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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-07-18, Page 1Councillor storms .from meeting during GB sewer discussions Grand Bend councillor Tom Webster walked out of Monday's regular meeting vowing he would not be a candidate for another term. Webster in a heated argument with councillor Murray Des Jardins over the proposed sewer system for the village said, "I will not consider sitting beyond my present term. You don't know or can't recognize anything that is progress." Webster was in the midst of making a report on ,a question- naire which the Ontario Ministry of the Environment requested before further steps can be taken in determining costs of the sewer systems when the outburst oc- curred. Des Jardins suggested the questionnaire be filed for a couple of weeks. To this Webster replied, "I've spent weeks preparing this report and now you want to hold it. We are sitting on a pollution problem and you know lL This is the price we have to pay for progress." At this point councillors Martin and Des Jardins reiterated previous stands that they were not in favour of the sewer system in the first place. Martin said, "We simply can't afford them. It was.idiotic, stupid foolishness that the Ontario government did not go for our suggestion for a joint system for all area municipalities," He continued, "They will have to come in and do the sewers for us before I will agree." The question of sewers for Grand Bend has been kicked around for several years. At a meeting a couple Of months ago, Ministry of the Environment officials rejected a Grand Bend request that a joint system be constructed combining the village of Grand Bend with the neighbouring townships of Stephen, Hay and Bosanquet, The request from Stephen township came as the result of subdividers asking for the ser- vice. At the meeting, John Timko, an engineer with the Ministry said, provincial grants are not available for private developers, Timko had said all residents of the province cannot be expected to pay towards grants for the benefit of a private development. Earlier in Monday's meeting, Webster was thwarted by Des Jardins and Martin when he attempted to have a new sign bylaw read. The new law would cause a permit to be issued for any sign regardless of where it is to be located. The two objecting councillors said the intent of the present bylaw passed in 1968 was to limit signs on public property. In making his presentation Webster said, "Any reputable sign company should be able to live with this. I have incorporated the best from bylaws presently in force in London, Wallaceburg, Exeter and Lucan," Des Jardins and Martin con- tended anyone should be allowed to put a sign on his or her own property without obtaining a licence. Several complaints were heard from residents and visitors about the unclean condition of the beach. Councillor Webster said some progress was made in the problem last week and further steps were taken Monday night to alleviate the situation, Plastic bags will be placed inside garbage barrels along the beach each Friday and they will Please turn to page 3 SWIM CHEERING SECTION — Competitors from Exeter in Saturday's regional swim meet received plenty of vocal support. The above picture shows some beginning to cheer a victory while others are undecided as to the outcome, T-A photo One Hundred and First Year EXETER, ONTARIO, JULY 18, 1974 Price Per Copy 25 Cents Exeter merchants present plan to provide off-street parking • blocking most of the other parking spots. "It has to look like a parking area," Webster advised. The president of the Board of Trade, when asked how council could help, pointed out the merchant group had one basic problem-no funds, The delegation then noted that Goderich had recently set up a parking authority that was able to secure low-cost government congestion on Main St. The delegation also had a proposal for parking on the town hall property, estimating that some 44 cars could be facilitated. However, ‘Dinney explained that the parking areas had to be organized and marked properly so people would park in an or- derly fashion. He said if this was not done, people tend to park in a haphazard manner and end up A three-man delegation from the Exeter Board of Trade Monday night outlined plans for opening up new parking facilities behind Main St. stores. President Don Webster told council that the plans had been formulated after an extensive survey and committee members Emil Hendrick and Jon Dinney advised the merchants involved were very keen on the idea. Hendrick displayed a plan for opening up the rear yards behind stores on the west side of Main St. between John and Ann Streets. An entrance would be made just behind Fisher's Hardware and traffic into the parking area would be one-way from that point. It would exit onto William St. via the laneway beside Vic- toria and Grey Trust. Dinney estimated there would be room for about 50 cars in this area. They also noted that the area, if opened up, would facilitate truck unloading and reduce the To be nurse Anne Elizabeth Keys, graduate,d July 14 as part of the final graduating class of St. Clair Regional School of Nursing in Sarnia, Anne is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Keys of Hen- sail. No one knows details of visiting lad's mishap Express concern regarding tower Exeter Councillor Ted Wright suggested Monday night that the new two-way radio' tower in- stalled at the Exeter area fire hall "will never stay up." He had driven around to the hall before attending Monday's council meeting and noticed that the tower was swaying some eight feet in the breezes. Wright suggested it would come down with stronger winds or during a hail storm, noting that a tower at Canadian Canners had been toppled and it had been secured by guy wires. The tower at the fire hall has no supporting wires. Council agreed to contact the firm which installed the tower to express their concern and then decided to withhold payment for the work until an answer is received, loans and some grants to improve parking facilities. In turn, council in that com- munity levy a tax against the businesses over the period of several years to repay the loans. Dinney said the merchants involved would be prepared to donate the land for the parking area and council decided to write the ministry of municipal affairs to secure information on what steps were required to establish parking facilities. In supporting the need for more parking, Councillor Ben Hoogenboom said a recent survey conducted by the Board of Trade learned that most people answering the questions termed parking "terrible" in Exeter. "Six 'Out •-of seven' were unhappy." Webster commented. Members of council congratulated the Board for their efforts to improve the situation and indicated their cooperation in proceeding with the project. During the presentation, Hendrick said merchants in other areas of the town were also in- terested in a similar project, but the area noted had been chosen for the initial stage because it appeared to be the easiest to develop. He suggested that if it turns out satisfactorily, other areas could be opened up for parking in a similar manner. Mayor Jack Delbridge termed the proposal a "step-in the right direction." "It's been needed for a long time," added Deputy-Reeve Helen Jermyn. ANCHORS AWAY — Wayne Reid, John Kassies and Gary Maxwell, of the Hensall Kinsmen Club stand over an anchor that the club retrieved from the Goderich Harbor. The anchor and 155 foot chain which weigh three tons each will be used as a fence around the children's playground in Hensall Park. It took 12 Kinsmen members nine hours to raise the anchor from the harbour Saturday with the help of a five ton crane. Reduced speed rate vetoed request another traffic light speculation that the incident may have occurred at Morrison Dam. At any rate, council approved the signs. McKinlay said he couldn't understand why youngsters swim in the river rather than the pool. He noted they appeared to have the required admission because most of them spent money at the pool booth. Deputy-Reeve Jermyn opined that many of the swimmers use the river at times when the pool is closed. Council also agreed to in- vestigate the situation regarding a public access from the road at the curling rink down into the Lions portion of Riverview park on the north side of the river. Baynham asked if a right-of- way had been deeded to the town. Mayor Jack Delbridge said a Please turn to page 3 "Swim at your own risk" signs will be erected around the Riverview Park dam reservoir by Exeter council. The action was approved Monday night following a request for signs from RAP chairman Gord Baynham, who noted that a Richmond Hill youth had ap- parently been injured at the park Sunday afternoon. No one at the meeting had any details about the incident, other than noting a news story in the London Free Press. Rec director Jim McKinley said he had checked into the matter and had been unable to find any information. Neither of the two local police detachments had been advised of the accident. He said the staff at the swimming pool had not seen an ambulance nor had they heard of any accident and this led to some Exeter may soon be known as the town of the traffic lights, With the second set of lights recently installed at the in- tersection of Huron and Main, council decided Monday night to request traffic lights for the in- tersection of Highways 4 and 83. The suggestion was made by Councillor Ben Hoogenboom, who said he had received complaints from local motorists who found it difficult to get across Highway 4 on busy summer Sundays. Mayor Jack Delbridge noted council had attempted to get traffic lights installed there before, but had been turned down by the ministry of transportation and communications. In fact, Reeve Boyle noted that one of those who had requested lights was C. S. MacNaughton, when the latter was minister of the department. However, that request had been denied as well. Works superintendent Glenn Kells said the ministry did a traffic count at the intersection a couple of weeks ago and may be investigating the possibility of Board won't retract views lights themselves. Earlier in his report, Hoogenboom complained about the fact that the area in front of his store and residence on Main St. had become a drag strip since the traffic lights were erected at Huron St. He said people were racing away from the lights in an ap- parent attempt to see who could get to Waterloo St. first. Councillor Ted Wright said Marlboro St. was also a racing strip and speeds of up to 70 were Post office offer being considered The department of public works advised Exeter council this week their offer of $23,000 for the present post office building "will be considered". The letter received at Mon- day's session was in reply to council's offer made on June 17. "At least there's some hope," Reeve Derry Boyle commented. Dashwood residents okay Lake Huron water supply Three drivers fined for careless driving Three drivers paid $100 each on careless driving charges when they appeared before Judge Glenn Hays in Exeter court, Tuesday. Gordon Phillips, Hensall, pleaded guilty to the charge laid against him on March 24 after his car went off the road and hit a tree. The court learned he had been drinking prior to the accident and he was fined an additional $28 for having liquor in a place other than his residence. Another of those charged with careless driving Was Peter Wuerth, Crediton, charged on June 16 after the vehicle he was driving missed a turn and crashed. Also paying $100 was Michael John Schmitt, Kitchener, charged with careless driving following a two-car crash in Crediton on June 15. He ran into the rear of a ear turning into a driveway, The vehicle then hit a mail box and other obstacles with total damage being estimated at $1,500. In addition, Schmitt was fined $23 for driving a vehicle without a .valid driver's licence. Unit tests in 1972 showed 35 Dash- wood wells with unsatisfactory water and in 1973 many shallow wells went dry. In presenting the report B. M. Ross said the Huron Health Unit supports the proposed system. The proposed system would supply a maximum flow of 100 gallons per minute and would be sufficient to supply the needs of 179 connections at the average usage of 100 gallons per capita per day. Ross said an elevated storage tank of 100,000 gallons would be desirable for fire protection. This could he built in future. Adequate fire protection calls for a con- tinuous flow of 600 gallons per minute for four hours, Farms and homes along the route of the proposed supply line would be allowed to connect. Along the route directly from the Lake Huron treatment plant, a distance of 25,500 feet there are 19 farms, six homes and a trailer park. Another possible route is from Mt. Carmel and this would in- clude 23 farms and 14 residences. The feeling of the large crowd was summed up by Reinhold Miller when he said, "are we so narrow minded that we can't build for the future," His brief comments drew loud applause. A meeting to study proposals for similar systems for the police villages of Crediton and Centralia will be held Thursday, August 1 at 8:30 the Stephen township hall in Crediton. water supplies are polluted. Ladbrooke indicated sanitation people would be testing wells in Dashwood to prove the need if and when a specific system is designed. Provincial grants are only available to reduce the cost of water services including the cost of building a distribution system and the supply of water to $110 annually for each property owner. The Environment official also spoke of. possible future services. He continued, "when we talk of $110 per year for water there could be an additional $130 per annum for sewers. Usually within five years of a water system, the old septic tanks give in. So, I must warn you. Sewers will be next." The feasibility study was requested by Stephen township after receiving a petition signed by 112 Dashwood residents. The petition was circulated by the Dashwood Chamber of Com- merce, A resident Aaron Restemayer asked why everyone was not contacted in the survey. To this C of C' president Lorne Kleinstiver replied, "we did contact 114 property owners and 112 signed the petition. This Certainly gave us a clear indication of the general feeling." Another dissenter, Irvin Eckstein suggested it would be cheaper to dig wells than con• struct a system, The study said Huron Health bring water from the Lake Huron water plant at Grand Bend and build the distribution system in Dashwood was shown at $302,500 in the feasibility study prepared by B. M. Ross and Associates of Goderich. Alan Ladbrooke of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment said, "it's too early in the game to talk about exact costs. There are a lot of ifs and buts to consider." lie went on to say the province will provide grants to provide water to places when the cost is too great and where present Dashwood police village residents will be getting a good supply of water from the Lake Huron pipeline system in the near future if enthusiasm shown at a general meeting Thursday is any indication. Officials said the near future could be as long as two years. All but four of the close to 200 persons in attendance voted in favour of getting more in- formation and firmer costs on a system to serve 179 properties. Overall cost of the project to The Exeter Board of Trade has issued a statement in response to an editorial that appeared in the T-A last week, asking that the question raised about the hospital be cleared up. The Board of Trade had criticized the hospital for its lack of services and the way in which it was being run. When the hospital asked for a retraction, the Board said it would do so only if it were proven wrong, At that point they did not think they were. Board of Trade president, Don Webster gave the following statement to the T-A. "It has been pointed out by an editorial that the Board of Trade would retract their statement concerning South Huron Hospital and the services provided. After gathering further information and doing some personal research, the executive of the Board of Trade is now convinced more than ever that we are not wrong in expressing concern over this matter." Meanwhile the list of grievances presented to the hospital administration by the nurses had not been solved at press time. The problem was to be brought up at a full hospital board meeting scheduled for last night, Wednesday. not uncommon on Saturday nights. These two complaints will be passed on to the police. Despite the complaints about speeders, council turned down a proposal to reduce the speed limit to 25 m.p.h. on all town streets. The change in speed had been proposed at the last session by the police committee, but when the bylaw was presented at Monday's session, only Reeve Boyle and Councillors Shaw and Patterson approved the motion to give it first reading. Four others opposed it and Hoogenboom abstained from voting. Mayor Jack Delbridge in- dicated his opposition as well, noting the people who travel 28 m.p.h. are creating no problems. "It's the guy who's going 40 or 50 we want to get," he explained. Councillor Ted Wright said he was opposed to the change because 30 was the accepted speed limit across the country. Both Wright and Delbridge said they had many people criticise council's planned action to reduce the speed limit, while Boyle said many people had approached him in support of the idea. Shaw explained that if the speed was reduced to 25 and the bylaw approved, council Would receive the money from traffic tickets. He said some 37 drivers were charged last month and this would amount to $500 in fines. In one year, he reported, Strathroy collected $2,000 in fines Please turn to page 3 Other fines levied by Judge Hays and Justice of the Peace Douglas Wedlake were as follows: • Mack Graydon McRoberts, Denfield, $38 for having liquor in a place other than his residence. Donald L. Eskritt, Howick Township, $38 for having liquor in a place other than his residence. Gordon M. Baird, Hensall, $23 for creating unnecessary noise with his vehicle in Exeter on June 15. Robert William McBurney, London, $18 for driving his motorcycle at a speed of 45 in a 30 zone. Keith E. Barrington, Exeter, $43 for failing to yield the right of way in Exeter on March 30. He was involved in an accident when he pulled out of the Les Pines Motel parking lot and struck a truck proceeding north on Main St. Steven G. Ilibbert, Hensall, $33 for creating unnecessary noise with his vehicle in Exeter on June 14, The accused said he had been testing his brakes and argued there should have ' been tire marks on the pavement before he Was charged, Judge Hays stated this was not the time or the place to be testing his brakes. AN INTERESTED AUDIENCE — Residents of Dashwood showed their interest in a proposed water systeM with a large attendance at a Thurs• day information meeting. In the above picture Goderich engineer Burns Ross presents his report. T-A photo 4 • , ..t