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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-05-15, Page 1• 1 Blyth Briir1ch LibrzAry Box 2)2 Blyth, Ont. NOM 1114 Jan, ; r e SHED DESTROYED—A fire of unknown- origin destroyed a shed and its contents on Highway 86 east of Wingham last Wednesday. Wingham firefighters were unable to save the shed, which contained a trac- tor, a car and miscellaneous tools. The building was owned by Coldsprings Turkey Farmsand the loss is estimated at $10,000. Turnberry council is asking MTC for more grader subsidy In the belief that they are not getting a fair shake from the Ministry of 'Transporta- tion and Communications, Turnberry council members are applying for additional subsidy for their 1984 John Deere grader. Clerk -Treasurer Dorothy Kelly reported at last Tuesday evening's sheeting that the townships is to receive. $19,600 in subsidy from the MTC this year, but it must spend $25,000 in order to get the money. "We asked for $53,000, so. they weren't very gener- ous", commented Deputy Reeve Doug Fortune. ° Council received $53,500 in supplementary subsidy in 1984 for the grader. The MTC only subsidized on the amount of the low tender submitted by Champion Road Machinery for $118,000, meaning the township must also make up the. difference of ap- proximately $19,000 for the John Deere machine: The councillors noted the subsidy amounts to 61.7 per cent of the cost of Turn - berry's new grader, while other municipalities have received as much as 95 per cent. They also noted the town- shiphad received no subsidy on - themachine bought in 1982. Finally council decided to petition the MTC "for fur- tersubsidy-on-the grader to b$ ing the total subsidy to 95 ppp r cent". Mrs. Kelly was instructed to send letters with the resolution to Minister George McCague . and the MTC's London and Stratford offices. In other business Mr. and Mrs. John Schieb and Mr. and Mrs. Brian Leachman attended the meeting to see if council could do anything about a goat -farming operation in Lower Town. A petition signed by 20 people was presented to counqil. It asks council to BALLET STUDENT Rachel Brophy oftucknow was one of the many young performers at Talent Parade '85 held at the Wingham Town Hall last Wednesday evening. The Wingham Canadettes, the Wingham Community Band and the Huron Hearts Jump Rope Team from the Wingham Public School also performed. order that livestock or any other small animals not be raised as a business in the surrounding area and that animal waste be removed "by any way convenient". Mrs. Schieb estimated that Gerry Lee has 45 goats in his Lower Town barn. Mr. 'Schieb added: "Goats smell a lithe louder than ordina'."y livestock, if you follow my reasoning." They said the neighbors are concerned about the odor caused by the manure pile at the site, but admitted Mr. Lee had gotten rid of the pile. In addition to the. smell, Mr. Schieb claimed nearby properties are being de- valued because of the opera- tion. Reeve Brian . McBurney said council would be con- sidering . a draft animal regulation bylaw, but it can do nothing about Mr. Lee's case as his operation already has been established. Council does not have a bylaw enforcement officer either. After the delegation left council members looked over the draft bylaw but took no actin on the matter -as. they said they want more time to study it. SURVIVAL GAMES Mr. McBurney read letters from Don Watson, Mary Hehn, Colin Holmes, Elgin Johnston, Audrey McKague and Henk Versteeg all protesting .the proposal to start a National Survival Games (war games) opera- tion in the township. Mrs. Kelly reported she has had no notification of the survival games group members wanting to, attend. a meeting of council. Marg and Jerry Timm of Bluevale attended the meeting to inquire about closing Green Street, the street adjacent to their property. Council members said they had no objection to the street being closed and the land conveyed to the Timms, but told the couple it could cost them upwards of $1,000 to complete the road -closing process. Grant Currie, manager of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Wingham, attended to discuss banking arrangements for the town- ship. Art Clark of Maitland Engineering Services in Wingharry also attended the meeting to discuss the amended plan of operation for the township waste disposal site. As to the matter of burning at the site, council told Mr. Clark to include the report that if there were. no burning at the dump it would become full very quickly, meaning the township would be required 4o'find-a new site.; Mr. Clark is to forward the report to the Ministry of the Environment. Several requests for :streetlights were received at last week's meeting from: Terry Matz; the Bluevale Recreation Association; Margaret -Foxton; Charles Hull; Fred Lee and Mery Baker. Building . permits were approved for: M. Hlavach, a garage; ' A. Laidlaw, a workshop addition; J. Rit- chie, a new porch and 0. Wright, a boiler room. Council members decided to offer Duane Steckley and Greg Moffatt, both of Bluevale, the job of grass cutting at the municipal office . this year. It was decided one boy could cut the grass for three months and the other for the remaining three months. The next meeting of Turnberry council is scheduled for May 21 at the municipal office. Board accepts tender for new rescue- van The Wingham Area Fire Board has accepted the tender of Tolton Motor Sales, Bluevale, for a new rescue van. Tolton's price of $22,745 plus $160 for a two -speed throttle was the lower of two bids received on the van, and -does not include the cost of additional equipment to be installed in it. The board will receive a 50 per cent grant toward the purchase and equipping of the vehicle. ° Deputy Fire Chief Harley Gaunt 'explained that the vehicle will be used for high- way accidents and rescue type work, as well as a support vehicle in fire- fighting. It will carry rescue and extrication equipment, breathing apparatus and other equipment for which there is no room on the pumpers. He said there is a four to five-month wait for delivery of the vehicle, a one -ton truck with a square box on the back, and additional time will be required to equip and outfit the vehicles "We feel we can do the work inside the way we want it a lot cheaper than ordering it done," Mr. Gaunt said. He said he expects the van will he operational by late this year or early in 1986. He also noted that Wingham is one of the last departments in the area to get a rescue van. Amemagamimalasemewmasesemommossoramaximigaroommemaammunosimam mbie bain FIRST SECTION 11/4 Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, May 15, 1985 Concern raised over mounting costs Single Copy 50c Fire board agrees to purchase equipment -for Howick firemen Despite ongoing opposition from a group of residents in the township, the Wingham Area Fire Board is proceeding with plans to set up and equip a satellite fire station in Howick. At its meeting last week, the board discussed the purchase of equipment for the firefighters, who are Fire destroys shed, contents A fire of unknown origin completely destroyed a Turnberry , Township shed and its contents last Wed- nesday afternoon. Lynn Hickey, a spokesman for the local fire department, said Wingham firemen responded to the call at approximately 3:45 last Wednesday afternoon to the Coldsprings Turkey Farms operation just west of Bluevale on Highway 86. The shed was engulfed in flame when the department arrived on the scene. Lost in the' blaze were a tractor, a car and miscellaneous items, including some tools. Mr. Hickey estimated the loss at $10,000. currently being trained by officers from the Wingham department. It initially plans to outfit 10 men with coats, helmets, boots and gloves at an estimated cost of about $500 per man, with more to be added in subsequent years as needed. The board had earlier agreed to purchase a used pumper and tank truck to be stationed in Howick. Asked how things are going in Howick, Reeve Jack Stafford, who took over the position of chairman of the fire board with the resigna- tion of William Crump, said there has been,quite a good turnout of potential fire- fighters. He expects interest will pick up even more once the township actually starts setting up the satellite station and people can see it will go ahead, he added. There has never been any doubt in his own mind that the satellite station will be established as planned, Mr. Stafford said, but some rate- payers are waiting to see what happens. Asked about the chances of having the fire station going by this fall, the reeve said it all depends on whether the township gets approval from the Ontario Municipal Board to borrow the money for a new works shed. It plans to convert the present shed into a fire hall, but can't do it until there is a new place to put the works equipment. A The decision to buy '10new . fire coats for the Howick firefighters proved to be a touchy one. Deputy Fire Chief` Harley Gaunt told the board that, at the risk of opening up "a can of worms, some of the Wing- ham firemen wonder why they are being left out. "A lot of our guys have gone a lot of years with the same coat — 10, 15, 20 years," he said, and they wonder why the hoard would buy new coats to be put in the trunk of someone's car and only used perShaps once a month. He proposed the new coats should go to the main depart- ment, which answers four times as many calls as the satellite station will, with Howick taking the 10 best from the existing stock of coats. It's not that they begrudge A RETIREMENT PARTY was held last Wednesday evening at the nurses' training centre at the Wingham and District Hospital for Mrs. Jean Ellacott, centre. Shown with Mrs. Ellacott are her assistant at the training centre, Mrs. Linda Kieffer, and RNA Mrs. Verna Taylor. Mrs. Ellacott has been director of the school since . 1974, but associated with it since 1962. She began working at the local hospital in 1942. Wingham council shorts Councillor Bruce Machan expressed his objections, during last week's regular meeting of the Wingham council, to a motion passed during an earlier special meeting. The motion called for a question to be placed on the ballot during this fall's municipal election, asking about replacement of the Howson Dam. Pointing out that a discussion of the Howson Dam had not been on the agenda for the special meeting, Mr. Machan asked why the motion had been allowed. "I honestly don't think that motion has any legality at all if it was not on the agenda for that meeting," he said, explaining he had been absent that night on business but would have come to the meeting had he known the upper dam would be discussed. He was supported by Councillor William Crump, but some other council members argued that the action was proper since the condition of the upper dam has a bearing on what the town will do about the lower dam, which was on the agenda for the meeting. "You're saying you feel one dam is more important than the other?" asked Deputy Reeve Patricia Bailey, to which Mr. Machan responded, "I've made that clear at all the dam meetings we've had." Following some more argument about the propriety of the motion, Clerk -Treasurer Byron Adams pointed out that it really did not matter much anyway, since council still has to vote on a bylaw in order to place the question on the ballot. 0-0-0 In response to a letter from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture announcing $30 million in funding for something called a Community Facilities Improvtetnent Program, Councillor Currie told council the town has its name in for a grant for the library. Mrs. Bailey said she had heard about the grant from librarian Margaret Day and, on the theory that "the early bird gets the worm", had immediately applied for $200,000. Councillor Tom Miller suggested the town should also apply for some money for the arena. The town received notificatiok—from the Ministry of Labour that it must have another engineer- ing inspection of the arena before it is allowed to re -open in the fall. a/ Howick new equipment, but they deserve equal con- sideration, Mr. Gaunt said. Some of the Wingham firemen have never had new coats, while others have bought their own. He added that some of the coats are so worn out they no longer meet labor department standards, "and if somebody got burnt in them we could be in trouble." He himself has used the same coat for 22 or 23 years, "and it's done. But I put in on anyway." However his proposal did not get very far. East Wawanosh. Reeve, Neil Vincent said Howick has been promised new coats while Wingham Councillor Tom Miller told him the board has set its priorities and the priority right now is Howick. ° Mr. Stafford said there already are enough prob- lerns . in his township with those who think the fire station will be nothin more than a .museum of old equipment, and the idea of geting Wingham's cast-off coats would not go over well. Eventually a compromise was reached, with the board promising to buy 10 new coats for Wingham next year in addition to the five it has already been promised this year. The cost of the coats is estimated at: .around $300 each. During the, discussion, a couple of board members expressed concern about the open-handed way in which the board appears to be spending money this year. "We're getting kind of concerned at our council about some of the costs accumulating around here," Morris Councillor Bob Granby said. He cautioned the board not to go "hog - wild". "Bob has a point," com- mented Lynn Hickey, an officer on the Wingham department. "We told you it would cost twice as much to run this area board and it is. Continued on Page 2 Ad deadline is advanced I The"deadline for classified advertising to appear in next week's issue of The Advance - Times is Friday afternoon, May 17, of this week. The advanced deadline is required because of the Victoria Day holiday on Monday, May 20. No settle�,,�nent for Huron' teachers Discussions between the Huron County board of edu- cation and its secondary school teachers are leaning toward a two- year proposal. Graeme Craig, chairman of the board's personnel committee, said mediator David Whitehead of the Uni- versity of Westwen Ontario has had two meetings with District 45 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) and the board, but no settlement has been reached. It was noted at the board's May meeting a proposal which would run to August 1986 is now being sought, Teachers have been without a signed collective agree- ment since September of last year. The board has set terms of employment for the teachers. The superintendent of per- sonnel, Peter Gryseels, said the one-year proposal origin- ally discussed would run out by the end of August. Both parties agreed to ex- tending the time of the con- tract.