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The Citizen, 2019-03-21, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019. North Huron approves council chamber upgrades North Huron Township Council has approved $10,000 for upgrades to the municipal council chambers to address usability and confidentiality concerns. As explained in a report by Sean McGhee at council’s March 4 meeting, the current chambers don’t provide sufficient noise dampening to allow for closed-to-the-public sessions to take place, and he hopes to address that. “It has been noted that there is no sound deadening between council chambers and the hall area,” he said in his report. “This can be of particular concern when chambers are used for closed session or confidential discussions.” McGhee said the issue could be addressed in the short-term through the implementation of sound- attenuating materials and construction techniques. In his report, McGhee says that a solid wood, fire-rated door with sound-attenuating door seals and sound deadening panels around the door could address the confidentiality issue and, if necessary, more steps could be taken later. He estimated that the project would cost $4,000. McGhee also stated that more and more multimedia presentations are being used for council meetings, and that the current multimedia set up, one large, projected screen behind the reeve, chief administrative officer and clerk, requires those three to put their back to the rest of council to take in presentations. “The use of video and graphic presentations can be a very effective method of relaying information,” McGhee said in his report. “The existing media system in council chambers relies on a single screen and projector at the front of the room. This location provides viewing challenges from many locations within the council chambers.” McGhee went on to report that flat screen monitors installed in key locations would help council and the public view the presentations more effectively. Included in the plan is a 75-inch flat panel monitor in place of the existing projected display and two 65-inch flat panel monitors on the two side walls of the room. McGhee said that, during closed-to-the-public sessions, the 65-inch monitors could be shut off to prevent outside viewers from seeing private information. To utilize the new multimedia system, McGhee said that the existing computer interface would need upgrades as well to increase the usability of the system. McGhee estimated that the multimedia system would cost $6,000. The total $10,000 bill could be added to the 2019 budget or taken from $24,000 town hall reserve fund, McGhee said. In further discussion, McGhee said that this represented stage one of upgrades to the space, with more changes addressing insulation and accessibility planned for 2019 as well. Councillor Chris Palmer said that he felt the 65-inch panel monitors might not be sufficient, saying he has a similar display at home and sometimes finds it hard to read. “It sounds big, but it’s not,” he said. “Reading some of the type is difficult. The picture is great, but the reading isn’t. We might even want to consider 75-inch displays all around.” McGhee said staff had considered that, but the extra 75-inch displays would take up substantial real estate on the wall and add to the overall price of the project. Councillor Anita van Hittersum felt that the project wasn’t necessary. “I find this is a lot of money for what we would use these televisions for,” she said. “What’s wrong with the screen we have?” Van Hittersum explained that most of the presentations council sees are on the iPads the municipality provides to them. “That’s a lot of taxpayer money to use for a little bit of time and a little bit of convenience,” she said. Council approved McGhee’s recommendation to go forward with the $10,000 in upgrades. By Denny Scott The Citizen Letters to the Editor What a haul The Brussels Leo Club recently held a toiletry drive benefitting the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre. The club canvassed the community, splitting up their hauls in to those from the east side of the community and those from the west. Shown with the haul are Leo Club members, from left: Taylor Daw, Justin Morrison, club President Amanda Morrison, Tori Daw and Savannah Chambers. Next year, the club plans to challenge the two sides of the community to try and encourage not only friendly competition, but more products gathered. (Photo submitted) Event set in Brussels to highlight mills THE EDITOR, Residents of Huron County cannot help but notice the changing faces of our rural communities. Part of our heritage is reflected in the buildings that are standing, despite the test of time. Early industry along our waterways was the beginning of European settlements. In the Maitland Valley watershed, we are fortunate to have two water-powered mills still in the landscape. But they are showing their age and like all of us a lack of purpose has its downside. The Logan Mill at Brussels and the McGuire Mill at Gorrie have proven their usefulness several times over and can be useful again if a group of local enthusiasts have their way. The Huron County Historical Society supports endeavours that capture the imagination and promote our history and preserve our heritage. To that end, we have invited the chair of the newly- formed Maitland Mills Association Inc., David Blaney, to talk about the plans for these two mills. Another exciting facet of this project is the involvement of Dr. Chris Cooper of “Edifice Atelier” who teaches aspiring architectural designers on the fundamentals. His apprentice program is dedicated to the lost arts in restoration of traditional buildings, which means historic buildings have a chance to survive restoration with their original design intact. Imagine the projects in our communities that could prosper with proper rehabilitation. Often it is the lack of expertise that spells the end to some wonderful structures. The location of this meeting is at the Four Winds Barn in Brussels, which is so appropriate. The Four Winds is an English high post bank barn originally built in 1862 by Alexander Stewart. Before the structure was dismantled with the help of a team of Mennonites, each post and beam, crossbar and purlin was tagged and labeled. Extra touches added during construction make it a magical place. This meeting on April 17 starts at 7 p.m. and if nothing else you will be fascinated by the location as well as the topic. Let’s show our support of our heritage and listen to new ideas to ensure our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the same pleasure in these wonderful buildings. Looking forward to seeing you there. Rhea Hamilton Seeger Past President Huron County Historical Society THE EDITOR, Even though I have enjoyed a long association with the Huron County Federation of Agriculture (HCFA), including having served four years as president, and even though I would benefit from anything that would reduce my farm property taxes, the HCFA acted irresponsibly by recently asking Huron County Council for relief in the way farm property taxes are calculated. The HCFA doesn’t seem to be able to understand that we farmers “called the tune” when we drove up the price of farmland entirely on our own, but now we “don’t want to pay the piper” and are calling on government to bail us out of a problem we created for ourselves, by ourselves. To look at it another way, the HCFA seems to have never heard of the investment adage, “If you can’t afford to keep it, how can you afford to buy it?” What’s worse is that if this tax relief for farmers is granted, it would result in even further increases in the price of farm land at which time the HCFA would no doubt be back once again asking for even more tax relief. Stephen Thompson, Clinton. Farm tax relief frustrates writer The “Vow”Factor Wedding Package Stag & Doe 2" wide x 4" high Engagement 4" wide x 3" high Card of Thanks 25 words Wedding Announcement 4" wide x 4" high Prebook all 5 ads in The Citizen for only $100 Savings of over $100 Be part of our Bridal Showcase Call or email today 519-523-4792 or info@northhuron.on.ca WOW! Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise.