago, but hasn't been main- tained. He said some parts of the road are breaking away and asked council to consider fixing the road. Mayor Rob Morley said the policy of the former Usborne Township was to put a second tar and chip layer on roads three years after the first was done, but the second layer was never done on Union Road. Morley added Weernink's concerns will be passed along to road superintendent Ken Bettles. Weernink said the road is well -used by farmers. Coun. Ken Oke agreed the road has been neglected and the municipality should take a look at it. He said any tar and chip road with seven years of use on it would be in rough shape. Other council notes: ABCA questions Council has decided to have Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority gener- al manager Tom Prout attend a January meeting to explain two pro- posed ABCA special projects for 2005. While there are two projects — one for the Morrison Dam and one for the Parkhill Dam — it's the $50,500 Morrison Dam Safety project that par- ticularly concerns South Huron. As the municipality slated to benefit from the project, South Huron would be on the hook for $22,725 of the cost. The ABCA will also get $25,250 in a 50 per cent grant from the Ministry of Natural Resources. A safety "Now we're being asked to pay for a study to see if it can take a flood?" he asked. KEN OKE SOUTH HURON COUNCILLOR assessment done in 2004 on the Morrison Dam looked at several things such as the structure's discharge capacity, its stability, its condition, the area affected if the dam were to break, public and worker safety and things such as emer- gency preparedness plans. The proposed project would include further sta- bility analysis and monitor- ing, the drilling of test holes and instal- lation of monitoring equipment to determine what kind of material the dam is founded on and what would happen during a flood. Other parts of the project include updating signs, repairing the existing log boom and creating an Operations and Maintenance Manual. In discussing the proposed project, Oke said there is already a channel off the Morrison Dam that ensures it won't flood. "Now we're being asked to pay for a study to see if it can take a flood?" he asked. The Parkhill Dam Safety project is only slated to cost South Huron $776. Both items were in the ABCA's 2005 proposed budget the municipality already accepted. The special projects, though, have to be specifically approved by the benefitting municipali- ties and the ABCA's board of directors. Huron United Way exceeds goal GODERICH — The Huron United Way announced last week they are over the top — in fact the United Way's goal of $200,000 has been exceeded by over $6,000, and donations are still flowing in. "To say we are thrilled would be a terrific under- statement," said Huron United Way chairperson Larry Langan. "Our focus this year has been to face forward, stay positive and build on the wonderful energy our new board and executive direc- tor have brought to the organization." The Huron United Way has undergone some chal- lenges in the past few years, and has worked hard to remain account- able and to keep investing wisely in the community through the annual cam- paign, a press release stat- ed. A new location in Goderich, new campaign strategies and dedicated volunteers have resulted in this achievement for 2004. "The companies who run workplace campaigns have almost all increased significantly, several new workplaces have come on board and individual gifts have increased, as well," said Huron United Way executive director Kimberley Payne. "All the local media have been engaged partners this year, running stories and giving us airtime, which is another element of the success story." It is not too late to send in your contribution to: Huron United Way, Box 211, Goderich, Ont., N7A 3Z2, or go to www. huron. unitedway. ca to make your donation online. The Huron United Way is a local non-profit agency investing in Huron County through its 13 funded agencies. For more information, please contact the Huron United Way at 519-524- 7900 or e-mail huronunit- edway@tcc.on.ca rEil I .EV;IJI JANUARY 7 • The committee that oversees the Exeter Community Development Fund is looking at options on how to deal with the former PUC building on Main Street. In addition to the main building, the property includes a parkette to the south, a storage building behind the former PUC building and some parking. Committee member and South Huron Coun. Pete Armstrong presented the committee's ideas to coun- cil. The committee's discussions come from a letter by the BIA. • The Municipality of Bluewater's strategic plan moved ahead Monday night with a decision to include $15,000 for it in this years budget. The decision came after Coun. Jim Fergusson sub- mitted a letter to council outlining his proposals and goals for the Strategic Plan. JANUARY 14 • Are South Huron staff receiving calls on week- ends and during evenings for problems out of their jurisdiction? Road superintendent Mike Alcock said on-call staff have received weekend calls from OPP officers advis- ing them of problems such as potholes that didn't need to be fixed immediately. • Despite the upcoming closing of the Zurich Bank of Montreal (BMO) in June, Heather Redick is asking customers of the bank to be patient. Redick is one of four committee members along with Bill Wagner, John Consitt and Steve Haberer who make up a sub committee of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce, who are working to ensure financial services are maintained in Zurich. • A group of citizens in Hensall has been taking the first steps towards creating a Habitat for Humanity affiliate program in Huron County. An information session and breakfast meeting was held at the Hensall United Church Jan. 10 for people interested in learning more about the organization and the steps which must be taken to become an affiliate. JANUARY 21 • The new South Huron medical centre is ready to open this week. Equipment from the Family Practice Clinic on Main Street will move Wednesday to the clinic's new home at the former Professional Building across from South Huron Hospital. The new centre will be open to the public Thursday. • The Centre for Research and Education in Human Services (The Centre) is working with the Huron County Health Unit, Rural Response for Healthy Children, Pathways to Self -Sufficiency, and the Huron -Bruce Ontario Early Years Centre to learn more about the experiences of low-income and isolat- ed families with young children in Huron County. JANUARY 28 • Upgrades to libraries in Zurich and Bayfield will be considered in upcoming budget discussions after a report to Bluewater council from the Library Committee Jan. 21. Council passed a resolution in late 2002 supporting a Library Strategic Plan prepared by Huron County laying out standards for library area, accessibility, hours of operation, number of volumes and public computer workstations. • Approximately 60 people crowded into the OMAF office Jan. 20 for an information -sharing meeting hosted by the Huron Field to Table Network. `Marketing the Tastes of Huron — From Field to Table' brought together Huron County agri-food stakeholders to discuss what makes Huron County produce distinct and how to best market these prod- ucts. EXETER AUTO SERVICE MID WINTER SERVICE Es29RP VEHICLES * Up to 5L Formula I Oil, New Oil Filter * Top Up All Fluids * Battery Test and Report * Brake Inspection * Tire Rotation * Exhaust, Cooling and Electrical System figh Take Wint 4.119` ehicle Storm? Inspection 1,4J 50 AMERICAN EXPRESS 100 Thames Rd. E. 235-0160 Glenn Edward Enterprises Inc. 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