The Citizen, 2013-02-21, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013.
With the sudden discontinuation
of the province’s connecting link
program, Huron County’s Director
of Public Works Dave Laurie thinks
that a unified approach at the lower
tier level is the best way to handle
the situation.
Laurie suggested that municipal
councils get moving quickly to
oppose a decision that could
potentially cost some municipalities
tens of millions of dollars.
At council’s Feb. 13 Committee of
the Whole meeting, Huron East
Mayor Bernie MacLellan said that a
town like Goderich, which is host to
two four-lane connecting links,
could be in real trouble if the
program is discontinued.
MacLellan said that if those roads
need significant upgrades, which
they inevitably will one day, it could
have disastrous results.
“If you look at a town like
Goderich, repairs to the connecting
links could bankrupt the town,”
MacLellan said, saying that the
decision to discontinue the program,
to a town like Goderich, could have
“ramifications beyond belief”.
Councillor Paul Klopp called the
decision simply “bad politics” but
added that it goes beyond politics
when considering the effects the
decision will have on small towns
like those in Huron County with
connecting links.MacLellan first raised the issue atHuron East Council’s Feb. 5 meeting
and then addressed it once again the
next day at Huron County Council’s
February meeting.
MacLellan said he was taken
aback by the announcement, which
was made through a letter from
Minister of Infrastructure and
Transportation Bob Chiarelli which
told councils that the program has
already been discontinued.
MacLellan said he is used to more
time to adjust and more dialogue
before a decision is made.
At the Huron County Council
meeting, MacLellan discussed how
hard the decision will be on Huron
East, but he then directed his
attention to Goderich with two
different four-lane connecting links
that they will now be forced to
maintain on their own.
“I don’t know how they’ll cover
costs,” MacLellan said. “This is
something that needs to be
discussed, so I say we write a letter
or book a meeting because we need
to have a talk with someone on
this.”
Klopp said that with two
conferences coming up, the Rural
Ontario Municipal Association
(ROMA) and the Ontario Good
Roads Association (OGRA), he said
the issue would likely be a big one at
both conferences.
“This is a big issue,” Klopp said.
Councillor Bill Dowson ofBluewater said that he would alsolike to be involved in the discussion,even though Bluewater isn’t home toa connecting link.“Just because we don’t have a connecting link doesn’t mean weshouldn’t play a role,” Dowson toldcouncil.
Huron County Council has voted
to dispose of the vehicles that had
formerly been issued to members of
the county’s senior management
team. The vehicles will be sold
through an auction this spring.
Chief Administrative Officer
Brenda Orchard recommended that
the vehicles be sold earlier than
normal (the county’s annual fleet
auction is usually in September)
because they had been sitting in
storage since late last year and
needed to be moved.
Orchard said she preferred that the
vehicles be auctioned in March or
April, rather than in September.
Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh’s
Neil Rintoul said he felt the vehicles
should be safetied before being sold.
He said it would increase the
vehicles’ value and it would ensure
buyers that they are buying a good
car that they know they can simply
get in and drive.
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan said Rintoul’s suggestion
made perfect sense, but that he
didn’t anticipate any big issues as
county staff had been maintaining
the vehicles throughout their
lifespan.
Director of Public Works Dave
Laurie then chimed in, saying that
the vehicles are “all in good shape”.
Laurie ran down the list of
vehicles for council, saying that the
county currently has six Chevrolet
Impalas and one Buick Enclave
sitting in storage waiting to be
auctioned.
When asked about the potential
demand, Laurie said that he felt
there would be similar demand for
this auction as there is during the
annual September fleet auction. He
said there had already been some
interest.
He shrugged off the suggestion
that the vehicles should be taken to a
Toronto-area auction where there
could be a larger number of potential
buyers. He said that auction houses
in the greater Toronto area take a
larger “cut” of the sale price and that
it wouldn’t be worth the county’s
time, especially with the interest that
has already been generated
locally.
Council then approved the
recommendation to sell the vehicles
through auction this spring.
Councils concerned about program ending
An untimely campfire
As part of Family Day weekend, North Huron Township hosted a series of events throughout
the municipality on Sunday and Monday. Events included free skating, swimming, broomball
and plenty of other activities, including a campfire and hay rides in Belgrave on Sunday.
Partaking in an exercise usually reserved for summer nights are Patti Schinbein, left, and
Owen Baier, right. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Cars to be auctioned
Looking for local heroes
There are so many people out there who do
so much to improve their community.
Now you have a chance to say thanks.
Nominate that special person for the 28th
Annual Citizen Citizenship Awards.
Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of the Blyth and area
and Brussels and area communities to receive an award for contribution to the
community. If you know someone you think should be honoured, please fill in the ballot
and send it in. You may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee
should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and he or she didn't win,
please feel free to try again.
I nominate
as Citizen of the year for
I feel she/he deserves this award because
Nomination Deadline April 30, 2013.
Name and phone number of nominator
❑Blyth
& area ❑Brussels
& area
By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen