The Citizen, 2017-05-18, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
RIDE - Pg. 10
Blyth -based firefighters to
take part in fundraising ride
DRAW - Pg. 18
Brussels Lions to hold
annual Elimination Draw
FESTIVAL. - Pg. 19
Regulars, newcomers fill
out Festival season cast
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Volume 33 No. 20
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 18, 2017
A moment to remember
Last week was the first time in decades that a new bank
barn was raised in Brussels and this barn promises to be
something special for the village. The Brussels Four Winds
Barn will play host to the Brussels Farmers' Market, a
bakery and an event space once its fully operational, which
is still months away. The project is the brainchild of Bryan Morton,
who wanted to give back to Brussels by relocating a historic Grey
Township barn to Brussels to serve a number of purposes. The
first steps in the process were taken last week as work will
continue throughout the summer. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
M. Hall
opening
May 19
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Friday will mark the special grand
re -opening of Blyth Memorial Hall.
The site has been under significant
renovations since the Blyth Festival
ended its 2016 season last
September and the result of months
of hard work will be unveiled on
Friday, May 19.
The ceremony is set to start at 4
p.m. with several special guests
scheduled to be in attendance
including Deputy -Premier Deb
Matthews.
The renovations at the centre have
literally been top to bottom,
including a new floor in the lower
hall and work on the roof of the
structure and bell tower.
The site now features upgraded
electrical works, all new seats in the
upper hall, new lighting systems, a
new heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) system, an
expanded walkway between the
ticket office and the halls, a
redesigned lower hall and
significantly improved equipment
throughout the building.
One change that North Huron
Director of Recreation and Facilities
Pat Newson is keen on unveiling is
Continued on page 20
CAO Chambers to leave North Huron for Kincardine
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Sharon Chambers will be
abdicating the position of North
Huron Chief Administrative Officer
in just over a month.
Chambers, who was hired in
March of 2015, will be leaving to
perform the same role for the
Municipality of Kincardine.
The new role will start July 4 and
Chambers anticipates that, as a result
of a closed -to -the -public session
during North Huron Council's
meeting on May 15, the hunt for her
replacement will soon start.
"I will suggest that we get busy
with recruitment as soon as
possible," she said in an interview
with The Citizen.
Chambers said that being able to
give North Huron as much time as
possible to find a replacement was a
priority for her.
"I communicated that to
Kincardine," she said. "They were
very kind to give me two months to
stay and make sure council has time
to find a replacement:'
Chambers said she was drawn to
Kincardine for several reasons. She
originally hailed from the area and
first started working for a
municipality there.
"I've stayed in touch with my
colleagues in Bruce County," she
said. "It is hopefully going to be a
fairly seamless transition, thanks to
those connections."
Chambers worked at South Bruce
for more than 20 years, working her
way up from filling out bills to
becoming South Bruce's CAO,
before she signed on with North
Huron.
Those experiences in South Bruce
and some unique experiences she is
anticipating taking part in are what
made her want to move on.
"It was a very interesting
opportunity for me when I saw it
come up," she said. "They have
some really interesting projects that
I'm quite drawn to."
She said Kincardine has an
intermediate -level nuclear waste
project and she has previously had
experience with that kind of facility.
She also said working so close to the
Bruce Nuclear Power Plant with its
ongoing refurbishment and the
associated economic activity will be
a welcome addition to her role as
CAO for the Township of North
Huron.
"It's very intriguing and it's work
I've done in the past," she said.
While she is excited for the
change, she said she didn't want to
leave North Huron, but couldn't pass
up the opportunity.
"I'm really pleased with the
progress we're making here," she
said. "I'm proud of the team we're
building and I honestly wish I
had a longer opportunity to work
with them and move projects
forward. This was an extremely
difficult decision for me,
but the opportunities seldom
show up in a timely manner."
She said she had alerted Reeve
Neil Vincent and other members of
council and staff prior to the
announcement of her hiring on May
10.
"I actually called Neil prior to the
Kincardine meeting to let him know
the bylaw [making my hiring
official] was considered that
evening," she said in an interview
with The Citizen. "That's the process
that you have to go through in
positions such as mine."
Chambers said the same situation
arose when she was hired at North
Huron.
As for her time at North Huron,
Chambers said she was proud of
several achievements that she and
the rest of the staff had marked.
"When I first started, council told
me its top priority for senior staff
was to look at cross-border servicing
issues," she said. "We revamped that
policy and have agreements with
Central Huron and Morris-Turnberry
that I believe are a lot more
workable for North Huron."
Chambers said that, despite not
achieving the result that was
envisioned, she considered the
shared services project that resulted
Continued on page 12
Princess visits Huron County
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
After months of planning,
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
took part in several events in
Goderich on Sunday, speaking to
thousands who came out to see her.
The Dutch -Canadians Remember
as One committee had worked for
nearly two years on Sunday's event,
speaking to local councillors and co-
ordinating the royal visit with the
Dutch government before receiving
official word several weeks ago that
the princess would be visiting
Goderich.
After spending time in Stratford
Sunday morning, the princess
arrived in Goderich just after 3 p.m.
in front of well over 2,000 people,
greeting local organizers and
veterans and taking her spot on the
event stage.
Greetings were brought from
Goderich Mayor Kevin Morrison
and Huron -Bruce MP Ben Lobb
before Princess Margriet addressed
the adoring crowd.
Morrison said that May 14, 2017
would be a landmark day in
Goderich's history, while Lobb
Continued on page 12