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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-09-12, Page 33• two a uxIIia The tVingham police force plans to add two auxiliary constables to provide assistance as required in a back-up role. The two, Charles Krieger of Clinton and Dwight Adams of Wingham, will join the three persons — Sid Adams, Marty Cretier and Pat Angus — already on the roll as special constables, who can be called upon ° to help police on occasions when additional manpower is needed. Auxiliary or special constables are sworn in as police officers and are issued with uniforms and basic equipment; though not a fire- arm. They are paid an hourly rate based on the salary of a fourth-class constable for the time they work. Both men came highly recommended by Police. Chief Robert Wittig, who told the newly -formed Wingham Board of Police Com- missioners at •its meeting last week that both have previous police experience. Mr. Krieger, a carpenter by trade, has worked with the Seaforth police while Mr. Adams, an auto body repairman and the son of long-time special constable Sid, Adams, has been an auxiliary constable at Listowel. Chief Wittig also told the board both have been screened and approved by the Ontario Police Com- mission. He said he was recom- mending acceptance of their applications since Mr. Adams Sr. no longer wants to be involved with street work, noting they would be paid only as needed so that the cost to the town would be limited to their uniforms and equipment, which already is included in this year's budget. He explained that auxiliary constables are used only as a back-up to a regular constable and, since they are paid only for the time they work, it is more economical to use them than to bring .in =a regular. con- stable on overtime. The board unanimously approved accepting the applications. Chief Wittig said he would have the two men sworn in and then bring them to the board's October meeting to introduce them to the commissioners before they go on duty. In other business at the meeting the board agreed to the chief's, recommendation to call . tenders for a new police car to replace the three-year-old marked cruiser which now has 120,000 kilometres on it. Chief Wittig said the new vehicle would become the unmarked car, while the present unmarked car which is now a year old would be painted and used as the marked cruiser. This is a new procedure which he feels should enable the department to get more use from its vehicles, he ex- plained, since it will be possible to break in a new vehicle more gently. In response to a letter from the town council offering a joint meting with members of the loaner police com- mittee, commissioners spent some time in discussion, much of it in -ca cera, before emerging to pass a motion inviting Tom Milfer, the former police chairman, to meet with the board for 15 minutes prior to its next meeting, "at which time he may turn over the files and records in his possession." Commissioners had. been split on the question off whether or not to meet with Mr. Miller, with some suggesting a meeting out of courtesy while others suggested it would be a waste of time. Mayor William Harris had mixed feelings on the issue, saying a meeting might possibly be of some benefit but he was not sure. Pressed for reasons, he asked the board to go into closed session to continue the discussion. Jack Kopas had suggested the two chairmen could meet, however Jack Gillespie, who chairs the new board, said he would prefer any discussion take place at a public meeting of the full board. The conitnis$101101's •also agreed to change their regular meetipga to the first Wednesday, of each month instead of the second, ;to , accommodate Byron. Adams who is secretary -treasurer of the board. Mr. Adams was unable to attend last week's meeting since the area fire board, of which he is also secretary -treasurer, insets on the same night. 1VIeetings will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall. The meeting concluded with an in -camera report on contract negotions currently underway with the local police association. Jim Longdo to compete at world jiu-jitsu championship Wingham's Jim Longdo is together to compare notes on preparing for the fight of his the martial art. jiu-jitsu career at the first- Mr. Longdo said he will ever world championships spend the remainder of the this Saturday at Niagara week resting up for Satur- Falls. day. He is eying that world Mr. Longdo and the five championship very seriously other members of the Canadian team will take on jiu-jitsu fighters from Australia, England, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, the United States and the West Indies. The holder of the North American jiu-jitsu title, Mr. Longdo said he learned about the world cham- pionship four months ago. He tried out for the Canadian team two months ago, along with 24 other black belt jiu- jitsu fighters, and was one of the six to rtrake the team. Mr. Longdo, who works full-time for the Huron -Perth Separate School Board, must train at night on his own by running, skipping and doing flexibility exercises. Every Sunday he journeys to 'Toronto where he spars with other black belt holders and trains with other Canadian team members. He admits to being a "junk food junkie" and although he has , not changed his diet radically since he started. training, he has cut back on .the amount of alcohol he drinks because he found it wore him down. He does not smoke either. Since this is the biggest fight of his career, Mr. Longdo is definitely nervous, even though the Canadian team' goes into the cham- pionship in the top-rated position. Mr: Longdo said he feels the toughest com- petition will come from the West Indies team. The tournament will consist of 15 fights and will be in round-robin style. After the round-robin portion, the individual world cham- pionship bout is scheduled to take place. . The tournament is being sponsored through a Win- tario'grant from the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation. Mr. Longdo and his wife Mary will travel to Niagara Falls this Friday for Saturday's championship. He also 'said he is looking forward to Sunday when all the jiu-jitsu fighters will get and wants to be in top physical shape, especially since next year's cham- pionships are to be held in Amsterdam and he would love a chance to go there. JIM LONGDO of Wingham is preparing for the biggest jiu-jitsu fight of his career this Saturday when he takes part in the first-ever world championships at Niagara Falls. Although the Canadian. team is top-ranked in the tournament, Mr. Longdo still is nervous about the event and will spend the remainder of this week resting. Wraith receives 15 -year certificate Rod Wraith received a 15- year certificate as a member of the Wingham Public Utilities Commission at a PUC meeting earlier • this month. The certificate, issued by the Ontario Municipal Electrical Association, honors members for • long service on municipal commissions. Wingham Local member of band played at Pope's mass The papal mass held at Downsview last weekend will remain a special memory for Debbie Camp- bell of RR 2, Bluevale. Not only was she able to be there and to see Pope John Paul II, but she was a member of a band called in specially to play for the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the mass. Debbie, 15 and a Grade 11 student at F. E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham, is a member of the Senior Cadet Band at Camp Borden, in which she plays the glockenspiel. "We're rated the best cadet band in Canada," she explained, which "might have had something to do" with being selected to play for the Pope. The whole thing came as something of a surprise. Last Wednesday night Debbie learned the band, which had been together at Camp Borden during a six-week Senior Cadet Band course is summer, was being reassembled. Thursday morning she got a call asking if she could catch a bus from Wingham to London and from there to Toronto to play for the Pope. What are her memories of the historic occasion? One is of the weather, which was "really cold" though it didn't seem to dampen the en- thusiasm. The Pope flew in byhelicopter at about 4 p.m. ad drove by popemobile to the altar where he conducted the mass. At the end the band, which includes about 50 members fro` to all over Ontario, played several marches. There was one other band there, she said, in addition to a large massed choir. Seeing the Pope is some- one she will remember for a long time, Debbie said. "He passed right beside me — about 20 feet away and I had a good glance at him." At the end of the mass he walked down the front steps with his robes flying in the wind and it was a very im- pressive sight, she added. Debbie said she has been interested in music since she was about five years old but it remains "more of a hobby" with her. For a career, she plans to become a physical education teacher. A member of the Wingham Air Cadets, she, previously had taken the junior band course at Trenton. She ex- plained she chose to play the glockenspiel, an instrument somewhat similar to the xylophone, because of her background with the piano. In addition to playing for the Pope, there is a possibility the band will . be reassembled to play for the Queen during her visit to Canada this fall, as well as the chance of a 'trip to the World's Fair in Switzerland next summer. The band had previously played at bicentennial functions all over Ontario during its six- week course this summer. LAMS CLUB AWARDS were presented last week to H;tb Kenyon and Bill Crump, past presidents of the W,rjham club. Mr. Kenyon received the President's Award and both he and Mr. Crump received the 100 per cent President's Award in recognition of outstan- PUC Chairman Roy Bennett received his • 15 -year cer- tificate last year. In other business at the meeting, commissioners noted the PUC still is run- ning a deficit on its hydro operations, though Manager Ken Saxton reported he expects this to improve somewhat before the year- end., On waterworks; the commission still had not ceived the final bill for the major repairs to the water standpipe carried out this summer, but Mr. Bennett predicted the waterworks budget should be all right once the PUC gets the remainder of its 75 per cent provincial subsidy on the repair work. ding accomplishments during their" terms as president. The awards were presented by Russell Zurbrigg and Anil Bodasing, who is the club president for the current year. IRST SECTION ncie,Zimt Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 1984 Single Copy 50c '820,000 estimated price tag Cost of replacing lower dam e�Y 1 ..91OUp ' fends first step will be to meet with the various groups involved and start pressruing them for funds. Mr. Willis said the com- mittee "may have to show a bit of patience and if it (the dam) has to sit for another year, then it does." "But it will be that much harder to convince people that we need a new .dam if it sits like that for another year," said Mr. Beecroft. Lloyd Carter interjected, "I thought it was the con- sensus of the public meeting (held July 30) to replace the dam, so let's go ahead on the assumption that the money will be there." But the other committee members said they thought a more cautious route should be taken •and decided to set committee "lobl+ing "Willis mused, "Cheap; iSiet tit6WV'rngham's:Lower Town it?" dam;has found the price tag Mr. Beecroft cautioned to replace the collapsed that the $620,000 does not structure may be prohibi- include costs for soil and five. water studies which. would The 'preliminary report be needed if the town decided from engineer Ken Dunn of to go ahead and replace the B. M. Ross and Associates, structure, i l e Goderich, was presented at If the results of th so last Wednesday evening's testing are not favorable, committee meeting. Mr. Crump added, it could The final estimate of mean even more expense. $620,000 shocked most "We have to remember the members, who earlier had other dam (the Howson 'or been told it might cost in the upper dam) is in bad shape neighborhood of $400,000 to and we can't put all our replace the dam which apples in one basket," said collapsed in June. Mr. Beecroft. However Wingham Coun- Willie Vanderwoude cillor Bill Crump told last sugguested the Howson Dam week's. meeting that it had could last for many more been unfair to ask Mr. Dunn years if properly cared for, to come up with a figure at a but Mr. Crump said that dam special meeting with council is not structurally sound and earlier this summer, im- "can't be depended upon", mediately after the dam Getting back to the Lower gave out. Mr. Crump said the Town dam, he asked those engineer had been "pres- present, "As much as we'd sured" into making an esti- all like to see that dam mate and he should not be replaced, is it worth held to that amount. $600,000?" Committee chairman Ron Beecroft read the report at last week's meeting. It states that repairs to the old dam are "not worthwhile" and Mr. Dunn suggests replacing the dam with a 76 -metre (250 foot) straight -drop wier, which would require k'emoving part of the existing tbank. Silence fell when Mr. Beecroft announced the projected cost. Finally Tim Dog, bike licences available Thursdays Residents of Wingham needing to license a new dog or bicycle should visit the town police department any Thursday between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. In his monthly report to the Wingham Board of Police Commissioners, Chief Robert Wittig said this is the regular time set aside for dealing with licensing matters. For reasons of public security and to avoid interfering with other police matters, he felt it was better to designate a specific day and time, he explained. He told the board about 150 dog tags have been issued to date. The new tags are in effect for the life of the animal and include taking a photograph of the dog. The owner of a dog now found running at large with- out a licence faces a possible penalty of $95, the chief noted., This includes a $50 fine for failure to obtain a licence, $20 for the cost of the licence and a $25 fine for allowing the animal to run at large. For a second offence, the running -at -large fine doubles to $50. He said he hopes the large fines will force pet owners to be more responsible in controlling their animals. Asked what happens to an animal which has been picked up by the police, Chief However Mr. Willis was Wittig said it goes to the skeptical, considering the Wingham Veterinary Clinic amount of silt and debris where it is held for up to five that ends up In the pond each days while police attempt to Year. find the owner. After that it" Finally, after some further is either offered for adoption discussion, Mr. Vander or killed. woude said the committee's Mr. Vanderwoude esti- mated that with the extra costs included, a more realistic figure to replace the dam might be $700,000. Even if the town can collect half that amount in grants, it still leaves the taxpayers "holding the bag" for at least $350,000, said Mr. Crump. FUNDING SOURCES The Ministry of Natural Resources, the Maitland Val- ley Conservation Authority and Ducks Unlimited ( a sportsmen's association) are three agencies which have been suggested as possible sources of grant money for the project. The MNR already has stated its preferred course of action, Mr. Beecroft said. Ministry officials would like to see the dam rerboved entirely, a channel con- structed to redirect the river's flow and a wildlife habitat created. Mr. Beecroft said the ministry would plant special trees and shrubs which are designed specifically to withstand flood conditions. 1, 'up" a meettilg, or meetings, with MPP Murray Elston,, MP Murray Cardiff, the MNR, the MVCA and Ducks Unlimited. It also was suggested the committee contact the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation about the possibility of obtaining funds. As its final bit of business, the committee recom- .mended tocouncil that the existing dam be removed as soon as possible since Mr. Dunn had recommended that in his report. His reason for making the recommendation is that the existing structure. "presents an obstacle to flood flows, a potential hazard to users of the surrounding area and en- courages erosion to the streambed." , Three injured in separate accidents Three persons were .in- jured, none of them seriously, in separate motor vehicle accidents last Friday and Saturday. Lyndon Webster, 20, of Wingham, was treated at the Wingham and District Hospital following a collision with a dump truck on Josephine Street Friday afternoon. Town police reported that Mr. Webster, driving a 1979 Plymouth, pulled out from the Frosty Queen to head south on Josephine Street when he collided with the loaded dump truck owned by Levis Construction of Clinton and driven by Robert Harburn, 26, of Dublin. The dump truck was northbound with a load of gravel and was in the process of passing a truck parked along the east side of the street, police said. Mr. Webster `apparently did not see the truck, which struck his car broadside as he pulled out in front of it. Mr. Webster was taken to hospital by ambulance,_ where he was treated and later released. The driver of the truck was not injured. Damage to the vehicles was estimated at $3,000 to the car and $1,000 to the truck. In a separate accident Friday afternoon, Darrin S. Peel, 17, of RR 1, Wroxeter, escaped with minimal in- juries from a single -car accident in Howick Town- ship. Provincial " police at Wingham' reported that Mr. Peel was driving along Sideroad A preparing to turn left onto Concessioh 10-11 when the accelerator stuck and his car went into the south ditch and struck an embankment. He was • taken to the Wingham hospital for treatment. Damage to the vehicle, a 1977 Ford, was estimated at $350. An Elmira -area woman was slightly injured in another single -ear accident in Morris Township on Saturday. Provincial police reported that Sandra E. Martin, 22, of RR 2, West Montrose, was travelling on Sideroad 10-11 approaching the junction with County Road 25 at about 2 p.m. when she lost control on a patch of rough road. Her car swerved into the east ditch and struck an embank- ment, coming to rest on its roof. Ms. Martin escaped with minimal injuries. Damage to the vehicle, a 1982 Subaru, was estimated at $2,000.