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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-08-24, Page 1• t tt ill 00 ;50c •per pony > Y BON WASSIN The future looks optimistic for the 106 -year old ICardno's: Q eraHail. Owner Ken Cardiio`'has taken the first step, in a saible main street rehabilitation project, by applying for a corporate sector grant through the provincial Building Rehabilita- tion and Improvement Campaign (BRIO). "Mr. Cardno 'is saying that Cardno's Opera Hall is here to stay," says Nick Hill, architect for the restoration project. "It's an expression of confidence for the business future of Seaforth's main street and a first step• in. maintaining a street with a certain character.' The restoration of the exterior of the hall is unusual because Mr. Ca;dno took the initiative to have a study done and apply for a grant even before an overall restoration project was completed. for .all train street buildings. "Last year, Roman Dzus (Huron County planner), Jim Crocker, (clerk of Seaforth), and I, went to Toronto to see the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture to see how we would attack repairing the.building. On the way home, 1 decided right then and there to contact Nick Hill," says Mr. Cardno. "And, I've been completely satis- fied." In his report, Mr. Hill breaks down the restoration plans into three - Exterior Fabric; Interior Fabric and Store Fronts. Repair of the exterior will begin this fall and be completed in 1984. The report and application for the grant was sent to the ministry in June. "The architectural committee of the Heritage Foundation has endorsed the recommenda- tion for approval," says Mark Fram. Mr. Fram is a conservation officer with the Heritage Branch of the Ministry of Citizen- ship and Culture. "The project is well worthwjstle. We think it's a good idea. Every8bdy seems to be keen on it. Even the Ontario Heritage. Foundation has lent their endorsenieat,'•. FINAL APPROVAL Although restoration `plans have been endorsed, finale grant approval is not expected until September when all specifics will be reviewed by Susan Fish, Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Culture, • "We are trying to encourage local conservation of buildin s," says Mr. Fram. "The general trend today i; to save historic buildings which are assets to be saved. -A lot Site( waslost, so buildings that remain are rare. ' t" mulffthf Sa • "Cardno's Opera' Hall is a quite important fab 400181) building because of ,its place on Main street. , to roan a the It is one of the grandest Seeend 0001 a wel, 1'' spent ' commercial" structures in -Ontario. ' . $+y ".t �dson 4f the lluilde, `• of lildji d hath The second Empire design was borrowed ' t"'"` ^ ant. ; jt ° will.;''certalitly lessn the.-,.. from France, where during. the early 1,800a indi .tdu i lin rx.� ' ` buildings had similar roof tyles• Construe,- is-" opefullyithis: will be the. start of the tion on Cardno's Opera Hall was: started n if ,dovYtttowa ev liizatitin!project. We May es the late 1870s. The building was first opcne l w�yeell, a the bl est. z ljodk over with first. to the public in 1877. • �; Theltardno building ISI the biggest single Up to 50 per cent of the funding for Ate chunk of properrtyon *din tstreet.' - Costs of. the'�`project will pot ;be released beeripse construction will bee tendered: "God only knows how long it will take. l don't even know, how they're going to do it," says Mr. it ' RESTORED The building will be restored to hi original appearance.' t will. probably be a 10 -week program. included will -be repairs to theroof, repointing brick, repainting, etc. The clock will also be repaired. It's a big building and is a ',little bit intimidating. We were encouraged that the building fabric was in geed' condition. "Igen has taken a very business -like atlproach, going step by step. I am pleased for:Mr. Cardno," Mr. Hill says. ':This is a nice -example of what a heritage plan should look like. It's an example of what could be done for other buildings in Seaforth. '. f omplete restoration of the interior and "store fronts is expected to take several years. Mr. -Cardno hopes grants will become available to restore the interior. "Presently, interiors of historic buildings cannot be designated," says Mr. Cardno. "The inside would take multitudes of dollars." ',The logical future use of Cardno's Opera Hall' is to reopen as a live" stage theatre. ' "There will be a feasibility study chine for use of the hall, but it will not be done immediately,". its owper says. N Wil a4ail• 9 G sr ml,,f�' uhaae'" ladaj> ,kat'. srl ji14' tri nye y ', First step in Heritage Plan: A Heritage District Plan for Seaforth could be completed by the end of 1983. The plan will make sure any work done to facades of main street buildings will be completed so as not to spoil the quality of the buildings. "Nobody has a problem the size Ken Cardno has," says Walter Armes' a member of LACAC (Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee). "The proposal for the exterior of Cardno's Opera Hall is right on with what we hope will happen for the complete main street of Seaforth. The hall is one of the most significant buildings on main street. It's good to see an individual such as Mr. Cardno taking the first step, doing it on his When Mr. Cardno first applied for a restoration grant for the hall in June, a letter accompanied the proposal showing LACAC's support. "1 didn't think the application would receive approval in such a short time. We're certainly happy to see it." If the heritage district plait is approved, main street properties which are presently not designated, would have access to BRC funding, but restrictions would be placed on buildings limiting the types of changes, if any, which could be made to 'facades. The plan will be designed to. improve building stock on main street. "Right now, the IIIA (Business Improve- ment Area) seems to be supgorting a heritage district. We -don't 'see any major changes for the business district, but then who could see Ken Cardno doing what he has?" - The only way a heritage plan will be successful is if it results in more business. "We are not trying to accomplish a main street that looks like a museum," says Mr. Armes. "Our aim is for a better living for the merchants. If the plan doesn't aim for Mat, thenthere's no use hating one. "We have somebody starting on their own, doing what we think the Seaforth heritage district plan will call for." as#e of preserves worth the work BY'S (SAN HUNDERTMARK When many people pick up a can of food in the supermarket to read the contents, the long list of preservatives and additives makes them nervous about what they are serving to their families. Add, when they serve the same food for supper, it just Schon! doesn't taste as good as the homemade food they have learned to make from their mothers. That's why many people especially in rural areas like Seaforth have gardens and will be busy canning and freezing as their fruits and vegetables ripen. "We've always had a garden wherever we've been. In fact, putting in a garden was the first thing we did when we moved somewhere new," says Florence Elford, of Egmondville. She and her sister Alva start getting ready for their 1'h acre garden every February and dot finish processing the last of their sq ti sh and carrots until after Christmas. By that,time, their two freezers (one is 23 cubic feet~and the other is 17) are full and one wall of their basement is stacked with jars of preserves. ,, Please turn to page >7 e . ,, • • ., About 30,000 elementary and secondary students will be hitting the books when schools open across Huron and Perth counties on Sept. 6. The boards of education in the district. Huron County Board of Education and the Perth County Board of Education, recently released the number of students projected to arrive at school on the first day of the 1983-84 school year. The superintendent of program with the Huron Board of Education, Bob McCall, said the accuracy of the projected figures is "pretty high•'. A decline in enrolment is expected in most areas. with the major exception being the elementary division in the Perth Board of Education system. In the kindergarten to grade eight public schools in Perth County, enrolment is expected to increase from the 1982 figure of 10,285 to 10,395. In a further breakdown, Stratford elementary school enrolment is expected to increase from 2,816 03 .2,890 with the rest of the schools in the county anticipating an increase from 7,469 to 7,505. The secondary schools in Perth project a decline from 7.132 last year to an estimated 6,841 for this September. Last year Perth and Huron, as well as most of the secondary schools across the province, experienced the phenomenon 9f a greater number of secondary school students returning to the classroom than expected. Scarcity of employment was thought to be the main reason for the high number of returning secondary school students. Unsure if the phenomenon will occur again this year, school boards are taking a wait and' see approach. Huron is anticipating that 3.688 secondary rs ,?,: a',',: school students will be entering the classrooms, down from the 3,851 average , daily enrolment of the 1982-83 school year. Elementary students in Horan are expect- ed to number 6.075, down from 6.201 in the school year just past. Enrolment at the Huron Trainable.Mentally Retarded (TMR) schools is expected to jump by one student from 66 to 67. Figures from the Huron -Perth Separate School Board were unavailable at press time, but the system had a total enrolment of 2,569 students in the 1982-83 school year. Cardno's Opera Hall Plan FiNAL APPROVAL for a corporate sector grant under the BRIC program to restore Cardno's Hall Is expected in September. Once It's received, tenders will be let for exterior repairs. Kali Cardno, great grandson of the first owner, holds a plan which shows what the hall will look like when completed. The exterior will be returned to Its original design. Repairs are expected to begin this fall and be completed in early 1984, (Wassink photo) TAKE OFF -8111 and Paul McGregor take off from their RR2, Kippen landing strip In their ultralight airplane. The craft requires a minimum of 50 feet during take off and cruise 4l35m.p.h. (Wassink photo) Ultralight flying closest yet to birds BY RON WASSiNK For centuries. earth bound man has attempted to soar like a bird. The first motorized flight was made by Orville Wright of North Carolina in 1903. About 1896, Otto Lilienthal perfected hang gliding, jumping from hills, controlling his flight by swinging his body. Aircraft designers said the day would come when airplanes would become as common as automobiles - everyone would have one. Everyone. doesn't, but by the 1970s, light weight tubing and dacron cloth hang gliders were available at low cost. Hang gliders have undergone several changes. Hills were not always near at hand and hang gliding enthusiasts were after more of a challenge. The first modern, motorized hang gliders operated with an engine and propeller strapped to the pilot's back. Motors were then attached to the frame of the craft - the operator was strapped into position. More recently, seats. wheels. control stick, instrument panel and even canopies were added - enter the ultra-lig)it airplane. Bill McGregor McGregor of R.R.2. Kippen has been hang gliding since 1975 and flying ultra - lights since 1981. "1 never tried strapping an engine to my back. I just jumped off hills. It's a lot of fun. That's where we got our start." Ultralight flying is a family affair at the McGregors. Father. Ronald, has been ue in a weight shift and brother Paul is Bill's business partner in Ultrasport. ROCKETS T1.110 "We were always doing crazy things," says Bill. "We used to build model rockets and test fly them at school." "Bill has always liked to climb," says his mother. "but he's always been careful. At first I was a bit apprehensive. but you can't stop them from doing what they want to do. I' in not as nervous about the boys flying ultralights as when Scott (another son) was. racing motorcycles." The first flight in an ultralight is unforgettable. "I can remember my first time up." says Bill. "it was greaf - it's hard to describe. From up there (air), distances seem much closer. ! do it because i enjoy it." Ultralight flying is very popular in the U.S., and gaining in Ontario, more so in western Cahada. Crafts come in all shapes and colors. They were first used just for recreation, but are now being used for police surveilance and the army, south' of the border uses ultralights for surveillance, troop transport, parachuting and flight training. Farmers are using them for cro spraying. "They're ideal for spraying because they fly a lot slower than conventional aircraft," Please turn to page 3 Tykes wife playoff round -advance to sem-finals A9. Main street paved in Hensall /416 Golfers try for hole -in -one /A4, 6, 7 Horse club holds trail ride /413 Births /A6 Brussels news /A 12, 13 Classified /A20, 21, 2i Community Calendar /414 Dublin news /A4, 5 Entertainment /A6 Family /A15, 18 Farm /All Hensel) /416 Londesboro /A19 Obituaries /A15 People /A6 Roulsfon /A2 Smiley /A2 Sports /A7, 8, 9, 10