Clinton News-Record, 1985-1-30, Page 150 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30,1985
WEEKLY WEATHER
1985 1984
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- 4 -7 -4 -19
Snow 13 cm 12 cm
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120TH YEA{ - NO. 5
Boat factory still afloat
By Shelley McPhee
VANASTRA - "We were riding on top of a
wave," said Jake Rogerson, vice president
of Bayfield Boats Ltd. in Vanastra.
Winter is the peak production season for
the Vanastra boat building company. With
one successful show completed in Toronto,
the manufacturers of Bayfield Boats were
looking to equally profitable sales at
upcoming boat shows in Montreal, Halifax,
Vancouver, Connecticut.
Dozens of orders were already waiting to
be filled. Orders for the impressive sailing
rigs, ranging in size from 25 to 40 feet, and in
price from $53,000 to $140,000.
The course of events at Bayfield Boats
took a drastic change in a few short hours on
January20 when fire ravaged the factory.
Today what remains of the multi-million
dollar business are the gnarled remains of
expensive machinery, buildings and stock,
now buried beneath more than three feet of
snow.
The $1 -million dollar blaze left 65 people
out of work and put Bayfield Boat Yards at
square one after more than a decade of
development.
"I woke up this morning, wondering if it
was a bad dream," said Rogerson, nearly a
week after the fire.
The reality is evident for the owners and
the men and women who worked there. On
Friday, January 25 they met at the township
municipal office to discuss the future of the
factory.
There will be a future for Bayfield Boats,
but it will take time, effort and money to
restore the business to the profitable state it
was enjoying only a short time ago.
At the Friday „ morning meeting,
employees learned that most would be out of
a job for an undetermined time.
Unemployment payments are being
arranged for the workers.
Some workers will be called back to help
clean up the rubble left- by the fire and to
salvage machinery remains from the blaze.
After that a skeleton crew will work to
restore the business.
"We have to develop a master plan to
decide who will work," Rogerson explained.
Workers from various departments will be
brought in to put Bayfield Boats back in
working order.
Temporary quarters have been set up in a
nearby welding shop and offices will be
housed "in a beat up old trailer" Rogerson
told workers.
Setting up shop again will be a long
painstaking process. Along with a great loss
of inventory and machinery, the boat molds
and patterns were also destroyed in the fire.
Some 14 years worth of designs were lost.
Workers will disassemble, measure and
Turn topage2e
Dave Lear of Londesboro and Greg Butler of RR 2 Bayfield,employees at Bayfield
Boats, were among the more than 60. workers who, met with owners on Friday morning to
discuss their future employment. Jake Rogerson, (right) company vice president said
that the fire loss at the Vanastra factory may mean lengthy lay offs for many workers.
(Shelley McPhee photo)
Workers Bev Coleman of.Seaforth, Allan Doan of London _, d Dale twisted metal and smoldering wood when fire ravaged the factory
Lamont of London, stand among the remains of the Bay ield Boat on January 20. Owners plan to restore the business. ( Shelley
factory at Vanastra. The complex of buildings was reduced to. McPheephoto)
Local input is essential.
Poor public response to ONIP
By Shelley McPhee
CLINTON - Only half a dozen people at- ,
tended a public meeting in Clinton on
January 28. The meeting was held to hear
public input and suggestion, regarding a
$175,000 Ontario Neighborhood Improve-
ment (ONIP) government grant.
Approved by the Ministry of Municipal Af-
fairs and Housing, the grant and equal
municipal funding will be used to improve
services in town over the next three years.
The money, $350,000 in total, may be geared
toward improvements to a variety of ser-
vices, including sanitary and storm sewers,
roads, sidewalks, as well as social and
recreational facilities, such as parks,
playgrounds and community centres.
The town council and the general public
must decide what areas could most benefit
from the ONIP funding. The public meeting
was staged to hear discussion on this.
Burns Ross, consultant on the project,
said that he was concerned about the poor
public response. Because application and
approval of the project work is running on
such a tight schedule, the Jan. 28 meeting of-
fered the public the only opportunity to fully
discuss the proposals.
"They'll (the public) come to the next
meeting and it will be too late for input,"
Mr. Ross said.
Originally scheduled to be held two weeks
ago, the meeting was cancelled dui to storm
conditions. The rescheduled -meeting dates
and times were advertised for three weeks
in the News,Record.
"Already we've lost two weeks because of
the weather, timing is now essential," Mr.
Ross said.
Council must now detail projects and
costs for ONIP funding for the three year
period. The plan must be submitted to the
ministry for approval by the end of March to
allow project work to begin in 1985.
While public suggestions on how the
money could be spent have been few, coun-
cil heard sone suggestions and recommen-
dations at the meeting. The Lawn Bowling
Club hopes to build a new club house with
ONIP funding. The Clinton Racev(Tay may
consider using grant money to help build
new horse barns at the community park.
Clinton Public School may be able to direct
funds towards the construction of , a
children's creative playground.
Other suggestions, offered by council and
consultants from Burns Ross Engineers in
Goderich include - complete, above and
below ground, street reconstruction, dress-
ing room and arena improvements, new
park acquisition, bleachers for the pool
area.
Public input is essential to determine the
best use of the money. Public questionnaires
are available at the municipal offices to help
council formulate their improven-lent plan.
ONIP is a popular municipal program, us-
ed extensively throughout the province.
Clinton may use a maximum of $175,000
government grant money to upgrade ex-
isting facilities, and the, municipality must
also contribute equal funding. Local con-
tributions Can come from a variety of
Turn to page 2
Twelve partially completed sailboats will be , disassembled, measured and studied
to recreate patterns and molds lost in a fire at Bayfield Boats. More than a decade worth
of plans and designs were lost in the blaze. (Shelley McPhee photo)
Industrial boom
I)rlghtens the future
VANASTRA - Despite recent economic
setbacks, from two major fires, develop-
ment is definitely taking place in Vanastra.
A $1 -million dollar. fire at Bayfield Boat
Ltd. and a second fire at Vanastra Horne
Furnishings have hinted at a tone of failure
for the small community, but a long range
view of the area shows that Vanastra is on
,the economic upswing.
Tuckersmith Township council is pleased
with the' progress in the community.
Township officials recently presented a
report to the Huron County Board of Educa-
tion to enghten board members on the in-
dustrial expansion.
The Board of Education has closely
followed Vanastra's development. Last year
the local public school faced possible
closure because of declining enrolment. An
in-depth review of the situation stressed that
Vanastra Public School remain open
because of potential for development in the
area.
. At the education board meeting, the
township council updated board members
on the development that is taking place in
Vanastra.
- Amdevco Realty Limited has committed
close to $2 -million to upgrade 50 of 58
townhouse units. The former dormatory
buildings are also being remodelled into
apartments.
- Within the commercial and industrial sec-
tion, there are 44 fully serviced lots, with 30
now occupied by buildings.
- There are 22 industries operating in
Vanastra, employing more than 200 people.
- The municipality has been successful in at-
tracting Blue Seas Boats which employs five
people and GCI Cranes of London, which
presently employees seven people. GCI
Cranes may expand to 40 employees later
this year.
- The former telecommunications school
building has been sold by the township to a
developer. •
-• Foundations have been poured for a new
agricultural research facility for Leafy Let-
tuce Limited.
- The former food services building (Ar-
cher's) is undergoing major renovations
and equipment is being installed for the
manufacturer of a synthetic rubber product,
which is expected to employ some 65 people.
As well, both Ontario Hydro and Union
Gas are upgrading services in Vanastra.
The township has received a $175,000 On-
tario Neighbourhood Improvement Plan
(ONIP) government grant. Equally match-
ed with $175,000 from the municipality, the
money will be spent over the next three
years to improve existing services.
Council emphasized 'in a report, to the
education board, "With the development of
the past year and the plans for this for-
thcoming year, the council is very ,en-
thusiastic about the future of Vanastra
Park. The council is confident that with this
development of the commercial and
residential area, an influx of, residents will
occur in the area."
Board to consider late immersion
BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE
The HurOn County Board of Education will
be deciding the future of the French
Immersion question in Huron County at its
Feb. 4 meeting.
At the school board's January meeting,
the ad hoc committee to study French
, Immersion recommended that the board go
no further in its French program, but study
criteria for setting up a late French
immersion program for Grades,7 and 8.
The school board is currently in the
process of extending its Core French from 20
minutes a day in Grades 7 and 8 to 40
minutes per day. September of 1984 saw
Core French increased to 40 minutes per day
in Grade 7 and this September will see
French in Grade 8 extended to 40 minutes.
Core French. starts in Grade 3 at Huron
County schools.
The ad hoc committee didn't want to see Clinton, Exeter, Goderich, Seaforth and
any changes to those already approved Wingham.
changes in Core French. Ad hoc committee Mr. McQuail said if the school board is
chairman Tony McQuail said the committee willing _to...go with the recommendations it
put no time frame on the possibility of will mean a voluntary French Immerslion
setting up a late French Immersion program will be a lot more accessible to
program. - county students.
The committee did list 10 items which the Provincial grants available for extended
board should consider if it does decide to set or French Immersion in Grades 7 and 8 is
up late French Immersion. The list includes $211 per student. For Core French 20
transportation to be provided only in minutes per day the grant is $70 per student
and for 40 minutep a day the grant is $154 a
student.
The estimated cost in the first year of a
late French Immersion program; is $96,000
before grants. That cost includes two
teachers,, texts and library materials.
The school hoard will discuss the iasue at
its Feb. 4 meeting.
existing routes, no class will be set up with
less than 24 pupils or continued if enrohnent
is less than 20 pupils, noteacher'will be fired
to make room for a French Immersion
teacher and the school board will not pay for
any costs over and above regular classroom
costs.
Also, the late immersion program would
be considered in each of the county towns,