HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-08-17, Page 11
iteroutagn
',$c),p per fpp'i
•
A •
SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17, 1983 — 20 PAGES
aft agreement for site i
A draft *Cement binding the town of
Seaforth, and McKillop and Tuckersmith
townships in the acquisition and preparation
of land for a proposed landfill site was
discussed by Seaforth council at their Aug. 9
meeting,.
The agreement splits the cost of the
environmental assessment, the purchasing
of the land and the site preparation between
the municipalities on a per capita basis so
thatTuckersmith township pays 44 per cent,
Seaforthi 37 per cent and McKillop, 19 per
cent.
It aHti stipulates that a landfill committee
be appointed with one member from each
municipality, that the secretary -treasurer of
the committee be the clerk -treasurer of
Seaforth and that the books of account of the
Headache
At first. Roy and Helen Brennie of
Walton were fed -up and sick. Now, they are
just plain fed -up.
' Former Quebec residents, more recently of
the Kitchener -Waterloo area, the couple, on
retirement, decided to move to the quiet,
rural community of Walton. They moved into
their new home in March 1981.
Their first years of retirement were not
happy. Their home,had been insulated with
(UFFI) urea formeldahyde foam"insulation in
October 1979. "We knew the house was
insulated with foam, but we didn't know what
kind," says Roy.
Government approved UFFi insulation was
banned by the federal government in April
198T.
NIGHTMARE BEGINS
The nightmare for the Brennies began
three months after moving into their home.
Helen began feeling nausehed Her first
thought was that she was pregng4iit. "It got to
the point that when friends anis ed, it got too
much. I love company and people - even when
the kids called from Montreal and said they
were coming over made me happy. But 1 was
always so tired. 1 couldn't bear the thought of
meals and more meals."
At the time, Roy and Helen had no idea that
the insulation was causing the problems.
committee be kept by Seaforth.
"This draft isto agree on the costs
between the three municipalities. it will take
us off the hook and make sure the other two
are going along with us for the money we've
spent up to this point," says reeve Bill
Campbell.
Seaforth has already paid about $30,000 in
engineering fees, said the reeve.
Whether council is moving too quickly by
getting involved with a draft agreement
before a location for the landfill site has
definitely been decided, was a concern of
councillor Paul Ross. •
"Why are we leaping ahead and getting
involved in a contract when there are people
still objecting? If we make our minds up
before all the objections have been made, we
"We didn't even know we had this type of
insulation," Helen said. "Our neighbour
suggested it could be our insulation, so i
started listening to the radio to get more
information."
Up to that point, the health of the Brennies
continued to deteriorate. "i started havrng
fainting spells and had aches and pains,".
says Helen. "1 was becoming a mess and 1 felt.
like a mess."
Unable to withstand her sickness, Helen
was admitted to the Seaforth community
hospital and the Stratford hospital on four
occasions. She was told she was in perfect
health. "I then thought menopause was
starting or maybe it was my nerves. i took
medication, but with no results."
Roy's health wasn't much butter. He
began feeling sick to his stomach, had nasal
problems and aches and pains. "In the
mornings I -would wake up with what seemed
Tike a huge hangover, as if I had been on a
three day drinking binge."
TESTS SHOW HIGH LEVELS
The Brennies made their first phone call to
government officials concerning their insula-
tion in September, 1981. After waiting and
nothing being done, they made more phone
calls and found that their name had not been
Property owner pleads not guilty
A Seaforth property owner who had served to property owner Leo Medd on June
foundations for a new house poured bore 29.
receiving a building permit appear d in A minor variance was granted to Mr. Medd
Godcrieh Provincial,Gourt, Goderich, Thurs., following twp hearings of the town's
Aug. 11 after he Was charged by Wilding ' committee of adjustment' Two objectors'
inspector Herman Van Weiren. appealed and an Ontario Municipal Board
Mr. Leo Medd pleaded not guilty said Mr. hearing has been scheduled for September
Van Weiren. A trial date was set for 'Thurs.. 13. A building permit will not be granted until
Oct. 20 and will he held in Godcrieh. the appeals are heard.
The charge followed 0 stop work order
iT'S A LONG WAY TO —The only hard part of the soap box derby held during
Brusselsfest on the weekend, was pushing the cars back up the Turnberry Street hill. The
long push back up didn't seem to deter the drivers as they immediately jumped back In their
cars, racing to the finish. Amy Albrecht follows her brother Jeremy up to the starting line
following a trial run. Jeremy was the champion race car driver in the competition.
(Wassink photo)
don't appear very well to those who have, in
their own minds, valid objections," he Raid.
The agreement is only a draft which is stili
conditional on the environmental assess-
ment act, said cotuncillor Henry Mero.
Seaforth councll does not have the power
to say where a new.slte will be located since
that decision can only be made by the
Ministry of Environment, said Mayor Alf
Ross.
"Unless something drastic turns up, I
don't see any better property,"reeve
Campbell said of the McKlllop. sie located
on part of lot 24, concession 4. "We've -
tested 15 or 16 sites and from the
information I have, I'm satisfied this is the
site. 1 don't think we'll ever know
everything."
•
usse
!tiltoosingthe site depends on the experts ,
144 engineers and the environmental
eakssment - to decide because Seaforth
„•council doesn't have the necessary expertise
raid Mayer'Ross, who added the site could
still be changed.
A final;report, which will be submitted to
the Ministry of the Environment, should be
ready by the end of August or the beginning
01 September, said George Godin, of the
engineering firm,- B.M. Ross and Assoc-
iates, That report will ,be available to
interested people.
We're not sure yet whether there will be
a full settle public meeting. We are going to
be dealing with the public but chances are
e will meet with individuals unless a
Meeting is necessary," he said.
added to the list of homeowners with UFFI house apart, the building' inspector said the
problems. wiring wasn't any good. He condemned the
Prior to having their in-house air tested, 1 house. So we had to rewire,"
the twosome attended seminars concerning;; In January, Roy and Helen vacated their
the removal of the foam, "We didn't receive1, home and moved into a .16 foot trailer. It
air testers from the government until January would be their home for three months.
27, 1982," says Roy. "Our walls weren't ° Owned by Neil and Marie McGavin, they had
tested until January, 1983." free use of the trailer. They also stayed in the
"When we didn't get results I phoned and home of Herb and Mildred Traviss while the
told the people I would remove the insulation . couple was on holidays.
myself,' said Roy. "A guy was here in a week Debris from the home filled a 40 and 20
to do the testing. After the testing. he said, cubic foot container. "All i know is the large
our house had the highest reading he had one looked like a boxcar on a train," says
ever seen," Helen.
The safe breathing level is .01 parts per Removing the insulation, workers found
million (PPM). The Brennie home tested at heating ductsfilled with foam. Foam had also
2.8 ppm in upstairs walls; 2.0 ppm in spread over false ceilings and under the
downstairs walls. The air level resulted in stairway.
.115 and .110 readings with the windows , - GRANTS AVAILABLE
opened. - UFFi homeowners are eligible for a $5,000
The air in the house seemed to get heavy. UFFI grant and a CHIRP grant which
"For the past two winters; we kept our provided 30 per cent, up to $3,000 providing
windows open to let in fresh air so we could the homeowner is not making over 530,000.
breathe," , Helen said. "We went to bed The grants were not enough. Roy and Helen
wearing
heads in
After 11
results of t
• looking for ke
enough correspondence to paper their
kitchen)' Of three contractors, one said
the job'i5f removing the insulation and
renovating the interior would cost S20,000; a
second said he wasn't interested; and tlfe
third, Askes Bros. of Wingham, did the jobb
for a bit less than $10,000. An additional
$3,000 was required for new wiring.
inter hats and a blanket aver our used all their savings and borrowed money to
rder to leave the windodis open." pay for the job. "We are paying $300 a month
NEED NEW WIRING in bank payments. When construction was
ung out forms, and learning of the - completed, we received $2,312 of the CHIRP
tests, Helen and Roy began grant and an advance of $2500 from the UFFI
ntractor. (They have collected grant. We are still waiting for the additional
$2,500," said Helen.
"We sure got the run around," says Roy.
"Weof the impression that stalling tactics
were being used.
"IG';s very, very frustrating." said Helen.
Liviing in a small trailer wasn't all that bad.
"Our disposition improved. We got up early
each day. waiting for the contractor to
tc74interior-wsiale?goositap craniad ,-he in `r ••°- •�,.,A-
renovations," said Roy. "When we tore''the • Please turn to page 3
movedwiri - we weren't planning oninaking Construction to their home • has been
Town withdraw $900 grant
A $900 grant, (the second in two years),
to the Vanastra Recreation Centre from the
town of Seaforth will be withdrawn until
Seaforth• and Tuckersmith councils can meet
to discuss their differences, Seaforth council
decided at their Aug. 9 meeting.
"In your letter to explain why Seaforth only
gave a $900 donation. it seems you've given
all the reasons why you shouldn't have given
them anything at all." said councillor Paul
Ross.
Answering a letter from Tuckersmith
council which stated that the township was
disappointed with Seaforth's grant. the
finance and general government committee
outlined their reasons for arriving at $900.
After donating $2,900 to the centre in 1982,
Seaforth did not think an annual grant was
expected by Tuckersmith.
The committee decided on a 5900 grant
since usage of Vanastr'a Community Centre
by Seaforth residents is only 8.9 per cent,
says councillor Hazel Hirdebrand.
Other considerations included- the 20 per
cent usage by Tuckersmith people of the
Lions Park and Pool to which Seaforth has
contributed more than $36,000 during the
past 10 years and Tuckersmith has contrib-
uted $3,000 during the same time. Also, 25.9
per cent of children registered in Seaforth
summer programs are from Tuckersmith.
"In. conclusion, the finance and general
government committee is of the opinion that
Please turn to page 3
Unsure of policy
Seaforth P.U.C. will review its policy for
supplying water outside the town limits,
commissioners decided at their Aug. 11
meeting.
A request from two residents of Harpur-
hey to replace a'/. inch water line with a.1%
inch line and have it hooked up to the main
fine inside town limits raised questions
about maintenance and the town's responsi-
bility. The residents were told to submit a
written request which would be subject to
inspection and policy of Seaforth's water-
works department.
"Before tonight i wasn't aware that the
town supplied water outside the limits. What
happens if the water main going to these
homes break? Who repairs them?" asked
Mayor Alf Ross.
Residents outside of town (approximately
35 homes in Egmondville and Harpurhey)
who receive Seaforth water pay double rates
and pay the costs of installing and
maintaining their water lines. However, the
Seaforth P.U.C. has repaired water lines
that go to more than one house in the past.
says Tom Phillips, P.U.C. manager.
'if there are problems with the main
trunk, we'll go in and repair it but if there
are problems with a line going to a single
house, the owners must fix it themselves,"
he says.
When asked if these owners know that
Three of a kind born
near Brodhagen /A13
Brusselsfest has many
activities /A14, 15
they're responsible for their water lines if
they break, Mr. Phillips said new owners
may not know since most of the lines were
installed 25 to 30 years ago.
The last line to be installed outside the
town limits was to the Seaforth Veterinary
Clinic about 10 years ago when the
commission had a representative on hand to
see that P.U.C. specifications were met.
The materials used outside of town also
caused some debate. Though the residents
d Harpurhey want to use plastic line, all line
in the town is galvanized copper which can
be thawed in the winter if it freezes, while
plastic line cannot.
"The town should inspect it and make
sure the line meets our qualifications if
we're supplying the water," said the mayor.
"But, it makes no difference to the
operation of the P.U.C. what the line is made
of," said chairman Gord Pullman.
"It's their water main, so they should be
able to do anything they want with it," said
Tom Phillips.
Any record of policy concerning water
supplied to buildings outside the town's
limits could not be found since it was written
up over 30 years ago.
"We want to review the policy so that we
can answer any questions and give the best
service possible," said Mr. Phillips.
OFF TO HOCKEY CAMP—David McLIwaln, 16, was one of 85 minor players chosen from
2000 applicants to attend the Hockey Ontario Development Camp in Kingston which will
, groom players for l ternatlonal eo1peeltlo.,a:k,• a az tr
Hockey
showing ppromise
BY SUSAN HUNDERTMARK
When he was just a little kid learning to
skate, David McLlwain used to sit by the
family trophy case looking at his dad's
hockey trophies. Now that he's 16. David
has accumulated quite a few trophies of his
own and is working towards a career in
hockey.
One of the stepping stones to his goal
the Hockey Ontario Development Camp"
which he is attending in Kingston -this week.
David and 65 other midget players through-
out Ontario were chosen out of 2000
applicants to participate in the program.
The ultimate purpose is to form national
teams at the midget, junior and olympic
levels to compete internationally and at the
Olympics.
Gaining a clearer picture of what a life of
playing hockey would involve is one of the
things David hopes to get out of the camp.
And, he has questions he'd like to ask the
professional coaches, like Tom Watt of the
Winnipeg Jets and professional players. .
such as Dave Dryden. former N.H.L.
goaltender who'll be his instructors for the
week.
"I'd like to find out what .it's all about
including how much time you have to spend
and if it's as rough as it looks on T.V.," he
says.
"David's done well in hockey since that
first writc-up in the Expositor about him
when he was an eight-year-old on the novice
team. But so many things could happen to
prevent him from becoming a pro. This
camp may give hint a preview of what's in
store. says his mother Audrey.
What's in store at the camp is 94 hours of
ice time in nine days starting at 6:30 a.m.
each day, As well as practicing skills such as
skating. positioning and signalling, partici-
pants will hear speakers on topics including
nutrition. psychology. agents. international
competition and handling the media.
David has been training for weeks using a
fitness program of weight -lifting and
jogging sent by the camp to prepare
physically for the camp. He's also been
playing hockey once a week at Centralia.
And, to he chosen to attend the camp was
an accomplishment worth all the hard work
Sportsfest '83
/A10
Horticultural flower show
sees more entries 46
of preparation. David had to send the
selection committee a resume including
newspaper clippings and an outline of his
hockey career so far. Leadership qualities
and academic achievement outlined in four
letters of recommendation were also
necessary to qualify for the camp.
Comments from David's coach, Bryan
Peter included, "seems to have instinct to
be a fine hockey player....lcd the team in
scoring with our Junior D team...the player
I would select to build a team around."
From Bob Beuttenmiller, president of the
minor hockey association comes, "he shows
positive signs of ability and leadership....hc
would become a definite asset' to your
program."
Principals from both Seaforth's public
and high schools also praised David as
"demonstrating an admirable combination
of academic and athletic skills" and.
"dedicated and enthusiastic."
But, with his dad. Jack as a coach for most
of his hockey career. David has had little
opportunity to get a swelled head about all
the above compliments.
"Dad's a strict coach. Sometimes it
seems like he's picking on nit," says David.
"Jack makes sure that David works hard
at hockey." adds Mrs. McLlwain.
Next to his dad. the hockey -player with
the most influence on David is Wayne
Gretzkey.
"I like the way he can score or pass a
puck. I'd like to have his style and his
money." says David.
David has been approached by two junior
teams - in Listowel and in Stratford - and
asked to attend their camps in the fall. He
says he looks forward to playing on a junior
team since older. more experienced players
will give him a greater challenge.
That challenge of new c'mpetition is
another thing David is looking forward to at
the Hockey Ontario Development Vamp in
Kingston.
"In a small town, you play the same
teams all the time and you don't get the
opportunity to play in many tournaments.
You know them and they know you," says
David. "I want to sec how I'll shape up with
the other guys at the camp."
Births /A6
Hrusseis news /A14, 15
Classified /A17, 18, 19
Community Calendar /A5
Dublin news /A4
Entertainment /A7
Family /A9
'Farm /A13
Hensel! /A19
Kids /A8
Londesboro /A16
Obituaries /A6
People /A9
Rouiston /A2
Smiley /A2
Sports /A10, 11, 12
1