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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-08-04, Page 1. , . A CHINESE'RIDE:—..Nlie Webb who Was croVrie'd Miss Priedsby'rg,' Saturday night• rode in the afternoon parade in rickshaw in the Merrier Meats float. • ' T-A photo . READY FOR OPENING — The South Huron Rec Centre should be ready for opening ceremonies September 1, according to building committee chairman King McDonald, Workers from Northside Construction are shown above working on the seating and flooring for the arena. photo HARD AT WORK — Several members of the Exeter and District Heritage Foundation were hard at work tearing down an addition to the town,hall, Monday. The addition was not part of the original town hall. Shown above are, left to right, Herisage president Doug Gould, Nelson Monteith and Roy Stover, T-A photo Eight people injured in district collisions Z11 CtelerZfiniesabuocate One Hundred and Fourth Year EXETER, ONTARIO, AUGUST 4, 1977 Price Per Copy 25 Cents Flames devour Crediton restaurant Cause under investigation Crediton restaurant levelled Mayor, Heritage group chastised •, :•Th'e'appliation of tar and chips. " be :undeO,Vay 'ANS' week, .,more . than- council , had aoticfpated having the work. done. A ratepayer who had corn- Private talks are cancelled Exeter council members agreed this week to dispense with their • private sessions 'prior • to ' regular. meetiags„.As ' a result, they will return to their normal' starting time :of 7 :30' p,m. ,! Councillor . Ted Wright broached the subject on Tuesday when he said the pre-meeting sessions were not satisfying him. He said council should dispense with them and conduct more special meetings and committee meetings. "I agree," commented Councillor Lossy Fuller, adding that the private sessions were not working out because many members were not attending them. Wright said he hesitated to mention the situation in view of the absence of Reeve Si Sim- mons, The pre-meeting sessions were undertaken at the suggestion of the reeve. At the outset, council set aside one full hour for the private chats, but then reduced those to half an hour when it was found there wasn't enough business to warrant the longer period. Centre work progressing The South Huron recreation centre should be ready for a September 1 opening according to building committee chairman Clarence "King" McDonald. "I don't see any problem with the opening but it could be touchy with the rink boards", said McDonald. "They are the last thing to be installed but it won't interfere with the opening ceremonies", The rec. Centre construction has been progressing well and the painting has been substantially completed, said McDonald. Northside Construction began laying pipes for the ice surface Tuesday and McDonald estimated, the job would take approximately ten days. Installation of drop ceilings for the dance hall and foyer has begun and landscaping, is under way. There should be plenty of , parking space for the Exeter Rodeo August 6 and 7, said McDonald. , Y ' In view of the lengthy delay, Councillor Ken Ottewell suggested this week that council should consider calling tenders for all work as early as March in the future to avoid such situations and also in an effort to get better prices from contractors. He said council put themselves at a disadvantage by waiting until the budget is completed" before calling tenders, He said contractors were anxious to submit bids at the beginning of the year, but once they had taken on the limit of their work, they weren't fussy about further contracts and this was reflected in the costs they submit. "That's' when we usually come in," he said Ottewell said the town had been caught in that situation with the streets project and also with the police committee, the latter being unable to secure a new cruiser due to the lateness of their decision to buy one. Deputy-Reeve Don MacGregor said lie agreed 100 percent with Ottewell's suggestion . of calling tenders for all work early in the year, Plan subdivision in Mt. Carmel At the latest meeting of Stephen township council, a discussion was held concerning the new subdivision proposed in Mount Carmel by Michael Ryan. Road superintendent Frank Mclsaac was instructed to secure information from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Communication as to what standards they require for subdivision roads to comply with other Class B — black topped or tarred and chipped roads in the township. Building permit applications for Michael Ryan at part of Lot 9, Concession 11 on behalf of Mary E. Ryan, Joseph Ryan and Vincent Ryan were approved. An agreement is being negotiated with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment whereby the provincial body will provide a grant in the amount of $1,500 for fill material, a new gate sign and fencing for the township waste disposal site on Concession 14. A similar amount of money will become available for burying extensive piles of garbage. Council decided to do away with summer rates for the water system in operation north of Grand Bend. table was aiot solid ••oalc; but •at : oak veneer. and noted that it was customary' for: teriants • fp' 'take their furnittrre when they:moved. He said popetc'ent of.tbe'peciple Attacks Shaw In his later attack of Mayor Shaw, Ottewell suggested there was an apparent "lack of loyalty by the Mayor to council and myself". He suggested that he questioned Shaw's credibility, integrity and competence. He said he couldn't recall the Mayor attending any of the police committee meetings with the exception of one. "You have. not contributed, or tried to keep informed of com- mittee activities," he told Shaw. Offer reward in theft case Exeter Police Chief Ted Day announced this week that a $100 reward has been offered in an attempt to nab the person or persons responsible for the July 1 robbery at Darling's Food Market, A substantial amount of cash and cheques was taken from the store at that time, The $100 will be given to anyone providing information which will lead to the conviction of the person responsible for the theft, He also said the Mayor had agreed to approach the Heritage Foundation about an extension of one month on their use of the town hall and that he was also asked to notify them that the furniture was being removed. Ottewell said that in view of Shaw's failure to communicate with the Heritage Foundation in these two matters, he was not surprised that members of the Foundation were upset with council. However, Ottewell said he was particularly upset over the fact the Mayor did not admit his failure to the recent female delegation to council and had in apology ,.td .him to save face in :public, but that apology was not • extended by the Mayor. • • Eight people were injured in the six accidents investigated by the Exeter OPP this week.Noneof the injuries was reported as serious. Four of the injuries were sustained in a two-car crash on Highway 84, about two miles east of Zurich on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. Drivers involved were Steven Collins, Goderich, and Ronald Hewitt, Peterborough. They collided at the intersection of County Road 31. Collins had been southbound on the county road and Hewitt was travelling west on the highway. His vehicle ended up 200 feet into a corn field, Both drivers were injured as Exeter businessman Jim Ross of Stedmaus this week chastised council for being "unfeeling and unfair" in their treatment of stores in his area during the recent sidewalk sale. The street in front of his store and others north of Sanders was not closed off to traffic as it was in the area between Huron and Sanders. Mayor Bruce Shaw asked if council were in fact responsible for the situation, Works superintendent Glenn Chip idea didn't work The landscaping of the area in front of the Exeter ad- ministration office was criticised by Councillor Ken Ottewell this week. Anything you try would be better than what we have, he said after it was suggested the property committee should correct the situation, Ottewell said the cedar chips were difficult to keep clean and Were not compatible with the use of the area as a sitting area. He suggested the chips should be replaced with stone chips, interlocking bricks or old bricks, It was left to committee chairman Barb Bell to rectify the problem. Ile went on to say that Shaw was also at fault for standing by while a member of that recent delegation--Mrs, Jenny Huntley-- criticised the Chief of Police over the moving of the furniture, Ottewell said Shaw was wrong in allowing someone else to take criticism that was not due to them and that the Mayor had failed to carry out his respon- sibilities. He continued by saying that the lack of efficiency displayed by the Mayor was not what con- cerned him most, but rather that he allowed someone else to take criticism for which they were not responsible. a public Statement-including a public apology-and . suggested there was no better time or place were Doug Sproul, Goderich; Karen Graf, Goderich; and Darlene Hewitt, Peterborough. Constable Larry 'Christiaen investigated and set total damage at $3,100. Two people were injured in a Sunday accident involving vehicles driven by Daniel Mellecke, Dashwood, and Van Tuckey, Exeter. They collided on Highway 83 at the junction of County Road 2. Mellecke and his passenger, Patricia Rader, RR3 Zurich, sustained minor injuries. Damage was set at $950 by Constable Al Quinn. A vehicle owned by Donald Adams, RR 1 Dashwood, was hit by an unknown vehicle on Sun- Kells said he wasn't certain what area the businessmen had asked to have closed, but said that due to the fact traffic could not be detoured onto Andrew because of construction, his department didn't have enough signs provided to send traffic along any other street except Sanders. Council members agreed they owed Ross an explanation and at the suggestion of Councillor Ted Wright he will receive a letter outlining the problem that oc- curred, Kells then suggested that council should poll the merchants before closing the street in future for sidewalk sales. He said his department received as much criticism as thanks when the street was being closed. "Perhaps the majority (of businesses) don't want it closed," he said. Mayor Shaw said that the Central Business Area board of management made the request and said council would have to assume they had the best in- terests of the majority under Consideration. Councillor Ted Wright said Clinton had a successful sidewalk sale this past weekend and they didn't block traffic off the streets. At this, Councillor Lossy Fuller, said the board of management of the business area should be asked to take a survey and make their findings known to council. day. It had been parked on William St. Damage was set at $100 by Constable Jack Straughan. On Thursday, a vehicle driven by David Haight, RR2 Exeter, collided with a mailbox on sideroad 4-5 of Usborne. Damage in that mishap was listed at.$270 by Constable Quinn. Two area men luckily escaped with only minor injuries after their vehicle was demolished in an accident on Tuesday at 2:10 a.m. Mark Jeffery, RR 1 Hen- sail, had been proceeding east on Highway 83 about three miles west of Exeter when his car hit the south shoulder and then rolled end over end onto the north side .of the road and came to rest on its roof in Black Creek. Jeffrey and his passenger, Richard Ridley, Huron Park, sustained minor injuries and damage to the vehicle was listed at $1,500 by Constable Dale Lamont, The Exeter OPP and Ontario Fire Marshal office represen- tative Ron Chalmers, Woodstock, are continuing their investigation into a fire which gutted the Stardust Restaurant at Crediton early Friday morning, Cause of the blaze, which broke out around 4:00 a.m., has still not been determined, The business was Owned by had agreed to undertake the task. Shaw said he had forgotten to talk to the Heritage people at the outset, but when he did get around to it, members of that group suggested that it was only because he was asking for the extension that it was granted. In the matter of the table and furniture removal, Shaw said he recalled discussing the matter with Ottewell, but said he did not know he was to tell the Heritage group that it was being removed. Shaw said he didn't know himself; that the table had been removed until after it had been taken away, and said he didn't know it was cut until after the fact either. In reference to the alleged criticism levelled at Chief' Ted Day by delegation member Jenny Huntley, Shaw said he didn't feel it was a criticism of the Chief. She just asked if he (Day) had The annual, Exeter Midwestern rodeo will be held this weekend at Exeter Community Park. Per- formances will be staged Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2. p.m. The Exeter rodeo has become one of the most popular events of the year for North American cowboys and many of the top performers are expected to be in attendance. Rodeo officials hope the switch in dates from the traditional Labour Day weekend to August 6 arid 7 will boost interest and attendance. All of the usual rodeo events will be on the agenda. These include bulldogging, wild bull riding, calf roping and many others, The biggest attraction locally will be the Little Britches calf riding contest. Each year a good number of Exeter and district boys and girls enter to determine which youngster can stay on his or her calf the longest. Rodeo activities actually get underway Saturday morning when members of the Exeter Saddle Club will he providing breakfast for the hungry par- ticipants who are in town early. Breakfast will consist of eggs, sausages, pancakes and fried potatoes. The Recreation Centre at Huron Park will be the site of the annual rodeo dance Saturday night. Music will be provided by a popular rodeo group headed by Larry Walls. All profits from the rodeo will go directly to the South Huron Recreation Centre and will probably be used for purchase of furnishings for the auditorium. For the first time, the local rodeo committee is responsible for only a part of the rodeo operation. Mel Wakefield of Norwood has signed a contract to present the rodeo, He is responsible for providing the necessary animals, judges and accepting the entries. The Exeter rodeo committee Albert Osman, who was awakened from his nearby residence with the arrival of the Crediton fire department. The brigade was -assisted by the Stephen Township unit from Huron Park as well. Damage has been estimated at around $23,000. The restaurant was totally destroyed in the blaze, but the nearby motel unit was saved. anything to do with cutting the table and except for her revealment at being upset, that was the substance of her discussion, the Mayor explained. "It's unfair to say x kept. quiet, Shaw remarked. He also termed as unfair Ottewell's suggestion that he was inefficient. "I understand your point of view, but I don't accept it," he said, He continued by saying that while lie respected Ottewell's frankness, the councillor had contributed to the internal strife by airing his criticism publicly. "I expect as a result you've created a great deal of internal strife," he said, adding that if Ottewell thoutht there was a problem he should have talked to the Mayor personally and privately. Shaw said he would have more Please turn to page 3 will be handling all of the ad- ministration work and is in charge of admissions and ad- vertising. They will be paid a percentage of the gross receipts by Wakefield. Secretary Jack Malone reports that a good turnout of volunteers will he needed tonight (Thnr- sday ► to complete the grounds for the event. Some snow fence and bleachers have to be erected, along with repairing the chutes, Work is scheduled to get un- derway at 7:00 p.m. and anyone able to assist is urgently requested to do so. Wins battle over pool Huron Street resident Brian Wedlake was successful this week in proving his point that no building permit was required for the wading pool he recently erected. At the suggestion of building inspector Doug Triebner, council agreed to refund the $6 Wedlake paid for the building permit. Triebner said he was advised by a lawyer that the wading-pool did not come under terms of the local bylaw. Council had argued a month ago that the permit was required, as well as a five-foot fence which is called for under the bylaw. Plans are underway to make changes to that bylaw, setting out a minimum pool depth when a fence is required. Councillor Barb Bell indicated that the bylaw may also include provision to have fences around pools inspected every year. There have been complaints this year that some existing fences do not meet the requirements of the bylaw and are hazardous in that youngsters could get into the pools. A large number Of onlookers was on hand at the blaze. OPP Constable Bill Lewis is assisting the Fire Marshal its the investigation. On Monday night around 7:00 p,rri „ the Dashwood fire department was called out when a barn owned by Mrs. Madeline "filer was destroyed by flames, NO loss estimate has been given- in I hat blaze. Shotilel call teOders earlie next :year . any thing'aracF been...done . the ! in • Exeter .W0'0141'01 • ,See ;• that.: , • •• •• • • • • table irthey viewedit,ut its :new • abaut,ditst back •in'May, ,:location the..police.laffiee,. had, been:•*; :*.•,adVised that':,the.•';• Ottewefl reoFtea.:.:he...phoUed:'•.• ''.011irig'...."arOgiam' would ;probably` sine' bf ifhd inyellVed.'1,0 :the', .take place af blind 'the, Victoria' recent ,apnicif to • : offer. fo meet 'with. the.m :btit 'because hi liad ndf heard back from her he assumed they had nothing to discuss, He then went on to say that while the table was at the town hall, the Heritage people had allowed workmen to use it as a bench and it had been marked. He questioned their, sincerity in allowing this to happen while at 'the • same . time they were criticising council' foa their ac- tion. Ottewell also noted that 'the , Heritage people had not taker! steps to correct the situation where the lack of, downspouts at the hall . was resulting in deterioration of the brickwork, despite the fact the problem had been made known in an engineer's report many years ago, He said they had been in possession of the hall for two years and wondered why they had allowed the building to deteriorate further. "They're being super critical," he said, noting that they were guilty of some thingswhich were just as bad as those for which council members were being criticised. "I question their sincerity," he concluded. Want survey taken over street closing The Exeter and District Heritage Foundation and Mayor Bruce Shaw came under heavy attack by Councillor , Ken Ottewell this week. He questioned the sincerity of the Heritage people early in Tuesday night's council session and later unleashed a scathing attack in which he questioned the credibility, loyalty, competence and integrity of the Mayor. His first comments were made in answer to recent criticism of council's removal of furniture from the town hall and the charge that they "butchered" the old council table, "The table was altered with the . .. use of the. t,TyrCowl? hall skill„ef ;,a surgepa .arid,.•nol,, hut-, facts .Ottewell to.aecelat N.Qu.,Shattid be : .prepared ' ...". • ',"Maybe •ydu,:ha've (notified), Valuhble,:as",sbitie ' told.the;.Mayor,. • •• recall •it,'!" he 'said. ...• , • , , • • a • a • • 4 • •• • 1).03.01.1100S1.... • • • 1.4.N.' give', Shaw an'. Ottewell!. then: ednelticied.. :by Irrrefererice to being asked to The' .SHDHS ,teacher Said'the;,' .Opiaiirttinitk" to' make •• private '; 'saying he expected Shaw to 'make, seek an extension in time for the use of the town hall, Shaw said he didn't feel this was part of his responsibility but noted that he Mayor Replies Although obviously stunned by the tirade, Shaw did reply to the comments and told Ottewell that with the exception of some committee meetings in January, he could not honestly recall being notified of other police committee meetings. "Maybe you have (notified), hut I don't recall it," he said. In reference to being asked to seek an extension in time for the than the present. "We have the potential for a strong council. Let's not let in- ternal strife spoil it," he added, HOPE SWITCH HELPS RODEO