The Citizen, 1995-11-22, Page 1Wednesday, Nov. 22, 1905 610 + 40 GST 650 Vol. 11 No 46
Blyth and area didn't receive quite that amount, but senior students at the public school
certainly made the most of what was available. They were out enjoying the first major
snowfall of the year last Friday, and constructed a giant snowperson which stood at least
nine feet tall. The task of applying facial features required agility and balance as students
climbed atop the five foot snowball to reach the head. Weather forecasts look cloudy so the
schoolyard sentry could remain for several days.
Blyth honours E. Scrimgeour
Sports
Brussels Crusaders
enjoy winning
weekend
See page 8
Recreation
Area snowmobile
clubs gear up
for season
See page 10
Feature
Meeting informs of
asthma symptoms,
treatment
See page 11
Review
`Forever Plaid',
a blast
of the past
See page 27
County may cut
snowplowing time
By Bonnie Gropp
A proposal from the county's
Agriculture and Public Works com-
mittee to change the way winter
road maintenance has been done in
the past may mean drivers in Huron
will need to make some changes as
well.
At the Nov. 30 meeting county
councillors will be voting on
whether or not to eliminate all win-
ter maintenance on county roads
between midnight and 5 a.m.
County Engineer Denis Merrall
says the proposal is in response to
anticipated provincial cuts, which
will be announced the day before
the council meeting. ''We are
putting our house in order," says
Merrall in the event that the expect-
ed cuts happen. The committee
needs to prepare the proposal in an
anticipatory manner as by the time
the provincial funding is announced
it is too late for the committee to
act with certainty, Merrall explains.
The rumours that have prompted
the committee to act are that road
grants will be eliminated, folded in
with unconditional grants, then that
total will be cut by 20 per cent by
1996. There is further thinking that
another 20 per cent will be cut by
1997, Merrall says.
The province has already cut
$1.4 million in road funding since
1991. "Suffice it to say -road fund-
ing is not the cause. of the provin-
cial deficit," says Merra14.
At the same time as less money is
being anticipated the county road
department has had several
employees retire, putting them in
the position to look at the cuts and
decide whether or not to "do the
best with the bodies we have," says
Merrall. While in 1987 the county
had 43 persons assigned to winter
maintenance there are presently 31
expected to do the work in 1995-
96.
"Obviously less people means
that as many things can't be cov-
ered, but we are going to continue
Traditionally, November has
never been known as the dry season
and this month thus far is no excep-
tion.
Weather observer Boyd Taylor
says that precipitation for the
month to Nov. 16 was 81 mm,
compared to 81mm for all of
November last year. Records show
57 mm in November of 1993, 126
mm in 1992 and 71 mm in 1991.
While Taylor says November is
basically known to be a wet month,
the snowfall this year is substantial-
ly more than in previous years. As
of Nov. 16, Taylor had recorded 46
cm of snowfall, compared with 19
cm in November of 1994, 13 cm in
1993, 10 cm in 1992 and 20 cm in
1991.
Taylor also noted a "total lack of
to try to handle the work efficient-
ly," said Merrall.
The decision to cut road mainte-
nance for the winter during the five
hours came as a result of studying
traffic patterns in the county. "Mid-
night to 5 a.m. is when traffic is
quietest. The philosophy is we are
going to get cuts so we will do the
best we can with what is left, in a
way that will have the least nega-
tive impact on the public."
County employees will continue
to escort emergency vehicles dur-
ing those hours as needed
If the proposal is approved, Mer-
rall says people who are driving
during the early morning hours will
need to watch weather forecasts,
adjust their driving speed and real-
ize that with fewer people it's going
to take longer (to get the roads
cleared)."
If the proposal doesn't work,
Merrall says it can be re-instated,
but warns that the cuts will have to
made elsewhere, though at this
point he doesn't know where, he
says. He adds, however, that the
summer maintenance budget will
also be cut, saying it will be a sub-
stantially lower budget than in
1995.
Merrall notes that service is not
presently provided on a lot of town-
ship roads during the midnight to 5
a.m. hours. "This may balance in. If
other chains are already weak, why
leave our link strong?"
Though Merrall admits that the
risk of people driving off the road
may be increased, which may result
in lawsuits, tie feels that because
this is a policy decision of council,
who have been elected to represent
that people, that the likelihood of
lawsuit success is low. "I do not
anticipate an increased success
rate," Merall says, "and right now
it's zero."
"There is no way I can deliver the
same service with 31 employees.
We'll do our best. The employees
are willing to do their share to help
deliver a respectable service."
sunshine" this month as well.
On the plus side, he said that the
lowest daytime temperature to that
date has been minus 6°C. "There
hasn't thus far been a severe black
killing frost as we know them."
"We now have much needed soil
moisture, though it would have
been better if it had been spread
over three weeks."
As for predicting the upcoming
winter, Taylor said the chances for
an Indian summer were good. "I
don't look for this snow to stay," he
said Thursday. "I believe it's going
to be what I call a ho-hum winter.
There will be numerous warm
spells mixed with Arctic cold
spells."
"I think it will very reminiscent
of last year's winter."
By Bonnie Gropp
In recognition of his efforts on
behalf of the village, Everett Scrim-
geour was presented with a plaque
by Reeve Mason Bailey, prior to
the regular meeting of council
Monday night.
Bailey said that he had been
made aware by Union Gas that had
it not been for Scrimgeour there
would not have been natural gas
service in the municipality.
"I am so pleased that I had the
initiative to get a Canadian product
available. My mother and father
were always that way, if it was
Canadian we had a right to have it.
That was my incentive," said
Scrimgeour.
He added that while he knew
some were opposed to the service
he still believed that people should
have the choice.
He thanked the North Huron
Development Committee for its
help with the project, saying their
work deserved credit.
Weather watcher says
November often all wet