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The Times Advocate, 2007-08-01, Page 66 Times -Advocate Wednesday,August 1, 2007 Opinion Forum News Long overdue appreciation I guess it was the shock of Cliff Gingerich's untimely passing that jolted me into doing what I should have done a long time ago. That is to express a long overdue appreciation to CG Farm Supply and the Cleve and Marg Gingerich family for their contribution to Zurich and surrounding area. Not only have they participated in many charita- 4 . ers ble organizations, church and sports activities, they � tt have always been strong supporters of their A, tO municipalities. the For example, for over 20 years CG supplied a - d.ltor tractor, bought ice studded tires for it and main- tained the same (24 hour service) FREE GRATIS, for ice cleaning and flooding at the Zurich arena. When I asked, they humbly declined to have an appreciation event that council was willing to plan for them. I would like to offer our belated heartfelt thanks, for your generosity and commit- ment to your community. God Bless =tee BOB FISHER A menace to society When a mosquito lands on you, do you just watch as it draws your blood and then delivers its venom which these days could be fatal to some? No, you kill it in the inter- est of self preservation. Thoughts like this come to mind for me and I would imagine many others with regards to recent murders in Southwestern Ontario. Am I in favour of the death penal- ty? When absolute and unquestionable guilt is ascertained, my response is a definite and hasty yes. Within minutes of the gavel hitting the bench in a ruling, the guilty party should be dragged from the court room in haste and a bullet placed between their ears. Not a moment or dime should be wasted in such instances, burial of the individual afterwards should be quick and in a designated provincial mass grave. It's tragic that such individuals grow to have such a low respect for human life and I do genuinely feel bad for them on some level. The fact remains they are a menace to all communities rural or not and just like the bloodthirsty, virus -carrying mosquito they should be swiftly removed from existence. It makes me ill to think of the amount of time and money that has been wasted on individuals such as Paul Bernardo so he can have three squares a day and a soft place to sleep Punishments for first degree murder need to be amended and a category of most severe rape must be defined and included in this amendment. It's obvious violent crimes in all communities, rural and urban, would be reduced if not eliminated if the act of committing them was akin to suicide. The next time a mosquito lands on your arm, focus, swat with sure aim. I care about your safety and well being as I'm sure most of you do as well. It's time to let the punishment fit the crime. LEE WArr, Grand Bend Need to move forward Bluewater council will soon vote on whether to reserve sewer capacity in the Grand Bend sewer update. The vote must be yes, and we need the sewer now -not 10 to 20 years as reported. There is an environmental issue that must be dealt with immediate- ly. Phase one should be an extension of the proposed Grand bend sewer from Highway 83 to the south Bluewater border to North on Highway 21 to service Highlands 1,2,3 Elmwood and Trunbulls Grove subdivisions of several hundred homes immediately adjacent to the "end of the line." These are the issues: Health-Ecoli contamination: Many of the septic systems of these older subdivisions are failing. The soil is very heavy clay with minimal water absorption. The lots are small and it is virtually impossible to upgrade these systems to present standards. Many cottages have constant wet yards due to the heavy use of these popular cottages, since many are full time residents. When it rains, the clay soil doesn't absorb the water, which can fill up the septic tile bed to overflowing. This contaminates the surface water, driveways and roads to the ditches and multiple Big -0 private drain solutions. The run-off ends up in the munici- pal drains and ravines which lead directly to the beach. Many have tried to dry up their property with Big -0 storm drains, which can contribute to contamination if there is any septic seepage. Approximately two years ago, I acquired a Ministry of Environment water test kit, processed at Seaforth. The farm drain entering our subdivision had a reading of 3,000 plus Ecoli (400 closes the beaches). The ravine near the beach, after passing through the subdivision had a reading of 30,000 plus Ecoli. This test was done on the Friday morning of the September long weekend. Needless to say, I was shocked. This was double the "hot spots" of the St. Joseph watershed published that summer. I assumed something would be done. "No, they only test the water." Now, I seldom swim in the lake. People complain of infections from the lake water. I believe it may be connected. This is an embarrassing situation for a beach paradise. Cottage renovations: If you apply to renovate and add space, you must review your septic systems and bring it up to standards. Fair and right. However, the small lots can't be upgraded with the required setbacks from buildings, property lines, ravines, etc. My situation could only be solved with an alternate system, a bio -filter system with a pressurized underground pipe in a triangular trough, requiring one foot of sand to be added to the site. This was very difficult to do, especially on a treed lot with existing root systems that could die. It also required a concrete bunker about five feet high with rotating moss drums. The cost was about $15,000 to $20,000 several years ago and $600 to $800 yearly maintenance. This is the future and it looks very expensive. Property values: The reality is a clean environment in the future for the resort area. People are reluctant to come or retire to an area with constant beach closures and health concerns. People want to renovate to upgrade to today's standards, but many are stopped by this issue. Some work around the bylaws on their own, frustrated with no obvious solutions. We need to move forward, to extend the sewer and allow us to upgrade our homes and the environment. We must remember almost 58 per cent of the tax base comes from the shoreline resort areas. Protect this asset. The first step is to take the septic issue out of the equation. Then move on to track down other polluters. Your property values will only increase if we invest in this sewer project now. DAVID CODY, Retired architect Do incentive prizes make the difference? For the past eight years VON has acknowledged that the residents of Middlesex County, Elgin County and the City of London support our charity walk for a number of different reasons: they or a loved one have been touched by VON; because it's a good time; to support their community; for the exercise or health benefits; for a social out- ing with friends or family; for a delicious free meal or because they have been "volun- told". The experts tell us that although these motivators are real to many people, there is evidence that the general public often needs some additional "drive" to participate, such as the incentive prize. This year VON Middlesex -Elgin has joined the VON Canada National Walk initiative. Across Canada people are walking to raise funds to support VON services in their community. The name has changed to the VON Walk -Run -Roll for Healthy Communities, but the passion remains constant. In joining the national walk, VON Middlesex -Elgin is taking the leap. This year for the first time ever, VON is proud to offering the following incentive prizes to partici- pants: Top National Pledge Earner - two return tickets for travel to any Air Canada sched- uled destination in North America, including Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. National Runner-up - $750 travel certificate for VIA Rail Canada Other prizes include: Home Theatre Systems, BBQs, MP4 Players, Portable DVD Players, Digital Cameras, Personal Fitness Sets, Camping Sets, Beach Sport Sets, Cooler Chairs and much more. Prizes will be awarded based on monies submitted. VON national sponsors have pro- vided all incentive prizes for the 2007 Walk -Run -Roll for Health Communities. Exclusive to VON Middlesex -Elgin, for one year only, any participant who raises over $250 in pledges will be eligible to win: A first class trip for two on VIA Rail Canada along the Windsor -Quebec City corridor, valued at almost $1000. Regardless of whether you walk on Aug. 25 because you have been touched by VON, you enjoy exercising or you just want to take home a new home theatre system -every- one is a winner. For more information on the Walk -Run -Roll site, call 1-800-265-7058 or 245-3170. Chimes group starts in August HENSALL — Residents enjoyed beautiful weather on Sunday for their picnic lunch and trip to the Clinton Horse Races. Adding to the excitement for everyone was the fact that staff member Kathy McClure had several hors- es racing throughout the afternoon. Monday morning resi- dents were busy working through their exercise routines with Tonya and in the afternoon Kippen United Church women were in to assist residents with bingo. Residents attending breakfast group Tuesday dined on fried eggs, toast, cheese wedges, fruit, cof- fee and tea. Everyone likes the more intimate dining atmosphere for up to eight people in the small family dining area. Pastor Elly Van Bergen led worship Tuesday afternoon with Belva Fuss as volunteer organist. Also in the after- noon Karen Lehnen of VON Palliative Care Volunteer program led a workshop on Journaling and Life Review, ways to enhance the end of life experience. The workshop was open to staff, resi- dents and volunteers. Volunteer Donna Smale, organized the euchre play- ers Wednesday afternoon with several residents out to compete for a few games. Retirement Home resi- dents dined outdoors in the courtyard Thursday on a delicious meal of salads and pork riblettes barbe- cued by volunteer Klaas Van Wieren. Later in the evening The Merrymakers entertained at the monthly birthday party. Keith Tyndall on the drums, Gladys Van Egmond play- ing piano and accordion, with George Turner singing several solos made for a beautiful evening of music. Resident Council met Friday morning to preview upcoming events and offer their ideas and input regarding programs. Everyone loved the recent "Build your own Ice-cream Sundae" program and are looking forward to having it scheduled several Monday afternoons in August. Music Therapist, Lisa Stewart was in on Friday and plans are underway to establish a Chime group by mid August. Coming events Fri., Aug. 3 -Friendship Friday with Andy's Friends at 7 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 9 - Trip to St. Jacob's Market 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Call Carol at 262-2830 ext.# 225 for details. Sun., Aug. 12 -Tea Party with Sharon at 2 p.m. cooking with memories BY DEBBY WAGLER CAMP OATMEAL COOKIES IN THE SUMMER I ALWAYS THINK BACK TO MY DAYS OF GOING TO CAMP, MY FIRST JOBS OF COOKING AT CAMPS AND THE RECENT YEARS I SPENT COOKING FOR FOREST CLIFF CAMP. THERE ARE FOND MEMORIES OF GOOD OLD FASHIONED CAMP OATMEAL COOKIES. TRY THIS GREAT RECIPE OUT FOR A SUMMER TREAT AROUND YOUR OWN HOME AND MAKE SOME OF YOUR OWN FOND MEMORIES OF COOKIES, KIDS AND FUN! ADD CHOCOLATE COVERED CANDIES, CRUSHED CHOCOLATE BARS, NUTS, RAISINS OR STACK THEM WITH RASPBERRY JAM IN THEM! Combine in order given: 1 cup margarine 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 eggs, well beaten 1 cup fine coconut 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups flour 2 cups quick oats 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup chocolate chips (optional) Drop onto greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 till golden brown. Enjoy!