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Times Advocate, 1994-02-16, Page 2I'ttyu 2 Times -Advocate, February 16, 1994 WTT-TFNFWS Regional wrap up Strangers approach boy ST MARYS - St., -Marys OPP are advising parents to make sure their children are street smart, after a young boy was of- fered a ride by two men last Monday afternoon. Constable Ron Manship said the eight-year-old St. Marys boy was walking on Ontario Street South shortly after 4 p.m., when a car with two men stopped near him. Manship said the driver got out of the car andtalked from across the street to the boy, ask- ing where the boy was going and offering him a ride, it was reporeted in the Journal Argus. The men are described as in their early 40s with a scruffy ap- pearance, and the passenger had a beard. The car is described as gold -coloured. The boy immediately reported the incident to a nearby nursery. Clinton BIA in jeopardy CLINTON - The Clinton BIA, an organization that works to- wards the beautification of the downtown core, could become a thing of the past unless new in- terest is shown at the upcoming annual meeting. During a BIA meeting two weeks ago, the consensus among the six members present was that unless there is interest in the BIA continuing, along with new members to help with programs, they would disband. Currently there are 100 mem- bers and seven associate mem- bers, but only eight participate on the board, with usually four to sic attending meetings on a regular basis, it was reported in the Clinton News -Record. Wild boars hunted GODERICH - A pack of some 45-60 wild boars that escaped from a Hullett Township farm last summer are the target of an urgent Ministry of Natural Rc- sources 'pig hunt.' "We want them eliminated," said ministry conservation offi- cer Bob Pegg. "They cause crop damage, but mainly, we want them eliminated for safety rea- sons. They are vicious," he said. Recently, the wild boars have been sighted along the Maitland River, between the Forester's Bridge and the Benmiller Bridge, it was reported in the Goderich Signal -Star. Pegg said hunters have shot the majority of the pack, but 10- 20 are still roaming the arca. He added that anyone with a small game license can hunt them, but warned "Don't get caught off guard." The ministry also want to eliminate the pack before the spread of disease and ask any- one sighting the boars to contact the Wingham division of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Referendum on library future? MITCHELL - A university student and a possible referen- dum figure prominently in thc immediate future of the Mitchell Public Library. Town Council asked thc Mitchell Public Library board last Monday to look into getting a university student with a statis- tics background to perform a lo- cal study of the library's future at its present site. Once the library information is gathered, Councillor Doug Pfeif- er wondered if this fall's munici- pal election wouldn't be a good time to ask the residents whether the 86 -year-old library should or could be saved, or moved to a different wheelchair accessible facility, t was reported in the MitchefAdvocate. Jazz Band at Valentine 's dance The South Huron District High School Jazz Band perfonned`Saturday night at the Exeter Legion for a Valentine's Dance. One hundred and seventy people attended the event to hear the band play everything from old-time favourites to Achy Breaky Heart. At left is the band's saxophone section, and below is guitarist Jeff Bowen. Skydiving would have to stop Airport concert plans rejected by Stephen council GRAND BEND - A plan to turn the Grand Bend airport into a venue for outdoor concerts this summer was rejected by Stephen Township council. David Rose from Rose Concert Productions of London, presented a proposal to Stephen Council on Feb- ruary I seeking permission to use the airport for weekend concerts be- tween May 24 and Labour Day. Letters of concern and objection were received from both users of the airport, and from the Village of Grand Bend. The Exeter OPP also made a presentation to council, pointing out security for the concerts should include one police officer per thou- sand visitors. The Department of Transport would also require the airport to be closed to air traffic during the concerts, shutting down the skydiving businesses at the air- port. Rose's proposal, which included bringing rock concerts and other performers such as Garth Brooks to Grand Bend, was turned down hy council. 18 percent tax hike? Board of education director calls for major finance reform CLINTON - A sizeable education tax increase seems inevitable as the Huron County Board of Education attempts to deal with budget short- falls. That was the message the board gave to area members df council this past Thursday at an informa- tion meeting. In an earlier letter to councils, di- rector of education Paul Carroll stated that the Board's financial sit- uation looked bleak. "Initial calculations tell us that - even with significant expenditure reduction - the local property tax mill rate will still increase to an un- acceptable level. The trustees have a virtually impossible situation where tax increases arc being im- posed by external changes over which they have no control," the letter stated. Carroll said the 1993 Ontario budget, the expenditure control plan, the Social Contract Act and an anticipated freeze or reduction in the education transfer payments as well as further downloading ex- pected with changes to the 1994 Legislative Grants arc pushing up the Board's budget up while dollars for services go down. At the Thursday meeting, coun- cillors were told they could be faced with an 18 percent hike on the education side of property tax- es. Carroll told the councillors the board can only cut costs on 20 per- cent of its budget because the rest is set aside for teacher's salaries and benefits which the board cannot touch. That makes it impossible not to have tax increases, he said. "As we search for solutions, all of us arc concerned that the additional bur- dens on the property taxpayer arc unacceptable," Carroll stated. The board has been working this problem since last December when Carroll predicted such shortfalls arc probably going to he a reality for at least the next five years. He restated to councillors the need for major reform in the educa- tion finance system. "The current system is not work- ing anymore," he stated. Infastructure funds Hensall In line for nearly $200,000 in grant money HENSALL - Water works and water main projects are possible areas where grant money from Canada/Ontario Infrastructure works can he used. Hensall is in line for a combined federal/provincial contribution of $121,405 with a municipal contribution of 560,702. At this time village administration is preparing necessary applications for the money. Under this pr9gram, 35 percent of the total two year allocation must be spent by March 1, 1995 with all funds used by March 31 1997. "Our identified needs are water and sewer," clerk -treasurer Luanne Phair told council. I' Phair said the PUC was asked to prepare a list 'of water works and pro- jects that need to be done. Crediton gets new trustee, but another one still needed CREDITON - A new trustee for the Crediton was being sworn in as of press time Tuesday. Bill Wilds will be filling the position of police village trustee in the place of trustee Lloyd Rocszler, who resigned last month. However, the search goes on to fill the full slate of three trustees required to represent Crediton's affairs at Stephen Township council. Trustee Fred Bowers submitted his resignation to township council on February 1, which was received with regret. Another trustee is being_ sought to fill the appointment. Under the Municipal Act, be- tween elections, trustee posi- tions arc filled by appointment, not by-elections. Two Friday night break-ins under OPP investigation EXETER - The Exeter OPP arc looking for suspects in two break and enters this weekend, both on Friday night. Hamilton's Machine Shop in Exeter was broken into sometime during the night. The would-be thieves got into the building through a window and appeared to have searched the business for cash, say police. They left through a doorway, believed to be empty-handed. The same night, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel School was broken into. Once inside the school, the thieves gained entry to several rooms and searched for cash. They left with a micro- wave oven, a computer system, a VCR, and a portable stereo. The OPP say several doors were damaged in the theft, as the thieves had pried them open with a blunt instrument. Sometime last Monday, a Zu- rich woman reported a thcft from her vehicle parked at the Zurich arena. Stolen were a sapphire ring, a silver locket, and $14 in cash. Last Wednesday, when a vis- iting Bantam hockey team from Ridgetown were at the South Huron Recreation Centre in Ex- eter, someone entered their dressing room and stole about $50 in cash from the players' pockets. On Sunday, a thief entered Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church in Exeter during the ser- vice and stole a brown leather bomber jacket valued at about $100 from the church coat room. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact either the OPP at 235- 1300, or Crime Stoppers at 1- 800-265-1777. Dashwood Community Centre gets upgrades DASHWOOD - The Dashwood Community Centre is getting a face-lift in the form of a new floor in its upstairs auditorium. Missing and lifting tiles are being replaced with new flooring, and the downstairs room is benefiting from the project as well. "A lot of cosmetic work [is being done] to the walls to the standard where they can hold functions down there," said Stephen Town- ship administrator Larry Brown. The cost of the renovations is about $13,000, which the township will be funding until it is paid back by the community centre board over the next two years. New Justice of the Peace appointed for Grand Bend GRAND BEND - The Grand Bend area will be getting a new Jus- tice of the Peace, the Ministry of the Attorney General announced Thurs- day. Brian Peck, a police officer with the London Police for 33 years, and who previously served with the Ip- swich Borough Police in England, has been appointed to carry out Jus- tice of the Peace duties in the Grand Bend area. Peck, a district deputy grand mas- ter with the Masons, will be taking over the position vacated hy former Justice of the Peace Alec Brand. While his appointment is effective immediately, Peck will undergo training before being sworn in to take up his duties, which may in- clude presiding over traffic court, conducting hail hearings, and issu- ing search warrants for local police. No four-way stop for Victoria St. intersection EXETER - A request from a Vic- toria Street resident for a four way stop at Victoria and Carling Street, has been turned down hy the public works committee. The request came with the sug- gestion that a four-way stop would prevent speeding in that area. However, the puhlic works com- mittee, in its examination of the re- quest, noted the lack of traffic acci- dents at the intersection and could see no reason to further disrupt traf- fic. They suggested other actions be taken to prevent speeding on Exet- er's side streets. Part-time parking officer to patrol Zurich streets ZURICH - A crackdown on driv- ers who ignore the village's new no - parking zones will begin once a part-time bylaw enforcement officer is hired in Zurich. Councillor Keith Semple suggest- ed that a person be hired to enforce parking after he told council that the present enforcement officer Dennis Rcgier, thc village road superinten- dent, did not have the time to write tickets for the new no -parking areas set aside on Main Street last fall. "He's handed out about 50 warn- ings, he hasn't issued a ticket yct," said Semple. "He sometimes secs the same vehicle back again." "He said if he gave someone a ticket and didn't have time to come hack and give someone else one, people would say he was unfair," stated Semple. Clerk -treasurer Maureen Sim- mons said the usual procedure is to give a part-time enforcement officer a share of each fine issued, rather than an hourly wage. "It's not going to be a well -liked job," said Simmons, adding that Zu- rich's parking fines are $10, or $15 if not paid within seven days. Council agreed to advertise for an officer to enforce parking. es