The Huron Expositor, 1996-01-10, Page 3News and Views
Christmas '95 Sales Report
BIA Bucks help merchant
Continued front page 1
Mine Christmas 'were "excel-
lent." She was pleased and
thanks her customers for their
support.
"My customers were loyal to
me and I really appreciate that.
They helped."
Bea Forman of Shinen's
Men's and Ladies' Wear also
said she had a "lot of loyal
customers" and "had a very
good Christmas" with sales no
Icss than last year.
Doug Schroeder, manager of
Seaforth Grocery, said sales for
the holidays wcrc "up a little
or the same" as previous years.
He said thc BIA (Business
Improvement Association)
Bucks promotion seemed to
help. "It -made people think
more about spending at home."
- Liz Cardno of Cardno's
Meti's Wear was pleased over-
all with Chrisunas.. • sales
although numbers wcrc down a
little from last year. A big
promotion at .the store in
November might have caused
the decrease, she says.
Jean Wolfe, owner of Flower
Magic, said Christmas sales
wcrc "fine."
"We sold more fresh (plants
and flowers) than artificial."
She said her type of business
varies from year to year.
Doug Steinman,- ownet of
Huron Sport Outfitters, said the
Christmas season wasn't "bad
at the end" but it wasn't up
from previous years.
The Scars outlet at Pete's
Paper Clip did "about the same
as last year," said owner Pete
Marten: "1 figured it would be
down." Although the rest of the
store deals mainly with office
supplies and isn't typical
Christmas gift merchandise,
Marlene said business was up
from last year.
Hensall District Co-
operative's- Do -It store in
Seaforth had a "good Christ-
mas", according to manager
Brian. Nigh, with' sales "about
.the same" as last year.
-Christmas sales wcrc "in
general comparable to other
years" for Hoffineycr's Mill in
Seaforth,, said manager BiII
Docking. -
"Since the crop came off in
the fall there's been a bit of a
surge in -building, farm -
related."
Triangle Discount manager
Penny Lansink said sales were
"pretty steady" and numbers
were better than last year.
Sales in the month of Decem-
ber were "down a little bit" for
Seaforth Jewellers, said owner
Ray Anstett but a . "nice
increase in November offset it"
from a "no tax" sale. "We
fared not too bad. 1 don't know
whether people did their
Christmas shopping early or
not."
He said opening on the last
Sunday before Christmas
helped. "It gave us a lift.I was
surprised we were as busy as
We wcrc Sunday." The store is
open Sundays only in Novem-
ber and December and Anstett
finds it to be "pretty good" for
sales. "It was well worth open-
ing."
Some Main Street merchants
declined to comment on Christ-
mas sales, hadn't finalized
figures, or could not bc_
reached. (Service industries,
car, farm equipment & snow-
mobile dealers and convenience
chain stores wcrc not con-
tacted).
Seaforth cuts close to expected
Continued from page 1
municipalities, 16.8 per cent
Tor counties and 11.6 per cent
-for Northern Ontario
governments, Cwradiauf Press
reported last week.
Huron County and Scaforth's
shares of Ontario's $657 -mil-
-lion cul • in funds for all
municipalities wcrc closer to
what their two treasurers were
expecting and dctail:d in last
week's paper. It airlounts to
exactly $1,122,(X)0 or 22.8 per
cent for Huron, which leaves a
total grant from the province of
$3,801;382 for this yzar.
Scaforth's transfer was sliced
slightly more than 15 per cent,
by $63,863, to $359,932 for
1996. .
Hensall's cut amounts • to
$22,088, the- diffcr:ncc bet-.
ween last _ year's grants of
:$94.556 and this year's total of
572,468.
'Zurich's actual gratis increase
of S126 means that Village gets
$1(1I-,759 this. year. But there
may .be a catch.
Clerk Maureen Simmons says
although details aren't clear, it
appears Zurich got a bigger
grant becausethe - province
plans to cancel cony.; cling link
agreements by which the
province's transportation
ministry - maintains parts of
-highways that double. as
mwticipal• streets.
She says the village expects
the MTO will still plow and
maintain Highway 84 until
-other arrangements are made,
.but she doesn't know when a
bill for the services might land
in the village office.
However that highway .is a _
-connecting link in. 1 I: nsall too,
where the grant went way.
down.
Administrators say little
deuril accompanied last- week's
official notices. Most were at a
loss explaining how final
figures were arrived at.
Municipalities can .pend their
1996 block grants from the
province as they see fit,
replacing the much -maligned
and costly old systeta.of both
unconditional and specific
grants, which you had to use
up to be eligible for the fol-
lowing year.
Hay's cut was 6.8 per cent,
leaving that township's 1996
grant at $286,686.
Stephen Township's loses
11.8 per cent in transfers, down
to $340,544 for this. year.
• Grand Bend's cut of $46,629
is equal to 30 per cent of last
year's total grant of $162,000.
Bosanquet was inlormcd of
cuts of 15.86 per cent.
Library closings confirmed
Continued from page' 1
good part of 1996 discussing
how we can further adjust the
1997 budgets to- meet: the
upcoming cuts," he said.
Also announced was a $4,600
cut to the Huron County
Museum and Gaol grants and a
$46,000 reduction in the grant
money going to the Huron
County Library. •
. LIBRARY CLOSINGS
As part of their 'no new taxes'
target, county council passed a
motion Thursday to close
libraries in Auburn, Bluevale,
Centralia. Cran-brook, Gorrie
and Walton.
Library board chairman
Leona Armstrong said the•move
is necessary because the recent
financial restraints have become
too much for the county system
to handle,
"I would like to remind you
we have still not recovered
from thc cutbacks in 1992,"
said Armstrong.
She said the library has
embarked on a strategic plan-
ning process over the past three
years in an attempt to maintain
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service in the Tight of scarce
finances, but did not anticipate
-financial resources would
become as scarce as they have.
The provincial government
has cut direct funding to
libraries by 20 ner cent. and
additional cutbacks in funding
to project grants and other
library agencies have cut to the
bone. t
Armstrong. said the imple-
mentation of the. county's non-
union pay equity plan has hit
.the predominantly female
library service harder than any
other county'department.
She said the total impact of
recent cuts arnounts ` to •a
$175,000 reduction to the 1996
budget.
According to Armstrong
most 'Branch 3' libraries in
hamlets -across the county have
shown a decline in recent years
due to changes in the work and
shopping habits of community
residents.
She said a review of library
use shows most county resi-
dents arc now using the'
libraries in larger centres
bccause those libraries have
longer hours and a better selec-
tion of material.
As a result, Armstrong said it
had already been decided to
concentrate the resources of the
library in the most accessible
libraries. •
"Our financial situation, how-
ever, prompts us to move more
quickly," she said.
.Closing six branch libraries
will leave the county with 12
branches to serve county resi-
dents and a -book -by -mail ser-
vice to reach people who arc
not able to get to the libraries.
Armstrong added the savings
in closing these libraries is just
a,start of the expenditure reduc-
tions required to meet the new
budget guidelines.
"We have to start some-
where," she said. "This is just
the tip of the iceberg."
Council passes the motion
after a limited discussion which
echoed the statements of Coun.
Bill Weber of Stephen Twp.
"I don't like it," said Weber.
"but l do see it as a necessary
.move."
z.
PIZZA FOR A YEAR
WINNER
Congratulations Shelia Nigh. Egmondvllle
winner of our annual Pizza Draw. She
wins One Free Pizza per Month for '96.
Our Thanks to All Who Entered!
1).4g_l Ism
int!wg fm-.
Tuckersmith
helps Optimist
In response 10 a regttest from
the Vanaslra Optimist Club
before Christmas, Tuckersmith
Township agreed to give thc
group a reduced rite for
monthly youth dances held at
the Vanastra Recreation Centre.
The club wants to hold
dances for 10-15 year olds on
thc first Friday of each month.
Tuckcrsmith Council agreed to
donate one Ince rental to the
Optimist Club and S50 for a
three-month ficriod of hall
rental:
The township stipulated that
the club will he responsible for
any damages and clean up of
the hall. A set of rules and
procedures wcrc to be pres-
ented to the township for
approval prior to the first event
which was held in December.
Tuckersmith Council has
refused to authorize a payment
to the Clinton Fire Department
for a call on December 9 at the
Vanastra Lions Club apartment.
It was a search and rescue call .
to locate a .lost child. There
were stormy wittier conditions
that day and the call was
answered by the Clinton Fire
Department.
The township does have a
policy to pay for any lire calls
answered by the department.
There is no policy for search
and rescue calls. It was decided
by council not to authorize
payment in this incident.
*
Tuckersmith ' 'l'i►wnship
recently stated it will support a
severance -application, if
received, from Kenneth Larone
on part of Lot 14, Concession
3 "and Lot 14, Concession 4,
Huron Road Survey.
y�rP��l�a�liy/�fe"it-%'S•52�zl/ lam
of '95 Citation
Models in stock.
Fifth Wheels with
slideouts:
•Model 29-5LP 525,940
•Model 29-5LW 524,780
• Model 27-5LK 523,980
•Model 23-5LG 517,320
Trailers with slideouts:
•Model 30 -LN $21,240
*Model 26-U 519,610
Trailers:
•Model 26 -LK $14,275
Citation factory authorized
sale for the lowest prices in .
Ontario at
NORTHGATE R.V. CENTRE
in Elginfiekf 519-227-4700
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, January 10, 1fla-3
If -
Tucker's
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27 Main St., Seaforth 527-0036
AV SNOW I'A('K hlHELZLit mEA'I• SI'I;('IAI,s
Ib Lean Ground Beef, 5 Ib. Sausage, Plain or Garlic
Ib. Centre Cut Pork Chops, 5 lb. Strip Loin Steaks
Ib Chicken Breasts, I - 4 lb Steak Roast,
1 •4 Ib Boneless Fresh Pork Roast,
19 MEALS
ONLY $(,flj FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR
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BRUM PACKERS RAIU! AU''$,$ tat
Wednesday Seniors Day 5% off
•
TO
Mike Watt
"Find a Way"
WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM PLAYER.
Great effort to bring home the gold!
from the staff of
WHITNEY RIBEY
FUNERAL HOME
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ANNIVERSARY
1946-1996
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