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Times-Advocate, 1987-02-04, Page 1GRANTON TOBOGGANISTS Ready for o toboggan run in Gran- ton Sunday afternoon were Dixie McRobert-, Cassandra Harding ond. Katherine Harding. -T-A photo • Need further ftIk on fire p.41 The four municipalities involved in the Exeter and Area Fire Board fail- ed to reach any agreement on re- quests for boundary changes from Hay and Stephen and , a new cost- sharing formula at a special meeting held by the four on Thursday. They have, however, agreed to take the matter back totheir respective councils and each will make a deci- sion on the matter by March 1. When the matter was broached at Exeter council this week, it was decided to hold those discussions in private. Reporting on the session, Deputy - Reeve Lossy Fuller termed it an "ex- cellent meeting" and paid special tribute to clerk Liz Bell for the "ex- cellent job" she did in chairing the session. Mrs. Bell is secretary for the fire board. Mrs. Fuller said the clerk was put on the hot seat several times during the session and had difficulty making the members of Hay, Stephen, Exeter and Usborne councils acknowledge that it was the politicians who had to make the decisions and not the meeting chairman. Mayor Bruce Shaw said several others had also remarked on the capable job Mrs. Bell did. Mrs. Fuller said that in addition to the councils deliberating the matter, there were those who held the opinion the fire chiefs from the areashould also meet and make recommenda- tions. "They're the ones who know, lon't," she explained. imes Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Fifteenth Year The meeting considered the boun- dary adjustments presented by Stephen and Hay. The two also sug- gested their share of the budgets should drop proportionately. Exeter presently. pays 52 percent of the budget. Usborne. 33. Hay six and Stephen nine. The adjustments could reduce Hay and Stephen's share to three and two percent respectively, leaving Exeter and Usborne to pick up the 10 percent difference. Usborne officials contended that the service recenod by Stephen and Hay is better ill many caes than Usborne's, because the areas covered in the other two are in closeiproximi-. ty to Exeter. while the eastet4t portion of Usborne is a considerable distance from the local fire hall. , • Alp BETHEL REFORMED INSTALLATION Rev. Henry Van Essen was installed Friday night ps pastor of Bethel Reformed Church in Exeter. From -the left Rev. and Mrs. Van Essen are welcomed by Rev..Roeland Hartman, president of Class's and pastor of Emmanuel Reformed Church in Woodstock and Exeter church officials Teo Von Steeg ond Frank Eckhardt. T -A photo vocate & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, February 4, 1987 Price Per Copy 60 Cents Rec board see funding woes The proposed cost sharing of the South Huron rec centre may be look- ing good to the four councils involv- ed, but members of the board have expressed considerable concern. A formula that has received ten- tative approval from Exeter. Stephen, Usborne and Hay has resulted in $30,000 less in funding for the board over last year's contribu- tions and they,indicate that could be difficult to overcome. At a special meeting with Exeter Mayor Bruce Shaw on Tuesday, board members noted it would not be an easy matter to raise all fees and rates to reflect the lower funding. They noted that many of the rates are set in advance and commitments have already' been made for all 1987 hall rates, half of the ice surface ren - tal'season, the first half of the ag building storage season and one-third of the program season. Faced with the prospect of "a very difficult financial situation" the board members have asked Exeter council. to reconsider their funding for 1987. In a letter to council, board chair- man Jim Workman noted that while the councils expect adult groups to be self sustaining and that user fees for all groups should be more in line with actual costs, the board has a cost analysis survey underway. but the final results won't be known until the end of the year. "The board felt that they did not have a good'grasp on actual costs and would find it difficult to set rates - which would reflect a break-even con- cept at the present time," he advised. He did explain that fee increases could be considered for groups who have not yet booked facilities for the current year to help offset the deficit. Among those listed were lawn bowlers, tennis players, shuffleboard club, summer minor sports groups, swimming pool. fall fair and special events such as the home and garden show and homecoming. Workman also advised council that areas were also being looked at in an effort to reduce costs. Those include a re-evaluation of present methods of advertising, reduction of hydro costs by conserving hot water and main- taining present energy costs despite an increase in the use of the building. Board member Peter Snell advised • f his fellow councillors that the com- ments expressed by Workman were "pretty legitimate concerns" and it was difficult for the board at this time to get a handle on costs until the cost analysis review was completed. "Our rec centre has done a tan- . tastic job in holding the line," the other council rep. Dorothy Chapman noted. after showing council figures of the costs front communities of similar size in the area. "Whatever we're doing. it's work- ing". she said in reference to the figures which showed Exeter's costs Please turn to page 3 Suspect held again; drinking driver pays Lloyd Sterling Brooks. I he 31 -year • old Toronto man charged with seven offences. including the attempted murder of Exeter police Sgt. Kevin Short. appeared in Exeter court. Tuesday. Ile was remanded in custody b' Judge Gary Hunter and is scheduled 10 appear in Goderich court again this week. 11 is expected the accused will be ordered to undergo a 30 -minute psychiatric evaluation. A $501 fine was assessed by Judge I lunter against Cornell G. Wilde. RR 2 Forest, who pleaded guilty to drr'� ing with a blood alcohol content over the legal limit. He also received a three-month. driving licence suspen- sion and was given three months in which -to pay the fine. Wilde was charged on July 7 after !wing stopped by police on the MI. Carmel Road around 10.40 p.m. when ., e. _ ■ R Sawn it was noted that one 01 the headlights on his vehicle was burned out. Ile failed an :Vert test and a breathalizer test revealed a reading of 110 ings. The unh other fine handed out was to Kenneth Gordiin Lott. Arva. who was"charged with driving without due rare on September 24. His pickup truck went out of control on- the Nit. Carmel Road at :1: IB a.m.. entered a ditch and flipped over. The accused said he believed he dozed all. The school teacher was. given 15 days in which to pay the penalty. In the only other case heard on the docket. Doreen and Rod Erb- had assault charges withdrawn and they were ordered to enter a peace bond for 12 months. The charges had been laid follow ing an altercation between the two who reside at l(R 3 Zurich. SNOWMAN FAMILY Laura Pearson, Jeff Latulippe ond Jacklyn Wright built a family of snowmen on the property of Sue and Larry Smith on Huron street, Sunday afternoon. T -A photo Two more minor groups get funding from Council The executive committee of Exeter council acted quickly on an•iletn pass- ed on to them for recommendation al Monday's session. Mayor Bruce Shaw declared a five minute recess and called a quick meeting of the committee and members reported hack to the full LIGHTING OKAYED ' Acting on a recommendation of the public works committee. Exeter council this week approved the annual . street light improvement project as suggested by PUC manager llugh Davis. - In most cases, four foot fluorescent luminaires will be removed and replaced with 150 watt high pressure sodium luminaires. The areas included in this year's plan, estimated to cost about $6.400, will be: Riverside Drive east of Hillcrest, George between Main and Hillcrest, Simmons subdivision. Alex- ander east of Main and Andrew north of George. In total, 23 new lights will be installed. • council. The end results was that two more minor ice sports groups were given grants from council. The ringette and precision skating clubs had made requests to council. The former was presented in person by Gerald Merner, who said the ringette players should qualify for assistance similar to that approved two weeks ago when council granted $50 for each Exeter registrant of the Exeter Minor Hockey Association and the Exeter Figure Skatingdslub.. Merner said there appeared to be no strings attached to the funds given to the other two groups and "if available, our budget says we could use a little". The budget to which he referred showed the group anticipating a deficit of $684 for the 1986-87 season. A letter from precision skating club president Marie Tieman and treasurer Janice Brock elicited "financial consideration" similar to that extended minor hockey and the figure skating club. "Voir financial assistance apd sup- port for Exeter residents would help • us offset ourincreased Costs of this year," they noted, adding that Usborne had given a grant of $52.08 for each registrant from that municipality. At the outset of the discussion with Merner, Mayor Bruce Shaw explain- ed that minor hockey and figure skating had been given a grant because they had made known their requests last fall and he suggested others no . making appeals would not be eligib for the 1986-87 season. but got r considered by council for assistance in 1987-88. However, Councillor Gaylan Josephson said he was not of the opi- nion that council had intended to assist only those groups wfio had made requests last fall and he receiv- ed quick support in that contention from Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller and other members of council. Mrs. Fuller noted that council had advised groups in the fall thert was no money available and that was pro- bably why none of the Mier groups came forward with requests at that time. Please turn to page 3 4 OFF TO FRANCE — A group,of South Huron District High School students along with teachers Rae Wild and Karen Richards and a parent Pete McFolls left Monday on a trip to France. McFolls is shown at the left with some of The students. T -A photo To prove people speak French Loeal students in France Twenty students from South lluron District High School left Monday for a nine -day tour of France and Switzerland. The Trip has been ar- ranged through the french dspart- ment and teachers Rae Wild and Karen Itichrirds will accompany the students. Also included on the tour is one of the student's father, Pete McF:rlls, Exeter. Miss Wild said the students ex- pected to be in Paris on Tuesday mor- ning in lime for .breakfast and will spend a couple of days there before touring through the southern part of the. country. including a stay on the Riviera and at Nice. A side trip is also included to Monte Carlo. before the students make their way through the Alps to Geneva. Switzerland. They will make their return flight from Zurich. Miss Wild said the trip is designed to show the students the subject they have been studying does exist and there are people who speak French. Students have paid $1,100 each for the jaunt through EF Institute for Stu- dent Travel and Study in Toronto. The 20 students are enrolled in grades 10 through 13.