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Clinton News-Record, 1986-07-30, Page 1n on INCORPORATING -THE BLYTH STANDARD -THE BAYFIELD BUGLE. ONO. 31 121 YEARS WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1986 50 CENTS Bayfield man dies in head-on collision SEAFORTH - A two -vehicle accident been driving about one mile from his home. claimed the life of a Bayfield man and Taken to Seaforth Community Hospital by seriously injured a Seaforth area resident ambulance, the two men were transferred on July 27. to University Hospital in London, where Mr. Richard A. Welch, 30, of Bayfield, was Welch was pronounced dead, the result of travelling south on Huron Road 12, north of massive head injuries. Seaforth, in a pickup truck at approximate- Mr. Smith was in serious condition with a ly 9:20 a.m. when his vehicle collided head- broken leg and other injuries, hospital staff on in the northbound lane, with a car driven said on July 28. by Darcy L. Smith, 17, of RR5, Seaforth. The Seaforth area fire department Constable Bill Wilson of the Goderich assisted in releasing Mr. Smith from the OPP detachment said no' charges will be vehicle, owned by his father, which he had laid. Stanley Township wants campers to help pay bills STANLEY TOWNSHIP - Council here has passed a motion that asks the provincial government to set up a taxation fee for recreational trailers. Council supported the resolution that was initiated by Amabel Township, near Sauble Beach. , The resolution asks the provincial govern- ment to initiate one of two alternatives - "to set upa licencing fee to campgrounds based on 80 per cent of the total sites licencekl at a maximum fee of $15 per site. This fee could be collected from the campground operator. Those municipalities which feel there is no inequity in the present system would ob- viously have the alternative of not charging a fee." The second proposal suggested, "That the province make provision in their grant calculations to reflect this permanency in campgroungs. Once again the number would be arrived at by using a factor of 80 per cent of sites licenced. Make a direct grant based on 50 per cent of the current per household grant ($30 per household, 1988 figure). These numbers could be confirmed to and checked by the provincial assessors or alternatively through the Municipal Licencing System." Three different camping grounds are situated in Stanley Township and for that reason the proposals and resolutions from Amabel Township were sent to the municipal council here. Amabel Township Council is seeking sup- port for its resolution as the Minister of Municipal Affairs has indicated that if the BEFORE AND AFTER Clinton's Library Park is once again the home of the Egret foun- replica of the previous fountain iewhicr) h is picordtured en the corner with is tain. In 1959 the fountain was broken during a sleet storm, and con- Doris Batkin, equently was removed. Reeve Bee Cooke tracked the Egret down Mrs. Batkin admiring the present fountain. ( Anne Narejko photo) iind has had the bird restored. The remainder of the fountain is a The fountain is back CLINTON - Anyone strolling by library park these days will notice a new addition to the town in the form of a fountain. Actually, the fountain is not new, it sat in the park from 1916 until a storm destroyed it in 1959, but efforts by council have recently seen it restored and resurrected. The majority of the fountain is a replica, but the Egret (large bird at the top) is the original white metal bird. It has recently been restored by Mervyn Shewman of Dublin. The first fountain was given to the town by a Mrs. Smith of New York in 1916 in memory of a family member, Sidney Smith, who liv- ed on the Bayfield Road and was a cattle drover. In 1959, a sleet storm damaged the fountain, forcing it to fall. When the town hall and library restora- tions were completed in. 1984, architect Carlos Ventin, of Simcoe, donated $7,000 back to the town with the request that the money be spent on items that would bring the two buildings together. The previous council decided to try and do something with the fountain, and Reeve Bee Cooke, who was the driving force behind the project, tracked the Egret down at the home of Hugh Ball who donated it back to the town. The Egret was still -broken in several pieces at this stage, requiring Mr. Shewman assistance. Working from a picture, Mr. support can be gathered for this initiative, he would be prepared to have his ministry chair meetings of concerned parties. Amabel Township Council initiated the proposal because it was felt by council members that there was an "obvious inequi- ty between municipal revenues derived from campgrounds operations, as cam - pared to regular cottage areas." A letter on the subject, sent to Stanley Township Council noted, "Municipal taxa- tion is not the answer as it would be both very cumbersome to administer and could very well reverse the inequity, to cause an undue hardship on the trailer owner or cam- pground owner." The letter further noted that while camp- ing grounds helped bring tourists to the area, it was further noted, "We feel it is also important that the municipalities involved have the resources available to create those community facilities which will attract and enhance tourism. We presently feel that the inequity is causing an undue burden on our taxpayers, whereby it is not always possible to supply an adequate level on maintenance from tax revenues to meet the current operation needs. Stanley Township Clerk ' Mel Graham agreed, noting, "We feel thay they (cam- pgrounds) give enough tax dollars to us." The resolution, supported by Stanley Township Council will go to the ministry of municipal affairs for futher'study. As well, the resolution will be presented at the 1986 conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). Residents want street paved By Anne Narejko CLINTON - Residents on Mohawk Cress - cent and the unpaved portion of Raglan Street were present at council's July 21 meeting to request their street be paved in 1987. A petition with three pages of names was submitted to council. Council assured those present that the, town's Ontario Neighborhood Improvement Program (ONIP) committee would take their request into serious consideration. Speaking on behalf of the residents, Unice Russell said, "We formerly agreed with . your hesitation to do so, but at that time there were plenty of empty lots, now only two lots are left." The reasoning behind wanting the streets paved is to help the residence keep their homes attractive, both inside and outside. Mrs. Russell said there are pot holes in the street, black oil is sprayed on the road to keep the dust down, but the oil gets tracked on the driveways, gets on clothing and the carpets. The street was originally constructed as part of a subdvision and therefore is not eligible for subsidy from the Ministry of Transportation and Communication. However, the street, as well as Maple and Shewman restore�rl the Egret and produced a replica of the b'riginal fountain which in- cludes eight rams' heads. (The rams' heads are a symbol of good luck.) The final figures for the cost of the foun- tain have not yet been tallied, but with the money donated by Mr. Ventin, the town has also been able to purchase Victorian drapes for the town hall auditorium. As for the fountain, Reeve Cooke feels they have succeeded in making the two buildings look as though they belong together. "1 do feel that council has brought the library and . the town hall together," she said. Council seeks • 'Ry Shelley McPhee-Haist BAYFIELD - Public input is being sought as the village prepares to make final changes and recommendations for the of- ficial plan. A public meeting will be held in August to give the public the opportunity to study draft copies of the official plan, to suggest changes and present concerns. Bayfield Reeve Dave Johnston is urging all property owners in Bayfield to read the draft copy of the plan and to study it with care. Copies of the draft bylaw are being sent to all landowners in the village and the meeting date will -be announced in the near future. Reeve Johnston suggests a simple method input for official plan of deciphering the document. He says, "Find your property in the plan. See how it is designated, then go through the plan and pick out the sections that deal with the property." The official plan is an update of the 1973 secondary plan. It looks at all zoning re- quirements in the village and deals with all aspects of municipal property, ranging from heritage conservation to recreational uses, residential to commercial. Work on the revised plan has been fan ongoing project between the municipality and; the Huron County Planning Department. Last year four public workshops were held to address the formation of the plan. Concerns and suggestions raised by the general public have been studied and im- plemented into the plan. Currently the document is in the final stages of preparation. Reeve Johnston noted, "We've spent many evening on this. We've tried to write it so it doesn't leave a lot to interpretation ... This is a draft copy. This is what we felt you waned from your input at the workshops." With the official plan in place, it will make way for the zoning bylaw, .as well as the possibility of hayfield receiving govern= went funding through, the Ontario Neighborhood Improvement Program (ONIP). The municipality has been repeatedly refused funding because it doesn't have an official plan. Elm Streets, is on the ONIP schedule as an option for 1987. The estimated cost three years ago was $90,000. Trying to find an answer to the residents' oil problem, Reeve Bee Cooke asked if they preferred the street not be oiled, but Mrs. Russell said the dust problem was too bad not to do something. "We have a serious dust problem. Before we only had part of the street oiled, but this year we felt all of it needed it," she explained. The residents believe their request is legitimate because they feel they pay a good portion of taxes. ' "I figured it out to be about $40,000 in taxes which come from that circle," estimated Mrs. Russell. Councillor Gord Gerrits asked if the residents' taxes would go up if the street was paved, and acting -clerk treasurer Marie Jefferson said their assessment would only go up if the entire town was reassessed. In conclusion, Mayor John Balfour said, "We have three very expensive projects for 1987, and to be perfectly honest, I don't know where we will get the money unless we boost taxes greatly, and we don't want to do that." Escapes at Bluewater Centre initiate meeting Several measures to make the Bluewater Centre for Young Offenders more secure were discussed at a meeting Sunday. afternoon when residents who live in the area met with the centre's superintendent to discuss security concerns. The meeting was organized after three young offenders escaped from the facility July 16. Several homes in the area were burglarized. A man was assaulted when three youths tried to steal his van and another area resident reported intruders had stolen his car and a carving knife from a kitchen drawer. The three youths were apprehended the night of the escape and the following Morn- ing. They appeared in Goderich Provincial Court on Monday when they were remand- ed until August 18. They face charges of escaping custody, - theft,. concealing a weapon and assault. The centre's superintendent, Carl DeGrandis, said people had the opportuni- ty to express their anger and trepidition and make suggestions. "I don't believe anybody left without a chance to express themselves," said DeGrandis; adding the only questions he did not answer were those of a political nature. DeGrandis explained the circumstances the night of the escape and how ingenious the escape was. DeGrandis said he knew of only one way to get over the type of fence that surrounds the centre. Now he knows of two. Learning how the .escape occurred was somewhat reassuring for some of the peo- ple and the fact that the staff is taking steps to make the centre more secure, he said. - A siren was suggested but this was con- tradicted because it doesn't ensure that everyone hears it. The meeting agreed on a neighbourhood watch system which in- volves a telephone pool. The centre phones 10 people in the event of an escape and each of the 1Q people phone another 10 peo- ple who phone another 19. In very short order people can be advised there has been an escape. DeGrandis said the centre's voluntary co-ordinator is setting up this system. A second fence and sensitizing the fence were other suggestions to make the centre more secure. DeGrandis said the consen- sus of the meeting seemed to be that the centre be made more secure to prevent future escapes. Norman McHolm, whose car was stolen the night of escape, suggested to the meeting the fence surrounding the Bluewater Centre be electrified and guard dogs be used to patrol the perimeter of the •entre to prevent escapes. McHolm said he believes the best thing people can do is contact their Liberal MPP Jack Riddell and protest the location of the centre. The Liberals did not support the use of the facility as a centre for young of- fenders, when the former Conservative government decided to close the centre for the developmentally handicapped which was located there previously. McHolm ad- ded he doesn't believe the politicians will change their minds, however. McHolm told the Signal -Star Monday the centre's superintendent Carl DeGrandis is doing everything he can to make the facili- ty more secure. McHolm believes the in- stallation of a system which will alert cen- tral control if a door that is to be locked is left unlocked should help to prevent escape. Christina Hoffmeyer, another neighbour, of the centre, says she is more reassured since attending the meeting on Sunday. She thinks the security system for the doors and the neighbourhood watch pro- gram are necessary to make residents in the area feel more secure. Some people can be unreasonable, she said, adding that some very foolish things were said at the meeting. Hoffmeyer said she and her husband believe the centre's staff is doing their best. Now that she knows how the escape happened and what security measures are being taken to pre- vent another occurrence, she feels more secure. She would like to see a scanner installed to provide more security around the fence. A guard patrolling the perimeter is not sufficient in her opinion. Hoffmeyer also suggested that the On- tario Provincial Police detachment have its manpower increased and a tracking Turn to pages