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The Times Advocate, 2008-03-12, Page 1ME S ADVOCATE Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday, March 12, 2008 $1.25 (includes GST) HURON TRACTOR EXETER 519-235-1115 0 w WHATww.hurontractor.com JOHN DEERE 'S INSIDE Trac2 Graphs nc. A Printing Company ■ Online NEWT ORDERING 519.237.3838 www.track2l .ca Welcome Exeter Legion welcomes new members PAGE 3 "Paint Ontario" Annual art show held at Lambton County Museum PAGE 8 INDEX Editorial 4 Sports I 0 Announcements I4 Classifieds I7 TIMES ADVOCATE 424 MAIN ST. Box 850 EXETER, ONTARIO NOM 156 TEL: 519-235-1331 FAX: 519-235-0766 WWW.SOUTHHURON.COM Praying for Guyana — The Exeter Christian Reformed Church held a World Day of Prayer Friday night, featuring several churches from Exeter.Above are Margaret Devries (Bethel Reformed), Marion Astle (Trivitt),Willemina Zwart (speaker), Lisa Boersma (Christian Reformed), Michelle Zwart (Christian Reformed),Wendy Meidinger (Precious Blood), Louise Amerongen (Exeter Pentecostal), Marion Kerslake (Exeter United), Joyce Fulton (Thames Road Elimville United), Jean Hodgert (co-ordinator and Thames Road Elimville United), Mary Dougall (Caven Presbyterian) and Henny Poortinga (Christian Reformed). The focus of the World Day of Prayer was Guyana. In over 170 countries, more than 2,000 Christians came together for World Day of Prayer. (photo/Nina Van Lieshout) Redevelopment project will see significant changes at rest home By Nina Van Lieshout TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF ZURICH — Redeveloping and revitilizing the Blue Water Rest Home were the two key highlights of the 43rd Annual Blue Water Rest Home meeting March 5. In June, the Ontario government chose the Blue Water Rest Home to kick off a pilot program that will redevelop rest homes province -wide. Blue Water Rest Home administrator Martha Craig says the rest home will see significant changes, "The north and east wings will be completely replaced. The south and south west beds will be renovated." Craig also says the project features new beds, a new kitchen, dining rooms and several other upgrades. Blue Water Rest Home chairman Ron Heimrich says the final 21 beds are arriv- ing Friday. Heimrich is asking anyone in the community who is mechanically inclined to assist with the assembling of the beds. "If anyone would like to help, we won't turn that down," says Heimrich. "We're hoping to get a shovel in the ground this summer, with a ground breaking ceremony in June," says Craig, who estimates the redevelopment costs to be about $3.4 million. "We're hoping to finish by the spring of 2010," says Craig. The Blue Water Rest home held a 99.7 per cent occupancy in 2007, with a 29 per cent turnover rate. There were 17 deaths, 19 admissions and two discharges. "The waiting list continues to grow at 40 people," says Craig, adding the improve- ments will help "curb the appeal of the home." Once the rest home renewal is complete, the programs and services will also improve, says Craig, explaining that the second part of the pilot project features a Rural Community Support Centre (RCSC), which includes multi -generational pro- grams, human resources, community support services and assisted living Heimrich says, "It's our turn to be in the spotlight. We are making this vision a reality, and Huron County should be commended," with secretary Jack Schade adding, "This is a new era for the Blue Water Rest Home." pitir ifANTIQUE VEHICLE INSURANCE Gaiser Kneale 519-23 5-2420 Insurance Brokers 1-888-235-2420 Serving Exeter, Grand Bend, Clinton Groups discuss local flood risks By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — "Flooding is infrequent but when it does happen it causes emergencies," ABCA water and plan- ning manager Alec Scott said March 4 at the annual Flood Emergency Planning meeting in Exeter. Representatives of Emergency Management Ontario (EMO), the Huron OPP, Lambton, Huron and Perth counties, the Huron, Middlesex and Perth Health Units and the Municipalities of North Middlesex, South Huron and Huron East met Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) staff and board mem- bers at the Exeter Masonic hall at the meeting spon- sored by the ABCA. ABCA chairperson Jim Ginn said the meetings, the first of which was held in 2000, are held to stimulate discussion while Scott added although floods don't happen very often the meetings remind planners that they can happen. Scott added the mandate of the ABCA regarding floods is to prevent losses to life and property and that it is cheaper to prevent people from building on flood plains than to protect them after they have built. Timely and effective communications were the theme of the meeting and Scott said levels of ABCA bulletins range from monitoring to advisories and warnings. While Scott said the system is good at the regional level, he added it is more challenging for localized regions. "Our prime purpose is to identify risk and tell munic- ipalities...flooding is infrequent but when it does hap- pen it causes emergencies." Scott added the condition of the watershed at the time of a flood determines how serious it will be. Scott said as of March 3, snow conditions in the north of the watershed are "ripe" without much mois- ture in the snow and Scott said it won't take much heat to melt the snow. ABCA water resources technologist Ross Wilson described a communications exercise held Feb. 25 where it practiced calling municipal contacts on its list to notify them of a flood warning. Ross said the ABCA is given a list of several contact numbers by each municipality and it keeps calling until it gets "a live body." He said the exercise showed the communication system was timely and effective with four of the 10 primary contacts reached on the first call, three with an alternate and one with a sec- ond alternate. He added the next step will be to repeat the exercise "under less than ideal conditions" such as after-hours and with a bigger window that the exercise might happen in. Scott said the last flood warning issued by the ABCA was in 2000 during the July 9 storm in Exeter which saw 148 millimeters of rain in six hours, an amount See ABCA page 2 EXETER „. CHRYSLER "Your neighbourhood Chrysler Dealer" 519-235-1525 FIVE STAR 136 Main St. N., Exeter o 0 0 0 0 Effective Dates: March 1st, 2008 - March 31st, 2008 eri f3f1ad.I' , I.x �.t ..at•1cct,c,n now carnes with /JIci're, Choir..:. 51750 51000 HEAR US ON /'0' t4e0r-ovr-f 'illi /ITS tae OMGCIPS MESt &NW VIEW ALL OUR INVENTORY AT: www.exeterchrysler.com