Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-09-22, Page 1thed-ric SIGNAL—STAR 134 YEAR -38 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22.1982 50 CENTS PER COPY The new Intensive Care Unit at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital may still resemble a battle zone but work crews are busy cleaning up loose ends in time for the official opening Tuesday. The unit will be open to the public from 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and the official opening is scheduled for 6.30 p.m.( Photo by DaveSykes) Board welcomes everyone to ICU official opening Tuesday The Board of Governors of Alexandra Marine and .General Hospital is pleased to extendan invitation to the public to• attend the official opening, of • the Intensive Care Unit Tuesday. • After months of planning, preparatory work and. fundraising, the intensive care unit will be opened up for public inspection Tuesday, September 28 from.2 to 9 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 6.30 p.m. in the new unit on the first floorof the hospital:. The festivities will include, speeches by local dignitaries and .politicians and a plaque unveiling. The ceremonies will feature two guest speakers, Dr. Murray McAdam, president of the Ontario Medical Association and Gordon Cunningham, executive. director of the Ontario Hospital Association. The cost of the new intensive care unit is in excess of $500,000 and the community served by the hospital raised more,than half bf the money through donations and pledges. Increased care means more staff Increased home care for the elderly means more staff for the Huron County Health Unit. At a special meeting on Sept. 8, Huron County coun- cil approved additional staff for the home care'divi- sion of the health unit. , A third co-ordinator was hired for one day a week at the rate of $12 per hour. Apart -time physiotherapy assistant at the rate of $14.50 per hour was 'approved. This position would be for about nine hours a week. A half-time clerical worker was also approved. Bayfield Reeve 'George Fellows criticized the in- crease in statt. He was concerned the part-time staff would increase into full-time staff: Administrator William Hardy explained that the health unit's home care budget is funded 100 per cent by the provincial government. He added that home care is offered to the elderly as an alternative to stay- ing in a hospital or nursing home. Medical Officer of Health Dr. .Harry Cieslar said there is an increase in the home care program because more older people require assistance in their homes. Council proceeds on tower project When the new Goderich town council takes office after the November 8 election they will be faced with the arduous task of raising $1.1 million to finance a new water tower. Council gave the PUC a green light to apply to the Ministry of the Environment for a grant towards the construction of a new water tower and im- provements to the water distribution system. At the same time, the PUC is encouraged to increase a reserve fund to diminish the municipal requirements for the project. In essence, council has agreed to apply for a grant, the Ministry recently indicated by letter that 39 per cent of the total money would be available if council applied by October 1, and leave the financing of the projectto the next council and PUC. The major stumbling block with the project is financing. The town will have to raise $1.1 million, `which they argued could be accomplished in a number of ways, While there were also some disagreements with respect to the manner of financing, some councillors Sitggested that the- financing 'detai'ls",shoul'd be inn- plicitly worked prior to the grant application. The motion at Monday's meeting was more of a compromise in that council agreed to go ahead with the ptaject but left the financing details to be dealt with at a later date. Members of the PUC indicated that the money could be raised in several ways, without stating a definite preference for any one method. There is a reserve fund in the amount of $189,000 which would leave the town to raise about $900,000 for the project. A debenture of approximately $900;000 would require annual payments of between $150,000 . and 'about $180,,000 and the taxpayer would donate almost $2 million in total for the project. Members of the PUC suggested the annual debenture payment could be made by increasing the water rates by 23 per cent which would boost the average residential bill to .$137.60 per year. That increase would give the PUC $125,000 additional in- come per year. The commission could also raise the annual payments by requesting a four mill rate increase in the 1983 budget, but the final decision will rest with the new council. If council decides to raise the money through water rates, those rates would increase by 23 per cent plus additional increases the PUC would require to cover , increased distribution costs. The average resident could pay $140 annually for water. There was general agreement that a new storage facility is a necessity considering the r present 1.5 trillion capacity tank cannot serve the three million gallon summertime demand. However the financing problem was augmented•by the urgency of applying to the Ministry for a grant on the pproject. The . ministry wanted ,notification -by_�- Octaber 1 and there' was a feeling that if the town didn't apply and accept a grant this year, it may have to wait forseveral more years. . Deputy -reeve Bob Allen, who introduced the motion said council should at least formulate a policy statement indicating it would proceed with the plans for the tower and also with plans to build up a reserve fund: Councillors Glen Carey and Elsa Haydon suggested the entire matter should be left,to the new council and PUC, which would mean the town would miss the October 1 application deadline. • Reeve Don Wheeler, Carey and Haydon voted against the motion to proceed with application to the ministry. Council will ask OMB to dispense with ONIP vote The town of Goderich will ask the Ontario Municipal Board to dispense with a hearing and•allow. the town's proposed Ontario Neighbourhood Improvement Program ( ONIP) project to proceed as scheduled. The motion was endorsed by council at its regular meeting Monday after receiving a petition from a group of citizens, objecting to the town's application to , dispense with a vote of the electorate on the project. The $800,000 project, involving hard and soft ser- vices in the west end of town, required OMB approval and approval to dispense with a vote of the electorate, since the project will be carried over to a new term of council. The notice, indicating the town would pursue an application of dispensation, , allowed an objection period of 21 days, which expired September 16. ' A group of citizens filed an 'objection to the dispensation application Monday, September 20. Subsequently the town solicitor has been instructed to ask the OMB not to consider a public hearing into the objection. The petitioners objected to the procedure pursued by council claiming the dispensation infringes upon and attempts to destroy the fundamental rights of electors in a democratic system of government. The •7• Terry Fox Run One hundred and nine people participated in Goderich's Terry- Fox run Sunday to°raise ap- proximately $2,500 for cancer research. At left, Marian Rock and her sister Audrey Vanden Heuvel jog to completion vif the 10 kilometre course. At .right, six-year-old' Shawn Thomson who has cerebral palsy, forges on ahead in his electric wheelchair while his sister Stephanie studies a map of the course. (Photos by Joanne Buchanan) petitioners said in a letterthat political power resides in all people and is either exercised by them or given to elected representatives. The letter further suggests that democracy extends to all levels of government and council should not be able to dispense with the rights of the electorate. The ONIP project calls for street . and road reconstruction, storm and sanitary sewer repair and other related repairs in the, area between Britannia Road and Elgin .Avenue, west of Waterloo. Street to Harbour Road. The total cost of. the project is estimated at $800,000 with government grants covering $525,000 while the town will chip in $275,000 over the next four years., The work is to include im- provements at Harbour Park and St. Christopher's . Beach. • Many of the residents listed on the petition, live outside the ONIP area. Councillor Jim Searls said the petitioners are concerned with flooding problems in their own area of town and probably don't feel council has its priorities straight by proceeding with the ONIP work. Just a few months ago, residents in the Hinks, Jones and Mary Street area petitioned council td commence- wbrk on the sewer system in that part of town to alleviate flooding problems. Deputy -reeve Bob Allen, pointed out that council. followed the proper 'procedure to intitiate the program but the petitioners, he insisted, were not following the proper course of action. "We held public meetings on this .project and there were no objections," he said. "It was circulated in the proper manner but people don't follow the due course and I'm not sure why they do it." Stan Profit -agreed that council adhered to the rules and followed the regulations required. In the spring, council agreed to undertake some remedial measures in the Hinks, Jones and Mary Street area this year to alleviate flooding problems. At Monday's meeting, council accepted a tender from John Cox Construction Ltd. of Wingham in the atnount of $75,627 to complete the first phase of sewer construction in that area of town. . The bid was the lowest of 11 received by council. Terry Fox run attracts 109 here Terry Fox may be gone but his dream to find a cure for cancer persists in the hearts of people across Canada and even around the world. As the sun shone Sunday, 109 people rang jogged, walked or rode bicycles to raise $2,500 in G'bderich during the second annual Terry Fox run. Over one million.- dollars . was raised • across _the. _country in similar runs the same day. All of this money will go toward cancer 'research and perhaps some day soon Terry's -dream will be fulfilled. The youngest participant in the Goderich run was 10 -month-old Chad Armstrong who was pushed in his stroller by his dad. The oldest participant to complete -the -10---kilbmetxe- cuuxse.--was. _.68 -year-old Arnold Zonneveld. Michael Cox had the most pledges at $220. The largest group to take part was the GDCI cross country team with coach J-o)m Smallwood. Mayor Harry Worsell rode his bike around the course and six-year-old Shawn Thomson, who has cerebral palsy, completed the course in his electric welchair. .ast year, 100 participants raised 42,100 in Goderich. The Goderich Kinettes organized both last year's and this year's run. Haydon retires after 12 years With the municipal election about six weeks away, members of Goderich town cofincil are being secretive about their political intentions and aspirations. In a poll conducted at Monday's regular meeting, only one council member, Elsa Haydon, indicated she has no intention of running in the fall election. Haydon has served as a town councillor for abnost 12 years. Other members offered guarded responses while admitting they would Beek a position on council. Mayor Harry Worsell said he will definitely run in the November 8 election but simply added he would "seek a position on council" refusing to specify what that position might be. Reeve Don Wheeler said he would also seek a position on the 1983 council. Deputy -reeve Bob Allen was a little more specific in his response revealing he would either run for mayor or reeve. Councillor Stan Profit hasn't made a firm decision on his political intentions but said he would definitely be on the November 8 .ballot adding that he has thought of running for mayor. Councillors Glen Carey, Jim Magee, John Doherty and Jim Searis all claimed they would seek a position on council. The municipal, election is set for . Monday, November 8 and any taxpayer running for town council, PUC, or the Huron County Board of Education must file nomination papers with the town administrator between October 14 and 18. The ad- vance poll will be held October 30. Trial date set for December Charges against Domtar Inc. and two of its supervisors were adjourned to trial December 21, 22 and 23 at the request of the company. The request for adjournment was granted in provincial court here Wednesday after the company had filed a motion with the court. The motion was granted after Domtar explained that the company required the services of an expert witness who was not available on September 16. Domtar and two supervisors, Berend Kolkman and William Lawson face charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges were laid following the November 1981 death of Stephen Palmer of Goderich. The company and two supervisors, Lawson and Ken Duncan also face charges in the November 1981 death of Gordon Powell. Those charges will be heard in provincial court Tuesday, October 12. Humane Society forms in Huron After years of trying, Huron County finally has a Humane Society branch. The Huronia Branch received its official charter from the Ontario Humane Society recently and will • hold • a meeting this Thursday night to organize volunteers -and fund-raising for a shelter and a paid. , agent to look after lost, injured, abused and even rabid animals in this area. The meeting will be held in Knox Presbyterian Church board 'room, Goderich at 8 p.m. Everyone interested is welcome to attend. For further in- formation, contact board member. Gail Clark at 482- 7962. Grade 9 day It's not always easy starting out the year in a new school and it can be a traumatic experience for a grade niner who is forced to dress funny while ad - lusting to the new surroundings. Friday was Grade 9 day at GDCI last Week and all the new .arrivals were dressed for the occasion as they picipated in pyramid building and tug-of-war contests. See the inside pages'of this section. Pair -artists The Christmas Country Fair, a popular Colborne-- Township annual attraction, is set to go October 20 and 23 and many local artists arid craftsmen will be featured. Joanne Buchanan talked to two local artists who will be displaying stained-glass work at the fair. Seethe second section. Bears win title The sports scene is booming with football, soccer, baseball and basketball. The ball season is slowly coming to a close as the Bears won the slopitch championship Monday to end play in that league. Details can be found in the Recreation section.