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The Huron Expositor, 1987-03-18, Page 1INDEX Births /A18 Classified /A14, 15, 16 publin, /A7 ntertainmrlent /A17 Family /A17, 18 Graduates. 1A17 • Serving the communities and areas of Seaforth, Brussels, Dublin, Hensel) and Walton ' HenSal'i /A8 • Legion /.A17 ' .•.ObituarieS Sports. /A1O 11 Walton /A6 Wedding p 9L'rt�J.rm �,M`M kY'AYHn uron .entennial . helps foster•.c See page A3.. SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, .198.7 — 18 PAGES 50 cents a copy Faced with .a possible 11,75. per, -cent budget increase for 1987, Huron County . Council has been asked for budget cutting. direction from its executive committee. .The committee has the. formidable task Of preparing a final budget proposal for council's approval at especial meeting March 19,;• However, at the regular March .meeting . last Thursday in Goderich, council was -told by Tuckersmith Township Reeve Bob Bell, a member of the executive committee; that the committee was not prepared to live with such • .an increase, "If we can get some 'direction (with budget cuts), we'll do the job, he said. Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle, however; prefer:. red`to toss the ball back into the committee's court. Referring to an executive committee decision .to. make Family and. Children's Services stay within a four .to five per cent .increase, he said the committee should be• • just as firm with its own departments. Goderich Township Reeve Grant Stirling, another executive committee. member, indi• - cated some of the ,problem was that no • department was volunteering to make its,own cuts, "if we gave all the departments what they ask for,, that's what the increase would be (11.75 per cent); he said: • The executive committee would like to see the increase limited to 5,5 per cent, but cuts would, have to be made in most• departmental budgets, he said. . • While the social services department has kept its budget proposal to within the 4.5 -per cent range, the roads department was the only department to make its own cuts in order to meet that request: To attract industry to this area, Mr, Mickle,.. said,. it is important for the county to be competitive in its taxation requirements by showing operating restraint. even if it means cutting staff to achieve this purpose. 'In a letter circulated to members of county council, Mr. Mickle pointed out that Huron County -is the fourth. highest among eight counties in property tax • .demands per household, Huron is also the second highest it:�Uttih.gEegdirection County seeks. bud g in spending per household and receives the third highest number of ,grants perp house- " hold. Besides Huron,, the other counties in Mr, Mickle's comparison. are Oxford, Bruce, Elgin, Grey, Kent, Lambton and Perth,. "How long can we keep (increases) to four or five per cent?" McKillop Township Reeve Marie Hicknell asked. "Its good to keep to• that, but there is going to come a day when we will have to bite the bullet and pay a whole lot . more.'' The biggest single increase in the budget is a $400,000 reserve for the proposed Huron - view expansion, council was told by Stanley Township Reeve Clarence Rau: "W hen we're putting moneyinto a reserve account for hospitals, we should think of our own hospital first," the Huronview management commit- tee chairman said. - He was referring to the $197,902 which the county' currently holds in reserve for hospitals. A portion of ' that is already Landfill users warned of expenses Municipalities making use of the Holmes- ville Landfill Site have been advised through the landfill Site Committee to be prepared to ,pay their portion of substantial costs to be incurred at the joint landfill site. Goderich Administrator Larry McCabe advised the committee in a letter, that the 1987 preliminary budget for the Town of Goderich includes $220,000 for the operation of the site and $50,000 for studies required.by 'the Ministry of Environment. The operating cost's in 1986 were $210,000 and studies carried out cost $35,000. In 1986 a grant in excess of $20,000 was received toward the cost of the studies. However, no grants for further studies are expected to be available. Mr. McCabe has sdvised participating municipalities that Goderieh is 'separately allocating a large sum of money to reserve for their future landfilling needs. The final amount will be determined in the upcoming hudget•: "I write this letter on behalf of the (landfill site) committee, at this. time, to emphasize that drastic expenditures will be incurred at the Holmesyille Landfill Site and that each municipality should be prepared and budget, - accordingly," said the letter.. • In a report- released in December, 1986, participating municipalities were advised to expect expenditures as high as $700,000 for landfill over the next three or four years. The expected expenses include such projects as leachate collection•, preparing a new area at the site for landfilling• and closure of the existing fill area. NEW USERS • A recent development in the landfill situation is a request from Seaforth and Tuckersmith Township to be considered for inclusion as users of the Holmesville site. Town accepts reports Seaforth Town Council has accepted financial reports of the town and its Ontario Home Renewal Program (OHRP) Trust Eland, as presented by the accounting firm. Touche Ross and Company. Council was told an examination of the consolidat'ed balance sheet and the consoli- dated statement" of operations for the year 1986 were in accordance with the account- ing principles prescribed for Ontario municipalities. "The books and records are in 'good shape," said W es Spence. "The audit went very smoothly." Mr. Spence did recommend td council it promote the OHRP fund more, or could expect the government to request repay- ment of funds. Effective January 1, 1985 amendments to regulations require the OHRP funds be accounted for as a trust fund and no longer as a reserve fund, The province reviews the funds on a yearly basis and is now only allocating funds to those towns who use them, Because the funds were not used to their full advantage in Seaforth in 1985, there was a large drop in cash in 1986 - from $37.227 to $13,679. ` Huron PC party sets nomination The Progressive Conservative (PC) Party of the Huron riding has set April 14 as their date for their nomination meeting. • This year there are three potential candidates considering running for the position. Those who would like to run, must have their written intent into Janet Webster, of Varna, 48 hours before the April 14 •meeting.• The meeting will he held at 8 p.m. in the Central Huron Secondary School, Clinton,, auditorium. • Representatives -of the two municipalities appeared at a February 4 meeting of the Landfill Site Committee, , to . discuss this possibility. Seaforth and Tuckersm,ith have already spent' in excess of $225,000 for necessary • studies to determine a possible new landfill site of their own, However, they have not proceeded any further since the costs of developing such a site, estimated at more than $1.5 million, are prohibitive.. Still unresolved, is. the issue of legalizing the use . of the Hohnesville site bythe municipalities of .Bayfield, Lrclmow and Colborne Township. As it now stands, only Goderich, Goderich Township and Clinton, tlie� , three mUnicipalitiesmiamed on, the original application for the Site, in 1972, have proper ministry authorization•to use the site. EXEMPTION A POSSIBILITY To legalize the use of the site by the municipalities not included on the original application would normally require an environmental assessment. However, ac- cording to Ministry of Environment officials, because Bayfield, L.tcknow and Colborne Township commenced use of the site -before the Environmental Assessment Act applied to municipalities in 1980, and because the approval required at that time would have been a. public hearing, it is possible an exemption can be obtained under Section 34 of the act. In this case, only approval under the net. with. a public hearing would be required. The ministry's Southwestern Re- gional,Office has indicated it is prepared to support such a request. A meeting has been tenatively arranged, either March. 30 or 31. between the committee and the Environmental Assess, ment Branch of the ministry, as well as the Environmental Approvals Branch, in con- junction with representatives from Seaforth- and Tuckersmith. The possibility of Sdaforth 'and Tuckersmith being included, in the certificate of approval, as well as the status of Bayfield, • Luclulow and Colborne, will be further examined at that time. earmarked for. the Clinton Public Hospital, council was told. Mr: Bell pointed out the 11.75 aper cent increase was without provision Tor 1987 • reserve funds for hospitals: To make such provision would mean an additional four per cent increase, he said. Hay. Township Reeve Lionel Wildersaid the county had to establish and build up its reserve accounts in order to pay for future projects. Council is already committed to the Huron County Pioneer Museum, Huronview and Ball's Bridge projects, he said. . One of the major factors contributing to the budget dilemma,. Clerk -.Treasurer Bill Hanly told. council, is that while the county's expenditures are increasing, • its . resource grants have onlygone up about two per cent. Council must approve the budget at its March 19 special meeting in order to meet approval deadlines forfederal and provincial grants. t J� va'a CLEAN UP DETAIL — Lisa Henderson and Tracey Fortune were all smiles despite the fact they were on clean up detail at a youth night sponsored by the Bethel Bible Church Friday. The event., which lasted through to Saturday morning, included such activities as swimming, skating,•fioor hockey and lots of. eating. The eating of 'course, meant dishes. Fifty-six teens were in attendance. Chalk St. residents wary Residents of Chalk Street North are con- cerned the safety of their children may be jeopardized by the presence of an unkept woodpile on a Side Street property, "I'm worried about the safety of my children and my neighbors," said Cheryl Wilkinson, who Went before council with a letter of complaint cast week. ' "There has been wood piled there for two years that has not beenproperly split or piled." Mrs. Wilkinson said she, is concerned a Skunk or .some other wild animal niietht decide to make its home in the woodpile. She added increased incidents of rabies in the county only compounded her concern. ' "For the safety of the people in the area, and the highschool students who walk by there every day I'd like to see the pile clean- ed up, or a fence put around it. It's a haven for a rat's nest.," Council assured Mrs.• Wilkinson there was a town by-law which dealt with property upkeep, and referred her complaint to the property standards by-law officer. Despite we Some people do enjoythe morning. Betty MacLean, Dilys Finnigan, Dorothy Popple,. Mary Chapple, Blanche Moir and Ruth Sniith are sixEgmondville women who get up and greet each day with a long, Country walk, Now calling themselves The Pacemakers, because of their love of walking, the group originally, got together through Mr's. ' Maclean, Who started walking to help a bad back. "At one time I wouldn't even walk to' the store behind •me. I'd take the car," She admitted., "Now I really enjoy it, it feels wonder= fuL" • When she started walking Mrs. MacLean Wield Steady walking c=ompanies hard to- - tette by, until-oneSunday;while-outwith- reluctant husband 55 companion, she raa • into Dilys Finnigan Mrs. MacLean and Mrs F56nigan have been walling together almost every day spice tfiat meeting in Julie, attracting more recently the other members of the group, ' Because of varying lifestyles rneiibers of the group walk in the morning leaving from ' Mrs, Maclean's house at 7 a.m,, and lfeading out the golf course road, During the Week they walk approximately three to three and a half miles, and on weekends extend the journey to fiVe thil'es, stopping oh the return route at th'e Dixie Lee for .=etlft'ee.; The group travels at a' leisurely pace, ' taking: time to stop and view the wildlife and other wonders of nature along the way. 'yWe just take out time and enjoy the Walk. We're not out thereto prove anything. 16 anybody. We don t need to show We earl • Walk the mile in so many minutes. weft' out there because we enjoy it," said Mia, MacLean. ' .. Reaction to T1tie Paeemalieit by *her members of the " mmiinity has been varied. While fie majority admire• then' other Egrnoridville women enjoy. daily walk t 'tSttl7Et-Y WALK .' Betty M56Lean, Dilys Finnigan, e Mary Chapple, ala o e Mop and Dorothy Pantile can themselves The pacemakers, because of their love et walking. The group erafks a minimum of 25 miles each week, star(i'rgg out from their -hornet at 7 am, daily. • (Mellwraith photo) dedication, Mrs, MacLean said ethers think ,pit Say if you haven't tried they are nutty to be out walking in =I8 degree Weather, , They don't realize, becaus€ they we never done it, the benefits of walking Iused to have a bad back and now 1 have no aches and pains now. Others have lost weight. So'd she said. Mrs. Finnigan, who also started walking to soothe a bad back, said the be feels better as a result of walking. It's hard to describe how it makes you feel. You just feel so good afterwards,'" she it, don't krieek said. "And if you' dont go one day, you feel let down, or depre§sed, added Mrs. Papple. 'And I find.1 really sleep much better at night too I used to toss and turn bur now, I go right to sleep." The tithed day they walk and the mute they take has also contributed to giving -triembers of•the Pacemakers a more positive outlook en each day. "In the morning the country is so peaceful Once back in town you kind of feel blah again," said Mrs. MacLean. ' "And you see things on a walk in the country that you wouldn't even notice driving by," added Mrs. Finnigan, "We've seen some gorgeous sunrises, - and some days when the frost is en the trees, it's just so beautiful." Formost Pacemakers it was the prodding of someone else that cotivince'd them to take up walking, and all are glad they did. „Our husbands kept telling us we should get out and walk, bur they never leave the house, they joked. " .But -its 11een_good_for.us. It's better than medicine." ' Seine members thought they'd never last, and commented they didn't realize how short a distance one mile Was. "When i thought about going my first mile I didn't think I'd ever make it," said Mr's, l innigan, but f did," "I didn't think I'd get around my first . mile and a quarter," added Mrs. Pappte, "but I think I thought that mile would be longer than it actually was. Once I got walking I didn't notice." And now that they've conquered those first miles, the group is encouraging others'. to join tm: 'Wet hetlst thought there might be others who enjoy walking who don't be tante they have•no one to walk with." "Sonietimes it's nice to walk alone, bit mostly it's nice to have someone along. Walking is really a buddy system'. A companion helps to pass the time. Mental- ly, physically and spiritually its better for you," said Mit. Maaean. - Anyone tnte-fitted Should meet at the MacLean house at 7 ant Walkers of all:• ages and both Sexes ate welcome,