HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1989-11-08, Page 1Walton — A6
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Serving the communities
and areas of Seatorth,
Brussels. Dublin. Hensall
and Walton
Seatorth, Ontario
sitor
HURON EXPOSITOR, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1989
Brussels
BY BILL HENRY
Brussels has been chosen as the nor-
thern site of one of two new county
homes for the aged, ending several weeks
of political lobbying by municipal and
county politicians and resident groups in
both Wingham and the Brussels area.
Huron County Council voted 1944
Thursday to build the 82 -bed facility on a
site in Morris Township, just outside
Brussels.
The decision drew loud applause from
the Brussels portion of the packed gallery
in the council chambers who had waited
throughout the day for the issue to be
decided.
The decision to build in Brussels was a
relief to that community, which learned
a week earlier that a private, 34 -bed nur-
sing home which employs more than 40
people is scheduled to close and move to
Wingham.
Tenders could be called for construction
of the two new county homes by late next
year, with early 1992 being slated as a
.completion date, Huronview administrator
Wayne Lester said..
The two facilities, one with 122 beds in
Clinton, are to be built at approximately
the same time, at a cost of more than
$10 million.
In keeping with the trend of providing
increased meal, .housekeeping and health
care services for seniors in their own
homes, the two new facilities will reduce
the overall population of older county
residents housed in county -run public
housing.
Currently, Huronview in Clinton is
gets north home
home to 239 people.
On moving day in 1992, that population
is expected to have fallen, largely
through a restricted admission policy ap-
proved by council in October, to 184, the
number of extended care beds which will
be available in the two new homes.
"We know we won't have room for
185," he said.
The downsizing formula has already
caused some concern at the county coun-
cil table. Thursday, one councillor
criticized a Huronview committee deci-
sion to reject applications for admission
form a 97 -year-old Clinton woman and a
72 -year-old Tuckersmith Township
woman.
But both are currently receiving ade-
quate care, Lester told council. He later
said the committee has clearly said ex-
ception to the restricted admissions policy
will be made for people without
alternatives.
"If a real emergency cropped up, we
.would assist. It's not as if the doors are
completely closed," he said
While being mainly extended care
facilities; with virtually no residential
care beds as currently exist at Huron -
view, the new homes will instead offer
space for 20 residents living in what's be-
ing called alternative housing units -
separate apartments where an elderly
husband and wife could live on their own.
These self-contained units, which would
also be available as single units, will
have kitchen, living room, bedrooms and
bathroom.
But the rest of thepopulation at Huron -
SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY = Deani Van Pelt, an instructor at Seaforth Secon-
dary School's office 'administration program for adult students, goes over an In-
formation Processing detail with a student. The students will be in class for four
months and will later be placed in co-op employment positions. Elliott photo.
Skills development leads
to co-op employment
Earlier this fall, Seaforth District Secon-
dary School initiated a pilot program in
adult education which aims at providing
specialized education in Office Administra-
tion in combination with a co-op employ-
ment opportunity. To date, the program
has been underway for one month and
from all indications things are running
very well for the 20 students involved.
Deani Van Pelt and Susan Wheatley are
the instructors for the course, which com-
bines four months of in -class instruction
from October to February followed by a
four month placement with an employer.
Mrs. Van Pelt, who was involved in setting
up the program and the student selection
process, looks after the Accounting and In-
formation Processing end of the course
while Mrs. Wheatley teaches Business
English and Personal Life Management.
One of the perks of teaching this course,
they both agree, is being able to work as
a "teaching team" in a Wass where stu-
dent motivation is high.
"It's a fabulous arrangement", says Mrs.
Van Pelt.
Participants in the course hail from
diverse educational and personal
backgrounds, and come from as far away
as Blyth and Huron Park to spend a full
school day, nine to three, Cracking the
books. The course was first .advertised in
September, .,and .was full by the time is
began in October. For ram, ;gong back to
school 'was a,Pe bWtYk%tit:led 1,ot7g,einlce
been ruled out.
"Within ,two <or :three weeks, •you're do-
ing something that's totally 'different from
what you had been doing for maybe 20
years", points out Mrs. Wheatley, who
recently returned to Althouse College for
her teaching certification. "For some, it
can be a difficult transition."
But it is a challenge which is being glad-
ly embraced for the most part by the
students.
I love it, I really do", smiles Barb
O'Connell of Brussels, who discovered the
program through the employment office in
Listowel. Although still unsure as to what
her choice of co-op placement may be,
Mrs. O'Connell adds that she is really en-
joying the Information Processing and
computer education classes, the more self-
directed of the four courses. Going back to
school was a big change, she admits.
"I've been at home, and my kids are all
grown up", says Mrs. O'Connell. "Now it's
my turn to shine."
The primary focus of the program is to
provide the students with the basic office
skills necessary for job placement. Aspects
of personal development are covered as
well, .such as well-being, resource manage-
ment and decision -Making. A host of guest
speakers have addressed the class on
topics ranging from health to making the
transition back into ithe workplace. Jeanne
Dionne, a respresentative from the Huron
County Board of Education, will be
discussing resume preparation with the
students and. conducting •mock interviews.
1Aarlenediramerss of.Seafor h.is,,onestu-
,dent ,Who, f s r100 l&1�fr`viiard to appply tlg
her
.newly .acquirwed alallsoin the Worlfplaee
Tamta-page 15
4
view will also have private and semi-
private rooms with their own bathrooms,
a contrast to the large, shared bathroom
currently in use at. Huronview.
"I guess mall- ^-hat T'm excited about
is that we'll , provide a lot
more privacy fm residents," said
Lester.
Each home will also have two respite
care beds, which will be temporarily
available for county residents who need
brief stays at the home for variety of
reasons.
The decision last week to build North
Huron's home at Brussels ends years of
study and preliminary planning to deter-
mine how best to replace Huronview.
An architect's study several years ago
determined that renovating the facility to
current standards would cost more than
a new building.
A county wide study group then held
numerous public meetings to determine
what kind of care Huron wants for its
seniors. That group's final report in June
of 1988 called for three county homes.
But the provincial government refused
to fund its share of a home in South
Huron, saying private homes in the area
were meeting the need. That forced
Huron County Council to agree to the
current proposal to bum the two facilities
now scheduled for cofistruction in 1991.
County council has set aside $900,000
yearly over the nextt years as its 50
per cent share of th ' construction costs.
By provincial law,i,each county in On-
tario must provide housing for its elder-
ly residents.
New roa p bridge
may impact on
Seaforth traffic
On October 6 the Colbourne-Goderich
Township Boundary Bridge was officially
opened. And while its presence will offer
travellers a less congested' route from
Goderich to Kitchener, it will not
necessarily have a negative impact on
those communities located along Highway
8.
"It will make some difference as to the
amount of traffic travelling Highway 8,
and could reduce it eventually up to 1,000
cars a day," commented Dennis Merrell,
County Engineer and Road Superintendent
for Huron County.
"But that's not by any means a majori-
ty when you consider the number of cars
using Highway 8 now. It will mostly serve
a local. and long trip function."
Mr. Merrell explained that the new
bridge, built one mile south of the historic
Ball's Bridge, was constructed in com-
pliance with modern day standards, and
makes it feasible for farm and commuter
traffic to travel safely in a less congested
area.
"Ball's Bridge was built in 1805 and was
not built to, handle modern loads. It has a
two tonne limit," said Mr. Merrell, adding
the old bridge was not suitable for heavy
traffic, since it is only a one lane bridge,
and the roads approaching it are steep and
unpaved. Because of that reason traffic
that might otherwise have used that route
was being forced onto Highway 8.
The new road, with the new bridge,
takes out the old jogs and provides a
straight line road from Benmiller to
Londesboro, where travellers have the op-
tion of travelling on to Kitchener, via Win-
throp, Brodhagen, Bornholm and Highway
19. Turn to page 15 •
inlinilliNIBBIREIBOBVIRIWAReallemeasimenewas-
50 cents a copy 1
POPPY CAMPAIGN Joe Kenneally, in the regular service and stationned in Toron-
to, was in Seaforth on Sunday to help his Legion, Seaforth Branch 156, with its
annual poppy campaign. Robinet photo.
Three fires
The cause of a fire at 31 Main St.
which destroyed the garage and car
belonging to Jessie Bennewies has not
been determined,
Fire Chief George Garrick reported
that the Fire Marshall was called in to
investigate the blaze, which broke out in
the early morning hours of Saturday, Oc-
tober 28. Firefighters sifted through the
charred rubble, but no cause for the fire
could be found. The blaze caused an
estimated $15,000 in damage, completely
destroying the shed and a car inside of
it, and badly damaging a car parked
directly next to the shed.
Firefighters were called to the farm of
Dan. Murray at noon on Tuesday, October
31 when burning grain began to flare up
in a granary. The RR 4, Walton farmer
lost a barn to fire late in September and
grain stored in an adjacent granary had
been smoldering ever since. Seaforth
firefighters hosed down the grain ,and ,the
bin was emptied with no major incident.
A car fire :broke out on the Staffa Road
early Friday afternoon, completely
destroying a ,vejiicle longing to Doug'Poulton, ,af 0n.. , e. Mrs.Poulton ; fortlbifirafightors ived n; he,scone 'Garrick noted that the fire was either
was driivitlg ea r �>when `it came to a u 't to car ,Was .a writi4offby the time caused by an electrical malfunction or a
stop and„began to;ssmoke,nnder the hood. the blaze was .extinguished. thief George fuel leak,
Three injured in .head on crash
Three persons were injured in a head
on collision on Highway 8 east of Seaforth
on Saturday afternoon.
Goderich OPP said the crash occurred
when an eastbound vehicle in the process
of passinganother vehicle, struck a west-
bound vehicle in the passing area. The
accident occured .3 kilometres east of
Tuckersmith Township Road 15, near
Arts Farms. A Seaforth man who was
driving the eastbound car has been
erupt in
charged in the accident.
Injured were Sarah and William Pro-
udlove of Stratford, and Jeffrey Ramey
of Cambridge. All were transported to
Seaforth Community Hospital by am-
bulance. Mrs. Proudlove, who was most
seriously injured of the three, was later
transported to the Stratford General
Hospital, but was released after one day.
The accident was investigated by Con-
stable Eric Gosse.
the area
ICFs 4NC4 A bOST CAUSE - Seaforth firefighters tried vainly to save Doug
Poulton's oar .after it stalled and caught fire on the Staffa Road last week. The
vehicle was completely destroyed by the blaze, caused by either an electrical
malfunction or .a fuel leak. Elliott ,photo.