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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1989-04-12, Page 21Walton - B3 Births - 4B Graduates - 4B Weddings - 4B Cranbrook - 68 Serving the communities and areas of Seatorth, Brussels, Dublin, Hensall and Walton Seaforth, Ontario Future of The future of the Seaforth Post Office, in its present location, is questionable. Following contact with Public Works Canada, owners of the building, about the streetscaping planned for Seaforth, the town was advised Public Works Canada is "Unable to foresee a long-term need for the Seaforth Post Office" and as a result is contemplating its disposal from their inventory. At a further meeting with Donna Burnell, Regional Manager of Federal Facilities, the town was told the Public Works Department is conducting a 'needs study' on the future of the building as a Post Office. This, she said, is being done in an effort to make the Canada Post Cor- poration cost efficient. If the needs study results in the disposal of the building, the building would be of- fered firstly to other Federal • Corpora- tions, then the Provincial Government, then ,the Municipal Government. If there is no interest, .it will be offered to private enterprise. In any event, the building is of- fered at 1985 fair market value. The cur- rent assessed 1984 market value of the Post Office building is $159,000. The building alio currently generates a $3,600 grant -in -lieu of taxes from the Federal- . Government. • In her comments to the town, Mrs. Burnell further advised that .Post Office operations would be `franchised •nut' to corner store type operations and con- sideration would be given to Super Mail Boxes or some other alternative for mail distribution. HURON EXPOSITOR, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 1989 building sketchy However, when contacted by The Huron not be moving out of Seaforth. Expositor last week, Mrs. Burnell would "We're just a renter, and we'll find other make no comments, but rather referred us accommodation. There is a possibility - to Debbie Payne of Corporate Communica- and this is pure speculation at this time - tions. While helpful, Ms. Payne indicated that we could be leasing property from a she could make no comments on the `needs private person in Seaforth," he said. study' and referred us to Canada Post. "The Post Office is not the building, it's Several calls later, we talked to Tom the operating arm of Canada Post which Creech, Media Relations Officer for the offers local services. We're, just a compo - Huron Division of Canada Post. _ nent, just a tenant. The ownership of the He told us that given a choice, Canada building lies in Public Works Canada. We Post would probably choose to stay in the have no plans to move out of Seaforth," he building that houses them now. However, added. he added, as a renter Canada Post has not For further information on the 'needs alternative but to wait and see what Public study' being proposed for the Town of Works decides to do. Seaforth, Mr. Creech referred the "The building is owned by Public Works newspaper to Ron McBride, local manager Canada, we just rent floor • spacefrom for Public Works Canada. In response to them. This is strictly a Public Works in- questioiming Mr. McBride said he knew itiative," he said, nothing about a `needs study' being con - Mr. Creech noted that it is still early in ducted on the federal building in Seaforth, the game, since the 'needs study' to be con- and indicated that to his knowledge the ducted in Seaforth just recently came to building was not listed among those being light. But he assured people that whatever considered for disposal from the Public the outcome the post office services, will Turn to page n 50 cents a copy Town prepares for road improvements The Town of Seaforth may attempt the reconstruction and resurfacing of more Seaforth streets in 1989 than anticipated. In recognition of the fact the federal government may not provide funding this year for Seaforth's proposed Sanitary Sewer Expansion, council has authorized B.M. Ross and Associates to prepare the pre - engineering specifications for the SEAFORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Gary Jewitt will be taking a leave of absence next year, and will be spending two months in the African Country of Liberia. There Mr. Jewitt, with three other Canadians, will show Liberian principals how to become more efficient administrators, Mr. Jewitt has been at SPS for 10 and a half years in total, and believes he will be assigned elsewhere in the county when he returns to work in September 1990. His position will be filled by Don Tremeer, who is currently principal of Brookside Public School in Lucknow. Corbett photo. 'SPS principal to aid professionals Seaforth Public School principal Gary Jewitt will be spending two months in , Liberia, and is likely in his last year at SPS. Mr. Jewitt has been at SPS for 10 years, including the past five and a half con- i secutive years when he was principal of SPS and Walton PS, but next year he will be tak- ing a leave of absence, and will be spending January and February in the African nation of Liberia. There he will teach academic and professional upgrading to principals )and administrators in Liberia, In his absence Mr. Jewitt will be replaced by Don Tremeer,•who is currently the.prin- Icipal of Brookside Public School in Lucknow. Rob Snell, former vice-principal of SPS, •will be returning from Victoria !Public School in Goderich to once again serve as viceprincipal. The two :months Mr. Jewitt will be apen- i ding in Liberia are sponsored by the Cana - )(lien Teacher Federation and the Canadian !International Development Agency. After )working with ,the Huron County Board of !Education for 26 years Mr. Jewitt applied' for a program, known as Project Overseas, for the opportunity to work in a third world country "I wanted, the opportunity to have a; little variety, but I'll hopefully be back somepplace;inHuron Countyin,September," hesays. "I've,always aeen,intekested in do- ing,and-trying rnewa tb n oaudaegjng,how Wags work ,ln:the ;wor'ld." Mr.,Jewitt;says,his:knowledgetof w.hat,he is_geUpg=into,in1lbelia,is41ntlted. "All I know about°the country is what I read in an encyclopedia and in some infor- mation sent to me by Project Overseas," he says. He knows he is headed for a small country on the Atlantic Ocean near the equator. The population of Liberia is largely made up of descendants of freed American slaves and the official language is English, so he ex- pects little in the way of a language barrier. Although there was an unsuccessful coup at- tempt in Liberia on November 12, 1985, the country is supposed to be politically stable. "It better Ise," he says. Mr. Jewitt, along with three other team members who have been selected from .across Canada, will be located at the Liberian capital of Monrovia. About 90 pro- fessionals from across the country will be taken to Monrovia for academic upgrading from the team:of Canadians. Within the educational system of Liberia about 90 per cent of the principals are not trained in the area •of Educational Ad- ministration, and have been .experiencing .problems with discipline, administrative reports, school .management, •etc. Most of these ,principals have a high school level education, or .are college dropouts. So the objective of theproject in Liberia is to ,develop ,administrative •skills for ,prin- i ,landlogener iiy Arovelhe quality 40f-Priltailtkiaattid4141110fition. Aaetoutlary•objecttvecoffihe,progrram is for he,peopleinvolved;mthepregramto,br- °'i:urntto.:page.17 reconstruction of Chalk Street South bet- ween Crombie and George Streets; and for the resurfacing of Wilson Street between James and Centre Streets. High Street bet- ween Market and Huron Streets, George Street East between Main Street and the town limits and Coleman Street between George and Gouinlock Street. If funding is provided for the sewer expansion, it will go ahead as planned. If not; Seaforth will be ready to forge ahead, unhindered, with its road program. However, the Town of Seaforth is still hop- ing money for the seWpi- expansion will come through. "We had a meeting with Jack Riddell, and assured him that ours was a real en- vironmental concern, and not just a ploy to get money," commented Town Clerk .Jim Crocker. "He understands what our pollu- • tion problems are." SUNNY WEATHER on the weekend in Seaforth meant a lot of people, especially young people, were doing things outside. Lions Park was one popular spot, and seen here Paul Stephen takes a trip down the slide. Corbett photo Seaforth once again There is a move afoot to turn Seaforth into an active Block Parent community. The Block Parent program has existed in Seaforth for years, but in recent years it has lost some of its vitality. Two local women, Kathy Ferguson and Mary Longstaff, hope to reorganize and revitalize the Block Parent program in this community. "If there's not an active group then stuff doesn't get done," says Mrs. Ferguson, ad- ding that is why she and Mrs. Longstaff in- tend to generate interest in Block parents Imre, What is Block Parents? Mrs. Ferguson explains it as a "group of volunteers who by posting a sign in their window dhow children that their home is safe if they are in need of help." She says children who are frightened by bullies or vicious dogs; are hurt, sick or frightened; or are bothered by strangers, benefit from a Block Parent program. There are other uses for the program, and Mrs. Ferguson says people whose cars are broken down will generally go to a block parent home first for help, But the main reason the program is created is to help children who are being threatened by strangers. People like to think it won't happen here, but it can happen anywhere." Another aspect of the Block Parent Pro- gram is the Safe Arrival Program. If children don't show up at school the Safe Ar- rival Program ensures someone from the school will call parents to check if the child a dock Parent community is still at home. Mrs. Ferguson says the system of a parent sending a note to the school after a child has been absent is useless if a parent thinks a child has left for school, the school thinks a child has stayed home, but the child is somewhere lost or in danger. Mrs. Ferguson says she and Mrs. Longstaff will first be registering new block parents and re -registering current block parents. "Even five new people plus the old people would be enough to get us started for this fall," says Mrs. Ferguson, but she Would like to see two block parent houses on each block eventually. "When you think of the length of a street, then you think about a little five-year-old walking it, you would hope there would be at least one safe place on that street." she says, admitting "That would mean a lot of people in Seaforth." People who wish to become block parents can do so by picking up a registration form at the Police Station, Town Hall or Library, filling it in, and handing it in to the local Police Department: The police then do a confidential check on the prospective block parent. The next step in the plan to revitalize the Block Parents Program is educating the public, and children specifically, about what Block Parents are. Before June Mrs. Ferguson hopes' to get some educational resources into schools, and she may speak to groups of children ahout what Block Parents do. Parents too must be educated. and made to see they should make calls in support of the Safe Arrival Program. In the fall the organizers will be trying to recruit volunteers to help continue the beginning program. The Seaforth Optimists have been involv- ed with Block Parents, and it is hoped they will continue to support the program. Any new block parents will be given a highly visible sign which they put in their window when they are at home, and take out when they are away. Mrs. Ferguson has heard people says that they don't like hav- ing the sign down when they are out, because it alerts people to when their house is empty. But she argues that having a Block Parent sign in your window actually deters burglaries in a neighborhood "because of the feeling that the town cares, and the people are looking out for each other." Turn to page 17 • THE SEAFORTH SCOUTS. are seem here.as they clean Lyons Scoutsmere-returning a favor Mr. Lyons -did for them, when last parking lot on Monday night, in preparation for Wednesday Christmas he bought t5 Christmas trees the boys didn't sell, at Night's :open house and anniversary: a,the •Knechtels ;store. The $10. apiepe. Corbett photo.