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The Citizen, 2000-03-08, Page 1News Sports Leap Year baby makes unscheduled stop See page 7 Madill’s Junior basketball squad takes WOSSA crown for first time ever See page 10 Silhouettes against the blaze Blyth firefighters worked into the early morning hours to save neighbouring buildings on the Morris Twp. farm of Betty McCall, near Walton, as a huge double barn went up in flames Sunday night. Barn burns in Morris Flames lit up the night sky in Morris Twp. Sunday evening when a bam was consumed by tire. Blyth firefighters, called to Betty McCall’s at Lot 25, Cone. 9 around 7 p.m., found a large double bam fully involved upon their arrival. “Basically, there was not much we could do with it except protect the outbuildings around it,” said Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling. Sixteen head of cattle got out of the bam, but five were lost. Ron Stevenson, who was running the farm, had been in the barn approxi­ mately a half an hour before McCall called in the fire. Josling said he was told everything was fine when Stevenson left the building. The Seaforth Fire Department was called in to assist in the hauling of water to the site. “The biggest problem was sight­ seers,” said Josling. “At one point the road was blocked and we couldn’t get to the scene with the tankers.” The police were called to clear the roadway. “I wish people who can’t help at the scene would stay away from the scene so we can do our job.” There is no known cause of the fire and the estimate dollar value of the loss is $110,000 to $120,000. County budget passes quietly Huron County’s 2000 budget, call­ ing for a two per cent tax increase, was quietly passed Thursday without a word of debate. The budget was accepted on a rec­ ommendation of the administration, finance and personnel committee which reviewed the budgets of each individual department. It was a far cry from the budget process of a decade ago when council held a spe­ cial day-long meeting to debate the budget line by line. While the budget proposes only to match the rate of inflation, there are many uncertainties in the coming year caused by provincial download­ ing of services. The county must take over ambulance service, social housing and child care, all with pos­ sible financial surprises. In addition, through the Ontario Works social assistance program, the province has announced higher tar­ gets for 2000 of 22.5 per cent of clients being on community place­ ments and will penalize the county $1,000 per participant below the tar­ get. At the same time those still on the program have fewer job skills and require more training but the province has not increased its fund­ ing of training. Still, the county underspent its 1999 budget by more than $700,000 leaving some flexibil­ ity in that area. The county had an overall surplus of $389,000 last year but because of uncertainties over the final reconcil­ iation of some cost-shared programs with the province and because the county is hoping to take part in a federal infrastructure program, it plans to put the surplus into a reserve fund. The county needs $20 million worth of repairs to its bridges and may be eligible for $12-$ 15 million in federal and provincial funding over the next five years but would require $4-$5 million of its own matching funds. Hall bd. considers purchasing land By Janice Becker Citizen staff The Walton Hall board may soon own the land which visitors have used for years for parking. Members of the hall board met for the annual meeting March 7 to dis­ cuss offers to buy the neighbouring parking lot as well as a separate offer for the land west of the building. Properties owners Bill and Margaret Humphries had offered the parking lot to the board for the cost of the transfer of the deed. The trans­ action would entail a survey and sev­ erance for an estimated cost of $3,500. Board chair Chris Lee also told those gathered that the Humphrieses had said the vacant lot between the hall and their home could also be purchased with the parking lot at a cost of $25,000. Lee explained that the transfer of a portion of the property would help square-off the lot as the hall now sits in the middle of Humphries’ land. If the hall use for the community was discontinued, ownership would revert to the Humphrieses. Lee said that selling the land to the hall would also make the Humphrieses’ property more saleable. The board first discussed whether purchasing the entire lot was feasible and of any benefit. While Lee said the vacant lot could later be severed from the hall for resale, there was concern about handling the purchase price. Members also questioned what the board could do with the extra Jand if it were not re-sold. Treasurer JoAnn McDonald asked where the board would get the money? “We are working hard to get the $5,000 to cover expenses. There is a committee of six working really, really hard. Will the bank give us the Continued on page 10 East, North Huron plans get approved — again In a case of “if at first you don’t succeed”, the amalgamation plans for both Huron East and North Huron were approved by Huron County council Thursday — again. The two plans were caught in the middle of a change of provincial leg­ islation in December. Bill 25, passed Dec. 22, required that a public meet­ ing be held before an amalgamation proposal can be approved, a change from amalgamations that were in place before Bill 25 was adopted. Normally there’s a provision in legislation to allow proposals that were in progress to have been approved by the old rules but not this time, said Gary Davidson, director of planning. Because the Huron East plan was approved in January and the North Huron, in February, the province said new public meetings had to be held. County council recessed at 11 a.m. Thursday for public meetings on the proposal at which one ques­ tion was asked. When council resumed, both plans were passed unanimously, again. Both plans will now go back to the province for approval.