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Huron Expositor, 2001-09-12, Page 9News MO MINION t>a0i1T011, Surber 18. 2001-6 Committee to north in favour of larger schools, council learns From Page 1 that bases grants largely on the enrollment within schools. The board already tried to close Seaforth District High School but was successfully stopped after a court challenge by members of the community. While Burgess is not on the west central committee, the former high school teacher has been involved in the fight to keep the school open for several years now. The west committee's municipal representative is Fred Leitch, the lawyer who represented the town in the court proceedings that prevented the high school from closing. Leitch and Burgess have been working closely together on the two committees that represent schools across Huron East. The school board forme -.4 a c c o m- modation committees across Huron and Perth County to study enrollment issues as it prepares to make decisions about school closures this fall. Each committee was asked to forward recommendations to the board, a copy of which was on the council table, sparking MacLellan's questions. Burgess said the west report is also recommending that the Grade 7 and 8 students be moved to the high school from Seaforth Public School. He also said, with two schools already closed in Huron East, the committee is Quoted 'It is a very serious situation we are facing,' -- Court. Dick Burgess r e c o m - mending that the board look at a more even distribution of school closures across the counties before closing any more schools in Huron East, negatively impacting its communities even more. However; on his own committee, which represents schools in Huron East's Brussels and Grey Wards, Burgess said the attitude is that "bigger is better." There, he said there is movement toward having larger high schools in Listowel and Wingham which could then offer even more course selection to students. "It is a fairly large opinion West Branch inviting Seaforth back From Poge 1 group were impressed by the Seaforth and District Community Centre, especially since the Michigan municipality just voted down a $10 million "recplex" that included an Olympic swimming pool, family and senior pool with a beach -like shallow end, weight rooms, racketball courts, ice surface, walking and jogging tracks and a three-storey glass atrium. "A big part of why it got killed at the ballot box was it's extravagance," he said, adding he'd like a blueprint of the Seaforth arena to begin the planning process again. "Maybe we could build something more modest because we're big into hockey down here too," he said. McGinnis said West Branch shares close bathe sante population as Seaforth and area and a Victorian heritage downtown core. But, while West Branch was originally a rural town centre, like Seaforth, McGinnis said the interstate highway that travels nearby has brought industry (including 1,000 manufacturing jobs), outlet malls, big box stores and fast food restaurants to West Branch. "It was interesting to see the different culture in Seaforth The interstate has made us more urban," he said. He said he was also interested to note at the Van Egmond House that the Seaforth area was settled about 20-30 years before West Branch. "You have a little more richness in your history and I noticed you guys are older because you settled in the mid -1880s. A map at the Van Egmond House sbows Michigan and just says, 'Indians' because that's all that was there then," he said. While the group of 40 had orginally planned to come to St. Jacobs to study its gardens, McGinnis suggested stopping by Seaforth since it was on the way. "Your newspaper ran something a few years ago to try and revive interest in the sister cities but our newspaper didn't bite and we let it fall by the wayside. But, this year, we just sort of invited ourselves and your town rolled out the red carpet for us," he said. "And, now that we know that Seaforth is a fine place with very friendly people, we'd like to make it an annual thing, sort of flipflop back and forth every year." Former Seaforth recreation director Marty Bedard said the sister city link between Seaforth and West Branch began in 1978, was popular for a few years and then was revived again in the mid -80s when the Optimist Clubs from both communities made a connection. While visits were made back and forth with sporting events held such as track and field, ball games and swim meets, Bedard said the connection fizzled out in the late 80s. "You need cooperation and support at both ends for it to work. It was a fair amount of work because we used to billet kids out when the exchanges happened," said Bedard. McGinnis said he has extended an invitation to Huron East's Mayor Lin Steffler and Clerk - Administrator Jack McLachlan to make the four- hour drive to West Branch next year. While the West Branch folks were forced to stay at a Best Western in St. Jacobs because of the lack of accommodations for 40 people in Seaforth, McGinnis said West Branch has hotels where Seaforth visitors could stay. "If you decide to just invite yourselves like we did, we'll roll out the red carpet too," he said. McGinnis is hoping for a renewed interest between the Optimist Clubs in each of the sister cities and possibly a r.;e.-iforth District Community Centres HOCKFN 9001 2001-2002 OVER $1500. IN PRIZES connection between schools. Huron East Mayor Lin Steffler said she had a "terrific" time meeting the West Branch visitors and has begun talking to the West Brancfi economic development officer. "I can't see any problems with going down there but it will take some planning," she said of a possible visit to West Branch next year. "We wanted to give these people as gracious a welcome as possible and a great day. It's been a good start," said Steffler. "At the first of the new year, we'll look at it," said Huron East Clerk - Administrator Jack McLachlan. among that group," said Burgess. Coun. Sharon McClure wondered if there was any data available about the number of students leaving Seaforth District High School because of courses not available. Many students are leaving the high school and, although not Catholic, attending St. Anne's in Clinton, a new school with more courses and programs available. "I can sympathize and identify with studenta_who choose to go elsewhere," said Burgess who has a daughter in Grade 12. "It appears all the students id Huron East are disadvantaged," he said, adding those students do not have access to the same resources as students in other areas of the county. "It is a very serious situation we are facing," he said. Coun. Larry McGrath said his own son has chosen to go to St. Anne's this year. "I didn't want him to go to St. Anne's but he wanted to play jhigh school] hockey and wanted to take shop. He can't do that here,'; said McGrath of the programs not available in Seaforth. MacLellan said maybe the community should have been more proactive before the situation reached the point of school closures. He said people should have fought to keep the programs in the school when, for example, the school board removed some of its shop programs several years ago. Burgess said the whole issue deserved a more lengthy discussion than last week's agenda would allow and said a time is soon approaching when Huron East council would need to take a stand on behalf of,its schools. 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