The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-08-26, Page 1,.-the1ereh
133 YEAR -34
eumpowgiagoine
ow- s
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1981
50 CENTS PER COPY
Mediator hopes
talks will resume
Mediation talks between the Huron County Board of
Education and its 245 secondary school teachers will
resume after the teacher's executive conunittee
holds a%neeting later this month.
Mediator Professor Jeffrey Gandz of the University
of Western Ontario in London says the delay. in .the
process has been because teachers have been
"scattered" during the month of August.
Appointed by the Education Relations Commission,
Professor Gandz said the present contract with the
secondary school teachers expires August 31.
"If there is no settlement close (to August 31) they
(teachers) will go through the process of fact fin-
ding," PofessorGandz said:
He said negotiations, could go .on for an un-
determined length of time. No details of previous
negotiation sessions have been made public.
• Explosion injures 11 at day care cieitre,
Eleven people suffering from cuts and burns were tended -to on the lawns of-
Huronview
fHuronview following an explosion which blasted a portion of the home for the aged
on August 21. Nurses, orderlies, volunteers, doctors and ambulance attendants
helped to comfort the injured before they were taken to nearby Clinton
Hospital. (Shelley McPhee photo.► '
Master plan stresses recreation
A plan to develop the recreational potential of four
miles of waterfront along the town limits was un-
veiled at a special public meeting Tuesday.
The waterfront committee of town council
presented thewaterfront master plan,study before..,a
small gathering at McKay Hall. In essence the plan
prepared by the consulting firm of Knox, Martin and
INSIDE THE \q
SIGNAL -STAR
4X2
On the buses
Bob and CarolStephenson'sauthentic London
Transport double decker bus is a big hit with
the adults and children alike who have ridden
on it. Read about the bus and its tours of
Goderich on page 1 A.
Fair for all
The Dungannon fair, affectionately known at
the DNE, was held on the weekend and the
Signal -Star was there. See the many pictures
of the event throughout the newspaper.
Playoffs underway
Playoffs are underway in the Industrial
Fastball League and the Men's Slowpitch
League. See series reports and pictures of
games on the sports pages in this section.
Kretch Ltd. of Brampton recognized and suggested
persuance of several recreational goals through a
master plan concept.
The general consensus of the public in attendance
indicated that solid planning 'was essential'and vital
to orderly development . and growth along the
waterfront area. The master plan covers an area of
just over four miles from the southern limits of town
along the lake and follows the, Maitland River to the
eastern town liinits.
The plan's major goals involve the linking of parks
and lookout 'points along the bluff with trails, im-
proving existing parks and beach areas while major
development plans call for the construction of a park
in the Mailtland River flats and the creation of a cove
at St. Christophers Beach.
The consultants have proposed a major develop-
ment for the south shore that includes the creation of
a sand beach and the construction of a large cove
area for water sports, a 200 -dock marina and fishing
and related recreationat-activity.
Jim Knox explained that the creation of a cove area
would help contain erosion along the shoreline and
stabilize the bluff at the same time.
• "Service clubs can contribute to the development of
such plans and it would increase tourist and business
activity," he said. "Such projects would enhance the
community and provide recreational opportunities
for the citizens."
The waterfront master plan serves to provide some
planning goals for orderly development of the
shoreline area. And while the plans are certainly
ambitious in certain areas, committee chairman
Elsa Haydon said the plan would only serve as a
starting point or a planning base.
"This is a very long range plan but we felt it was a
good idea to at least have a plan," she said. "Much of
the nlan.mieht he a dream hut we must at least have a
starting point."
While the plan and concepts specifically dealt with
the .recreational development and potential of the
waterfront, there were several concerns raised
concerning encroachment upon existing industrial
concerns in the harbor area.
For the most part, industry and recreation have
had a peaceful co -existence in the harbor area but
there was concern that the master plan would restrict
industrial expansion. Knox said the concept gave no
indication of restraint to industrial development and
stressed the fact that the plan was. simply a concept.
Merle Gunby of the • Huron Federation of
Agriculture said the farming community relied
heavily on the harbor and elevators.
"The harbor is important to. the farmers in the
area," he said. "We would be concerned if the
elevator was restricted."
Haydon reiterated the point that industry was not
only "useful but essential" adding that the waterfront.
plan was not meant to take a restrictive, approach to
existing industry.
Brian Howard of the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority suggested that industry should not be
. regarded as a negative feature of the waterfront.
"Industry can be an interesting feature on the
waterfront. The reason the industries are there is
because they function best in that area," he 'said.
"Don't regard industry as a negative feature."
In general, citizens v ere impressed with the
master plan and cormnonded the committee for
taking the initiative to plan for the future develop-
ment of the waterfront
The plan will be subject to further public input and
discussion, before any final decision is made. It will
be presented to council Sel,tember 10 at 7.30 p.m.
Town may be in line for
downtown revitalization loan
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Claude
Bennett, announced this week .that Goderich has
received approval in principle for a $150,000 loan to
undertake a beautification project under the Ontario
Main Street Revitalization Program.
The Main Street Revitalization loans may be used
by municipalities and local business improvement
areas for str_eetscape and parking improvement
areas. The Goderich BIA will use the funding to
complete sidewalk construction work on streets
radiating from The Square.
Town council made the loan application in June
after BIA chairman, Peter McCauley, approached
council with a proposed construction plan at a cost of
$316,500. The plans called for the installation of in-
terlocking brick sidewalks and street lighting dh
radial streets. The work v, as to hephased on over a
few years.
Once final approval is riven to the town's ap-'
plication, a loan in the amount of $150,000 will be
made at one per cent interest. It will be repaid over a
ten-year .period with th:etr« rl's portion amounting to..
$100,000.
Each year the town and the BIA contribute $25,000
to the business improvement area and the remaining
cost of the work on the radial streets. will come from
the fund.
Turn to page 5 •
By Shelley McPhee
Two people remain hospitalized -nearly; pne week
after an explosion rocked the Huron Day Care Centre
for the Homebound at I-Iuronview.
Sandra Davidson, of Goderich, activities director
for the Day Care Centre, and Vera Thiel of Zurich, a
day-care participant still remain in Clinton Public
Hospital, recovering from bruises, lacerations and
burns.
Nine other people were also treated at the hospital
from injuries in the explosion that blasted a small
wing at the county home for the aged on Thursday,
August 20th.
Day Care caordinator Rosemary Armstrong, Day
Care client Shirley Haggerty of Clinton sand Huron -
view resident Irwin Trewartha were also hospitalized
overnight following the accident. Day Care clients
Ann Dennis of Zurich, May Gibson of Clinton, Bar-
bara Bellfleur of Clinton, Olive Hardy from Exeter,
Ann Dykstra of Clinton and Elizabeth Alexander of
Exeter were treated for cuts and bruises -and released
day of the accident.
The Huron Day Care Centre offers daily programs
and activities for homebound people, and on Thur-
sday afternoon the participants were playing cards at
outside tables and working on crafts when an ex-
plosion blasted the walls and windows at the centre,
and adjoining auditorium.
Karen Scruton, another worker at the Centre who
escaped injury, said that 21 people had eaten lunch in
the heavily damaged auditorium just an hour -and -a -
half before the explosion happened. She noted that
Thursday was a quiet day at the Centre and luckily
the accident, didn't occur a day earlier when the
auditorium would have been filled with stroke
patients.
Mks. Scruton had just left her desk and gone to the
back of the building when an electric water pump
started, igniting fumes from a broken gasoline line
and exploding in the underground line.
"'When I returned to my desk it was a complete
mess," she remembered. "It was just awful, there
was so much blood."
While several people in the Day Care Centre were
not injured, those playing cards outside were thrown
from their • chairs and struck byy flying glass from
nearby windows.
Mrs. Scruton and Day Care volunteers calmly
guided people away from the building through a back,
doorway to avoid the seeing the injured and the
wreckage. Even though she was fraid of possibilities
of a second explosion she noted, "No one panicked.
We've done the fire drill so many times we knew
immediately what to do."
Some of the Day Care clients are unable to walk,
others need assistance and Mrs. Scruton said, "The
volunteers were just great. I couldn't have gotten the
people out myself."
Jim Alla way "of Vanastra was one volunteer who
helped take the people outside and he noted, "I ad -
inked the stroke patients, they took it sp well." '
Although he was tossed around by the explosion,
Mr. Alla way said he wasn't afraid and explained, "I
was in England during the war so I had a few bombs
drop around me."
In the past there have been false fire alarms at
Huronview, but on Thursday the Clinton Police and
Turn. to page 5 •
Police chase hit and run driver
BY JOANNE BUCHANAN
While this weekend was quieter than recent past
weekends, police still report a disturbing number of
incidents.
Early -Friday evening, police surprised a group of
youths gathered at the. ' CNR station. The youths
disappeared into the bushes but several bottles of
liquor -were seized.
Also on Friday evening, following a hit and run
accident, police chased a car out of town. The car
went into a ditch and the driver, a Goderich teenager,
was then pursued on foot. He was arrested and
charged with dangerous driving. Charges by the
O.P.P. are also pending since the car involved was .
stolen from the O. P.P. area.
Early Saturday morning, Jim Hayter Chev Olds on
Kingston Street was broken into and a set of keys and
a yellow Camaro were stolen.
Also on Saturday morning, flowers'were ripped out
of several flowerbeds on The Square. This amounted
1
to $25 damage.
At 6 a.m. Sunday morning, Kirkey's Texaco at the
Five Points was broken into. Cigarettes and ap-
proximately $55 cash was taken.
Also Sunday morning, a sink was ripped offthe wall
of the men's washroom at St. Christopher's beach. An
outside tap was also broken.
Liquor offences were down this past weekend,
although there were several driving complaints and
noisy party complaints.
On Wednesday, August 19 -about 1 p.m. four youths
driving in a small brown two -door car shot pellet's at
several children playing on North Street. One child
was bruised after being hit by a pellet on the back.
Several businesses 'in town have received phony
invoices lately which look like bills and ask for
money. They are not bills but because of the way they
are worded, they -are not illegral. police Chief Pat
King says that all businesses receiving such invoices.
should read carefully first.
Three-year-old Danny 13rtudley is either disproving splash -tug about in Judith t.00derham waning pool on
the laws of science, practising magic, or parting the Friday. ( Photo by Cath Wooden)
Red Sea. Regardless, the little fellow had a good time