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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-06-10, Page 22 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, June 10, 2015 2015 Accessibility Awards presented during National Access Awareness Week Huron County Accessibility Committee recognizes three organizations Valerie Gillies Lucknow Sentinel Each year, the Huron County Accessibility Commit- tee (HCAAC) celebrates organ- izations and individuals who are working to build a more inclusive society for Canadians living with a disability. The award ceremony was held in conjunction with National Access Awareness Week on June 2 at Maitland River Elementary School in Wingham, one of the recipi- ents of the 2014 award. The Award of Merit for Barrier -Free Design recog- nizes excellence in accessi- bility design. Three organiza- tions were recognized at the 2015 award ceremony. Allan Avis Architect Inc. is a full service architectural firm based in Goderich. This firm has been serving Southwest - em Ontario since 1993 includ- ing renovations, restorations and new construction on a variety of building types. In the presentation it was stated, "The Huron CountyAccessi- bility Advisory Committee recognizes Allan Avis as a spe- cialist in accessibility require- ments and heritage/historical structures and as a consultant that actively works with their clients to attain practical and achievable solutions." Some of the projects that HCAAC gave feedback on were the Kingston Street accessible washrooms in Goderich, the proposed Maitland Valley Medical Centre in Goderich and the Blyth Theatre renovations, among many others. Pre- senter, Debbie Braun contin- ued, "When our Committee Huron County Map Guide provides `highly anticipated' resource Premiere version hits store shelves in June Submitted Huron County is proud to debut a new resource for the 2015 season designed to enhance the experience of visiting tourists. The "Huron County Map Guide" is an initiative of the Planning & Development Department that provides a detailed paperback atlas of the county. "Neighbouring counties have them and have shown how popular these books are with tourists and residents alike," said Karri Sonke, Huron County GIS Coordi- nator. "We've been asked by a number of local tourism partners for a resource like this - it's been highly anticipated!" At 4000 copies, the first edi- tion features detailed town maps, a complete index of street names, as well as the location of popular munici- pal features like parks, beaches and other recreation areas. Operating on a cost recovery basis, copies are available for a $5 purchase in local retail stores. 1 Imazing Special! Bounce and Divine Impatiens Perfect for 00 shaded areas and disease -resistant $ 1 4 inch container Now Open Daily 9 am - 5 pm Thursday and Friday 9 am - 8 pm Closed Sundays 83189 Scott Line, RR 3 Blyth (North Huron) 519-523-9456 Lots of beautiful colours Cbnbn Ware hare • 1st place on left Auburn Wlnoham Londesborough reviews these plans, we are in awe as Allan Avis Archi- tects always go above and beyond the minimum acces- sibility requirements and never miss a beat. It is actu- ally quite the opposite, instead of our Committee providing recommendations we find ourselves impressed with the implementation of accommodations we never would have thought of." Wingham and District Hos- pital is a modern, progressive acute care facility. In present- ing the award it was stated, "Mr. Rob Hutchison and Mr. Steve Baxter met with the Huron County Accessibility Advisory Committee to review their renovation drawings completed by the company Dialogue out of Toronto, Ontario back in October 2014. The redevelopment team put a lot of thought of effort into the design of the renovations prior to involving the committee. The committee provided some recommendations and are pleased to see that our recommendations relating to phase one (drop off and main entrance) have been implemented." A second phase of the project involves significant interior renova- tions which will also improve accessibility, recog- nizing all disabilities. The Town of Goderich is the third recipient of the Award of Merit. Goderich is becoming known for embracing and implement- ing accessibility features to ensure all residents and visi- tors can enjoy what the town has to offer. HCAAC has reviewed many site plans for Goderich including the Downtown Master Plan fol- lowing the F3 tornado on August 21, 2011. This plan included the location of accessible parking for the courthouse and on the square. Accessibility of entrances to building on the square was also addressed. Many different considera- tions were implemented within these projects. Other projects mentioned were renovations to the OPP station on the square, public accessible washrooms on Kingston Street, the pro- posed Maitland Valley Medi- cal Clinic, prior renovations to the Town Hall to maintain the heritage of the building while increasing accessibility and Fire Drill Day which is designed to include those who have limited mobility and other disabilities as part of the training. The Award of Merit for Barrier -Free Design is to promote public awareness of the importance of barrier - free design, and to recognize excellence in accessibility design. Huron County Accessibility Committee has recognized these three organizations in the hopes Valerie Gillies/Lucknow Sentinel The 2015 Accessibility Awards by the Huron County Accessibility Committee (HAAC) were presented at Maitland River Elementary School in Wingham on June 2. Recipients were Allan Avis Architects, Inc., Goderich; Wingham and District Hospital (WDH) and the Town of Goderich. From left: Debbie Braun, member HCAAC; Janice Hallahan, accessibility coordinator Town of Goderich; Allan Avis, Allan Avis Architect Inc.; Karl Ellis, Listowel Wingham Hospital Alliance; Amy Miller, board chair WDH; and Laurie Jacques, member HCAAC. that they will be examples to others in the county and beyond. First trees planted to capture greenhouse gases through Carbon Footprints to Forests program Conservation authorities plant trees through program supported by County of Huron Submitted Extreme weather events, increased carbon dioxide in the air, and changes to our cli- mate are global problems. Some people and groups are taking local action to fight these issues through a pro- gram to plant trees in the area. These trees absorb greenhouse gases over their lifetimes. This year, the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield conservation authorities have planted the first trees funded and main- tained thanks to public and community group contribu- tions to the Carbon Footprints to Forests Program. The footprintstoforests.com website was launched last year, with financial support from the County of Huron. The Carbon Footprints to Forest program gives people and community groups a new and local way to compensate for their personal carbon footprint by contribut- ing to tree planting through the website. Donations made to the Footprints to Forests Friends, family and neighbour's are invited to the evening wedding reception of Jessica Gilchrist and Neil Froats at the bride's parents house 7 Torrence st. Huron Kinloss starting at 9pm. program in 2014 were used by the Ausable Bayfield and Mait- land Valley conservation authorities to plant more than 500 trees last month. These trees are expected to capture more than 176 tonnes of greenhouse gases. In the Ausa- ble Bayfield watershed the trees were planted at the 40 -hectare Triebner Tract between Dashwood and Exe- ter. It is part of the provincially significant Hay Swamp Wet- lands Complex. Maitland Val- ley trees were planted at Lake Wawanosh Conservation Area, located west of Wmgham. "We thank everyone who reduced their personal carbon footprint by donating," said Stewart Lockie, Conservation Areas Coordinator with Mait- land Valley Conservation Authority. "There are now trees in the ground to help keep our air and water clean, to capture carbon dioxide, and to help us to adapt to changes in our local climate:' The conservation authori- ties expect the program to grow as more people learn about the opportunity to make a difference locally. "The plant- ing of these trees are just the start," said Kate Monk, Man- ager of Stewardship, Land and Education with Ausable Bay- field Conservation. "We invite people to make contributions in 2015 to make it possible to plant more trees next year..' The footprintstoforests.com site includes an easy-to-use carbon calculator. You may use the calculator to find out how many tonnes of green- house gases are produced by your vehicle and home energy use (and air travel, if you travel by air). The calculator tells you how much it would cost to compensate for the impacts of these activities. The site also tells you how many trees will be planted by your local con- servation authority with the help of your donation. Some people may be able to donate the entire cost of their carbon footprint, Monk said, but others may only be able to donate to compen- sate for part of it. While the site was originally setup for individuals and fami- lies to investigate their carbon footprint, some community groups have counter -balanced the carbon footprint of travel to their meetings and events. The Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley conservation authorities are also interested in working with corporate and agency partners who may be inter- ested in carbon compensation on a larger scale. For informa- tion on how you can reduce your personal carbon footprint by supporting the planting of local trees, visit footprintstofor- ests.com or contact the Mait- land Valley or Ausable Bayfield conservation authorities.