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The Huron Expositor, 1998-01-21, Page 1Your Community Newspaper Since 1860, Seaforth, Ontario • January 21, 1998 — $1.00 includes GST Leo Greidanus, left, Jim Papple and Rev. Jane Kuepfer look over the large amounts of firewood which local residents donated to help warm residents of Easftrrn Ontario. Two large grain tractor trailers carried 36 metric tonnes of jirewood to residents in Lancaster. Another two truck loads will be shipped Wednesday night if a second truck can be found. (Fitton photo) A warming story of kindness BY JACKIE FITTON Expositor Editor When Leo Greidanus of Seaforth decided he wanted to do something to help resi- dents in eastern Ontario, he had no idea of thc enormous generosity of arca residents. Residents of eastern Ontario have braved nearly two weeks of being without hydro due to ferocious ice storms. With the backing of the Northside United Church congregation and the Hensall Co-op he embarked on a labour of love, as two large grain tractor trailers carried 36 metric tonnes of firewood to residents of Lancaster and North Lancaster Saturday night. Last week Greidanus' idea was just that - an idea which snowballed. He wanted to sec if he could rally the efforts of neighboring residents and collect as much fire wood as possible for eastern Ontario residents. A driver for the Hensall Co- op Greidanus• travels Hamilton and Windsor area- regularly. rearegularly. The two large grain trucks one on loan from the Hensall Co-op and the other driven by Phil Masse set off around midnight Saturday. The trucks were unloaded around 9 a.m. Sunday morn- ing at the Lancaster Emergency Depot, Jim Papple of Tuckersmith Township said "The wood was donated by residents from all points of the Hensall Co-op trading area," Greidanus said Saturday. People from Winthrop, South Exeter. Ilderton, Mitchell and all points in between began dropping off the firewood in the com- pound. • Hensall Co-op gave permis- sion for the wood to he col- lected at that destination. Many residents had taken the time to write encouraging gcstures•on the firewood such as: "hope this helps keep you warm." "This load came sometime last night," he said pointing to a large firewood pile on Saturday morning as mem- bers of the Northside United Church'congregation came out to lend a hand. "I just decided I could do something to help the people in eastern Ontario." Greidanus then climbed back on to the front end loader and began lifting the wood into the large grain tractor-trai ler. Two more truck loads of firewood still remain, and they are unable to find anoth- er truck to make the journey. "We're hoping these loads will leave Hensall Wednesday night," Papplc said. "We feel we're going to have another two loads by Wednesday and can't find a truck for thc second load," said Papplc. The trucks were unloaded around 9 a.m Sunday morn- ing at Lancaster the other load of firewood went to North Lancaster. The emergency depot was so pleased to have the wood arriving that the drivers of tfe 'trucks were each given breakfast and dinner and taken on a tour of the areas, Papple said. As of today (Monday) another load of firewood is needed in Apple Hill just north of Cornwall. Also donated by area resi- dents for this weekend's trip • were two kerosene heaters, a coleman camping stove, two propane heaters donated by Hensall Co-op employes as well as the full tanks of propane. Dog food, cat food apple cider, plus numerous groceries as well as socks, mittens and numerous flash- light batteries. "I was overwhelmed by the response. It's to bad it had to happen, but it brings people hack together and. people helping people," Greidanus said. Cats, dogs and elephants BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff Animal control officer Bob Trick "thought an elephant had been in town" after patrolling for "dog poop" along Seaforth's Main Street a couple of weeks ago. That's what he told council last Tuesday night when giv- ing his annual report. He said he found about four similar unpleasant piles in his little jaunt around thc busi- ness section, one in particular that stood out, but no pachy- derm. "It certainly was not invit- ing," he commented, and wondered whcthcr council- lors, or local business, saw it as a problem. He said Scaforth has a "poop and scoop" bylaw hut perhaps "something else" was required. Town Hall hasn't received any complaints out of thc ordinary, clerk/administrator Jim Crocker said. Some councillors agrccd many owners are good about taking' care of their dog's business when out on walks. Store owners seem to clean Y up such messes as a matter of course, and common sense, the clerk commented. Council talked about maybe encouraging even more com- pliance, and perhaps doing a little promotion at thc same time, by distributing little plastic "scoop" bags, which has been tried in other munic- ipalities. Onc wag wcnt so far as to suggest, with obvious tongue in check. you could maybe put someone's picture on these bags, perhaps the mayor's. That discussion didn't seem to go anywhere. Council agreed it would keep an eye on the situation. Trick said he received a total of 73 complaints about animals in town 1997. Five dog bites were reported. One dog bit four people and was subsequently put down by a veterinarian. There was one bat con- firmed rabid in The summer. In 1996 there was a rash of rabid skunks in Seaforth. Last ycar there were a couple of skunk complaints, but none confirmed rabid. .CAT PROBLEM? The animal control officer said he received only four cat complaints in 1997. Town Hall heard "mostly grum- bling," clerk Crocker report- ed. Coun: Heather Rohinct said she had heard more com- plaints than that around where she lives, cats in kids' sandboxes for instance, but perhaps people didn't offi- cially complain because they know the town has no cat bylaw, like other municipali- ties. Other councillors agreed. Council discussed pursuing such a direction, but noted it can be controversial. Mayor Dave Scott, for instance, (who is a reporter) said he had covered Hensall council the night before where the issue has been talked about at length, but remains unresolved. He noted that Hensall being a mill town, some consider cats a help in controlling rodents. Animal control officer Trick and clerk Crocker both noted the cat control process can be costly. long and very involved. The pound doesn't have to keep cats three days like it docs dogs. The highest cost component of cat control is disposal, euthanasia and cremation, which runs around $50. WILL NEEDED Given this; "Do we want to embark on something contro- versial in the context of what is happening in other com- munities," deputy -reeve Brian•Ferguson asked out loud. "If you are not comfortable with it, don't pass a bylaw," the animal control officer recommended. "There is no use passing a bylaw unless you 'have the will to enforce it." Port Stanley had a cat bylaw, but withdrew it after two years when the problem seemed solved, Trick noted. Council decided to contact that community for further information on its experi- ences. Without a bylaw cats can legally be at large, a common law with its roots in the Middle Ages when bubonic plague, spread by rats, deci- mated the populations of Europe. Director of education says `Radical' changes or SDHS closure possible By GREGOR CAMPBELL and Michele Greene "Extreme or radical changes" are needed at Seaforth District High School or it is in danger of closing, the director of edu- cation for the Avon -Maitland School Board said in a tele- phone interview Monday. Paul Carroll, himself from Seaforth, said enrollment is dropping so quickly at the local high school that "it is going to have to find a different way to do things." Many high school students are finding they "can't get the programs they want" there, he said, and extreme or radical change is required by the school to address the challenge of providing "a comprehensive secondary school program in competition with other area schools." Enrollment at the school is expected to drop to 250 to 260 students "by the years 2001 or 2000. An accommodation study in 1995 - 96 identified an over- capacity of about 4,300 at that time in Huron County schools. The director of education of the Avon -Maitland board, for- merly the director of the Huron board before its official amal- gamation with Penh at the start of this month, said he had no •capacity figures for Perth dur- ing the interview earlier this week. says he is worried this whole thing will become a self-fulfill- ing prophecy. He says there's" no denying enrollment is declining. It was roughly 425 when he graduated here in 1975, and more than 400 as late as 1989. The school had 340 students at the start of this year. Carroll's comments this Monday were elaborating on the Avon-Maitland's first meet- ing in Stratford last Tuesday, where the possible location of a new board office was dis-, cussed, and it was reported more than just Seaforth's school could face closing because of low enrollment. There are five schools in Huron which could serve as board offices, Carroll. said. They could be facing closure because of low enrollment. Enrollment at SDHS is expected to drop to 275 over the next two years, the report from the meeting said. Schools in Walton, Usbome Township, Huron Park and the Wingham area also have low enrollments. Carroll said he has no infor- mation on low enrollments and possible closings in Perth schools. The director of education, said the board is interested in locating in a community along Highway 8. The Avon -Maitland board took the first step in choosing a The Huron overcapacity headquarters by establishing an identified three years ago will ad hoc committee to investigate only get worse, Carroll said, possible sites at last week's when Grades 12 and 13 come meeting.. on stream at St. Anne's Stratford is urging it locate it . Catholic High School in the there, where the Perth board next two years, and with the was located. The Huron board soon-to-be elimination of office was at Clinton high Grade 13 in the public schools school. At the new board's first regu- lar meeting, trustees Leslie Wood and Colleen Schenk were nominated to this com- mittee. Stratford councillor Dan Mathcison, and Larry Appel, system, which is Ontario gov- ernment policy. SDHS `BORDERLINE' "I would say Seaforth high school is the only school at thc borderline," the education director said. ,,)DHS principal Bruce Eccles Continued on Page 5. �� LJ urgess retires end of month by hunk Dick SDHS Grade 12 Teacher, Richard (Dick) Burgess, at Seaforth Menet High School has a career spanning more than 33 years. During those years he has taught more than 6030 stu- dents from Grade 9 to 13. ' Burgess will retire at the end of January. The choice of retirement is iflicult decision to make, sally In a career such as When asked what he would miss the most, he said, seeing the students growing up and the changes they go through would be one of the things. Also fellow students and staff would be missed. He still hopes to be apart of Seaforth and its education. ibaching careers also have highlights,. Onc that stood out for Burgess was winning the Huron -Perth Basketball. He was the coach of the Win- ning Junior girls' team.