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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1988-07-13, Page 1ti INDEX Walton - A7 Dublin - A7 Sports - A8, A9 Obituaries - Al0 Births - Al0 Weddings - A14 Graduates - A14 How many beans can a woodchuck chuck? See A4. Huron • xpositor Serving the communities and areas of Seaforth, Brussels, Dublin, Hensall and Walton Seaforth, Ontario HURON EXPOSITOR, WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1988 50 cents a copy County agrees to build new $10M Huronview A $10 million seniors care facility at Clin- ton's Huronview will replace the institution -like complex which has housed the county's frail and elderly since 1894, Huron County Council .agreed last week. The report of the county's Seniors Care Facility Committee, accepted overwhelm- ing at Thursday's meeting, calls for the first phase, two, 80 -bed units, to be built at Huronview as soon as feasible. Later, a similar 80 -bed unit will be built to serve residents in the north, while a third in the south would be added when required. Council gave its executive committee, which was to meet again this morning, the go-ahead to act on the report and set up ap- propriate financing. That committee also won approval to look at the feasibility of moving the county's administration offices from the Goderich Courthouse building to the Huronview buildings most of which would be abandoned once the new seniors facility is erected. Goderich Reeve and Deputy -Reeves Harry Worsell and John Doherty, and Hay Township Reeve Lionel Wilder were the only votes against the motion in a recorded vote. Wingham Reeve Bruce Machan was absent. All other were in favor. "Goderich has always been more -or -less the hub of Huron County. I think this would be a step backwards," said Doherty. Exeter Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller, who chaired the facility committee said after the meeting that she was delighted by both decisions, which the executive committee can now address together. "Isn't it great " she said. "I'm very happy." Warden Robert Bell also said the two, "closely -linked" matters could now be treated as one by the committee. "It's got to be presented to council as a package deal, I would think." Huronview, as it exists now, was described at the meeting and in the report as an outdated facility which must be either renovated or replaced due to fire and health hazards. "Huronview's sprawling structure is typical of institutions built in the '50s. Turn to page 15A • PUC appeals for cutbacks The Seaforth Public Utilities Commission is appealing to Seaforth residents to cut back on water consumption, and -to use com- mon sense w ii n watering lawns and gardens. It consumption isn't cut back water restrictions may become necessary. Over past weeks Seaforth has almost doubled its daily water consumption, going from 1.8 million litres per day to 3.1 million Litres per day. The pumps which generally pump water for 13 to 14 hours per day are now pumping for 22 and 23 hours. In order to avoid potential problems like pump breakdown or the water level getting too low, the PUC would like to see consump- tion lowered. PUC manager Tom Philips says the in- creased consumption is primarily due to watering of lawns and gardens, and he is asking people to cut back sprinkling volun- tarily. He says in the 21 years he has been with the utility he has never seen consump- tion as high as it currently is. "Maintaining supply through the drought period is our main concern," says Mr. Phillips. "We've still got July and August to go and I want to make sure we have ade- quate water supply." The PUC has been closely monitdring the water supply and will continue to do so. At tonight's meeting of the commissioners it will be decided whether or not restrictions will be necessary. BRUSSELS FIRE - The Brussels Legion caught fire last Tuesday morning, and the downstairs lounge area was gutted, and the floor of the upstairs hall floor was badly burnt. Two Wingham men have been charged with Arson and Breaking Entering and Theft in connection with the fire. Corbett photo. THE BRUSSELS LEGION was torched last Tuesday in the early morning hours, and two Wingham men have been charged with Breaking Entering and Theft, as well as Ar- son. This picture of the downstairs lounge shows how much work is going to have to be done to restore the building . Corbett photo. Wingham men charged with arson Two men have been charged with arson and break, enter and theft in connection with the July 5 torching of the Brussels Legion. The fire was called in by neighbors of the Legion at approximately 2:15 last Tuesday morning. Firefighters got the blaze under control after about four hours, but only after the downstairs lounge had bee t ted and the upstairs floor badly burnt. Firefighters found evidence of -a forced entry into the building through a southside window. The door to the bar had also been forced open. The incident was investigated as arson. Police have recovered 14 bottles of li- quor, a small quantity of cigarettes and Kann swmnmwmwimmwnnwswmwgu about 50 uepneront sucks. :..-iKifmCS'r-.]"Y'F "Y iJ +F Nd�H. F,y+PW,. ,'�"Y9..i',�. �,. J4 ✓;S%?"',J[ yA'.,V loft« S9`G .`..d$C' .. THE SEAFORTH S,fIUIR'FS held -a car wash at A. 's auto service on Saturday, so the ball team could raise money to pay for new uniforms. Corbett photo. Seaforth youth burnt in van explosion Jason Rodney, 17 -year-old son of Dr. and when one of two vans travelling on Mrs. Ken Rodney of Seaforth, is in Lon- highway 80 near Algonquin, and carrying a don's Victoria Hospital with open flame number of Junior Rangers, suddenly burns to 17 per cent of his body. erupted into flames. The 14 passengers Young Rodney, who recently graduated were able to evacuate the van, but only with honors from Regina Mundey High seconds before it exploded. Five Junior School, in London and has plans to study Rangers were burnt in the process. science at the University of Western On- A second van, also carrying Junior tarso in the fall, was participating in the Rangers, was quickly emptied of its government's Junior Ranger summer pro- passengers and used to transfer the In- gram when he was burnt. lured to St. Francis Hospital in Barry's According to his father the incident oc- Bay. From there, three required transfer Although he is groggy from his medica- curred Saturday at approximately 2 p.m. and were taken to the Ottawa Civic tion, Jason is able to receive visitors. Hospital. Jason Rodney, whose burns were the worst, was airlifted to the Burn Unit at Victoria Hospital in London, where his father expects he will remain for three to four weeks. "It'll be a long hospital stay for him," said Dr. Rodney. "But he's close to his family and his friends which should help raise his spirits." Riddell amazed by heartiness of crops In completing his two-day farm tour throughout Ontario, Provincial Agriculture and Food Minister Jack Rid- dell announced last Thursday. afternoon that he was "amazed" at how well the crops throughout the province have stood up in the drought -like conditions most of the province has experienced the past six weeks or so. "I'm amazed at how well they've stood up, actually," he said at the farm of Walter Bosch at RR 1 Monkton Thursday after- noon. "I expected much worse. "The growth has been stunted, there's no doubt about that," Riddell said, adding however, "most important we need a rain. If we don't get one within the next seven to 10 days, there's no question there will be some very serious losses." Although some rain did fall throughout the area Sunday evening, more was still needed to bring the crops right out of the critical stage, Riddell mentioned. The minister was completing his tour at the Bosch farm in Elma Township, with earlier scheduled stops in Niagara, the Norfolk area, the Chatham area, Kent, Essex, Lambton and Perth counties. "I've been getting calls from farmers across the southwestern part of the pro- vince and our crop insurance agents and field staff have reported increasing pro- blems in some crops," Riddell said. "I wanted to get out and see a cross-section of farms first hand so I would have an idea of the extent of the problem" Riddell said he established a special ministry committee, chaired by Deputy Minister Clayton Switzer, to monitor the effect and extent of the adverse weather conditions. Riddell mentioned that Lambton and Haldimand counties had worse conditions in their soy beans and corn fields than in the Perth County area, but Perth was the lone area to record extensive frost damage at the end of June. When asked if the provincial govern- ment had any financial plans to aid these hurt farmers, Riddell said it was too early to tell quite yet. "Whatever we do we will not undermine crop insurance," he said. "If we did, it would be most unfair to those farmers who have crop insurance." Riddell also mentioned that those farmers who didn't take out crop in - 4.' e, rst -..s�: +3 ...:s ti '1«.` .r" ,rs ` `. _ e • - 4 +•'� CHECKING THE CROP - Ontario Minister of Agriculture Jack Riddell (left) visited farms throughout the province last week in a two-day blitz checking over crops affected by the lack of rain in many parts of the province. Last Thursday afternoon, at the farm of Walter Bosch (right) of RR 1 Monkton, Riddell inspected the bean field, Riddell men- tioned during his talk with the media afterward that the conditions aren't as bad as he anticipated, but the longer we go without a significant amount of rain, the worse things will get. Bader photo. surance must have had a reason not to, and his reasoning would be that they were willing to take the risk of a bad crop. "If ever there was a year to talk about crop insurance, this is the year to tell it," he continued. "Hopefully, more farmers will participate in crop insurance than have in the past." The minister said he wrote to federal Agriculture Minister John Wise last Tues- day to ask that Ontario producers suffer- ing losses from dry weather receive the same level of compensation as the federal government announced for Western provinces. "I've asked that weather conditions be a major topic of discussion at the federal - provincial meeting of agricultre ministers and deputy ministers in Toronto this week (Judy �Ihto� ne said. Riddell said those crops which were planted earlier have been able to withs- tand the most. "This year, because of stress, you see the variability in fields," he said. "The earlier planted crops plus those above the moisture level have benefitted. This was the year for the farmers to do that, but they (the farmers) didn't know it. "The beans seem to be standing the dry weather better than corn," he said, "but it still remains to be seen what kind of yield will be. "The price of food will likely go up but it's too early to determine the exact effect the drought will have," he said. And if it rains soon, as forecasted, things will smoothen out. "All is not lost," Riddell said. 6 C