The Citizen, 2009-01-15, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2009. PAGE 7.
Dancing the night away
Traditional Scottish dancing is on the agenda now every Wednesday night at Melville
Presbyterian Church to prepare for Robbie Burns Day, which is on Jan. 25 (however, this year,
it will be celebrated on Jan. 24 in Brussels because of the Saturday). Dance lessons are free
to all and will take place from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. every Wednesday night in Brussels. This
is the third year dance lessons have taken place in Brussels and these dancers are dancing
to Strip The Willow. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Huron East hearsdrainage concerns
Huron County council approved a
recommendation at the meeting Jan.
7 to begin the first steps in a tourist
sign program.
In the summer it was decided that
a proposal for signage be established
as a result of feedback from tourism
operators, and on-going issues with
the provincial Tourism Oriented
Directional Signing program. In
2007 a decision was made not to
renew the agreement with TODS for
placing new tourism direction signs
on county roads. Existing ones
would be maintained and TODS had
jurisdiction on provincial highways.
Research was done by economic
development throughout the
province, in places that have
initiated their own tourism sign
programs.
Last summer a series of designs
were developed and presented to the
Huron Tourism Association’s board
of directors for comment.
After some minor revisions,
economic development and public
works staff met with the sign sub-
committee and components were
outlined.
The first involves the installation
of new boundary signs on all county
road entrances into Huron. The total
to be ordered would be 24 with six
replacements.
Preliminary estimates were
obtained with an average cost being
$1,445 per sign. With post costs the
approximate total cost, according to
a report from senior economic
development officer Mike Pullen
would be $50,000.
Subject to budget deliberations,
this component of the program
would be funded from the economic
development reserve at a set limit of
$56,000 excluding taxes, Pullen
explained.
The second component would see
the installation of new boundary
signs on county entrances at
provincial highways 21 north and
south, 8 east and 4 south. The
estimated cost is $15,000. A limit of
$19,000 to come from the economic
development reserve would be set
subject to budget.
Directional business signs are
proposed on a user-pay basis. The
first phase would see the installation
of these signs on county roads only.
Preliminary estimates suggest a cost
to tourism operators of $600 per
sign.
Due to MTO regulations and the
provincial contract with TODS
Pullen explained that businesses
requiring directional signs on the
provincial highways will still have to
deal with TODS.
Another component allows
municipalities to opt in should they
choose.
Councillor Ben Van Diepenbeek
asked if there might be an
opportunity for lower tiers to
purchase signs through the county to
piggyback with a municipality’s own
signs.
“We have been debating
‘Welcome to A-C-W’ signs for the
four corners of the municipality but
the pricing was too much. “This
seems affordable.”
Pullen said that a cost-sharing
arrangement could be considered.
A group of concerned Seaforth
residents came to Huron East
council last week to discuss a
possible drainage solution that
would keep storm water out of their
basements and garages.
Led by Ann Kling-Furray, a
handful of citizens confronted
council about a drainage issue that
Kling-Furray says was supposed to
be cleaned up years ago.
Several weeks ago, after a large
snow storm, then several days of
warm temperatures and rain, the
residents on County Rd. 12, just
north of Seaforth were battling
flooding issues due to one drain that
couldn’t handle the heavy flow of
water and another being blocked by
snow and ice.
Kling-Furray said it is the
municipality’s fault because of a
subdivision that was built in that
neighbourhood. Before the
subdivision, she said, rain would
end up in a field and run past their
houses. However, since the
subdivision was built, and with it,
the road running along the row of
houses in question, drainage became
an issue.
After bringing the issue to council
over two years ago, Kling-Furray
said the drainage in the area has yetto been solved to her satisfaction.“We would like something done
here. We need to have a council that
keeps its promises with this ongoing
problem,” she said.
Councillor Joe Steffler, who was
on council when the matter was first
raised, said that he believes the
drainage system put in place will
work just fine, if given the chance.
However, with snowmobilers
disobeying the current set of rules
and driving over the drain, snow and
ice is freezing over the grate,
making it impossible for it to take in
water.
Steffler said he believed that was
the problem, not the actual drainage
system. He then cited a situation last
fall where the area received a lot of
rain and the drainage system worked
fine because there was no snow to
block it.
He said that a possible temporary
solution would be to block off the
drain in order to keep snowmobilers
off it to keep it open.
However, council voted to bring in
public works manager Barry Mills
and the drain’s engineer for the next
meeting on Jan. 20.
It isn’t a municipal drain, despite
the fact that at the time of the sub-
division’s construction, there was a
petition in place to make it one.
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 24th
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, 2009.
Name and phone number of nominator
❑❑Blyth
& area ❑❑Brussels
& area
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Huron County to look into new tourist sign program
By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen