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Times-Advocate, 1988-03-30, Page 5n the Street By Jim Beckett The Bunny Bundle campaign will get a boost from the efforts of two young sisters who live on Sherwood Cr. Michelle and Leanne Snow, daughters of Karen and Bob Snow are selling tickets for a lucky draw on a Bunny cake their mother will make for them. --Some lucky person will win the cake and of course the real winners will be crippled children. * * * Fortunately the bomb threat received in the mail last Tuesday at Dashwood Industries did nothing to dampen the 60th anniversary cele- brations at the plant. The outlook is good for the local plant which has gone through several up and down periods over the last few years. The contribution DI has made to the local economy over the past 60 -years is probably greater than that of any other single employer. -* * * The Exctcr Pentecostal Tabernacle has published a survey in the last couple of issues of the T -A to determine the need for a day care centre in this arca. The plan is to operate the centre as a non- profit organi- zation with adherance to provincial guidelines. Estimated cost for the service is S80 to .S100 per week. If you're interested in such a service call the church at 235-2991 betaken 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays. * * * * Just a reminder that the Exeter Lioness present their "Looking Good for Spring" fashion show at the South Huron Rec Centre tonight (Wed.). A social hour starts at 7 p.m. with the show starting an hour later. * * * *. . The.report in last week's newspaper that our local municipal repre- sentatives will be getting -credit cards is a move in the right direction. It will simplify the job of keeping accurate records of town -related ex- penscs. This is the first year the stipends and total expenses of elected • officials have been reported in the press and I have yet to hear any ob- jections from anybody that we are.paying too much for the representa- tion we are gear: Last week's council meeting featured -comments • from several councillors justifing their expenses. . * * * * Smoking while watching a hockey game at the Rec Centre could be ' about as costly as getting your teeth knocked out with a puck follow- ing the passage of a bylaw banning the filthy habit in public buildings. Even tougher bylaws have been passcd'in other centres, particularly Toronto where smokers practically hAve to hide in a clpset while feed- ing their nicotine habit. I wonder if police chief Larry Hardy will have his men watching for offenders. No reports have been received of any municipality collecting the maximum fine of S1,000 but it certain- ly gives•you something to think about.. • *. * * Two local firms that scorn to be riding the Ontario boom economy are both in the electrical business. JMIR Electric and Pfaff Electric have been advertising in arca newspapers for a variety -of positions. • . * * * • Look for announcements soon for at least two major property trans- actions on Exeter's Main St., While no official word has bccn issued, Main Street '88 could boast a newly expanded gift shop, another gas station, a donut shop, fast food outlet, a new bar, an expanded restaurant, etc., ctc. I'm sure by the time you read this a few additional types of businesses will be'fed into the rumour mill. Even if only a portion of the expansions above ever become a reality it looks like Exeter will be experiencing a lot more growth than many other area communities. It will just reinforce our claim of being the shopping centre for the region. * * * * Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20 are two important days for the parents of public schoolchildren at both Exeter Public School and Usborne Central School. Wednesday is'slated for the official openings of both schools with Usbornc's at 7 p.m. and Exeter at 8 p.m. Exeter Public School is also busy Tuesday the 19th and Wednesday the 20th with education week activities. Check the advertisement else- whcrcin this issue for times. TEST DRIVE - Kevin Wright from Clinton takes advantage of Hully Gul ly's ATV information day to test drive one of the new four -wheeled vehicles that are replacing the once -popular three-wheeler. • Interview with Harold Green Times -Advocate, March 30, 1988 Page 5 Grand for after mid-day, but Green noted many people's view of .the lake will be blocked. Some of the other condominium devclopmC_will be as high as seven storeys. — _�— "It's some concern to the local people," said Green. "They feel it's getting too big." Green said the condominiums were all very attractive develop- ments and would give a needed face- lift to the resort. When asked what he thought Grand Bcnd would look like ten years from now, his reply was straightforward. "It's going to look a lot better." By Adrian' Harte The streets are nearly empty on a cold and rainy afternoon. The stores show "sorry we're closed" signs to the windows. A cat -wan- ders across the street, dodging puddles. Two months from now it won't be like this. Grand Bend will be full of. cottagers and business owners gearing up for the summer of 1988. Just another summer in the lake- side resort's history. No, not quite. Grand Bcnd is entering a period growth so intense the village Will ,probably never seem .the same again. Millions of dollars are being poured into the community by in- vestors banking on prosperity and vitality in The Bend' for years to come. This investment will not only change the skyline with new build- ings, but will also attract new tour- ists, businesses and residents. Some will come for the sandy beach and a view of the lake, others will come to cash in on the increased wealth. The Times -Advocate spoke with Grand Bcnd reeve Harold Green to piece together some of the visions of the village's future. "There's a total of 560 trillion worth of development going on in Grand Bend proper," said Green. This includes only one house. "The rest is all condos," he said. Most of the condominium develop- mcnts are to incorporate commer- cial and retail properties such as stores and restaurants. Green also mentioned a new IGA grocery store is to be added to the village. The harbour has undergone a mil- lion dollars worth of renovations at the government's expense. The reeve says he does not know of another town of Grand Bend's size in Ontario with as much con- struction. The increased interest in develop- ment has driven the cost of builda- ble land to record prices. Even ex- isting cottages arc commanding exotic prices. "Studies show that properties have gone up 25 percent in two years," said Grccn. "That's a big jump." The shortage of land and its costs are forcing developers to make the most of the property they can devel- op. The people of Grand Bcnd will have to get used to seeing multi- storey buildings where they have never bccn before. A - beach -front condominium block will be built by James Hovey developments this year on the park- ing lot at the bottom of Main Street, the,samc property where the casino burnt down several years ago. These condominiums .will be six floors high. Fortunately, no shad- NOT MUCH LIKE SPRING The cold, rainy weather on Grand Bend's empty Main Street gives little evidence ows will be cast across the beach that 1988 could shape up to become one of the village's biggest summers ever. ing to green. These additional tax issue, Grand Bend is prepared to ex - dollars will. be needed to upgrade amine the idea of becoming a Hu - village facilities to meet the needs ron County municipality. of the new population, but the orig- "We feel we're becoming a.rcal inal residents will benefit as well. factor in the county and we don't --T. wer ystem installed in the want to become part of a town - first years of hits decade -is -already hi ," said Green. reaching its limits of capacity be- If Grana -Bcnd-Iacka-an in far cause of increased development, The attracting vacationers, Green be- — costs of expanding the lagoons.or Heves it is iii keeping children en - building a trebtment plant will be tertaincd. - partially borne by the taxpayers. "There's very little for the young Better medical facilities will be kid right now," said Green. Even needed to cope with the larger num- the playground by the beach is now.. bers of seniors retiring in Grand gone. Bend, and to cope with the medical "That's probably what's slowing emergencies of the swarms of week- fancily replenishment." One thing Green won't miss is 13urgcrfest. The festival which at- tracted hordes of noisy fun -seekers to the community is now a thing of the past. "That's a plus for ,us," he said, claincing the festival rttined the im- age the Grand Bend' Chamber of - Commerce was trying to promote. However, Green believes visitors will always be attracted to Grand Bcnd for the sante reason as past decades. . "The beach is number one," tie said, adding that the nightlife is the other big drawing card. "They're never going to take. away the fun aspect of it." Asked if village council was looking at the experiences of other resort communities for guidance on planning and development issues, Green answered no. He feels Grand Bend is in a unique situation, and as such should be able to become a thriving, attractive community all by itself. "I can't.picture a 'resort area that I like better," said Green. Because the condominiums are proving attractive to retirees, Green spoke of the village's growing per- manent population and how local businesses will have to adapt to the needs of their clientele. "It's going to change the whole commercial attitude of the pcopic on the strip." Not only did Green envision dif- ferent lines of merchandise, but also a greater number of stores just to keep up with the demand. He be- lieves the business season will ex- pand into the colder months as the resort gains population and popular- ity year-round. The total condominium develop- ments will approximately double the village's tax assessment, accord - end visitors in the summer months. Annexation is still a hot issue. Grccn is confident Grand Bend will be given approval to expand its boundaries to include_ many of the surrounding subdivisions which are presently outside the village's juris- diction. "We are a really thriving commu- nity. We have to expand," said Green. _ • He observes that the village has strict planning controls on develop- ment, but areas outside have none. "It's not good planning." Green is not taking. seriously suggestions of restructuring Lamb - ton County to incorporate Grand Bend with•Bosanquct Township. He said that if the county presses the Three -wheel ATVs gone from market In a surprise'wive, the czanadian government has entered into an agreement with all -terrain vehicle manufacturers to remove. the three - wheeled versions from the market- place. The agreement follows a similar action in the United States last De- cember to prevent further sales of the three-wheelers which had been ,blamed for more that 900 deaths and 300,000 injuries over the past five years. The ministry of transportation denied last -January it had any plans to recall or ban sales ot.the three - wheeled ATV. Canadian dealers had hoped the U.S. ruling would not affect their. market for the vehicles because the three-wheelers were less expensive and thus more attractive to the first-time buyer than the four - wheeled machines that remain in production. Doug Blacker, sales manager for Hully Gully, expressed concern that his company, which has won sales awards from Honda for sell- ing record numbers of the vehicles, would be losing one of its most profitable products. "This is a major concern with our marketing department," said 1-7 1111111,1t1111'11111111111114111111111110111111111 i•01. _ Iter 11111111111111111 gistrwswiturelPIPIIIIMPI Ul 11 i'u .L`. ILII�r� �..t •!*: mid COUNTPY ffLOWS 116 aac,ter Sunday April . Iilie', mems,iii 5 da t-y,ul- t Ip , da;fo4i I4, iri , gerbra, onapeiragcos, glad iok4, carnet ono, roraC baby .4 bred-fh... potful ar -fre4i... a o mad) more..'. street • exeter • 2.a e7 Blac• ker. "Illy market is _going .to be limited with respect to what the consumer is going to be able to af- f ord." Blacker noted that while the prices of the three-wheelers started at around S1,500, the four -wheelers cost nearly S4,000. In Southwest -- ern -Ontario the sales of ATVs are , mostly to farmers and people 'in ru- ral areas. "We're looking at a disappearing market here," said Blacker, adding that three -wheeled ATVs can still be bought and traded on the used mar- ket. The ruling applies only to new equipment. Blacker also assures past custom- ers that parts and servicing for their three-whccicrs will be available for years to come because the machines arc still sold in other international markets. But he noted that confu- sion over the ruling is very com- mon. "We're finding the people who have three-wheelers are very con- cerned," he said. , Hully Gully offered an ATV in- formation day at their Varna dealer- ship to answer questions about the three and four -wheeled vehicles and to offer safety demonstrations and instruction. However, Mikc Rum- mcy, a certified safety instructor with the Canadian AII-Terrain Vehi- cle association, observed that few came to take advantage of tire free instruction. Most (vim braved the blowing snow were primarily intcr- ested in test riding a future pur- Chas . . "A lot arc here to test drive," said Rummcy, adding that a free instruc- tio course is offered with each vc- hi le to acquaint its owner with the ills necessary to safely operate an -ATV. - Rurnmey explained most acci- dents involving three -wheeled ATVs arc the combination of a youngster riding an adult -sized machine. Chil- dren lack the body weight and strength required for control of the vehicle. Smaller versions of ATVs are available and Rurnmcy encour- ages parents to buy thorn for their children even 'though they might have to be traded in in a few years. Rummcy has ridden both kinds of ATVs and he is not afraid to say he prefers the three -« h;; I; r; for their added maneuverability. "1.'111 more partial to them. raced them for a few years. .Nevertheless, he -believes wheelers to be better suited to the I've he said. the four - consumer market. "1 think they can relate to them a lot better," said Rurnmcy, .suggest- ing that the four -wheeler is per- ccivcd as a small car or tractor in- stead of as a -large tricycle. all Spring Jackets Open Thurs. 9 a.ln. - 9 p.m. TEIR1111 EN 'FCC/ICED 383 Main Street, Exeter, Ontario Phone: (519) 235.2590 Atio