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Huron Expositor, 1999-09-15, Page 1In brief Cruisers damaged while officers have lunch Damages estimated at $500 were done to three cruisers parked outside Janet's Country Donut Cafe on Main Street, Seaforth Sept. 12 while the officers were inside baying lunch. A sharp object was rammed through the sidewall of the tires. Anyone with any related information is asked to call the Huron OPP or Crimestoppers. Break-in attempted at John , Street home A window screen was partially damaged during a break-in attempt on John .Street in Seaforth on Sept. 7. Sometime between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.. the screen on a side window of the house was pulled out of the track and the window opened but no entry was made to the house. Huron OPP say the culprit was likely scared away. Officers working in Seaforth are still investigating the incident. Close to $4,000 in damages done to pick-up Close to $4,000 in damages was done to a pick-up truck parked at Teatero Motor Products on Main Street in Seaforth on Sept. 10. The. 1989 Chev S10, parked in the rear parking lot, had its two side windows, rear window, tail lights and outside mirrors smashed, ,fenders dented and dash and interior mirror damaged. Six cassetes were also stolen from the truck. Anyone with any related information is asked to call the Huron OPP or Crimestoppers. Inside • PasturOS Project Po9e6 Grass drags in Seaforth Page t< lib di Golfers donate to United Way Pegs • September 15, 1999 $1 (includes GST) Local weather Wednesday --Sunny with cloudy periods. High 18. Thursday -;Mainly cloudy with scattered showers. High 21. Low 10. Friday --Mainly cloudy with scattered showers and windy High 22. Saturday --Clearing. High 21. L:ow near 9 . From Environment Canada Complex not fit for school board Maintenance costs of fitness complex too high for board By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff • After being turned down by the Avon Maitland District School Board. the committee proposing a fitness complex for Seaforth will approach Seaforth town council at its Sept. 28 meeting. Terry Johnston, spokesperson for the complex committee, says he received a letter last week from director Lorne Rachlis stating the board is not i iterested in participating in the project. In the letter, Rachlis says the board is "not in a position to support your request monetarily" since the declining enrolment at Seaforth District High School is "adequately served by the present gymnasium." The letter was on the agenda to be presented to trustees at last night's board meeting. Trustees have not voted on the issue at a board meetinU The committee proposed building a $704,000 recreation complex on Seaforth District High School property. While it did. not ask the board for any financial contribution towards the complex, the committee asked for a shared maintenance agreement in which the board Would pay two-thirds of the cost of maintenance, a total Johnston estimates of. $13.000 a year. "There is an impact on the board's budget for the costs of maintenance and the cost implications would be huge if every school in the district wanted to do the same thing," says the board's new information officer Anne Lake. Johnston says that if the municipalities of Seaforth, McKillop Township and Tuckersmith' Township are interested in pursuing the project, his committee will ."keep pushing away but if they're not interested. we're dead." If the municipalities are interested, Johnston says See FITNESS, Page 2 , Susan Hundertmark photo Dragging in the dirt Grass drags and ATV pulls were held Saturday by the Brussels, Walton Trailblazers on the racetrack behind the Seoforth Agri-plex over the weekend. Some school closures inevitable, says Rachlis By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff Some school closures are inevitable if the Avon Maitland District School Board hopes to provide quality education to its students. education director Lorne Rachlis told trustees at its Sept. 7 meeting. "We said we'd try everyone else first (before closing schools) but the fact remains that some closures are inevitable. 1 can't see any other way," he said. "As long as enrolment continues to decline and we're funded per pupil, we can't continue with everything we're- used to. Something's got to give." During a presentation of the Education Improvement Commission's (EIC's) recent review of the Avon Maitland board. Rachlis quoted the EIC's observation that the board has about 15 per cent excess space across its elementary and secondary systems with some schools at only 50 per cent capacity. Rachlis added that with projected declining enrolments and the phasing out of the OAC level (formerly Grade 13) in high school, the 15 per cent could rise to 25 in four years. which translates to 2,000 fewer students. He also quoted the •EIC's observation that the Avon Maitland board will need $27 million over the next 10 years for facility renewal but the funding model will only generate $20 million over the same period for that purpose. "During the review process, we learned that there will be no sympathy given to any of us as individuals if we resist the changes. It's our responsibility to move ahead and find creative solutions," he said. In a hypothetical situation, he suggested that if a community has one high school and two elementary schools, one elementary school will have to close while Grades.? and 8 will move to the secondary school, leaving room to accommodate the rest of the elementary students at the remaining elementary school. "That way, students could See SCHOOL, Page 2 Human factor important when organizing county's ambulances, says public By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff Ambulance services are about people's lives and shouldn't be determined by cost alone, said the few members of the public attending a Seaforth meeting last Wednesday on ambulance services in Huron County. "I hope you don't go with the lowest bid and 1 don't want standards lowered," said former nurse Maja Dodds. of RR 1 Seaforth. "Our paramedics are highly skilled and they do a wonderful job. When you and I are out there iti a car accident, these are the guys I'd like to pick me up," she said. The Seaforth meeting was one of five public meetings held by Huron County council to gather input into a decision it must make about how to provide ambulance services, which were recently downloaded from the' province to upper tier municipalities. The county has been given a year's extension to a Sept. 30 deadline by the province to choose between three options including contracting with existing ambulance providers, providing ambulance services themselves or tendering to select ambulance providers. Craig Metzger, Huron County's manager of corporate services, said meetings in Seaforth and Clinton were mostly attended by paramedics, ambulance providers and politicians. He said the few members of the public attending praised Huron County's paramedics and stressed that the human factor be top priority in the decision-making. fee PARAMEDICS, Page 2 Your community newspaper since 1860 Organizers are ready for IPM in Dashwood next week Huron County's International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show is on next week and organizers are ready. The 1999 IPM begins on Tuesday. Sept. 21. with a parade at an earlier time than usual, 10 a.m., followed by a long list of events and activities until the closing day, Saturday, Sept. 25. • The IPM site, just north of Dashwood. in the southern end of the county. has become a tourist attraction as motorists drive by the site every' few days to see what's new. Buildings and tents are being raised at a rate of several daily. Earl Becker, one of the many landowners and Mayor of Tented City. says not a day goes by without someone stopping to look or ask a few questions. . Accommodations in southern Huron County. northern Middlesex and some in Perth are filling up, but there's still some vacancies. Arnold and Ila Mathers, co-chairs of the IPM accommodations committee. said Monday most hotels and motels are booked and many bed and breakfasts are booked too. But there are vacancies in lots of new bed and breakfasts, lakeside cottages and private homes. The accommodations committee is working in an area bounded by Goderich, Mitchell end Parkhill. "It's been very promising." sail' Ila Mathers. "But we're certainly not booked up." Arnold' said the number of telephone calls to the accommodations hotline (519-235-1037) is slowing to two to three per day from -up to 1.0 last week. Lindsey Ashworth, secretary of the Grand Bend and Area Chamber of Commerce, confirmed the Mathers' account saying four local motels are close .to being full. But a few others are not yet full. And that's not counting the numerous bed and breakfasts, cottages and campgrounds which have accommodation available in the area. "It certainly has helped the shoulder season for Grand Bend," she said. George Townsend,.chair of the IPM trailer park committee, said recently 853 serviced trailer sites were booked by August 9. There are still some of the 4(17 unserviced sites still available. Complete IPM '99 activity details can be accessed at the match website www.ipm99.on.ca or by contacting IPM Secretary Jeanne Kirkby, 34 Queen Street, Walton, Ont. NOK 1ZO or phone her at 519-887-6038. Look for the new IPM brochure which outlines the daily line-up of family lifestyle shows, entertainment, lowing and competitions.