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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-04-07, Page 1eric 134 YEAR -14 mr GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7,1982 50 CENTS PER COPY 41, The Goderich . CN station swill remain open despite , speculation of a possible closure, according to CN • spokesman, Brian Moreau. CN will be closing several other facllities$ as part of a centralization plan to Make the company more cost efficient. (photo by Kris Svela) CN decicies to keep .. Goderich station open The Goderich CN station has been the center\ of at- tention for the past five years, with rumours of a possible closure. Those rumours have once again surfaced with the recent decision by die Canadian Transit Commission (CTC.) to give Canadian National Railways (CN) authority to close the Goderich station, amid speculation that CN is consolidating its operations throughoutCanada. Brian Moreau, a CN spokesman, told the Signal- Star in a telephone Interview, that CN has received the go ahead, but that the company has decided not to close the facility. • "If the company decides to close the building that does not mean we will turn the key and go away. At this point we need the building," he said. He explained that what CN is doing m Goderich is a reclassification of the employees from agent - operator to operator because the company no longer offers passenger service. Moreau admits that the Goderich station is under review and has been for the past five years with regards to a possible closure. Moreau said that CN has been looking at several station closures as part of phase two of a "servo - centre" plan which is designed to centralize CN operations. "The centralization plan is a financial move by the company to make CN more profitable," he said. According to Moreau, Goderich council would have first bid on the property if CN.decided to sell. "If council declined, the property would be offered to other levels ofgovernment before being auctioned off to the general public," Moreau said. "For now the station willcontinue to operate. However, there is a possibility it will be closed sometime in the future," Moreau stated. Taxpayers will have to pay By Stephanie Levesque . DUBLIN= An estimated 14.5 per cent of the special education costs will be borne by the taxpayers over the next four years, the Huron -Perth Separate School Board was told.. In a presentation to the board on March 22, superintendent of business and finance Jack Lane, gave a financial picture on special education to trustees. Director of education Bill Eckert presented plans to establish a committee to look into providing education for trainable mentally retarded and developmentally handicapped students. In Mr. Lane's report, the taxpayers' share of special education over the next four years was broken down into individual years. In 1982 the percen- tage is 6.22 per cent, the lowest, because special education is not implemented until September of this year. In 1983, which begins a full year of special education, the taxpayers' share rises to 14.69 per cent, in 1984, to 18.79 per cent and in 1985 decreases to 16.12 per cent. Mr. Lane noted the estimates are in 1982 dollars. • . Presently the board has three self-contained special education classes, plus withdrawal pro- grams. While a declining enrolment is forecast, special education enrolment is expected to increase. • In Mr. Eckert's presentation, the plans regarding Turn to page'3 Harbour will be part of study area A joint project by the Ontario Provincial govern- ment and 'Transport Canada will examine the feasibility of establishing a new port along Lake Huron or expanding an existing facility, such as Goderich Harbor, to handle the demands of the Bruce Nuclear industrial complex. ' Ontario Minister of Transportation and Com- munication, James Snow -announced last week that a joint federal -provincial feasibility study to determine the need for marine facilities in the vicinity of the Bruce Energy Centre at Douglas Point would begin in April. The federal -provincial study begins this month and is. expected to be completed within six months. The study may recommend building{ a new port in the Douglas Point area but will also examine . the possibility of, expanding existing harbors in Goderich, Owen Sound or Collingwood, Snovv said.. "Since there are already 'ports in the area„in- eluding Goderich, Owen Sound and Collingwood, a feasibility study was proposed to determine the advantages of a new location as compared to 'the expansion of one of the existing facilities," Snow said. The governments will jointly investigate port • requirements in the area because of the proposed development of an industrial and agricultural park in , the area by the Bruce Energy Centre Development Corporation. Snow claimed a number of industries, interested in locating in the park because of its proximity to a source of economical steam power, also expressed a desire for adequate, accessible port facilities. The federal government, and more precisely, Transport Canada, has jurisdiction over harbors but Ontario has made a commitment to review port development in this location under the BILD (board of industrial leadership and development) program that was unveiled in January, 1981: The study will be carried out by a consulting team from Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd., Thorne Stevenson and Kellogg, and Carr and Donald and Associates, all of Toronto. "It will be sponsored jointly," Snow said in a release, "by the Ontario Government through the GILD program; , Transport Canada, as the major developer and administrator of public works in Canada and Public Works Canada, Tranport's con- sulting engineers and design and construction agents." The study is expected to begin early this month and all local interest groups will be contacted l for input into the study. Goderich administrator Larry McCabe said a committee has been set up by Transport Canada and a report will be issued in six months. The town has not been contacted but McCabe said there will be oppor- tunity to provide input into the feasibility study. "We have not been asked for any input yet but the town has sent off a letter about the study," he said. Local people will be contacted about the study." Court House exhibit on disp4ay here in April Ontario's Early Court Houses,'a circulating exhibit from the Ontario 'Heritage Foundation, will be on view at the Suncoast Mall on Highway 21 in. Goderich until May 1. - ... The exhibit has been mounted under the sponsor- ship of the Huron County Branchof the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario to draw attention to signifi- cant public buildings in Ontario and to promote con- servation of the former Polley's Livery Stable in Goderich. Ontario's Early Court Houses is the first in a Serie' of travelling exhibits planned by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Citiienship and Culture. The Foundation is dedicated, to fostering wider interest • in local history and stimulating greater participation in the preservation of the pro- vince's historical and natural resources. • The 22 panel.display of illustrations (reproductions of old• photographs, architectural drawings, documents, watercolours) and text deals with. On- tario's early court houses and the role they have played in the province's history. • The narrative of Ontario's Early Court Houses begins with the close of the American Revolution in 1783 when many refugees came to present-day On- tario. It then describes the -establishment and pro- liferation of administrative and judicial divisions and the erection of district and county court houses in each to meet the needs of the growing province. Often the first prominent buildings in a community, early court houses served many purposes. As is -,noted Last year the administrative offices of the Town of Goderich on West Street underwent extensive interior and exterior renovations at a cost of about $200,000. While the staff has occupied the building since Christmas the official opening was held Thursday 4 and several former councillors, mayors and citizens were on hand for the ribbon cutting. Mayor Harry Worsell performed the official function with former mayors Mrs. D.D. Mooney, Frank Walkom and Deb Shewfelt. Other council members present included Jim`Searis; John Doherty* Glen Carey, Elsa Haydon, Bob Allen, Don Wheeler, Jim Magee and Stan ProfiU ( photo by Joanne Buchanan • 6 in the exhibit, they frequently provided the setting for concerts, . theatrical performances, meetings and even worship and marketing. Architecturally, court houses'are among the finest structures in. the province, displaying, through their orderly form and elaborate detail, the work of some of Ontario's most accomplished architects. The . ex- . hibit emphasizes this splendour. _ Several celebrated court cases are illustrated in • the exhibit, and outstanding figures such as Sir John A. Macdonald, John Dunbar Moodie and Colonel Thomas Talbot, who have been associated with the history of Ontario's court houses, are mentioned. Finally, mention is made of the fact that many of Ontario's earlycourt houses have become inadequate and some ,have been razed to make way for more modern, more efficient buildings. A plea for a sense of public stewardship is made to ensure the preserva- tion and imaginative reuse of these important tangi- blereminders of our heritage. . The Ontario Heritage Foundation is offering this exhibit to communities throughout the province with the hope that it will promote a wide appreciation of early public buildings in Ontario and that it will be of benefit to local heritage groups in their efforts to preserve these distinguished structures. Blyth Centre asks town for funds Goderich town council will consider a donation to the Blyth Centre for the Arts following an appeal from a- member of the centre's board of directors Monday. Mrs. Audrey -McAdam, in a submission to council, thanked council for its past support of the summer theatre program and asked that consideration' be given to another donation for the 1982 program. ,The board, member told council that fund-raising is im- portant this year ta provide top quality Canadian entertainment. "Fund raising is more important this year than ever and Blyth provides summer theatre, a choir, winter programs, an art gallery and a series of workshops for children," she said. "The theatre brings in a lot of business to Huron County and we are trying to keep it affordable to families." Blyth Centre, which stresses Canadian plays, has a budget of $264,000 for 1982 and has only lost money one year since it began operation. Last year $142,000 was generated in box office receipts, $80,000 was realized in grants and $27,000 was raised locally in support of the theatre. Forty people were hired for summer work there. Mrs. McAdam told council the theatre was providing more than cultural entertainment in the Huron County area. "More than 28,000 people came to Huron County last year and Blyth Centre for the Arts also provides enrichment and activity within the county," she said. "It is a good return on investment and this year we are asking for $1'00 from each municipality." Councillor Elsa Haydon said the theatre is known coast to coast adding that the theatre has built an identity for the quality of Canadian plays presented. The matter was referred to the ttnan cornus -lace and it will present a recommendation to council at a future meeting. So how do you like the weather? Unseasonably cold temperatures combined with strong winds and snow over the weekend, had Goderich residents wondering whether spring would ever manage to break winter's icy grip. An O.P., P. spokesman reported that police closed Highway 8 between Goderich and Stratford on Sunday afternoon due to poor visibility and drifting snow. The London Weather Office reported that ap- proximately 8.3 centimeters of snow fell in Huron County, accompanied by winds gusting up to 102 kilometers an hour on Saturday. By Sunday the winds had shifted to west-northwest averaging between_BQ and 85 kilometers an hour with additional ac- cumulations of snow due to the lake effect. Meteorologists are predicting that by Wednesday, temperatures should begin to rise with the high around freezing. On Thursday the forecast is for mainly cloudy skies with the temperature expected to go up to 2 C. Friday's weather is expected to be a mixture of wet snow or freezing rain with a high during the day of 4 C. Science fair a county first It's a first for Huron County. A county -wide science fair, the end result of school -and regional science fairs, will be „,held at Huron Centennial Public School, Brucefield on April 14. First and second place winners, in each of the three categories, biological, physical and general, from the four regional fairs will be competing at the county level. Grade 7 and 8 students, with Grade 6 optional, competed in their own schools and one winner from each category was sent to the four regional fairs which are being held this week. Up until now, only elementary schools in the north end of the county have competed in science fairs with winners participating in. the Perth County science fair. This year interest from across the county makes, it possible for Huron to hold its own. From the county fair, up to four exhibitors will take the next step to the Canada -wide science fair to be held at York University, Torotno from May 15-23. Judges for the county fair are Ken Wood, vice- principal of FE, Madill Secondary School, Wingham; • Herb Murphy, principal of Central Huron Secondary School, Clinton; Doug Jamieson, of Centralia College; Frank Belbetz, of Ausable Bayfield Con- servation Authority; Don Longwell, of Champion Road Machinery, Goderich and trustee, Dr. John Goddard. Judging is to take place in the morning with an awards poresentation following. The county science fair is open to the public on April 14 from 2 to 5 p.m: and -again from 7-9 p.m. Plans for new ICU complete Plans for, the new Inl\ensive Care Unit at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital are almost complete and the overall construction contract will be tendered in about two weeks. Pre -tenders for the medical 'walls and the struc- tural steel for the unit were approved by the hospital board recently. The contract for the medical wafts was awarded to Isolation Systems at $34,345, and the contract for the structural steel was awarded to Shannon Steel at $12,470. Although the tenders came in at about $7,000 over estimate for the medical walls, money was saved on the structural steel tender which came in at about the same amount under estimate. INSIDE THE SIGNAL -STAR Optimists win The Goderich Optimist senior girls ringette team captured the WOAA league chanhpionship in the fifth and deciding game against Wingham in Goderich Thursday. The story and pictures appear on the, Recreation page. A. kid at heart Bob Schneider is a 35 -year old kid -at -heart musician with a special talent for communicating with children. He will appear in Goderich Monday. April 26 and Joanne Buchanan has the stony inside. Four great shows The third play in the Four Great Shows for Children series :onsored by ale Goderich Recreation Departm'et will be held at Victoria Public School Sunday, A. it 18. Details of the show appear in a stop., by Kris Svel inside.