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Times Advocate, 1993-11-24, Page 2Rage Tomes -Advocate;, November 24,1993 111111111. . But what will haeme _of thane ire station? wrap up ABCA land sales erected BO ,�o�, -.Strapped BO expected - ` Strapped for cash, the Aucable-Bayfield Con- servation Authority is looking to hidden sources for revenue to se- cure its future. At Bosanquet council last - Monday, ABCA general man- ager Tom Prout discussed a package of land in Port Franks that the authority will be selling to raise cash. The odd shaped tracts.and riv- erside parcels mostly date back to the establishment of the river cut more than 50 years ago, Prout said. • He said the land sale will be to landowners .who have had rose of the property for the pasti50 years, it was repotted in the'fgotrest Standard. Prout said there are close to 40 severances available and al- though he didn't have a firm esti- mate on how much money would be raised, Prout expected it to be more than $10,000. Waste storage concerns .sturdy group GODER H - waste storage facility at Sifto's exhausted min- ing area is "the devil's cocktail incarcerated in our aline," says a member of the study group. "Let's. call it a toxic waste dump 'cause that's what it is," said councillor Mark Sully, at a public mtes 'ng hosted by the chamber of commerce last Mon - .day. "This thing -just scares -the "heck out of me and I just can't see how it's not going tohappen. It will gave grave consequences to our community," he said. Contaminated soils, incinera- tor ash, slag, foundry sands, bag house dust and mine tailings are all being assessed as potential materials for storage.. Some of the materials may be recyclable in the future salt wlatives of Maitland ;k 0edelstd., it was reportedmitltWne Goderich Signal -Star. Town preparing for OPP switch Police inhtestigati ng IMMO 11191110111S aim vv. maiddita private ST. MARYS Final Mails of the contract between the town of St. Marys and the Ontario Pro- vincial Police are still being fi- nalized, but Bill Galloway, chairman of the Police Services Board, said he hopes the con- tract will be signed by the end of the month. And with this in mind, renova- tions are also scheduled to begin at the end of the month on the new St. Marys OPP office. The office will be a branch of the Se- briagville detachment, under One cenunand of Sebringville staff Sergeant Al Quinn. The OPP switch is fitted to take place early in ,wry, it was 1991Xled, in,lhe AVOW Ar- gus. Lagoon upgrade ected HELL - A n HELL - A new 54.5 million sewage treatment pliant could be in operation by the summer of 1995 if Mitchell Town Council 1inalues a pro- posed posed plan. If council accepts the facility, costs for the first year of opera- tion will reach an estimated $332.000. What this cost ratans to Mitchell residents is unclear. Clerk-tr usurer Don Eplett said grant money bas yet to be final - teed. The last upgrading. at the site occurred in 1981 ata cost of 53.5 million. Once finished: he, raew lagoon ;will be able to-ban- dhe 20-year,gwwt h or a project- ed population of 54400. EXETER - That shiny white cruiser the Exeter Police were. so proud oflastspring will. be on the beat in Palmerston. The police services board accept- ed a -rid of $12,000, from Palmers- ton. With a safety certification costing S600, Exeter netted $11;300 from the year ssese and-a-halfrold Ford Crown Victoria, "We have a Another bid for $3,500 has been re- ceived on the 199() grey cruiser, and the board has yet to de- cide, whether to accept ie lice' to other municipal police. An intensive inventory by the sergeant before disbandment is making the job easier, she said. The force's .38 calibre revolvers are in storage at -the Meter OPP. Since the province is planning a switch to semiautomatic pistols for all police, the market Y.' value of the revolvers is expected to be only about S50 each. The disposal of all the old police force's assets will take time, said Wurm. "I think it will be two or three months before everything gets wrapped up or it a public auction," she lot on our plate as far as the buildings are concerned," Police services board chairman Shar- on Wurm said the board will be at- tempting to sell off other surplus equipment from the disbanded po- comes .Lo said. The lisle tof'rthe *gest police force asset will likely take a lot longer, however. The town police station may remain empty as town council undergoes a complete fe- evaluation of its needs for office sod-putnic-building space. "We have a lot on our plate as far as the buildings are concerned," ac- knowledged mayor Bruce Shaw, adding that a committee will even- tually be appointed to work on the problem. On the list for review is the aging public library, which sits between the Old Town Hall and • the empty police station. "We've got to get out of our building [the municipal office] by '95 - or come up to market value," said Shaw. The -mayor. said the town's least of the former post office expires in 1995, and the $2,000 a year rent paid to the Metal government is expected to leap dratically. If the town wants to make good on a proposal in the late 1980s to return its offices to the Old Town Hall, massive renovations would be in order. Not only is the old build- ing smaller than it appears, but handicapped access is limited. The police station is quite small, and the library may be beyond repair. An electric transformer compound near the Sanders St. corner also gets in the way of expansion plans. "It's possible the hydro substation can be moved, but not in the near future," said Shaw. How the town distributes, or sells off its public building space, will take time to decide. "We.have a luxury of space. Un- fortunately, it's of Lousy quality," said Shaw. Natural has hooked up in Zurich and Dashwood' ZURICH - A torch lighting cere- mony last .Tuesday afternoon offi- cially marked the arrival of natural gas in the communities of Zurich and Dashwood. Union Gas vice-president of mar- keting and distribution John van der Woerd and operations managed for the Central Region .Diane Beat- tie assisted Murray Keyes of Hay council in lighting the torch at the Zurich Community Centre. The 35 kilometre .natural gas pipeline extension to Zurich and Dashwood was constructed at a cost of about $2.25 million. Gas be- gan to flow to the two communities on November 1, 1993 and to date about. 200 of the approximately 750 homes and businesses in the area have already convened to economi- cal and environmentally preferred natural gas. Union Gas is an integrated natu- ral gas storage and distribution util- ity serving more than 650,000 resi- dential, commercial and industrial customers in 200 communities in southwestern Ontario. Sales manager Paul Slinger said Tuesday was a moment in • history. He continued, " We are making an investment in the future with this alternative, inexpensive and.envi- ronmentally good fuel to meet the energy needs of the area." Don Heath, director of sales, planning and distribution said the installation for Dashwood and Zu- rich is a "model for other Huron communities to show how we were able to work well with the munici- palities. This is the beginning of a good and prosperous relationship." Union Gas presented plaques to the first customers in Zurich. They were Chuck Erb;on the residential side and Cobble Design for com- mercial customers. Reearch farm saved Awn province's axe 10 -Continued from front page. at least two seasonal staff and sev- eral summer students. This is in addition to one profes- - sional and two technical staff mem- bers who have accepted transfers from Centralia to Ridgetown and will be located at the Huron re- search station. Klopp said tentative plans are be- ing discussed to expand other field crop studies at the Huron location, such as testing programs in spring cereals. Unfortunately the future for the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, also in Huron Park doesn't look as good. Klopp said veterinary services for farmers will be maintained in this area, but with other colleges. 1 1 "1 am committed to ensuring the continuation of diagnostic veteri- nary services in Htuvn recognizing the importance of the livestock in- dustry to this area," he said. -But winding down of this service continues and farmers will have to look at using local veterinarians to a greater extent and sending test samples to either Ridgetown Col- lege of the University of Guelph. Meanwhile the final fate of the college is not carved in stone. Najeeh Hassan, a lawyer repre- senting student~ involved in a law- suit .against the college said on Monday that the lawsuit is sell pending. "We hope to have the case heart before May 1994," he said. • of Centralia Col -nf tlnP rrop re At last? ry's official gas ightintaenni otnY in Zurich, Un- ion Gas representative Dianne Beattie presents in plaque for the first residential customer on the new -line. Phil Erb accept- ed the plaque on behalf40411s b.nther Chuck. r;; a, EXETER - The Exeter OPP are investigating two separate instances of vandati m in time past week. A Stephen Township man report- ed damage to his property on High- way 81. Police say that while dam- age was not extensive, local youths are suspected of being involved. The investigation is continuing, say police. A Zurich man also reported mis- chief to his property. Damage in- cluded graffiti on walls, and eggs being thrown at his house. Again, local youths are suspected. A 1985 GMC pickup truck was stolen from an Usborne Township laneway last Monday night. On November 17 a Sony AM/FM cassette stereo valued at $300 was stolen from a vehicle parked in a driveway on London Road in Hen - sail. Anyone who can help police with their investigations into these inci- dents is being invited to call police at 235-1300, or anonymously Crime Stoppers at 1-800-265-1777. Cadets asked -to help out with conservation Dashwood, is in sewer study property vandalism z Stephen Township will,.consider servicing all its police villages CREDITON - Stephen Township council is not only interested in .the recent proposal to .construct a shared sewage ueaunent plant for Exeter, Hensall and Huron Park, they also see potential to include other township vilhtges. Township council approved extra expenditures last Tuesday to in- clude Centralia, Crediton and Dashwood to its joint sewage treat- ment plant environmental study report. The extra cost of the engineering study would be minimal, said township administrator Larry Brown, who said all doe police villages share similar issues arc of similar size, and 'II presently use private septic systems. "The size of the area doesn't affect the cost that much," said Brown. Council is evidently interested in the development potential of bringing full septic sewer servicing to those villages by installing forcemains to connect them to a large treatment pliant that may Coe day be built in Exeter. "1f we are looking at an area sewage servicing scheme, it .would be short-sighted to not look at including those areas," said Brown. The construction of a large fur • may not be economi- cal or practical, but the study wig those aspects of the project in particular. "That's what the study will deterrnine....it may not be practical at all," said Brown. However, the study will not only uncover the Costs of such a scheme, but will also allow township council to assess public reac- tion to the proposal at a sok1ic meeting - whether the public per- ceives septic sewers as ajmopt.lip 1,,41:4496 sselthealtwood, or as an unnecessary expense. New fire call plap DASHWOOD - Stephen '1 own Ship is seeking an arrangement for billing fire calls frum the Dash- wood Fire Department similar, to that used by the Exeter and Area Fire Board. Currently. flay 'Township and Stephen Township share the costs of the Dashwood Fire Department based on the coverage area and,as- sesasnient in their respective town- ships. The coat of actual lire calls .are slaarred likewise. However, Stephen Tonwnship council last Tuesday iorruvod a tor the cost of fighting fires within its boundaries. 7lie exception would be Cue calls to properties along Highway 83, which are paid for by the provincialgovenunent. The snanlgement is subject to ap proval by Hay Township. Stephen adauinisuator Larry Brown,said the plan is sunilar to that used by the Enact and Area Fire board fox the four municipali- ties it covers. While it may benefi municipalities with low lire and successful firepreveation programs "if you :have a lot of fires Apivisk nnvi,tavpipae"• 4,140.wn EXETER - Cadets at the 1pper- - wash military base will no longer be able to use Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority property at no charge, the board of directors decided recently. The cadets, which use the Park- hill Conservation Area several weekends a year for training,.are being asked to either pay the Con- servation Authority for using the property, or to help out by working to maintain the-prark. "There aresasts associated with their use of it on our part," con- firmed Kate Monk at the ABCA. Monk said it is actually hoped the cadets will elect to help maintain the area. "'here may be greater benefit from something like that, rather than cash," said Monk, who sug- gested the cadets may be interested in woodlot management or upkeep ofithe area's trails. "They've got more manpower than we have, that's [or sure." Cutbacks in ministry grants to Ontario's conservation authorities has led many, including the ABCA, to reduce the maintenance of its public conservation areas in past years. Hay will have to pay for dumped tires ZURICH - Hay Township tax- payers will end up footing the bill for a collection of 300 discarded tires found on local roadways. Township road superintendent Ross Fisher told Hay council at their last nuieting that he had found about 300 tires along township roadways in recent weeks. Sonic of them were obviously dunnped off in large numbers by t use seeking to avoid the fees required by lenfl- fills and recyclers. Although many local landfills re- fused to accept tires once they lad been declared hazardous waste af- ter One Hagersville fere, Hay Town- ship is collecting tires at tbe,dwnp to forward them to rocyclers. How- ever, the cost is $5 for a Cir the, $10 fora truck tire, aid $25 for uacwr tires. Hay clerk -treasurer Janisse Zimmerman said those pcic• es are only w.recover the cost of having them recycled. Still. the discovery of bass dumped in ditches reveals the re- luctance of many to pay those fees, regardless of whether the tires orig- inated in the township or lee. The township will have to pay to ship them off for recycling. "it's going to be paid fur by the ratepayers," said Zimmerman. "It'll come out of the budget." The OPP was notified of some of the tire caches. but Zimmerman said the best way to avoid repeat in- cidents is for rosi4 Cts Io rayon ally • activities along Hay