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Times-Advocate, 1988-06-15, Page 3Plaza development seeks own well water LUCAN - Brian Haskett of Has- kett-Hodgins Engineering once more attended Lucian council to dis- cuss the proposed development of a plaza on the Sunoco property south of the village limits. Haskett said the lack of an ade- quate water supply guarantee from the Lucan system meant that for the development to attract customers, he would have to look for another source. Haskett proposed a well should be dug on the .property to supply the businesses, but with re - 1 course to village water should the "\ well fail. Council: agreed last meeting to s pply 32,000 gallons per month at th regular rate and to substantially int ease the rate afterwards. Haskett saw no problem with that, but wanted assurance the restrictions would be lifted once Lucan had a lake 'water supply. Lucan solicitor Robert Benner' suggested the restrictions should lift once a certificate of completion is. issuedby an engineer for the new water system. . "Should approval not come from council rather than some outside agency?" asked councillor Bob Hodge. Benner disagreed, suggest- ing the engineer's professional sm- ug gave the developer a guarantee .future councils would not reject the agreement, but Benner did have res- ervations about Haskett's rcqucst to be treated the same as any other commercial user. "I'm not sure that's possible," Benner said. Reeve Norm Steeper agreed, arguing that the plaza de- velopment is contrary to the build- ing freeze, is outside village boundaries, and intends to use more water than most other busi- nesses. "The people around this table are putting their necks out to approve this," said Steeper, noting that the development is advantageous to Lucan because it will do away with the car wash. Haskett hoped the property's well could supply li) gallons per minute, which should be ample for the plaza's needs. The design of the system calls for an 11,000 gal- lon storage tank with dual floats so that village water will automat- ically be used if the well goes dry. "For us to go ahead with the de- velopment we felt we couldn't use your water," said Haskett. He also explained he couldn't get zoning approval from Biddulph Township without a water agreement with Lucan, but that he couldn't drill and test a well without the zoning. Hodge cautioned Haskett not to look for an agreement stipulating a well system. "If your well won't produce, our engineer won't approve it and you'rc dead in the water," said Hodge. Council suggested an agreeti;ent guaranteeing use of Lucan water be implemented, and the well not be a necessary condition, but• simply listed as an alternate supply. Haskeu appeared pleased with the suggestion and hoped Biddulph would give zoning approval with- out delay so the well could be drilled. "We don't have any faith in your water supply," said Haskeu. "It's probably a good way to look at it," replied Steeper. **"*** In other business, councillor Bryan Smith said he had been fre- quently asked about the ailing wa- ter system and had heard many the- ories about why it was failing. He asked works superintendent Doug Johnston for information on the matter. Johnston told Smith that yes, in- deed, the water tower was presently. full and wasn't being kept only half full. to make the situation appear worse than it is. He also said that lines from the pumping station do have sufficient capacity to meet the village's needs at all times. • The fault, he said, is with the wells, which do not supply enough water to run the pumping system at ca- pacity. A motion to relax the watering restriction bylaw to allow chil- dren's wading pools was presented to council. The bylaw places a $250 fine on all outside use of wa- ter from the supply system. "Doug has noted it would not greatly impact" on the water sup- ply," said Steeper. "I would sure want to see my little kids wading pool filled before I'd wash my truck," agreed Hodge. However, council could not be sure if the use of wading pools could be adequately policed to prevent abuse • of outside water usage. No one sec- onded the motion A petition to revert to last year's water restriction bylaw was received by council, but no action was tak- en. "I appreciate the concern of those citizens," said Steeper, but noted the restrictions have, for the largest . part, been well observed. "We also have to face some realites," he said. Other councillors observed that the petition listed relatively few sig- natures anyway. "Why aren't we enforcing the wa- tering restriction in Biddulph Town- ship?" asked Hodge, who said he had seen residents on the other side of the fourth concession watering their lawns with :Lucan water: Reeve Steeper said it was a touchy subject, but Biddulph could - be asked to pass a bylaw and enforJce the watering restrictions ofvtheir own accord. Bylaw ready for input by public ZURICH - The first hour of the regular June session of Zurich council was spent going over the fi- hal draft of the up -dated Zurich zon- ing bylaw with Huron County • planner Scott Tousaw in prepara- tion for a public meeting which will be scheduled soon. A public inecting will be held on Wednesday, July 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Mr. Dressup and friends .to perform at Rec Centre EXETER - Ernie Coombs, known to thousands of preschoolers as Mr. Dressup, is bringing his _friends Casey and Finnegan - and his famous Tickle Trunk to two . shows at the South Huron Rec Centre on Friday June 24. The Mr. Dressup TV show, watched by about 500,000 children every day, has been a part of CBC morning programming. for an un- precedented 21 years. The low-key show, whose ratings show a recent increase, coinpetes successfully with the loud and violent cartoons.. The 60 -minute stage show re- creates the television set, with a few extra features. One is musician Jim Parker, who joins Mr. Dressup for a punk -rock skit. "The show is heavy on audience participation", Coombs said in a re- cent interview. "In the first skit, for example, we get dressed up as pirates and the kids. become our crew. Later, we pretend the wind has stopped so they have to blow up a breeze." The entertainer, who attracts 2.5 million viewers a week to his'song, skit and craft television show, finds that "basically preschoolers enjoy the same kinds of things I enjoyed years ago. People think kids are. more sophisticated because they are playing with computers, but that's external equipment. "The biggest struggle in their life is learning to tic their shots, to spread peanut Butter, things like that", Coombs noted. ,Born in Maine, Coombs started as a theatre set designer. He came to'Canada 25 years ago as a pup- peteer on Mr. Rogers' Neighbour- hood,:which was taping in Toron- , to. He stayed on to host Butternut Square, later renamed -Mr. Dressup. , The show' is now being received well by a second generation of fans. The 61 -year-old grandfather never tires of being Mr. Dressup. "i'm 'probably just reliving my childhood", he said. When he and puppeteer Jane Lawrence, the creator of Casey and Finnegan, first went on the roadin 1969 with a live show, they were among the first touring childrens' entertainers. Nowadays, after tap- . ing 90 . television shows, two a day, from September until May, Coombs packs up his motor home and heads out on tour. That added , up to 177 days last year. "When you're taping in a studio, you don't see the children, or get any response. In a live show, when the curtain goes up and you go out in front of that sea of chil- dren, it's incredible. There's such a sudden wave of love and warmth from those kids.,.It reminds me who we're doing it all for. It's nice." Tickets are $6, and may be ob- tained at the rec centre, RSD Sports and MacLcansi. Three convictions under traffic act Three people pleaded guilty to of- fences under the Highway, Traffic Act in JP court on June 7. Dean A. Murray, 322 Pryde Ave., Exeter, was fined $53.75 and given 30 days to pay for using an unau- thorized plate. His vehicle had been stopped on June 2 in Exeter. The ownership said the vehicle was un- fit, and the plates wcrc registered to the prior owner. Murray had just bought the vehicle. Dwain Thomas Moore, London, was fined $250 and had his licence suspended for six months for driv- ing while suspended. He was stopped on Highway 4 in Stephen township on April 6 when spotted going slowly and weaving slightly. A check showed his licence had been suspended beginning June 17, 1987, for 12 months for impaired driving. He was given three months to pay his fine. Mary Muller, Crediton, paid a fine of S53.75 for failing to report an -accident. On May 14 she had been seen hitting a vehicle owned by Richard Rader while backing. out of a parking space at the A and H parking lot. Shc got out, looked at the damage, then drove away. Muller came to the Exeter police station the next day in response to a call from Chief Larry Hardy. Al- though she stated she could not re- member hitting anything, she -was advised by her lawyer to plead 'guilty. The Muller vehicle was not dam- aged, but $800 damage was done to the driver's door of the other ve- hicle. � la R.R. 2 Creditonil Sa 234-6464 SO' Greenhouse & Nursery ea Now expanded to serve you better ®Moen. - Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat. - Sun..9 a.m.-5 p.m. Annual - Perennial" Box Plants 46 Great for flowerbeds and rock gardens Indoor tropical and flowering plants, rose bushes, trees and shrubs Selection of hanging baskets N DASMYOOO :T11 I) wcRtINTON MPft o. SUSAN'S 4 W GREENHOUSE t► tiP 114, All Your Gardening Needs 1% miles south of Croditon the council chamber to consider a rcqucst from Ken Scyler for an amendment to the village's official secondary plan. Scyler_ wants to, - buy the former Morse Tools proper- • ty for use as an outlet for a grocery chain. His plan is contingent on having the zoning changed from in- ". dustrial to highway commercial. A bylaw will be brought before the July meeting of council to in- crease the sewer hook-up fee to more accurately reflect actual costs. The $39 charge has not been changed since 1979, and the fittings alone now cost $70. The suggest- cd future rate is S85. Council called a.special meeting on Monday, May 30 to review the 1988 budget. In expectation that, the budget will be presented at the next regular meeting, Reeve Bob - Fisher suggested the engineering and legal costs incurred in connec- tion with -the proposed develop- ment of the Sirotcc subdivision should be included in the budget. The v}i1tage will eventually recoup its ci(penditures if the development goes ahead. - - A one-year extension to the de- velopment plan was granted by council. The deviation from a res- olution a year ago that no more extensions would be granted was approved so that the pending sale of the property would not be ad- versely affected. The next meeting will be held a 'eek later than usual, on July 21. A letter was received from A.L. Foreman, relating the details of a fall on uneven sidewalk on Main St. near the library which resulted in painful bruised ribs. Tree roots have pushed some sections of side- walk out of place. Works superin- tendent Dennis.Regicr has already made the necessary repairs. The seniors' picnic will be held at the park pavilion on Wednesday, June 5, CUSTODIAN RETIRES AT PRECIOUS BLOOD - Retirement cere- monies were held Wednesday at Precious Blood School in Exeter for Mary. Atkins•who. retires at the end of June as school custodian. -She received congratulatory cards from students and staff. At the back, left are stu- dents Christie Bedard and Jill Sararas and in front, Amanda Ellyatt, Tim pitner and Catherine Van Bergen. Osborne USBORNE - Engineer Wray Ramsay from Sprict Associates (London) Ltd. attended the June 7 meeting of Usbornc council to ad- vise on a number of matters. Correspondence and drawings from MOT pertaining to a culvert on.11ighway 83 being affected by repairs to the Passmore Drain had been referred to the company. Ramsay recommended that land- owners be contacted for their com- ments, and that an on-site meeting be arranged. Spriet Associates was authorized tb complete the investi- gation on the drain. A delegation consisting.of Wm, Lamport, Lloyd Ballantyne, Wil- ' frcd Hunkin, Roy Swart and Willy Krooncn, representing those affect- ed thc.the Ausablc River Drain, at- tended the meeting while Ramsay reviewed the report with council. After a brief question and answer period, the report from Sprict was adopted, and a decision was made to proceed with the work. In response to concerns expressed to council about the Gardiner Mu- nicipal Drain, Sprict Associated wcrc appoints d to complete an in- vestigation. A notice from ministry of agriculture and food as read. In 1988, landowners may apply for tile drainage loans for up to 75 per- cent of eligible costs to a maxi- mum of $20,000 per owner at aft interest rate of eight percent.. John den Otter came to the meet- ing to rcqucst that in future appli- cation of calcium for dust control on concession road 13 be done ear- lier in the year, as this is a a high - traffic road. Council explained that dust control measures wcrc delayed this year until roads in that section of the municipality were gravelled. A 1988 grant -of $50 was ap- proved to the Friends of 4-H fund. Council was advised that Bid - council dulph township is considering con- struction on the Usbornc-Biddulph boundary road from Whalcns Cor- ners to Usbornc concession 6-7 next year. Tenders for shouldering construc- tion work on Huron St. will start after July 25 and be completed by August 19. Times -Advocate, June 15, 1988 ESSAY COMPETITION - David Josephson is presented with a $1,000 cheque and a three-year membership in the Royal Canadian Geographical Society by SHDHS teacher. Cliff Waters. He was one of 25 senior student winners in the Society's second Canada -wide high school geography..es- say contest PRESTIGIOUS AWARD - Said Osman -was -presented with a certificate of achievement by SHDHS science teacher Joe Jankowski at the final SHDHS assembly on June 17. Osman attained a 96 percentile rating in a Chem -News exam; he was one of 6,000 students competing from Canada, the US and Great Britain. Students are rewarded EXETER - Two SHDHS stu- dents received surprise awards at the last school assembly for the term on Friday, June 10. Said Osman was cal4ed to the stage to receive a prestigious certif; icate of achievement from science • teacher Joe Jankowski for placing in the 96 percentile in a Chem - News exam competition which re- ceived 6,000 entries from students in Canada, the US and Great Brit- ain. Osman was invited to enroll and apply for a research bursary at the University of Waterloo, and was giventhe latest periodic table wall hanging from the University of Western Ontario. Other SIIDI-IS students whose marks were above the provincial average- in the competition were Janet VanEsbroeck, 91 percentile, David Josephson, 88 and Marie Dc Bruyn, 75. David Josephson was one of 25 senior high school students awarded S 1,000 each as winners in .the Roy- al Canadian Geographical Society's second Canada -wide geography es- say contest. He was also given a three-year membership in the Socic- ty, which includes a subscription .to Canadian Geographic. The presenta- tion was made by SHDHS geogra- phy teacher Cliff Waters. Bad rutabagas prov to be costly GODERiCH - Rotten rutabagas have proved costly for an arca fann- er. Peter Oud of RR 2, Hensall, has been fined $200 because his stored rutabagas' rotted in the hot weather and the resulting leachate contami- nated a water course in Hay Town- ship leading to Black Creek. ` Ron Quipp, an investigate with the dhtario environment ministry, said Friday the water was contami- nated May 29, 1987. The polluting material caused a high concentration of ammonia in the water. He said the pollutant is toxic to fish and aquatic life and was report- ed by.a neighbor. Oud was fined after being found guilty in provincial court Thursday. • GHIIE�FU? €HC1li€IEF9 The Smart -Choice For Father's Day • • Bring in your old tie and receive $5.00 towards the pur- chase of a new tie GIFo.II`U ARE i1114:J€11F_D YOUR father deserves 383 Main st., the very best! Exeter 235-2590