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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-05-01, Page 1It Sign will be legalized for hot dog The illegal no parking sign at the corner of Hamilton Street and The Square used by Laird Eisler -'s hot dog wagon will be legalized until Eisler's deadline of July 15 to move from the spot. Goderich council agreed to amend the traffic by-law to legalize the sign at its Apr. 29 meeting after an enquiry by Police Chief, Pat Kifig about the parking spot's status. "Now that the public is beginning to learn the spot is illegal, he (Chief -King) is placed in an awkward situation of how to deal with it," explained Counc. Bill Clif- ford. the by-law Will be rescinded when Eisler finds another spot to do business. "It's dangerous because we're recom- mending legalizing something that isn't legal. What happens if he comes and asks for an extension? By recognizing it, we are condoning it and that bothers me," said Mayor Eileen ahner. Mayor Pa er said she learned at are - cent BIA m ting that each parking spot earns $65,0 worth of business for the downtown every year. She said the figure was a staggering answer to those who ask how the town is subsidizing the wagon. "I sympathize with the young man but frankly we're over a barrel because it's ioderic SIGNA causing proulems for our local con- stabulary. We cexttainly all admire his pluck but by-laws are by-laws," she said. Counc. Don Wheeler agreed with the mayor saying, "If you went back to square one and someone asked for a sign, you'd say no." Wheeler asked when the no parking sign was erected and who put it up because `the Commission r of Works doesn't know." To give legal authority to the police to enforce the parking spot, the traffic by-law must be changed, said Clerk - Administrator Larry McCabe. "A motion, recommendation and by-law all have dif- .on ferent levels of legality. It would be up to a judge whether the police could use a „mo- tion to enforce it," he said. "I don't think anyone wants to create un - clue hardship to the gentleman involved. We're not going to cripple the than. We don't want to do that," said Clifford. Counc. Jim Searls asked why the matter of the sign wa\s not referred to the works comtnitte-which normally deals with traf- fic signs. "Because we (the administrative com- rnitttee) were dealing with the subject, the correspondence came to us. We're not try- ing to usurp any of the prerogatives of any of the committees," said Wheeler. EST ALL ROUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA (Circulation Class 3500 - 4500) C.C.F'!.A. Better Newspaper Competition 1984 s' 137 YEAR -18 7! $ r m . ,,u,bn 01, l d,,,:;i,@a Ill M1, .1';ili,.,- ui�4.,i :;raV,11 S' ,,,,11,�.1�;J01 ! 11 {IIIJ� i ll ls:i �,lL' , 11! ,t 0.0..1saLL:01,1u: G'ODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 1985 50 CENT'S PER COPY ciis is _raise $3,-o-00- The Goderich Bike-a-thon for Cancer, sponsored by the Kinsmen and Kinettes, attracted 66 cyclists who- raised aver $3,000 by pedalling over a ?Okm, course_ in the_ one day -event_ Of course, all the proceeds from the event go towards cancer research and 12 year-old Dorie Anne MacLennan and 11 year-old Jenny Hayter illustrated the fact with poste,rs on their bikes proclaiming that Cancer can be beaten. i photo by Dave Sykes Town of Goderich is in excellent shape The Town of Goderich is in an excellent financial position, Ron Kaufman, of Spicer MacGillivray Chartered Accountants told council while presenting the financial statements of 1984 at its Apr. 29 meeting. "For three years in a row, the town has been in excellent financial shape which is a tribute to the administration of the town," he said. Despite the ministry guidelines of 10 per cent for tax arrears, the town dropped from 8.8 per cent in 1983 to 4.6 per cent which points to an excellent collection of taxes for 1984. According to the six year anaylsis, the tax arrears are the lowest they've been in six years. The town's consolidated balance sheet shows unrestricted assets for 1984 at $1,368,046 which far exceeds the liabilities of $574,0551eavi ig an accumulated surplus of $214,869. "That's a healthy position to be in," said Kaufman. The, total funds raised for 1984 were $6,969,398 while the funds expended for the year were $4,168,629. Reserve funds were established for both the Maitland Cemetery Board and the Business Improvement Area (BIA) which ended 1984 with a surplus. The surplus for the cemetery board was $11,176 which will provide a working capital for the board along with $10,202 allocated to reserve when the 1985 budget was approved. The BIA completed 1984 with a surplus of $7,323 which will be put into a reserve with the $12,000 allocated by the town to the BIA. The total shows a turnaround from a deficit in 1983 to a surplus in 1984. Drivers should obey._ school crossing rules Goderich police will be monitoring the school crossing at Bayfield Road and Ben- nett Street because drivers are not using it properly, says Police Chief Pat King. "We are having problems with vehicles going across when people are still on the crossing. Under the Highway Traffic Act, it's the duty of drivers to stop from both directions when the (crossing guard's) sign is up," he says. When the sign is up, drivers should also wait for the crossing guard to get back from the centre of the road. Failing to stop at any of the four school crossings in town could result in a $53 fine. The school crossings are only valid dur- ing school days for school children. The crossings should not be confused with pedestrian cross -overs which are marked with signs both overhead and on the ground and X's on the road. There are no pedestrian cross -overs in Goderich. "Some people think we have cross -overs but we don't. A crossing guard cannot stop traffic to get adults across the road," says Chief King. Part of the problem with the school crossing on Bayfield is the fact that the road is a four -lane highway, he says. Town receives $200,000 under ONIP program The Town of Goderich will receive $200,000 under the Ontario Neighbourhood Improvement Program, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Dennis Timbrell an- nounced today. Timbrell said Goderich is among 91 municipalities which will benefit from $20 million in funding allocated today for corn= munity renewal activities under the provin- cial PRIDE initiative. PRIDE - Programs for Renewal, Im- provement and Development - was launch- ed in 1983 to revitalize Ontario's commercial and residential area. The PRIDE initiative includes the Ontario Neighbourhood Improvement Program, the Commercial Area Improvement Program, and the Business Improvement Area con- cept. The Ontario Neighbourhood Improvement Program is designed to assist municipalities to upgrade older, predominantly residential neighbourhoods occupied by low and moderate -income households. thider the program, the province—con-- tributes a grant equal to 50 per cent of the cost of the improvement project, with the municipality providing the remainder. Projects are to be c-ompleted over a four- year period, with provincial funding allocated in instalments as the work pro- gresses. Clubs are responsible for drunk drivers BY SUSAN HUNDERTMARK Goderich service clubs should educate their bartenders and patrons at special events because the clubs, like regular drinking establishments, are liable if they serve an intoxicated person who gets into an accident after leaving the event. Representatives from several Goderich clubs plan to offer non-alcoholic drinks. food and rides home from events after at- tending a seminar sponsored by the Addic- tion Research Foundation in Goderich last wa9ek. Year can be -held liable -for accidents caused by customers who drink too mtich. The injured party can sue both the cu:;tomer and the server," Jim Peters, from Intermissions in Northampton, Mass. told approximately 10 represen- tatives at the seminar. A drinking establishment with a high risk of losing a law suit would be located on a busy highway, serve mostly young males under 24, offer Ijttle or no food on the menu --and employ a young+ inexperienced staff. To reduce that risk, estabTi im ents could publicize alternative means of transportation, change its clientele, offer other activities than drinking, and train its Should educate alcohol servers staff to recognize the signs of intoxication and effectively deal with people who've had too much to drink. The methods used by restaurants could also be used by organizations that hold dances and beer tents for fund-raising, says Peters. "If you take steps it's hard for someone to made a case against you-," he says. Keeping food available for the whole evening of a dance and having the band an- nounce that rides are available every hour are a few of the ideas the broornball club may use at its dances, says Rick Powell. "I knew hotels were liable but I never thought we would be. It's hard to believe you have that inuch of a responsibility wher you hold a dance," he says. The beer tent at the annual Optimist Music Festival. has.-:ne-ver_ bad -any major_. problems with people drinking too much but the Optimists should still take steps to decrease the risk, says Dick Schoemaker. "Common sense should already handle the problem but you start to wonder when you learn about drinking and liability. It's hard to control that many people so you have to keep a clear head! • he says. "I'm pinking of suggesting we have a shuttle service and raise the price of drinks sa people drink less." Helen Wheeler of the Goderich figure skating club says she'll propose similar suggestions to her club for their annual dance. "We have to get our point across that we can be sued," she says. Offeringenon-alcoholic drinks is another alternative, says Peters. Called "mocktails" in the U.S., specialty juice drinks can mean a higher profit margin than alcoholic drinks while reducing the risk of liability. -.__Resta.u.i nts,__.,thou_„gh they offer mocktails, will often discourage people from ordering them in several ways. "They call mocktails by offensive names like 'Virgin Colada' or `Virgin Mary' .and they Serve them in a less attractive way. There could be many reasons why people choose not to drink alcohol and servers have to be more sensitive to that," says Peters. Signs placed at the entrance of an event telling patrons to find alternative ways home than driving drunk or suggesting one person be a designated driver for a group of drinkers can also help, he says. Servers can also learn methods to cut off drinkers in non -threatening ways. "If someone's drinking too fast you can slow the service or talk to the person or his/her friends. Another technique is giv- ing them the responsibility by saying, 'This is the last drink I'm going to serve you for awhile,"' he says. A good server to clientele ratio would be one to five. One problem at many events is that the bartender has net way of knowing how intoxicated all the drinkers are since many have others getting their drinks for them. The way around that problem is having a number of people walking around the event to kaep• an eye on things, says Peters. "Several clubs have people patrolling Dungannon man killed ill fatal car crash A 39 -year-old Dungannon man died as a result of a single, vehicle accident on Huron County Road 1, at Colborne Twp. Road 10, Monday night around 10:35 p.m. Kenneth L. McNee, of Jane St., Dungan- non, driving a 1979 Buick Station Wagon, was northbound on the county road, when the vehicle hit the east shoulder of the road, went across to the west side of the road and came to rest in the east ditch. McNee was the sole occupant of the vehi- cle, which was totalled. Police said driving conditons were "clear, dry and good," at the time of the accident. McNee is survived by his wife, Linda, . and three children. ,Make donation and wear a carnation The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada needs volunteers- for an hour or two for a variety of lobs. The Society's campaign goal is to equal or' surpass last year's total of $1,800, Multiple Sclerosis Carnation Day raises funds for research, clinics and patient services for people who have this potentially crippling neurological disease. It is estimated one out of every 650 Canadians has multiple sclerosis. Evert the town of-Goderich has not been missed with its cases of MS. And you can help. Remember on May 10th and llth, "Make a donation and wear a carnation." INSIDE THE SIGNAL -STAR Naval Veterans The Huron County Chapter of the Royal Canadian Naval Association held their Battle of the Atlantic Parade, Sunday mor- ning in Goderich. The event, com- memorating fallen sailors had extra meaning this year as 1985 is the associa- tion's 75th anniversary. Details and Photos inside. Election '85 Voters in Ontario go to the polls Thursday, in what pollsters indicate should be the closest provincial election in some time. The Signal -Star has coverage of a recent all -candidates meeting, hosted by Women Today in Clinton, as well as visits by Health Minister Alan Pope and Liberal leader David Peterson to this area, inside this section. Kings and queens The annual GD('I Sprirrg Prorn, will be held on Friday, May 3.Once " again students will choose a prom King and Queen from a number of nominees. Pic- tures of the nominees are included in this section. Vikings active GDCI soccer and track and field teams have been active in the past week, with both Jr. and Sr. soccer teams still 'tiridefeated. Local athletes also pulled Off some medal -winning performances at two recent track meets. Details in Recreation.