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Times Advocate, 1992-08-19, Page 2• • • Dogs running loose, Zurich wants teeth in bylaw ZURICH - With complaints of dogs running loose on the increase again in Zurich, village council are checking to see if their bylaws are all bark and no bite. Councillor Marg Deichen raised the issue at Thursday evening's council meeting, asking whether or not the village had a bylaw to deal with owners who set their dogs free in Zurich. All of council agreed they had heard of problems with loose dogs. Clerk Maureen Simmons said she was certain there is a bylaw on the books, but was not sure if it includ- ed fines tor negligent owners. The OPP have asked council to consider toughening the bylaw so they can deal with complaints. "We have several complaints and 1 know they're (residents) really ticked off," Simmons told council. "There was a problem the year before and now they're back at it again," Simmons explained later. She said it appears some people are deliberately lectin€ their dogs out overnight, which frequently causes other problems with bark- ing No funding for Exeter pipeline this year EXETER - The Public Utilities Commission has until October 1 to re -apply to the Ministry of the En- vironment for funding assistance with the utility's next project. An application sent in earlier this year for grant funds to help with the "expansion of water supply and storage facilities" was turned down by the ministry for funding in the 1992/93 fiscal year. The next hope is to re -apply for funding for the 1993/94 year. er un- til funds are allocated. The gross cost as specified on the application is y'2.851 million, re- portedly to install a water line to connect to the Lake Huron supply presently in Stephen Township Exeter is reaching the lune on its water capacity for new develop- ment, as well as sewage capacity for the same. An upgraded sewage treatment system is also likely to cost several million dollars. The one presently under construction for Lucan is costing $6 million. Hit and run EXETER - Police are continumg to investigate a hit-and-run accident which occurred on the parking lot of the Hensall Arena. John Bur- leigh's 1985 Pontiac was struck by what witnesses described as a van with a tear shaped window at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Anyone with any, further information is asked to con- tact the Exeter OPP at 235-1300 or Come -stoppers at I-800-265-1771. Opposition leader. picks raspberries Lyn McLeod takes a photo opportunity to sample the crop of raspberries at the Dougall Farm. Arena repairs on horizon, Zurich seeks grants and help from other municipalities ZURICH - Village council held a special session Thursday everung to discuss how the Zu- rich Community Centre and Arena would be funded in the future. The session. which took place in camera. was to discuss the possibility of seeking greater funding from the surrounding municipalities which currently contribute to the arena. The arena board is presently fighting to pay tiff the debt from the last renovations to the audi- torium and kitchens, just as nee plans for repairs to the ice sur- face are being considered "Once we get everything worked out and in our favour. we'll probably have a meeting with the member municipali- ties,' explained reeve Bob Fish- er before he closed the meeting to the public Revealed at the council nieet- ing earlier are plans for the Zu- rich recreation board to applying to -the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation for grants to help with repairs of the arena. Esti- mated costs are 560,000 to make repairs to the roof. insulation of walls. the sandblasting and painting of the truss bases, in- stalling handicapped access to the arena and handicapped washrooms "Were going to apply for the grant and discuss it when n gets back,' said councillor Barb Jef- fery "There's no ham' in apply- ing for the grant " Jeffery pointed out that the ap plication does not mean the work will go ahead. The board has also increased ice rental prices. Prime time on the ice surface is now $72 an hour, up from $68 Non -prime tune at the arena costs $35 an Irour. Hay Township ratepayers' meeting Cottagers ask for more services ZURICH - A meeting for Hay Township ratepayers saw about 45 people arrive at the Zurich Commu- nity Centre Friday evening, mostly cottage owners looking for better servicing from the municipality. Several ratepayers were seeking winter maintenance of their subdi- vision roadways, but council quick- ly told them that road upkeep is oomphetely in the hands of the property owners until the roads arc brought up to Ministry of Transpor- tation standards. `The writing's on the wall m that you build up the road and well take it over," advised reeve Lionel Wild- a. But Wilda warned that once sub- division roads are assumed by the township, they would become pub- lic and could not be closed off. • This caocerned some residents, who poiad out they prssesttly en- joy the privaf:y of their own beech- es and roadways. • Garbage collection was also one of the requests put to council. One man asked if the residents could pay afee for it. Wilder said that while villages and towns do pay for garbage col- lection+ it is something offered -to all ratepayers He said Hay Town- ship has over 160 kilometres of roadway and cannot afford to col- lect garbage from residents along each one. "1f you take from the general fund everyv ne is entitled to the same service," said Wilder "Any service you want over and above what you have now...is going to cost you money." One woman asked if improved drainage along the Lakeshore could cut down on leachate from the cot - lagers' septic tanks. Wilder agreed. but said all projects involving the construction of new drains come under the Drainage Act - and re- quire approval of 60 percent of resi- dents. Another woman brought up the subject of tile drains on the cottage properties, and said hers bad been cut off when the water lines were installed. Many others at the meet- ing agreed that their drain tiles had been either dug up or blocked off when water lines were installed a couple of years ago. Wilder said This was the first he bad hoard of blocked drainage and minified ac - not. "I'm going to be calling the engi- neer Monday morning and asking if there are any drains installed not hooked up...That's a complete sur- prise for mc...if they're not hooked up they will be," Wilder promised. Later when addressing concerns about open water, some of it sew age contaminated, in lakeshore sub divisions, Wilder said the township has had its problems with the Health Unit and the Ministry of the Environment. Wilder said calls have been put through to request an inspection of open sewage flowing• into the lake, only to be told then is no one available to come out. These problems with inadequate sewage capacity in the shoreline's sandy soils arc what have caused the hold on all seasonal residential development, said Wilder. He said that the very definition of seasonal residential is causing problems, be cause while septic beds were de- signed for use only a few morphs of the year "some people have taken the option to live there year round". "Some of the septic beds aren't designed for year-round rise," said Wilder. Some of the residents at the moot- ing admitted to living year-round in their cottage subdivisions. Criticism for provincial government Lyn Mcleod visits region Continued from front page building money going? McLeod says that is a good question. "1 think what you're seeing is ab- solute chaos," she said, suggestipg the NDP government honestly be- lieved the recession was a shoe - term thing they could spend their way out of. "We've had plant closures in this province on the order of one every Three days - the revenues just aren't coming in," she saki. "There's no question they're going to have to cut beck on government spending." The Liberal leader also said the government's jobsOntario Capital plan is being put to good use in cer- tain places in the province, such as the Huron Park airport, to improve facilities to help business and put people back to work, but she said much of the money is going to en- large government services which will add an operating cost to the budget every year. "We've been raising those ques- tions in the Legislature - where is the capitalenoney being spent?" With several years to go before McLeod and her Liberal party can expect to enter an election, she is content to settle into her role as the provincial government's official op- position, duty-bound to be the watchdog of everything the NDP do. . "At times you feel you're achiev- ing something on the opposition side," she said, citing some gains in the ' battle against the London - Middlesex annexation proceedings, but noted there are many frustra- tions as well. The government, McLeod said, is particulary determined to ignore any criticisms or comments on its Labour Relations Act reforms. "it doesn't matter what sugges- tions you propose, the government tries to say the opposition is anti - labour," she said. In the meantime, the job as the top critic of the NDP goes on. "The criticism comes quite easi- ly," she says, with a smile. No ministry funding for sewer inspection, Zurich council seeks other options to get job done ZURICH - As time runs out on the construction sea- son, Zurich council has learned it will not be getting a Ministry of the Environment grant to check for leaks in its sewer system. Without an inspection, council now has to decide whether to go ahead with repaving John St. North, even though a leaky sewer could be under- neath. Zurich .has been trying to track down the source of excess water in its sewer system for the past couple of years. Cracked lines are believed to be a possible cause and an inspection using remote cameras to check for cracks had been hoped to have been done this sum- mer. With no grant money forthcoming since the applica- tion six months ago, MPP Paul Klopp's office was con- tacted, only to discover the bad news. Clerk Maureen Simmons told council another option raised by Al Scou at the Lake Herron Water Supply is for the village to pay for inspections of specific lines - particularly John Si North. Simmons said Scou will give council a quote on cleaning and flushing the sewer systems. "The thing is we will have to pay out of our own pocket, there won't be any subsidy on what we do,' noted reeve Bob Fisher, who added that he thought this protect was quite important to the village, but obvious- ly the ministry did not agree. "Governments are cutting back alt over," conceded Fisher. "You've got to do the resurfacing this year to get your [Ministry of Transportation] subsidy," noted Sim- mons. Council may hold a special meeting to discuss the proposal as soon as the quotes come in from compa- nies that specialize in the sewer photography. But as Simmons pointed out later, the pressing need terhave the inspection completed before paving John St. N. can be something of a Catch-22 situation. "If we find problems like we think we will, then the road work will have to be [delayed) anyway to repair the sewers...it's a no-win situation,' said Simmons. Aside from the sewers, Zurich residents can also ex- pect to see work begin soon on nee pipelines in the village. Council gave first and second reading u> s franchise agreement with Union Gas. Feeder lines from the natural gas utility should be in- stalled m Zurich by this fall, reported reeve Fisher. but distribution lines to individual homes are not expected to be completed until late 1993. "It all depends on funding..., but their hopes are that will happen," said Fisher. Lucan opens water system Continued from front page "At that first meeting they said we need water, how can we get wa- ter:''." said Mathyssen, who said the days of water shortages are behind the village now Ironically, the ban on outdoor use of water, which has led to parched Lawns and gardens in Lucan for several years, has been lifted in this year of excess rainfall. While the lack of water has been foremost in village residents minds for years, the other side of the coin has been the shortage of sewage ca- pacity, which has done more to CUT - tail development than anything else. McLaughlin said after the ceremony that construcuon on the village's new $6 milbon sewage treatment system is still underway. The system should be operational this winter and McLaughlin held out the hope for another grand opening ceremony for next spring. Police investigate several thefts EXETER - The Exeter Police in- vestigated a number of incidents this week, marry of which were thefts. , . On Saturday, police investigated a that of stereo speakers from a car while parked on the South Huron District High School lot overnight. Police arrested Monica Linden - field, 20, of Exeter Friday, for theft under 51,000 as a result of a shop- lifting complaint at Anstett Jewel- lers. She will appear in Exeter Court September 8, 1992. Also on Friday, police seized two radar detector devices . Both mo- torists are subject to $133.25 fines and the devices were confiscated. Police are still investigating a theft of rings complaint from an ad- dress on Huron St. Exeter police are also investigat- ing a number of thefts of lawn cx- naments which occurred last Wednesday, from addresses on Senior St., Thomas St.. and Wil- liam St. Last Tuesday, police investigated an accident at William and Victoria Sts. Jeffrey Elliott. Exeter. was southbound on William St when nus car was struck by an auto driven by Donald Thonipson. Exeter, which was southbound on Victoria. HighwaL 'Traffic Act charges are pending Hey Tawtrhilp_mum" fielded questions at Friday evening's retttoeYers' mesal. from left ore clerk Je nlese Zimmerman, mei a Lionel Wilder, de uty-taeve Murray Keys, and councif/ors Ge reel Shantz, 8/else Duaharme, end Jim Love. e.