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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-02, Page 1OPP seek -public help in identifying woman BY DAVE SYKES The Ontario Provincial Police are still rely irg, on the :opt ,lie toFhelp identify a Woman whose •partially `burned body' was-: found " Tuesday, March 25 near a secluded sideroad in Ashfield Township. ' The charred remains of the ,,gnidentified female were found just a few metes off Horizon. View Road and one kilometre west off Highway 21 last Tuesday by neighbouring 1 farmer. The body was just a few metres from the gravel road, lying face down in the brush 1 and in the protection of the roots of a fallen tree. Inspectors Ron Roberts and Charles Judson of the OPP criminal investigation branch in Toronto were called in to head the investigation Wednesday. By thursday a partial description of the woman was released in the hopes the public could help identify the body. Constable Bill Wilson of the Goderich detach- ment said that several calls were received at the station but they quickly dried up. "The calls were corning in good at first and - all leads rd. m-issing-per-sens.-wer-e.- traced, ", he said. "But we ran into a dead end on every one." An autopsy was conducted in London Thursday by Dr. Douglas Mills, chief pathologist at St. Josephs Hospital. On Thur- sday he visited the site where the body was found: No cause of death has been disclosed but one police official said it could have been a number of things. According to one police official the face of the woman was 'relatively intact' and a composite drawing was prepared by Monday for cir- culation throughout Canada and the United States, hopefully, to get some leads. Along with the composite drawing police issued a brief description of the woman to aid in identification. She was'a white female between the -ages'of 18 and 25 and was approximately 5 foot 4 inches and 110 pounds. She has light brown hair worn in a pony tail and has small ears with no lobes, low on the side of her head. Her right nostril is slightly turned up and there 1. is a small growth at the entrance of the left nostril. Her teeth are fn good condition with some 'fillings. and her mouth is round in shape with a - trueness To the right side. There is 'a'lso a possible curvature of the spine. Also, a yellow gold diamond wedding band and engagement ring were found near the body' Anyone having information that may lead to the identification -of the woman is asked to call the Goderich Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police collect at 519-524-53.19. All calls will be held strictly confidential. The body was discovered by John MacKenzie of R.R. Goderich close to noon en Tuesday, March 25. MacKenzie, was driving along Hoi-izon View Road to feed horses he keeps in a bear near the lake when he noticed What he believed to be a dead calf lying by the side of the road near a'woodlot. MacKenzie inspected the body and realizing it was a human called police. OPP began combing the are late Tuesday afternoon and Inspectors Judson and Roberts arrived Wednesday to head the team of officers in the investigation. The identification team sifted through the brush Wednesday and Thursday in search of clues. The body was sent to _Vond4n tor--an-autopsy and several samples •- were' collected in plastic bags and sent to 'Toronto for analysis. At the site Thursday a police official said the body had been there less than a week and possibly a few days. The investigation team is still camped in the basement of the Goderich OPP detachment and teams of investigators, including officers from Goderich 'and 'other detachments, are still tracing leads. With the release of the composite drawing Tuesday, Constable Bill Wilson said it would be released throughout Canada and the United States because "we don't have much else to go on." He also said that investigators were not counting out the United States as her origin. ouncil waits for education levy Town council will wait for a final requisition from the Huron county Board of Education before drawing up the 1980 budget. Since the last budget meeting the County of Huron established their 1980 budget and the requisition to the town increased by $14,000. But the county's 1980 requisition, although higher, represents a mill rate decrease of .17 mills compared to 1979. As the budget now stands the general municipal mill rate would rise by 6.5 per cent or seven mills and mean an averag increase of $21 on a house assessed at $3,000. In 1978 the mill rate increase was held to 4.3 per cent and the 1979 mill rate increase was 2.3 ' per dent over that of 1978. If council decides to slash an additional $60,000 from the proposed budget it would result in a 2,8 per cent increase dver the 1979 figure for the general municipal !11111 rale. ilie bua•Cu 01 Education figures,. however, could easily double that figure. The town also finished 1979 with a surplus of ,$216,000 and the finance committee has recommended that present reserves should be increased or a reserve fund for an expenditure should be considered. The County mill rates have actually been decreasing for the past three or four years with only slight increases in 1975 and 77. The Board of Education increases have .levelled off recently after. Targe increases from 1975-77. In 1975 the education mill rate increased by 14.7 per cent, 28.5 per cent in 1976 and 20.5 per cent in 1977. The last two increases, have been 4A per cent and 8.9 per cent. The Board of Education is expected to complete its budget in April and the town will then set its final mill rate. 182 YEAR -114 ioya WEDNESDAY; APRIL 2, 1989,---7 35 CENTS PER COPY Shelter Bay could be marine museum BY SHARON DIETZ A proposal to create a Marine Display as part of the Huron_ County Pioneer Museum was presented -to Huron County Council for its reaction at last Thursday's meeting. The proposal, presented by the Property Committee, involves moving the , cabin of the Shelter Bay Lake Freighter to an on -shore site in the Town of Goderich for the purpose of, preserving the wheelhouse. The wheelhouse, as well as the control room of the ship, is probably regarded with a great deal of intrigue by the average citizen and 'members of the Goderich Harbour Committee met with the Property Committee of County .Council to discuss the possible joint effort of. moving the wheelhouse from the boat. Municipal employees get 8 per cen BY DAVE SYKES An eight per cent across the board increase for town employees met with some heated discussion at the council table Monday before being approved in a recorded vote. • Council passed a bylaw to authorize the execution of an agreement between the town and administration, public works, recreation, parks and pollution control plant employees that results in an eight per cent pay hike over 1979 salaries for all employees. In addition to the eight 'per cent raise several employees received raises ranging from 8.6 per cent to 14 per cent due to a level change on the town's grid system. ' While in most cases there was no disagreement with the wages, being paid there was some concern over the manner ire which the negotiations were completed with the town employees. The negotiations were completed at the committee level but councillor Elsa Haydon claimed that since the money was coming from the public purse the negotiations should have been in the open from the beginning. "The total of salaries and benefits will be close to $1 million and we have to cut services and programs from the budget," she said. "We are proposing more budget ciits and a more highly paid administration and 'I am not in agreement. The wage grid is not sacred." Heydon commented that the lowest paying jobs in the, town were held by women and suggested the Whole matter needed review before the raises were approved. She was Turn to page 7 • The one concern the Property Committee has set of cabins below the wheelhouse, otherwise in the venture is the financing of the project, known as the Captain's Office and Quarters, as said vice-chairman of the Property Committee, well as the Passenger Quarters, so that many. John Tintrey', Re -eve. or Hai':. -The_ Hart ar_ _.items presently scattered around the -museum Committee estimates the removal and relocation of the wheelhouse would cost about $31,000. The major expenses involved are the removal' and moving which is estimated to cost $9,500 and material for closing in the deck and labour estimated to be $6,400. It is the intention of the Harbour Committee to have every audible instrument and mechanical navigational aid as part of the display because this would further augment the interest that would be generated in such a display.. In addition, it is the intention to include the could be located in these quarters as an in- teresting and historically informative display. This would further present the opportunity of expanding the collection.. The project to remove, transport and set up the Wheelhouse and cabins for display as part of the Marine collection at the museum, came as a result of a donation from the Goderich Elevator and Transit Company. The project was originally outlined fer a Wintario application . which was not approved. Goderich Reeve Eileen Palmer said would support the project on the basis she that "Bunny to bunny, what's the inside story on the Easter egg racket?" Tracy Forrest, a Victoria Public School primary special education student, tries to relate to Batten on his level with a hand puppet called Mr. Bunny. Batten is one of two rabbits (the other one is called Cotton) living In her classroom. (photo by Cath Wooden) Goderich is an important port on Lake Huron and nautical artifacts in the town could ' be 'brought together' at the wheelhouse to create a marine• museum. She said •people from the county who have such artifacts would also be encouraged to bring them for display in the collection. Goderich's Deputy -Reeve Bob Allen told counciV.that the project is an unique op- portunity for the county and the Town of Goderich. "I don't know where you could establish a marine museum for these kinds of dollars," said Allen. "It could stand as a memorial to those -from the county who have participated in activities on the lake." Allen said he has toured the freighter which is used by. Goderich Elevator and Transit Com- pany for storage in the Goderich harbour. Reeve Palmer added that while she could not speak for Goderich Town Council, the town owns land in the harbour area where the Shelter Bay could be located without cost to the county. . After the proposal was presented to County Council, the reaction appeared favourable with the reservation that some means to finance the projecx.._wou_ih+e to be found. Ray Scotchmer, curator of the Pioneer Museum, told council the money could be raised through private donations or perhaps shares could be sold. Council recommended that the Property Committee obtain more information including whether private donations would be available, the actual cost of completing the project and the recommended location of the site: F"4 • This sketch was released by the OPP Tuesday - in the hope that the public can help identify this woman whose charred body was found on Horizon view Road tuesday, March 25. Sunday concert new obstacle for Optimists BY DAVE SYKES When one door opens • for. the Goderich Optimist Club anothersseems to close in behind them. The club's proposed outdoor festival in Harbor Park in June met with immediate • approval from council in March but later netted some serious discussions about -beer tents. On Monday council entertained a letter froth Don McMillan of the Goderich Laketown Band asking that Harbour Park be made available Sunday, June 29 after 6 p.m. for their weekly concert series. McMillan explained that the band 'holds a weekly concert series in ,the park from mid- June through to the Labour Day weekend and have a major attraction planned for June 29. He said, the high school group, Knights of Jazz, have• been booked for the evening and the tourist committee was considering entertaining Bay City officials at the concert. The Laketown Band, therefore, requested use of the park from 6 p.m. ori June 29. 'Bill Wedlock o.f the Optimist club said he had spoken to McMillan about the conflict and was willing to compromise. He offered an agreement Balling for free admission for senior citizens and children over the three-day festival, the Optimist club would donate $200 to the Laketown Band to compensate for the silver collection. taken at concerts and the band's evening program would be worked into the festival schedule on sunday evening. McMillan' said he wasn't trying to create,. obstacles but .was wary of departing from the free -concert philosophy the• band has main- tained over the years. "IT woutd-Wb dep-artirrg-from our nurnal- practice of free ,.concerts for the people," he said.," We have booked a high school group and we may now,.have to renegotiate with them. The executive would hate to see people get charged to get into the park." Reeve , Eileen Palmer suggested the two groups could work out their awn problems' and Tun{ to page 7 • Huron approves budget BY SHARON DIETZ Huron County Council approved their 1980 budget of $9 million at their March session last Thursday. The budget represents a seven per cent increase over last year. Total ex- penditures have increased $841,125. or nine percent, This year's increase means total ex- penditures have increased 48• percent since 1975. In the same period, the total taxable assessment has increased 14 percent and the province's share has increased 40 percent. . The 26 municipalities in the county will contribute $2:2 million whereas last year, they contributed 2.7 million. The municipalities will pay less this year because the province has paid the resource equalization grant directly to the county. In previous years this grant was paid to the municipalities. The county apportionment has decreased by 0.003 percent in the mill rate since 1975 which is "an enviable record for the councils over thle period 1975 to 1980. when you consider the rate of inflation in those years," according to County Clerk -Treasurer Bill Hanly. A major proposal in the budget was to in- crease the reserve fund for working capital by $50.000 to $900,000' in 1980. Haply told council there was no need to borrow working capital in 1979 and indicated it would be "nip and tuck" as to whether it would be necessary to borrow in 1980. He said a further subsidy would be requested from the Ministry of Transportation and .Communications which if received, would permit the county to operate without borrowing in 1980. The application of tax equalization factors on the 1980 assessment resulted In urhnn assessments decreasing and ah increase in the rural assessments. The province had frozen assessment in the early 1970s and the price of land has increased dramatically since then, especially in rural areas. No assessment was allowed to fluctuate more than five percent by application of the factors it the 1980 assessment.