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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-03-17, Page 1Coolman barn levelled in blaze oCouncil buys house for police. office, Heritage group feel 'stabbed in back' Gould said the offer of only $50 per month more was not reasonable. He went on to note that council had charged $50 per month rental from the ministry of transport for use of the old council chambers for one day per week. He said that could be termed exorbitant. He agreed that council's track record in maintaining their own property was not good as ex- emplified by the deteriorating condition of the town hall. "Hopefully, council will look after its properties better than in the past," he added. Pike too high Ottewell said council's main concern was over the rental price being asked by the Founda- tion, It had been set at $351 per month for the first year and $379 per month for the following two years. The price was based on a figure of $7,00 per square foot. Gould reported that local realtors advised them it was a fair price, while council members felt it was too steep. Council had offerred $250 per month. At the present time, council pays $200 rental and the Founda- tion members felt the council offer was too low in view of the fact they would be doubling their space, renovating the facility, air conditioning it and providing the heat. Side-step policy Council failed to adhere to their policy of inviting the press to special meetings when they made their decision on Tuesday. Shaw said he reminded coun- cillors of the policy and said he would not entertain any motions because it was only a committee meeting. However, council voted to dis- cuss the matter and subsequent- ly entertained the motion to purchase the house. When asked if this meant coun- cil had decided against inviting the public and press to special meetings, Shaw said the policy had not been changed, it just hadn't been followed for that particular meeting. Heritage Foundation. "They deserve better than that from the town," he opined. Shaw reported that most of the arguments at Tuesday's session centred around the financial ad- vantage of the purchase, the lack of cooperation between council and the Foundation in the past and "T suppose, the in- dependence of council hi looking after their own facility". "Personally, I don't think any of those arguments are valid because they take into account limited concern about the image of the town, and the reward we give to people who make an honest effort to improve the town." He admitted that the house was a good buy, but suggested it was not a viably economical alternative to the town hall. The Mayor indicated he was disappointed in the action coun- cil took "and I hope the mistake is not as bad as it appears now". "I feel sorry for the Founda- tion; they must feel frustrated all along the line." A SIMILAR PAIR — Vickie Miller and Eleanor Salmon were two of the senior skaters featured in Saturday's carnival of the Exeter figure skating club held at the Henson arena. The two girls are shown in part of their routine. T-A photo One Hundred and fourth Year town hall, but the former was based on having the police as tenants to make the operation of the restored facility viable. Gould said he hoped council's decision would not jeopardize the grant Or the members' deter- mination to see the project to a conclusion. "I hate to think that council pulling out will put a stop to our plans or that the Ontario Heritage Foundation will pull out." He said the Foundation was now "back to scratch" with the withdrawal of the police. "We had looked at them as a built-in tenant and' it was nice to enter into the project with that much space rented." He was critical of council in reaching their decision , about renting the hail. It was noted that council kept the Foundation "cooling our heels" for months and then bought a house with onolny. a couple of days' delibera- ti In view of the good comments the Heritage people received from local ratepayers, he said it was hard for him to believe that "such a few people as our'council could buck it". He explained that once the hall was restored, it would be turned back to the citizens of Exeter for use as they see fit, Good Value Police committee chairman Ken Ottewell, who spearheaded the move to buy the house, said the decision was based on good business practice. The sale price of the house is $23,000 and he estimated it may cost about $4,000 to renovate it for police purposes. That represents about six mills on this year's taxes. "If it serves us for five or 10 years, we can still sell the property and get our money out," he noted. Ottewell, said the property had recently been renovated to com- mercial standards and little was needed except some portable cells, a driveway and parking area. He said he didn't think coun- cil's decision would jeopardize the Heritage town hall project as members of that group had in- dicated they could probably secure other tenants. The SHDHS teacher said the Foundation wouldn't "give" in their negotiation over the rental .price. "We. were last being dic tated to," he claimed. He said he had advised the Heritage people to keep the price down until the renovations were completed and people could see what the police facilities in the hall would be like, "I have a lot of faith in the committee (Foundation) and I'm sure they will succeed in spite of council." "If they feel we did them in, they'll just have to feel that way." Mayor disagrees Council's decision was not un- animous. Councillor Steve Pfaff, who suggested last week that members were being stubborn in their dealings with the Heritage group, voted against purchase of the new police headquarters„ Mayor Bruce Shaw, who has been one of the few sypathizers with the group during the debate in the past year, also questioned the decision. When asked for his comments, he replied that as head of council he had to support the decision; "however, if allowed a personal observation, I think the arguments for the purchase are short-sighted". He said he felt it was a mistake to move the police and thereby jeopardize the plans of the Price Per Copy 25 Cents EXETER, ONTARIO, MARCH 17, 1977 At a secret meeting, Tuesday, Exeter council agreed to buy the former pizza store beside Usborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company for $23,000 and use it as headquarters for the local police department. In so doing, they will terminate their lease with the Exeter and District Heritage Foundation at the town hall, Heritage president Doug Gould indicated he was dumbfounded by the council decision and suggested it was another exam- ple of how his group have been "stabbed in the back" by coun- cil. "And that's an un- derstatement," he commented. He said Wednesday morning he didn't know if the Heritage Foun- dation would attempt to get council to change their minds and rent enlarged facilities at the town hall for the police. The two groups have been negotiating for some time, and Gould indicated they have spent several hundred dollars in an attempt to meet council and police wishes for the office space at, the hall. "From the treatment we've received from council right from the start, it may be better to ig- nore the situation, look for new tenants and get the show on the road," he commented. The Foundation had been promised almost $70,000 in On- tario Heritage and Wintario grants for the restoration of the District barn levelled in third major blaze FEMALE ASSISTANCE — When volunteers were called to help put sand bags at the Exeter dam Sunday morning,. Judy Simmons pitched in. Above, she shoulders a sand bag from fireman Bill Musser. Murder sus ect drowns in well The Exeter area experienced its third major fire in 10 days when a barn on the farm of Leon Coolman was destroyed by flames shortly after supper on Wednesday. The barn, located just east of the Exeter dump property on Highway 83, was totally engulfed in flames when the' fire brigade arrived and they concentrated their efforts on saving three nearby sheds. Mrs. Colman spotted the fire and called the firemen. She had seen smoke prior to the call, but thought it was coming from the dump, a frequent occurrence. Fire Chief Gary Middleton said loss to the barn and contents was around $30,000. Included in the loss was a 1981 Thunderbird and a boat and motor owned by Dirk Coolman. There was also a tent trailer, some farm equipment, hay and two pigs. Ten head of cattle, which con- sisted of steers and calves, were rescued from the blaze by neighbors, along with two ponies. The loss was partially covered by insurance. Some of the livestock and equipment in the barn was owned by various area people. In the three major fires fought by the department in the 10-day period, loss was approximately $75,000. The other two fires were at Ralph Genttner Fuels Ltd. and a mobile home owned by Milt Keller at the Webber Trailer Park, just a short distance from Wednesday's barn fire. No damage On Friday at noon, the Exeter firemen were called to the home of Mrs. Tom Pryde at 403 Albert St. after she noticed smoke com- ing from her kitchen cupboards. It was believed at first that faulty wiring may have been the cause, but it was finally deter- mined that a cloth stored in a plastic dish had somehow caught fire and melted the dish, There was no damage in the fire, which had actually 'burned itself out. Just no time Pay fines, lose licences An exhaustive autopsy has determined that murder suspect Floyd Wein, 64, died by drowning in a 43-foot well on his Dashwood Oproperty, His body was found by scuba divers from the Mt. Forest OPP headquarters around noon on Thursday, just two hours after he had been scheduled to appear in Goderich for a preliminary hearing into a charge that he murdered his wife, Florence Susan. After confirming that death was caused by drowning, and all suspicions of foul play could be ruled out, Exeter OPP closed the books on the two deaths. Wein was found to be missing from his home on Wednesday evening by his son, Larry, of Exeter. When the latter received no answer from a telephone call to his father's home, he and a friend drove to Dashwood to check on the situation, He wasn't there, but the son found the glasses his father wore at all times, as well as his wallet, enallied driv rs impaire OFFICER RESIGNS Ron Fice, a member of the Ex- eter police department for the past year, has resigned to take up a position in Wallaceburg. His resignation is effective on March 20. Constable Fice will be in charge of public relations for the Wallaceburg police. and later, by the well, one of his father's boots. Police arrived shortly before midnight to help locate the man and they called in the divers from Mt. Forest to assist. Wein's body was retrieved from about 35 feet of water in the well, which, was part of a very old water supply system. Wein was wearing a shirt, trousers and one boot when police found him. They said there was no sign of foul play, either at the farm or as a result of the autopsy. Police reported that the Dash- wood man had been watching the well, apparently because of his water supply. The well contains a sub- mersable pump and beside it is an old hand pump. It is covered with a five-foot cement cap which has a two-foot square access hole. Wein bad been released on bail on October 25 by Mr. Justice Osier. He had been charged with murder after his wife was found dead in their Dashwood home on October 12. An autopsy revealed she died of a fractured skull. When the preliminary hearing was convened by Judge Glenn Hays in Goderich, Thursday, defence lawyer Jim Donnelly advised him that the accused was. missing and police were con- ducting a thorough investigation, Crown Attorney W.G. Cochrane confirmed this as well. Judge Hays issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the accused, Drivers finally escape collisions For the first time in several months, the Exeter OPP report no accidents in the area. "It's been a quiet week for a change," commented CpI. Ray Brooks. The local detachment officers charged three people under the Highway Traffic Act, five under the Liquor Licence Act, one under the Narcotics Control Act and six under the Criminal Code. One theft was investigated, that being some runway lights at the Huron Industrial Park. The lights, valued at $130, were recovered shortly after the Monday night theft, Several minor thefts and acts of' vandalism were investigated, including some broken car mirrors, road signs, etc. Many of those items were later found on a Stephen side road. to go dancing! The dance scheduled by the Exeter Minor Hockey Association this week at the Kirkton-Woodham hall has been cancelled, That decision was reached after it was found that most supporters just wouldn't have time to go dancing this weekend due to a hectic hockey schedule One minor hockey team will be in action Friday night as the pee wees travel to Goderich to open the Young Canada Week tour- nament. Early Saturday morning, the atoms head off the Brampton and the annual tournament there, and if they win their two-game series, with Unionville ,they'll face Beamsville on Sunday in another two-game affair. The Exeter Hawks will travel to Mitchell for a contest on Saurday night and will then host their namesakes in the third game of their league final in Zurich,Sunday, The houseleague Canadiens will be playing the Leafs on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Huron Park and will have a contest on Sunday at noon as well, The EMHA coaches and managers will take time from their normal duties to get into uniforms themselves for a fun Please turn to page 3 of $200 on the impaired driving charge and $150 for failing to take the breathalizer test. In ad- dition, the accused had his licence suspended for three months on each of the two charges. Robert C. Taylor, Alexander St., Exeter, was fined $200 and had his licence suspended for three months on a charge of im- paired driving. He too had been stopped after police noticed his erratic driving on February 11. Some liquor was found in the van he was driving at the time. A breathalizer test gave a reading of 180 mgs. A third driver convicted of im- paired driving was Larry N. Stire, RR 1 Hay, who was charg- ed on February 18 by Exeter Constable George Robertson. He observed a vehicle travelling at a A London man was fined a total of $350 or 35 days in jail after pleading guilty to two charges in Exeter court, Tues- day. ,Andrew Arbour was charged with impaired driving and failing to provide a breath sample on January 1 of this year, after be- ing stopped by OPP Constable Bob Whiteford in Stephen Township. The police reported that they stopped Arbour after noticing his erratic driving in the Huron Park area, but when the officer got out of the car, the accused took off and had to be chased. He was termed very un- cooperative and challenged the officer to take him to Goderich. When there, he refused to take a breathalizer test. Judge Glenn Hays levied a fine Crediton home Ione victim Sand bags needed in Exeter high rate of speed and fishtailing on Main St. A breathalizer test showed a reading of 120 mgs. Stire was fined $250 and had his licence suspended for three months. Raymond Arthur Desjardine, RR 2 Dashwood, was given a suspended sentence and put on probation for 12 months when he appeared for sentencing on a charge of stealing two motor vehicles in the Grand Bend area on January 15. He stole one vehi- cle from a Grand Bend hotel and then abandoned it and took a truck owned by Earl Becker. The latter was damaged to the extent of $30 and Desjardine was ordered to make restitution within 10 days. Evidence revealed the accused drove the truck to Stratford, where he was charged with im- paired driving and subsequently fined $400. In the only other case com- pleted at Tuesday's court, Jef- frey Gooding, RR 3 Parkhill, was fined $100 on a charge of having marijuana in his possession on August 9of last year.The accused had originally been stopped for speeding by police and the drug was found in his possession. Flood damage is minimal Great co=operation by a number of agencies and volunteers averted any serious damage from flooding at the darn in Exeter's Riverview Park over the weekend, Ted Jones, superintendent of the Ausable-Bayfield Conserva- • tion Authority said Tuesday, the response by the employees of the town of Exeter and the local PUC along with members of the volunteer fire department was "terrific". Jones said he received a flood warning from the Conservation office in Toronto Wednesday arid Was immediately in contact with PVC manager Hugh Davis and town Works superintendent Glenn Kells to Set up emergency plans. Jones and his Staff took Area home, hall receive grants The Blue Water Rest Home in Zurich is one of six recipients of Wintario grants in Huron County, The Rest Home has received a grant of $450 to assist in the purchase of a pool table and shuffleboard, Goderich organizations received three Wintario grants as well as the Wingham Minor Hoekey Association. The Exeter and DiatriOt Heritage Foundation received the final grant of up to $19,730 towards the costs of restoring the historic T'ixeter Town Hall, Many of the low lying areas west of Exeter were covered by flood waters which reached their peak about midnight, Sunday. Several farmers, north of Crediton were forced to move cattle from their barns. Water reached several houses in the vicinity of the Ausable River at the east end of Crediton. It began receding early Monday morning, About the situation at Creditors, Jones commented, "We are quite helpless in doing anything there besides being con- cerned about property damage and injury to humans. We can't do much but warn people of the impending problems." At the home of Charles Sims, near the river at Crediton, water Please turn to page 3 volunteers had to descend," Some sand bags had been plac- ed on the north side several weeks ago when it became ap- parent flooding could occur when the enormous amount of snow began to melt. By 10:45 a.m. Sunday the water began to recede slowly. Two employees of the PUC were put on duty Sunday evening and stayed through the night to con- tinue water level readings. Jones said the only time "we had a little excitement was early Sunday morning when some of the ice broke. We were afraid it might push the sand bags off the wing walls." The Authority superintendent said the dam at Parkhill did a good job of keeping the water from peaking. regular readings at the dam all day Saturday and by 1 a.m. Sun- day, the water had risen to within three inches of the wing walls. By 2 a.m. Sunday, the rushing waters, from the Morrison Dam area was beginning to go over the dam walls. At this point Jones called in workers to place sand bags on the wing walls. Town and Authority employees continued the sandbagging process until daylight on the south side of the dam. At this point Jones said, "I realized we needed more help and we asked the fire department for volunteers." Jones continued, "We waited Until daylight to place Sandbags on the north side because of the precarlou's bank which PION) PREVENTION Mernbers of the Exeter volunteer fire department were called in to help place sand bags at the Exeter dam Sunclay, morning. Shown above in action are Gabby Mol, Lester Heywood and thief Gary Middleton. 7.A photo