The Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-03-17, Page 1PUBLISHED IN
LUCKNOW, ONTARIO
• ednesday,,
March. 17, 1993,,
50°G.S.7. included
4 or
plu$ 3` G:S.T.
An early Sunday morning blaze caused an estimated $100,000 damage to the home of Ray
Cunningham, of R.R. 5, Lucknow, on Bruce CountyyRoad 1, north of Lucknow. High winds acted
as fuel to the fire while firefighters Worked for six hours to extinguish the blaze. (Pat Livingston
photo)
Kinloss residence gutted by fire
Lucknow's Fire .Chief Peter Steer
said that a flickering bedroom lamp
may have saved a man's life in an
early Sunday morning house fire.
When the light kept coming on,
Ray Cunningham got up to inves-
tigate and
nvestigate.and found his R.R. 5, Luck-
"now house on fire. •
The fire department received the
call at about 4 a.m. and by the time
the firefighters arrived on the scene
the fire was already in the floors
and walls. High winds and sub -zero
temperatures hampered the " best
efforts of the firefighters, said Chief
Steer.
Ripley's water tanker was called
in and three attack lines 'were used
on the house. "In all over 26,000
gallons of water was used in the
battle," Chief Steer said. "But
despite best efforts the house was
gutted."
Firefighters returned to the base at
approximately 10 a.m.
While at the Cunningham fire; a
second call was received at 8 a.m.
from the St. Augustine area. Luck-
now's rescue van and Ripley's
tanker truck were dispatched to We
scene. The chimney fire was under
control when the crew arrived.
Chief Steer said, "In 15 years as
a firefighter I have never seen
personnel or equipment so cold and
ice covered. But at no time was
there an equipment failure or a
lapse in the attack on the Cunnin-
gham house. Some of the
firefighters had frost bite but they
kept up their efforts."
"As chief, I want to say a word of
thanks to all personnel and to say
that I am very proud of them all."
Chief Steer said the generosity
and thoughtfulness of the Mayfair.
Restaurant and many otherswho
sent coffee and muffins to the
firefighters was greatly appreciated.
Budget restraints reduce library hours
Once again the Bruce County
.Public Library budgetary
restraints will reflect on local
library service.
Effective Mar, 15, the local'
branch library's hours Were cut
from 21 to 18 per week. In 1992
` a total of four casual hours were
lost.
Marzio Apolloni, director of
the county library system said
the library's 1992.fiscal year
ended with a $100,000 deficit.
"The board decided to pick up
the entire deficit in one year."
The overall cut in hours to the
20 branches is 144, per .cent.
Each branch 'wets' dealt,'Within
the same ',manner according try
Mr. 'Ap011isti.
The hours for . the Lucknow
branch lire: Tuesday and .Wed-,
nesday 1 to 5.m.; Thursday 7'
to 9 p.m:, and Friday 9 e.m. to 5
p.m.
' When questioned on , the fact
no Saturday hours were allowed
for, Mr. Apolloni said that may
change in the futua, with the
total number of hours (18) being
re -allocated in some manner to
allow for Saturday service.
The reduction m hours for
"locos supervisor Claudia Batter -
villa will reflect oh other
programs.' Concentration will be
given to the very basic services
such as information. ' and cir-
culation. Extra programs such as
the Story Hour on Friday mor-
nings.
ornings. will be discontinued.
Two local parents, Shani Webb
Ziegler and Rosie Herber, are
concerned with the cut in
programming. The have started a
petition in town asking for the
library to reconsider its decision.
"We want our children to be
literate .. the library helps en-
courage them to want to Head,"
says the petition. "The library is
our children's future to a more
literate tomorrow."
Copies of the petition, have
been .placed in 10 different
stores in town • if anyone is
interested in signing them.
Karen Elliott wins
mathematics scholarship
A student from Lucknow has
distinguished herself by winning
a scholarship at Wilfrid Laurier
University in Waterloo.
Karen Elliott, a 1989 graduate
of F. E. Madill Secondary
School and now in the fourth
year of the honors mathematics
program at Laurier, will be
presented with the Ken
McDowell Mathematics Scholar-
ship at the faculty of arts and
science's annual awards
luncheon on campuseon Monday,
Mar. 29.
The $750 scholarship is
awarded to the senior
mathematics student who ob-
tained the highest grade point
average in at least three courses
during the previous .year and
maintained an overall grade
point average of at least 9.0.
Karen is the 22 -year-old
daughter of Walter and Kathleen
Elliott of R.R. #1, Lucknow.
Board members and citizens
disagree on landfill agenda
by Don Jackson
At the public meeting of the Mid-
Huron Landfill Site Board in Hol-
mesville last Thursday it appeared
the board members and the citizens
of, Holmesville came with two
different agendas.
The board held the meeting to
address concerns about an ap-
plication which has been sent to the
Ministry of the Environmenj. The
application .is to allow the Town of
Seaforth, the Village of ;Lucknow,
the Village of Bayfield and part of
Tuckersmith Township to be per-
mitted to dump in the landfill for a
period of five years without emer-
gency certificates: -
All these communities , are
presently using the site, but by
means of emergency certificates and
they have been doing so for some
time. According to Conestoga
Rovers . engineer fames Yardly,
Bayfield has been using the site
since 1974, Lucknow since 1977
and Seaforth and the part of Tuck-
ersmith Township have both used it
since 1989:"
A number of people from Hol-
mesville turned out to express their
views, but to them the three and a
half communities using the landfill
wasn't the issue. Most of their
concerns were about the dump itself
and when- it would be closed.
Harvey Charron spoke out about
his anger with Holmesville being
the location for the landfill. "When
are you going to realize that this is
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Slow negotiations could
lead to difficult relations.
CHESLEY--Slow contract
negotiations between the' Bruce
County Board of Education and- its
516 elementary teachers could point
to "very difficult" future relations,
according to a factfinder's report.
With only four rounds of talks
held since negotiations began in
January 1992, factfinder C.A. Torry
urged both sides to "take steps to
resolve^ this collective agreement as
quickly as possible, and to settle the
next year's as quickly as they are
able in order to avoid any
increasing friction."
Torry says a "substantial number"
of issues are still not settled con-
sidering that the contract is for the
school year. that is already. half -
over.
Money and working conditions
are among the issues still on the
table. -
Torry recommends the board give
its teachers a one per cern increase
in the salary grid and in bonuses for .
principals and supervisors, effective
February 1993.
That increase is a compromise
between the two per cent teachers
want and the half per cent the board
is offering.
But the report recommends no
increase to benefits, working con-
ditions .or class size that teachers
have requested.
Torry described the improvements
teachers asked for as "substantial
changes" thatwould mean hiring
more staff to allow for extra
preparation time, leaves and smaller
classes.
She agreed with . the board
position that it can't afford to
increase staff given . the present
economy and the provinces refusal
to increase grants for salaries.
"Clearly with respect to monetary
items, the board simply takes the.
position that there 'are no funds .
available, but. they are in a position
of severe financial restraint," Torry
says.
She noted that monetary issues
have to be "approached cautiously
and realistically", but warns the
board that "the delay in settling
other issues simply creates a strain
in the bargaining relationship,
which will be of long-term
detriment."
While Torry recommends against
improvements to benefits or
increasing paid preparation time •
because of the staffing cost they ..
involve, she endorsedfull-time
release from teaching for Teachers
Federations Presidents:
Torry. said full-time leave for
federation business is "a fairly
emotional issue" and a priority for
teachers. Because it doesn't mean
extra cost to the board, she suggests
"it may be a g jncrous gesture on
the part of the board to concede to
this request."
The factfinder also recommends a
joint committee to look into the
issue of surplus staff. The handling
of future layoffs could develop into
a sensitive one as grants get smaller
and enrollment drops. The
factfmder says both parties should
be involved in planning forwhat
could be a controversial matter.
Torry warns that relations between
the two parties are deteriorating,
and says steps should be taken now
to remedy that.
"There has been a breakdown for
whatever reason," she says, "and
the breakdown in communication is
creating a certain amount of
'turn to page 2