The Times Advocate, 2008-09-24, Page 22
Times -Advocate
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Board to administer Exeter receives three "blooms"
detention centre
By Stew Slater
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE
SEAFORTH — Educational programming at a small
youth detention centre near Bryanston will now be
administered by the Avon Maitland District School
Board as a satellite of the secondary school already
operated by the board at the larger Bluewater correc-
tional facility near Goderich.
Wycliff Booth House, located on Ilderton Road near
Bryanston, is operated by the Salvation Army under an
agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Child and
Youth Services. Until now, educational programming
had been administered directly by the provincial
Ministry of Education.
"The (Education) Ministry doesn't like to operate pro-
grams directly. They prefer to operate through a con-
duit board," explained Chuck Reid, the Avon Maitland
board's new director of education.
For many years, the Avon Maitland board has oper-
ated secondary school programming at Bluewater.
Teachers at the facility are covered under the board's
local agreement with the Ontario Secondary School
Teachers Federation union, and administrators are
employees of the board.
Under the new agreement, two teachers already
working at Booth House have been brought under the
local union contract. And the Education Ministry has
committed to reimbursing any costs associated with
the transition into the new arrangement, as well as for
the time spent by Bluewater administrators dealing
with Booth House.
"Any additional cost within the agreement, the
Ministry is covering," Reid told Avon Maitland trustees,
after informing them about the Booth House agree-
ment at a meeting Sept. 9.
Reid described the Ilderton Road facility as the type
of place some residents of Bluewater might move to
after serving some time near Goderich, and before
being released outright. Or, conversely, some residents
of Booth House — if it's deemed they require "more
structured" programming — might be transferred to
Bluewater. After the meeting, Reid told reporters he
was "surprised" to learn that the Education Ministry
was still involved at Booth House. He added that he
can't say for sure, but it's unlikely there are any other
small correctional facilities in this part of the province
which haven't yet come under the administration of a
school board.
REGIONAL WRAP UP
FHT under budget
SEAFORTH— Despite several additions, the new
Seaforth family health team building is still under
budget, says the Seaforth Huron Expositor.
Clerk -Administrator Jack McLachlan told Huron
East council at its Sept. 9 meeting the project is
under budget by about $140,000 despite a new
seminar room and washroom being added to the
building.
A financial statement presented to council
showed some of the extra costs included $120,000
for equipment for the doctors' suites, a cost of
$71,250.22 to relocate the building and a cost of
$79,622.41 for the second seminar room.
McLachlan said the project is in good shape and
there is still $30,000 in a contingency fund.
Reservoir tender
SEAFORTH — A tender of $1,797,142.11 was
accepted by Huron East council Sept. 9, says the
Seaforth Huron Expositor.
The project, which aims to provide the town's
drinking water for the next 10 years involves the
construction of a pumphouse with an attached
reservoir that will replace the reservoir behind
Seaforth town hall.
Construction was expected to start last week.
ATV bylaw delayed
CLINTON — A bylaw which would have allowed
the continued use of ATVs on roads in Central
Huron was tabled Sept. 8, says the Clinton News -
Record.
Council had received several complaints from
residents who have had problems with abuse of
property and dangerous behaviour by ATV dri-
vers.
Council decided it will hold a meeting with the
local ATV club to discuss the problems before
moving forward to renew the bylaw.
GRAVENHURST
— Representatives
of communities
from across
Ontario were in
Gravenhurst Sept.
13-15 to celebrate
their achievements
at the 15th annual
Communities in
Bloom (CIB) -
Ontario Awards
Conference.
CIB Ontario is a
non-profit
Canadian organi-
zation committed
to fostering civic
pride, environmen-
tal responsibility
and beautification
through communi-
ty participation
and the challenge
of friendly compe-
tition.
The program
strives to improve
the tidiness,
appearance and
visual appeal of
Canada's neigh-
bourhoods, parks,
open spaces and
streets through the
use of flowers,
plants and trees.
The evaluation is
based on the local
conditions and
achievements of
citizens, business-
es, organizations,
institutions and
the municipal gov-
ernment working
together.
The detailed
evaluation reports
identify each com-
munity's strengths
and provide sug-
gestions for
improvement.
Chairperson of
Exeter CIB, Cathy
Seip, and commit-
tee members Dave
Atthill and Dianne
Waun represented
Exeter at the
weekend confer-
ence and received
a "Report Card"
and a rating of
three Trillium
Blooms out of a
possible five
blooms.
They were not
surprised that
Exeter's floral dis-
plays received
higher scores,
while good con-
structive sugges-
tions and recom-
mendations were
received concern-
ing other criteria
such as Cultural
Heritage
Conservation, and
Tree/Urban Forest
Management. The
local committee is
exploring ways to
address its weak-
nesses and is look-
ing forward to
some exciting new
projects in 2009.
The Gravenhurst
conference was a
wonderful oppor-
tunity to meet vol-
unteers from other
communities and
network with pro-
fessionals from
Landscape Ontario
and gardening
experts such as
Denis Flanagan.
Information ses-
sions with such
Community improvement —Three Exeter Communities in
Bloom committee members attended the Annual Conference
and Awards Ceremony in Gravenhurst Sept. 13-15. In the back
from left are Bruce Hobin and AngelaVieth, Communities in
Bloom judges who visited Exeter in late July. Exeter was awarded
three blooms for its first year in the program. In front from left
are Exeter Communities in Bloom Committee members Cathy
Seip (chairperson), Dave Atthill and Dianne Waun. (photolsubmit-
ted)
topics as
Environmental
Trends in
Gardening,
Organic Recycling,
and Supporting
Heritage were
informative and
motivational.
Saturday lunch
was an entertain-
ing Pirate Cruise
aboard Wenonah
II on Lake
Muskoka. The con-
ference ended
Sunday morning
with motivational
speaker Eric
Trogden from
STEPS Canada. He
is an expert in
conflict resolution
and his topic was
"Finding Your
Game."
The 2009 confer-
ence will be held
in Vaughan, Ont.
To learn more
about
Communities in
Bloom Ontario,
check the website
at www.communi-
tiesinbloom. ca
The local com-
mittee needs more
volunteers from
South Huron to
join the
Communities in
Bloom group. If
you are interested,
contact Cathy Seip
at 235-2828.
— article submit-
ted
SEPT 28 330PM tiv
FESTIVAL E'i.,
DE((H01ROi;f41,P.S;4
FISHFRYTO F
Community celebrations —The fourth annual Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church Thanksgiving Celebration
is being held this weekend with events open to the whole community. From left are youth co-ordinator Sharla
Ciupak, church warden and music director Friedhelm Hoffmann, Exeter Lioness Cathy Seip and Rev. Brad
Dunbar. (photo/Scott Nixon)
TrivittThanksgiving event this weekend
Continued from front page
The Shriner's Fish Fry in the tent
will follow the service. Tickets for
the Fish Fry are sold only in
advance and are $15 for adults and
$7 for children aged six to 12. Call
the ticket hotline at 235-4156.
Hoffmann said the Thanksgiving
Celebration gets bigger every year
and is funded by the Mildred
Grimes Fund. He stresses that the
weekend is a community effort and
the choir includes those of all
denominations.