Huron Expositor, 2000-07-19, Page 1July 19, 2000
Si
(includes GST)
Local weather
Wednesday -Mix of sun
and cloud. High 20.
Thursday --Generally
cloudy. Chance of rain.
High 23. Low. 13.
Friday Mainly cloudy.
Chance of rain. High 23:
Low 13.
Saturday --Sunny. High
25. Low IS.
From Environment Canada . .
In brief
Hydro
station
moves
underground
as PUC
improves
service
In an effort to reduce
vandalism and improve
service, the Public
Utilities Commission has
converted "main station
#1" from an overhead
construction to an
underground transformer
station.
"It does look good,"
said PUC manager Tom
Phillips.. "The' station is
all underground."
It's the second of two
stations to be upgraded
and moved below
ground.
The first was done on'
Welsh Street during a
period of two years,
started about three years
ago and its power.
capacity was more than
doubles,
Now, work is wrapping
up on the Chalk Street
station and either station.
will be able to carry the -
whole town.
Phillips said the
upgraded stations mean
maintenance can be done
on one ` without
disrupting any service to
Seaforth customers.
"It's very convenient
for us," said Phillips.
They used to have to
bring.in.a mobile unit to
keep power flowing
when maintenance was
required on one of the
stations.
It also means in a
storm, there will Tess
likely be a power
disruption because if one
station is affected, the
other will pick' up the
load and keep power
flowing.
The total project has.
cost about $150,000,
including both stations
with new switches,
fences and enclosures.
The underground
station also reduces the
chances of anyone
getting into the station
area and causing damage.
Phillips said the
upgrades are a benefit to
the town which can now
boast the ability to
accommodate future
growth when an industry
considers locating to the
town.
By Scott Hilgendorff
Inside...
Work starts on.
cenotaph..
Page 5
Pool ready for
simmer fun...
Page 6
Centenares host
bd
tournament...
Pape 12
Townships anger local reeve
over vote to move ambulance
of the Seaforth Medical
As Huron East forms, new municipality Clinic.
Coun. Michael Hak said
about one-quarter of the
residents are losing the 15-
move the ambulance out of minute response time that has
Huron East," she said of been the standard to date.
three of . the four Deputy reeve Bill Teall
.neighbouring municipalities said, "The unfortunate part
that are amalgamating with have an ambulance service in is, you don't know what
Seaforth into Huron East this `Huron East," she said. you're losing until you need
January. She also said she feels bad . it."
With the exception of for the neighbouring •Steffler and • Broadfoot
Reeve Bob .Broadfoot in townships and Brussels
Tuckersmith Township. she because the "ambulance
was angry and disappointed service is being moved
the other three municipalities •farther away from them and
did not support the greater the Brussels' satellite office
could be left without ambulance. base
By Scott Hitgendorff
Expositor Editor
Angry Seaforth reeve, Lin.
Sterner lambasted three area
reeves for their part in a
Huron County Council
decision that will likely see
Seaforth lose its ambulance
base.
"I would like to thank the,
reeves of McKillop, Grey
and Brussels for helping to
community they willsoon be
forming.
"Unless something really
special happens, we'll not
Susan Hundertmark photo
Mphammad Farhan and wife Fouzie recently met through a Pakistani -style arranged marriage.
were the only two members
of county council who
opposed a motion that would
see the Seaforth ambulance
base moved to either a point
between Seaforth and
Clinton on Highway 8 or to
Clinton all together.
At a June 27council
meeting where members of
the Huron Perth Hospital
Partnership made • a
presentation about the
ambulance situation,
McKillop reeve Bill Siemon
and Grey Township Reeve
Robin Dunbar had expressed
about overlapping services
and the burden on tax payers
to keep six ambulances-
stations
mbulancesstations versus four that
See TOWN, Page 2
Customers
surprised
marriage
was arranged
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
Customers at Mohammad Farhan's Beckers store on
Seaforth's Main Street recently welcomed his new wife
Fouzie from Pakistan with flowers and gifts.
But Farban and Fouzie were amused by local reaction to the
discovery that the two were united through their country's
tradition of arranged marriage and hadn't met each other until
their wedding vows were completed.
"They were astonished," laughs Fouzie. "But, still I felt
really welcomed. The Seaforth people ate really very nice."
Fouzie's move to Canada in April was the =first time she'd
left her family home in Pakistan. With a master's degree in
Islamic studies, she is now helping in the store with Farhan,
who has a master's in business administration, and worked in
a bank in Pakistan before coming to Canada.
While English was a compulsory subject during her
schooling, Fouzie still thinks'ss-he needs more practice moving
from her native language of Urdu to English.
"I know English words but it is difficult. How to make a
sentence is hard but I'm trying. I need more conversation,
more customer dealing," she says.
The two were married during a three-day ceremony in
February.
While Farhan has been in Canada since December of 1997
and in Seaforth since August of 1998 and could have chosen
to adopt Western ways while chosing a wife. he. opted to
remain within the tradition of his culture.
"I could have married a Christian girl but I told my parents
to make an arrangement. I think a girl from my own country
can understand me a lot better," says Farhan.
Pakistani parents making an arranged marriage usually look
within their own caste for a suitable partner for their children,
says Fouzie, adding that her and Farhan's families come from
the ariayah or landowner caste.
See WEDDING, Page 7
Flooding taking its toll on Lions Park
Costs reaching close to $io,000
as clean-up continues .at park, pool
assuming no more flooding takes
place this summer.
And that doesn't include lost
revenue to family picnics and
events that have been cancelled
because of the bad weather.
The worst was still the first flood
that came May 12 and saw Silver
Creek, which flows through Lions
Park, high enough to leave about
eight inches of mud in the
swimming pool's deep end before
the swimming season started.
It left debris on the newly -
constructed bridge across•the creek,
through the playground equipment
and washed away the sand around
the equipment and the sand and
By Scott Hilgindorff
Expositor Editor
Continuefl downpours and
flooding are taking their toll on
Lions Park and Pool this summer
after having to clean-upat least the
'bath house fourtimes this year so
far.
"Who'd have ever thought the
water would get. through here three
or four times, especially in the
summer," said Bob Beuttenmiller,
Lions Club member and supervisor
of the park and pool.
He is anticipating clean-up costs
will reach between $8,000 and
$10,000 when all the bills come in,
gravel at the baseball diamond.
"That's the first time I can ever
remember water running into the
pool," said Beuttenmiller.
The following Wednesday, the
water rose almost as high again.
three weeks ago and two weeks ago
it flooded just the bath house.
The most recent flood delayed the
first day of swimming lessons when
staff had to use high presture spray
to clear the mud out and then
disinfect the bath house to meet
Health Unit requirements.
Beutenmiller isn't sure how much
longer the motor will last in the
pool room since it's been under
water three times.
The walkway around the pool has
been washed out and staff' and
contractors ate still trying to get the
park and pool area back to normal.
The septic tanks have had to be
cleaned out four times now.
"It's also caused tremendous
havoc with our fountain," said
Beuttenmiller.
Debris flowing through the
swelled creek has knocked the
fountain over several times and
plugged it so that it's been
operational about a week this
summer.
"It was spewing pure mud on
Sunday," said Beuttenmiller last
Friday.
He's never seen the park affected
so badly and while flooding can be
expected along the creek, he said
it's never this late in the year.
Usually, he said it happens in
March or April before the pool and
park are in use,
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