Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-12-10, Page 1Goderich- 138YEAR -50 Town applies for job creation GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEi1NESi)Lii[, i)c;i;Liviao.'. a a f ice"" 60 CENTS PER COPY RIDS program active in Huron County BY PATRICK RAFTIS For the motorist, the sight of flashlight - carrying policemen standing in the middle the road flagging down cars is no longer the surprising scene it once was. A few years ago, drivers would probably assume they were approaching an accident scene, but now they are more likely to surmise they have run upon a "spot check". Spot checks, officially know as the .. Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere RIDE) program, have become the main tool in police efforts to rid the roads of the dangerous menace of the drinking driver. The method has been questioned and it's constitutionality tested, yet motorists are now aware the RIDE program will be at work during every holiday season and are perhaps drinking less because of it. Ontario Provincial Police statistics for Huron County for the latest RIDE pro- gram, which began Nov. 17, indicate only five persons • were charged with alcohol related criminal driving offences as of Nov. 30. Goderich, Exeter and Wingham detachments also issued 13 12 -hour licence suspensions and 26 liquor -related charges after checking a total of 1,095 vehicles. In Goderich, spot checks are set up on a joint basis between the local OPP detach- ment and the Goderich Police Depart- ment. Spot checks conducted this weekend . found a very low percentage of drinking drivers. On Friday evening, Dec. 5 a total of were checked and only one liquor uor out of residence charge was laid. On Satur- day night, the officers made two motorists give breath samples ory the portable ALERT breathalyzer, but laid no charges in either case and laid one liquor charge. "Out of 124 cars, just to find liquor in two vehicles — that's a pretty good average," said Goderich Police Chief Patrick King. I think the message is sort of sinking in." Unlike in metropolitan areas of the pro- vince, King said local police officers have to work their RIDE duties in around their regular patrols. "In small towns, where people know how many officers we have, we can't keep two Motorists on Bayfield Road encountered Goderich Police and OPP officers conducting a safety check under the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program on the weekend. No im- paired though police a aired drivingcharges were laid, even thou h oleic checked men out doing spot checks for long periods. We haven't got to the point yet where we would call out men on overtime to check every vehicle that moves," King said. He feels the random checks create enough awarness of the program to act as a deterent to potential drinking drivers. "If a check of 120 or so vehicles found 20 or more ( drinking drivers) we might con- sider putting two men on duty just cheking cars," King added. Another encouraging trend revealled by the RIDE statistics, is the small number of people 'ticketed for not wearing seat belts. total of 124 cars on Friday and Saturday nights. The motorists pic- tured were found to be bdckled up and obeying the law. (photo by Patrick Raftis) "We're finding that ,a lot of people are buckling up," said King, adding that seat belts are not the main concern of the RIDE program and officers tend to "warn more than they charge," where unbelted motorists are concerned. King said motorists stopped in the checks have been "responding very well," to the idea. One new '.wrinkle to the pro- gram this year which could further enhance the attitude of motorists to the. checks is the handing out of "seat belt cut- ter" knifes to law-abiding motorists stopped.. - "Quite a few people seem to have a fear .of being trapped in their vehicle by their seat belts," said John Marshall, OPP public relations officer for the Goderich detachment. The cutters, which fasten to the dash of the car, are given out as a good- will gesture by officers manning the check points. ' Area police will be continuing the cur- rent spot check program into the new year. Checks are alsc held at. random times throughout the rest of the year, but are most prominent during long weekends. and holiday seasons. , Champion A unique agreement, aimed at helping the African country of Zimbabwe over- come long-term maintenance and training problems with its fleet of Champion road graders, was signed between the interna- tional grader manufacturer and the Cana- dian International Development Agency CIDA) here Friday. Officials of Champion Road Machinery Ltd. and CIDA signed the two-year train- ing and equipment management agree- ment which will extend assistance to Zim- signs Zimbabwean agreement babwe for its fleet of 63 Champion graders. Huron MP Murray Cardiff, acting on behalf of CIDA, and Mark Sully, Cham- pion's vice-president of rnai keting, acting on behalf of Equipment Management Ser- vices, a new division of Champion, signed the $475,000 contract. Calling the contract a "unique agree- ment" Sully said it was aimed at helping Zimbabwe's Central Mechanical Equip- ment Department overcome long-term equipment maintenance and training Brian McBurney, 35, Reeve of Turnberry Township was sworn ih as Warden of Huron Coun- ty for 1987 at the inaugural meeting of Huron County Council on Dec. 9. On county council since 1980, McBurney receives the chain of office from 1986 Warden Leona Armstrong, of Grey Township. (photo by Alan Rivett) problems. "It is a training and equipment manage- ment program specifically addressed to the problems of Zimbabwe," he said. "We feel that it goes right to the heart of an age old equipment management problem.' which „up to now, North American manufacturers have been unsuccessful in resolving in Africa. The system we have developed will help Zimbabwe maximize the use of expensive machinery and keep it on the job." The contract calls for spending of $475,000 on training and equipment maintenance programs a key component of which is a series of video -based training programs produced by Champion to help Zimbabwe improve utilization of its fleet of graders. Taylor Lambert, manager of the com- pany's lquipment Management Services division, says the program takes a respon- sible approach to aiding African countries. Lambert, who has worked extresively in the Middle East, Asia and South Africa for Champion, was responsible for pulling the contract together between Zimbabwe and CIDA. "You have to be responsible for equip- ment and services provided to other coun- tries and programs like this should have been implemented years ago," he said. "Funding has helped put highly technical equipment into countries with no technical expertise and no allocation ' for spare parts." The spare parts budget will reach $1.2 million over a three-year period, with $300,000 allocated this year. That amount will subsequently increase to $400,000 in 1988 and $500,000 in 1989. Tailored to Zimbabwe's specific needs, the contract calls fora spare parts and workshop management program. Cham- pion will place a product -support Turn to page 19 • The Town of Goderich has submitted an applicaton for a $204,908 job creation grant. The grant is part of the Unemployi: 'ent Insurance Section 38 Job Creation pro- gram, Goderich's objective under the9 pro- ject is to improve existing and new town properties by way of labor intensive work which cannot be provided by existing budgets. Projects will take place in the Town of Goderich and the Townships of Goderich and Colborne. Proposed work includes: general parks improvements including painting, fencing, planting, clean up, construction; main Leach improvements construction as per Masterplan; improvements to Maitland Cemetery incjuding records, monuments, landscaping etc.; maintenance of town wood lots (removal of deal falls, thinning, planting, clearing); assisting Dockmaster with Marina; secretarial help with Tourist Bureau; improvements to the airport and existing buildings; help at the pollution plant assistance to the building inspector and erosion control. Public Works Commissioner Ken Hunter told council the applicant has to pay for "wage top up," including salrary to pro- gram supervisor. He also said up to $64,000 of the project can be used for materials, with the rest devoted to wages. It is not yet know how many jobs will be created if the application is approved, or how long they will last. Runway essential to decision Unless he agreed to a stipulation calling councillors learned for the first time that for a new runway to be built at the the compensation payment would be con- Goderich 'Airport within 10 years, the ditional on the runway being built within 10 Town of Goderich would have missed out years. The compensation request was entirely on a $100,000 compensation from launched, said Murphy, because the town Ontario Hydro, Goderich lawyer Daniel took the position, as owners of the airport, Murphy told Goderich Town Council at that the proposed power lines would make their Dec. 8 meeting. any additional investment in the airport, Murphy, who appeared as the town's unpractical, unless a new runway was representative before the Consolodated built. Hearing Board looking into the proposed Since this was the town's position, it was Bruce to London Ontario Hydro Power understandable, that the money came with Corridor, told council the stipulation made a designation to improve on that particular by the board, not by Ontario Hydro. He situation, Murphy explained. said the board believed the $100,000 com- "The line was going through whether we pensation award would not serve the liked it or not. It was obvious we were not public interest in the matter, unless a new going to get any money for (disruption to) runway was built. the existing airport, the only way we could Murphy was responding to questions ar- get that $100,000 was to build the new run - rising at the Nov. 24 council meeting, when way," he said. Merchants uninterested in opening Sunda; BY LOU -ANN HOPE Although hundreds of businesses across Ontario have been defying The Retail Business Holidays Act and have been open for business on Sundays during the past two months, Goderich merchants have said they will not defy the law by opening for business on Sunday. In a general survey conducted on some Goderich businesses last week, the Signal - Star found that most Goderich merchants would not be interested in opening for business on Sunday. Managers at Zehrs, A and P, Rieck Pharmacy, The Goderich Entertainer, Peoples Department Store, The Met, Fin- cher's and Woolworth's Department Store, as well as the president of the Shoppers Square Association, were asked to com- ment on Sunday openings and whether their store would open for business on Sunday. Ray Hurd, manager of Z hrs, said his store would not open Sunday "We're very much again it. Our philosophy now and that of ehrs cor- porate philosophy is that we don't want to open on Sunday. "The only time we would open on a Sun- day in this town would be if we were forced to open over a period of time by a major competitor. By that I mean if a major competitor opened on Sunday, we would monitor the store's Sunday 'business over a period of time and then decide whether to open or not," Hurd said. He added that his employees were also against opening on Sunday. A and P manager Gordon Fisher said his store was not opening on Sunday's "as of yet." He said that the community might see the store open if the Supreme Court of Canada finds The Retail Business Holidays Act unconsititutional. Fisher also said that if there is no com- petition open, in Goderich, A and P head of- fice would not open the Goderich branch. However, the local A and P would perhaps open if their competition was open. Rieck Pharmacy is open on Sundays.and store co-owner Vi Stringer stipulated they were open because they were covered by the Retail Business Holidays Act which allows pharmacies to open on Sunday and holidays. The act states that an accredited drug store or pharmacy may remain open on Sunday and holidays under certain condi- tions which include the opening of the prescription counter and the principal business on the holiday must be the sale of goods of a cosmetic, pharmaceutical, hygienic or therapeutic nature. Mrs. Stringer said they were open more for service to the town than for any other Public meeting will be held reason. She added their employees their employees do not mind working Sunday. Bob Brindley, owner -manager of The Goderich Entertainer, has opened his store on Sundays for the past year and a half. "We talked about it prior to opening and 'they (the employees) were quite willing to work," Brindley said. 1 -le said the theatre branch of The Ministry of Consumer and Commercial' Relations regulates video stores as well as theatres, such as Goderich's Park Theatre. He said that since theatre's were open Sunday, "they (the ministry) figured we could do it too." Brindley noted with seven video outlets in Goderich, being open Sunday helps business. Local management at Peoples Depart- tient Store is opposed to Sunday openings "porn to page '8 6 The second stage of the Goderich Recreation Master Plan and Feasibility Study is basically complete, and another public meeting will be held on Thursday, December 11 in the auditorium of the Goderich Arena beginning at 8 p.m. "It's not so much a public meeting;" Recreation Director Jane Netzke said last week. "It's an open house. It's a chance to see the results, the consultant (John A. Stevenson and Associates from Toronto ) has compiled. "You can also meet the consultant and the _committee members," she said. "It's an information sharing meeting. It'll be more of a presentation of what we've found and a chance to get the feeling of the public." The purpose of the entire study is "to assess the current and future recreational needs of Goderich and district and to recommend a 10 -year developmental plan consistent with the philosophy of the Town of Goderich Recreation'Department," the Data Base report released to the commit- tee members last Thursday revealed. Two-thirds of the overall study has been completed: the planning context and the public participation program. Issues and opportunities have yet to be discussed. "At the meeting, information in this data baste, .will`be shown (results &surveys, in- terviews etc.)," Netzke said. "We want it to be a very relaxed information kind of meeting since it is near Christmas. ' "We also want to know if we're on target. This is a way to test it," she said. Netzke said there are two more public meetings planned, one. in January and the final one (hoPefully) in February. The first one (January's) is a general public meeting to present the overall fin- dings and receive some feedback from the people. The final one will be a presentation to council which will contain the consul- tant's recommendations. i THE. Theme day at school Students at Robertson Memorial Public School participated in painting, acting, cooking, music and computer activities last Wednesday during "I'mThe Only Me" theme day held at the school. For more pictures and a story, see the front page of the Community Section. Conference held Employers from across Huron County descended upon Benmiller Inn recently to take part in a business seminar sponsored by the Goderich Canada Employment Cen- tre and the Federated Business Bank of Canada. For a'story on human rights, see inside the Commtinity Section. Sailors revitalized The Goderich Sailors dropped a 7-4 deci- sion to the Walkerton Blackhawks during their only game in Junior C hockey on the weekend in Walkerton. After almost folding at the beginning of the season, the Sailors have added several new faces and are ready for Friday when they host the league -leading Hanover Barons at 8:30 part. in the Goderich arena. For a story, see the front page of the Sports section.