The Citizen, 2002-05-15, Page 1
The Citizen we 1..p.ordrE -ro
ESTABLISHED 1857 e
Volume 18 No. 19
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
75 Cents (70c + 5c GST)
Inside this week
Pg
. in Car business
-1." comes to Brussels
Woman offers in-
13home dog training
Pg 1"
Q Local photographer
8' shows work
Former professor,
Pg. 21 new minister at
Blyth United
112 . 22 Pharmacy opens
cy, in Village Market
Brussels
student
honoured
Andrew Garland, a Brussels
student attending F.E. Madill
Secondary School and Colleen Zinn,
an EA at East Wawanosh school were
among 42 people recently honoured
for their contributions to education.
The awards were formally
announced at the 4th annual
Excellence in Public Education
awards on May 8, at the Mitchell
Golf and Country Club. The awards
are a co-operative effort of the Avon
Maitland District School Board and
District 8 of the Ontario Secondary
School teacher's Federation.
The student awards are designed to
honour those individuals who have
made the most of their opportunities
for self-development in their
particular secondary school The
award recognizes a student's
contributions to their school and
community through activities in a
variety of areas.
Zinn's award recognizes the
encouragement of excellence
through contributions to the school's
environment.
The program recognizes students,
teachers, trustees, support staff,
administrators, and community
partners who have made outstanding
contributions to area education in the
last year or over the long term.
Office
open
Monday
The weather may not feel very
summery, but the first long weekend
of the warm season is upon us.
On Monday of the Victoria Day
holiday, The Citizen will be open for
business as usual in Blyth.
Deadlines, however, will be moved
ahead to noon.
The Brussels office .vAll be closed,
but any information to be included
in the May 22 issue can be put under
the door for pick-up shortly after 12
p.m.'
Have a safe holiday.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
The North Huron District Museum
board is hoping that council will find
$20,000 in its budget to help with
the expansion and revitalization of
the museum.
Jodi Jerome appeared before
council at its May 6 meeting to
discuss the facility's futures and the
board's plans.. Saying the museum
has the potential to be much more
than it is, she said that the board is
willing to raise 50 per cent of the
close to $40,000 needed to realize
this potential.
While the museum is primarily
open now during the summer
months, with a student curator hired
for that time, Jerome said the plan is
to see it open for the year. "We know
we are asking for two-and-a-half
times more than we did last year, but
that was for two months. We're now
looking at 12," she said.
Jerome noted that the increased
funding would allow for the hiring
of a professional full-time curator,
whose duties would include caring
for the collection, promotion, setting
up off-site exhibits and programs in
Blyth and Belgrave and pursuing
funding from government,
corporate, foundation and private
sources.
"We can make it work," said
Jerome. "We are asking for your
help to do that."
Presently the museum, which is
housed in the upstairs of the former
post office, needs time and attention,
said Jerome. Over one-third of the
10,000 item collection is not
catalogued. There are no
environmental controls or
monitoring to ensure the collection
is protected from damages caused by
extremes in temperatures, Insects or
rodents.
The costs of heat and hydro,
which the municipality has paid at a
cost of some $8,000 would now be
covered under the museum budget.
Saying they want new exhibits
each year, Jerome also stressed the
need to tell the larger story of North
Huron.
Two of the area's most famous
citizens are presently ignored,
George Agnew Reid, a farnous
Canadian painter and Alice Munro,
world-renown writer.
Also, Jerome said the stories of
Blyth Festival and Wescast should
be told.
"We want to make the museum a
very active place to be."
Councillor Jeff Howson wondered
how the plan fit in with the idea of
the mini-museums currently being
built for Blyth. Jim Currie, said that
while there has been unofficial
communication between
representatives. on both sides, the
board has been constrained from
doing anymore without resources.
However, he added, "the
conceptual - thing is valid. We can
work with the Blyth group."
Howson said teamwork is what is
needed throughout the entire
municipality and 'he hadn't really
picked up on that in Jerome's
presentation.
Jerome said once the board knows
what the budget is, they will know
what programs they can have. Also,
it was noted. that the museum board
would like to have representatives
from Blyth and East Wawanosh.
When Councillor Arnold Taylor
noted that that kind of money may
need to be spent in other places,
Jerome was quick with her response.
"I'll be blunt. This is your museum.
The collection belong to you. We
need the security of professional
staff."
Taylor, however, explained that
the municipality has put out $60,000
for the heritage theatre. Jerome
stated that the museum is not
another organization coming to
council for money.
"We are an arm of council. And as
the museum grows and gets better,
hopefully the federal and provincial
governments will shell out more
money."
"We as councillors, have to look at
this and say there's $20,000 that
won't be going into roads or
something else that might be
needed, " explained Taylor.
Jerome continued to extol the
value of heritage in the community
and of the increasing interest people
were having in museums.
After she left, Taylor said council
needed to sit and talk with the
municipality's treasurer before
coming to a decision. Council
agreed that the issue would be
looked at further during budget
talks.
`Safety
first,'
say OPP
The Victoria Day holiday
weekend has traditionally been
associated with the start of summer,
a time where people are caught up
in the excitement of outdoor
activities and less inclined to think
about getting to their destinations
safely.
Last year, during the Victoria Day
weekend, seven people were killed
-in six motor vehicle collisions and
three lives were lost in a fatal
boating incident.
The Ontario Provincial Police is
reminding all travellers to put safety
first. Plan your trip, leave ample
time and understand that the
highways will be busy. Congestion
on the roads can lead to aggressive
driving — motorists become
frustrated, they try to make up lost
time, speeding, tailgating and
unsafe passing.
The holiday weekend falls in the
middle of the provincial aggressive
driving campaign when police
across Ontario are targeting unsafe
driving behaviour.
The OPP also wants to ensure that
drivers on the road are sober
drivers. Impaired driving is a
criminal offence with strong
sanctions including an immediate
90-day licence suspension for those
drivers found to be above the legal
limit.
Sr. Const. Don Shropshall said,
"We see the tragic outcomes of
drinking/driving on a regular basis.
We know all too well that drinking
and driving needlessly put everyone
at risk. This behaviour victimizes
families, friends and all .those who
enjoy- Ontario's roads and
waterways."
"Drinking and vehicle/vessel
operation simply don't mix — there
really is no safe limit."
Lawson
resigns
For the second time in a month
Huron County will be losing a
member of senior staff.
Sandra Lawson, county engineer
tendered her resignation May 8 at a
meeting of the agriculture, public
works and seniors committee of
county council. Lawson had been
with the county in various positions
for nearly 10 years.
This resignation comes only a
week after that of former Clerk
Lynn Murray who quit as of May 1.
Murray had been absent from her
position during April as council
wrestled with the Thomas Report on
the county administration.
Lawson will be leaving effective
June 10 to take up a position with
the City of Brantford. She will
become the deputy commissioner ut
engineering, public works, park'
and recreation.
County council had made no
announcement about who Would he
assuming Lawson's position by
press time.
They ate it all
The Blyth Cubs had a good supply of customers as they served hotdogs and pop to all comers
on Saturday. Liam Brohm enjoys his hotdog, while Emma Brohm, left, and Stacey Hallahan
sip soda. It was a busy day for the local Scouting groups with the Beavers' bake sale at
Memorial Hall and the Scouts' yard sale at the Veterinary Clinic. (David Blaney photo)
Museum seeks $20,000 from council