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1986
• • L M No Low X r,•J u t c� 0 z a w' -oo ff0. a u c u iv M v"0q me•�u 0 oF: is s�o wV IZ,VW= 0 v, L u c u c ER�ao Nu c..ca�a°'-s m'Ft7EP Fo �1'1wv>>",=.WA r u 0 0 Z m a0 a E� 0 e R E -.=r Continue the renovations g'Cb u3 w4'$-8 mod. a �- Captive councillors U ° _ ,M a _ � � ' hear judge's peeve e+... N " 9 'rJ Ems -. -. t$� M.Z. 1 - -- m an a. _ w 4 �d oo e P w ^� g a, 6 .� p ' By BIIfON DOWNIF u F$ w n.-.n w u GO a of itnfaMiwd•B�vbw a District Court Judge Chvstcr M isvner isn't one to let a good opportunity pass c= �—`t, a F; .'Es o E lit After the swearing In ceremony at the 1,%5 aB Oxford County Council's in- augural ` t9 session Wednesday, over which he presided, betook advantage of hay v, ®_ c P.� ing a captive audience to air his feelings about the courthouse facility. W 0. 0 G m �'� C0 m.� ,o The county has sppeent millions of dollars renovating the the exterior of the N E F " c courthouse, which Misener cone ded is probably the mast beautiful courthouse x g; A a g = S in all of Ontario But he urged council to continue renovations inside the z u 2 o � u building, N a, 0 4, s'S .. i His main concern is getting a washroom Installed in the juror's room off the 0 2' �:Q w 0 ro 4� ° y' 4 high courts on the third floor of the building. ao ° This is a particular sore point with me," he told councillors, "Jurors can e o G x ti e deliberate anywhere from one hour to three days without a washroom in the 'O p a - o " jury roost, It Isn't right that jurors are literally herded to washrooms in other p u c V „� .ter.' ports of the building, ` 3 w n .E lie urged county council in "give some Lima lit" to the members of the public a�, a '� to 'v t a �, who serve as judges for an nveragr of Slott day. v m,9 o The only advice the judge had to improve 1hr ground., around the vourti ome was psi plant Home Ire", Oxford County has its first female warden By ALISON DOWNIE of The Seatbol.Retitsw Oxford County has its first female warden. Helen Smith, councillor -at - large for Norwich Township, won the warden's position on the first ballot over two op- ponents at the inaugural meeting of county council this morning. Smith, who becomes the county's 125th warden, received 11 votes, while East Zorra-Tavistock Township Mayor Don McKay, a surprise candidate, received five and Zorra Township Mayor Jim Gibb received four. She was sworn into office by District Court Judge Chester Misener. Her husband Bill and daughter Elizabeth were on hand for the installation. Councillor Charlie Tatham, who has served as county warden for the past three years, did not seek re-election to the warden's position. He was the first one W congratulate the new warden_ Norwich Township Mayor John Helemak had announced earlier this year that he would try for the warden's chair, but he said Monday he was withdrawing from the race because of his workload as mayor and his Involve, . ment with the Committee of Concerned Area Tobacco Municipalities. Smith said part,;... of her inspiration in seeking the warden's jobcame,- from her late - - brother-in-law Jack Smith who was'the first reeve of Beachville; in 1962, He also serv- ed on county coup- _- cil and made two unsuccessful bids for the warden's office. Smith She welcomed six new members to the county council and told the cour- cillors, and a crowd of about 40 people, that her family's roots in Oxford County go back to the early IaOUs. She said the county has come a long way since it was restructured in IWr Among her goals as warden during the coming three years will be: the implementation of a new land - related information system for all municipalities; a Coal solution to the waste disposal problem; and continued cooperation bet- ween municipalities in the county towards economic growth. County councillor Walter 'Kitson, Mayor of South-West Oxford Tot& to pointed out that Huron Comity recentty elected its first female warden in over uxl years. -it looks like the ladies are taking �. over," Wilson said. Mayor Gibb said he ran for the warden's job so there would be an elec- tion and not an acclamation. Mayor McKay said -as of this morn- ing no one knew f was interested in warden,.. i "Putting my name down caused a lit - lie stir," he said. "I wasn't really ex- 1won g to get eleoeti " Changing name and emphasis Museum moving from county to city h Ila 54LM91 of The WO"w mini The Oxford County museum, alias Woodstock Heritage Hall museum, alias Woodstock museum, will fall under the control of the Citv of Woodstoci beginning in January. in addition to approving the incor- poration of the musetan into the municipal structure under the eooa- munity sen-ice s department, city coun- cil Thursday agreed to change the. name of the former town hall to the Woodstock museum to reflect a change in emphasis. City council earlier this year had approved in principle a name change to Woodstock Heritage Hall museum. Council's decision ended Oxford County's responsibility in operating the museum — Woodstock had allocated $10,000 to the museum, used for heating Purposes. Earlier this year Oxford County council agreed to policy changes shifting responsiblity of the museum to the city. However, a S5,000 grant that had been allocated to the museum will now be evenly divided among museums throughout the county WHOPPING DIFFERENCE In picking up the responsibility of operating the Woodstock museum, preliminary estimates indicate the municipality will contribute $26,560 to operating costs in 1986. The remaining W.8 per cent of the estimated total cost of $36,7f15 is offset by grants from the province, Oxford County and revenue generated at the museum — that's a whopping 314 per cent difference to the operating budget of the museum in 1985. Boards and sub -committees Councillors given N ALISON DOMMlt - — d The S-etwel-Review Oxford County councillors have been given their assignments for the coming three years. The majority of appointments to special boards and sub -committees were confirmed at county council's in- augural meeting. Following is a list of appointments made: -Coup. Charlie Tatham will serve on the 1985-86 board of directors of the Association of Municipalities of -Council representatives on the Ox- ford County Library Board will include councillors Gene Mabee, Donald McKay, Wayne Smith and Warden Helen Smith. Members of the public ap- pointed to the library board include Audrey Bowman of Drumbo, Doris Ed- wards of Beachville and Leonard Seegmiller of RR, 1., Innerkip. -Conn. John Helenfak has been ap- pointed county representative on the r Nowich and District Historical Socie. Last week the museum curator told several members of city council policy changes at the museum were necessary to keep the musuem a viable operation. Sheila Johnson said because the em- phasis of the museum had shifted to Woodstock and north Oxford rather than Oxford County, it appeared a natural progression to fall under the aegis of the city. Added to that is a ma- jority of items in the museum are Woodstock -oriented and more than 60 per cent of visitors are from the city. BLEAK FUTURE Johnson painted a bleak future for the museum unless its operations weren't transferred to the municipality. However she will have, to toe the line when it comes time to make such statements to the media that are of con- troversial nature — under the guideline the museum curator will have to lirat their posts ty. He will also be a representative on the Woodstock General Hospital board of trust and the Thames Valley District Health Council. -Appointments to the Oxford County Board of Health include councillors Jim Gibb, Heleniak, Doug Harris, Phil Poole and Warden Smith. -Serving on the committee of management at Woodingford Lodge will be councillors Jean Ferrie, Gibb, Jack Whitmore, Walter Wilson and Warden Smith. -Poole will also serve on the Family and Children's Services board. -Whitmore will be the county's representative on the Victorian Order of Nurses board and the Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital board of trust. -Smith will serve on Ingersoll's Alex- andra Hospital board of trust. -Members of the Special Jail Com- mittee will include councillors McKay, Tatham. Heleniak and Ed Down. There are still additional appoint. ments to be confirmed, including ,,submit such statements to the director of community services for release at a higher level, namely the chief ad- ministrative officer or mayor. Despite supporting the name change and transfer of the museum's opera- tions to the city from the county, Aid. Bill Dutton admitted a part of the museum's history was being eroded. Because it will become a more localized operation, Dutton feared many items not bearing a local flavor would no longer be displayed. "Things were brought here over the years to show there's something beyond (the city's boundaries)," he said. "We shouldn't always be looking inward, but outward." In a related matter, city council renewed a lease agreement with the Woodstock District Chamber,of Com- merce for the rear portion of the newly named Woodstock museum. members of the Oxford Land Division Committee. — • 0 The municipality had offered a one- year period but the chamber requested a two-year pact, which was accepted by city council with a five per cent in- crease in rent in each year. The first year of the agreement calls for a mon- thly rent of $105 and increases $6 in the second year - When asked by Ald. Phil Poole whether a two-year agreement might jeopardize any plans for expansion of the museum, chief administrative of- ficer Wayne Shipton inferred any plans for expansion would not occur over the next two years. A feasibility study for the museum released a few years ago proposed the expansion of the museum to the rear portion of the building currently oc- cupied by chamber of commerce of- fices, but chamber of commerce of- ficials were strongly opposed to leaving the building. • \J It's been peaks and valleys — not all trash for Oxford boss By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sentinel -Renew Oxford County had its share of ups and downs during 1985. The worst down was early in the year when there was a lengthy labor dispute with county public health nurses over salaries. First the nurses walked out then they were locked out by the Oxford County Board of Health. The dispute dragged on almost three months. County politi- cians blamed the province for not living up to an agreement to pay 75 per cent of health beard casts but eventually the nurses settled on an offer from the county. On the up side, "what we did this year was a culmination of work done earlier on," said former Warden Charlie Tatham, whose three-year term ended this month. He said one of the benefits of the new three-year council terms is councillors get to see the fruits from their labors. One of the things heir pleased with is the new land related information system that is finally getting into opera- tion. A pilot project in conjunction with the City of Woodstock and various government ministries, Tatham said the system should be a real plus for the whole county. Software and hardware has been ordered and some offices have been moved around to accommodate the computer system. OLD JAIL RENOVATION Another highlight of the year was get- ting the renovation project at the former county jail underway. When completed the old jail will house the county's health care offices. "This was ongoing for several years but the final vote went through in 1985," Tatham said. Weather delayed the project a bit. Little work could be done during November as it rained almost every day. But the renovated building is ex- pected to be completed by the end of April and ready for opening the first of June, said the former warden. "Th4Y ongoing thing, the real biggie again this year was the saga of the Salford landfill site which has a life of its own," Tatham said. "There were several situations In court." Although the final battle hasn't been fought, the threat from lowers for South-West Oxford Township and residents in the Salford area that they would get an injunction to stop the work )(wing carried out at the landfill site did not become a reality. -The he ongoing thing, the real biggie again this year was the saga of the Salford Landfill site which has a life of its Own. There were several situations in court_" "We want to make it (the landfill site) right and do It properly," Tolhoin said, adding that the County has spent almost lit million to date on the pile, During his time as warden Tatham visited all the municipalities In Oxford and said there 1s more unity and understanding than ever before, especlally when it comes to garbage, a problem that has plagued fixford for years. 11CALIZATION'd THERV "There's now a realization in the r.04 "We a want. to make it `the landfill site) right and do 1t properly;' Tatham said; adding that the county has spent almost $2 million to date on the site. county that everyone is involved in solid waste disposal," he said. Always concerned about soil conser- vation, Tatham praised the formation of a soil management 4-H club in Oxford. "We have all these environmental problems and we have to start educating our young people," he said. "Soil cpnservation is very important. If we look after our land it will look after us. That's a trite saying but it's very true whether you live in the city or country." WISH TO SURPASS TRASH Although he enjoyed his three years as warden, Tatham said he wishes he could have accomplished more, such as clearing up the landfill site problem. H the county is unable to put garbage into the Salford site in June of 1986 there will be no where else in the county to put solid waste. "Three years seems like a long time butwhen you look back it doesn't seem that long," he said. The warden's chair now has a female sitting in it for the first time in 125 years. Helen Smith of Norwich will be leading Oxford County Council througgh the next three years and Tatham aaid he wishes her all the best. He will con- tinue to serve on county council as a representative from Woodstock. IMM c� C L 4) a Rl� Q 13 Cn O D O CyO %E:j tiantiS E� �3 _tvn L�1 ;si N_. •°_ E_a roc as>c,tc w•°Z'I qv vS]N�:^ice=W - �O�amd;J-- r y q _ _ E q U 5z 1_ - y A ti•o�ti�a= r'c� - > L ,Juza•o �'.�� tea== - arv.-,gioa yac� N Ci >• V m 3 g rw 0 G3 -amdCGC v 3 y4N vW,L) oa3aGs�� oE� s q.cJ gOCdO 3GCq v3:t aa9gma; aEoLn '_ TD61 � q amiuo•Lca�c� :�uaiayuo b� =c=Eon Ia coQ r..r 3''fl'"sa-p' v CC Cq Mz3Y- aa'CN ,'ZC '.dl'O >'w'Gf`- CAI C_:20 ��yy C 0,-, .s i� y� ,V 3Y �l�L CLv y c Oono9 ru'aa yyC,'�^, c� y ZE°r'on .y n-c ocnve'cu «.3 Cr�.Lc-c CC •�un?oa'''=�roS�w F�c yU's t.., m - -' a aCE.,Lcxc�"c p c _ 0 O W w C a 'a�� Landfill: Where does garbage RT ALISON DOWNIE of fie Sentinel -Rork ie Time is runningout for the landfill sites in Oxford County. All of the present landfills are scheduled to close this summer. And if all goes well — barring any legal roadblocks — the county will have the Salford landfill site in South-West Ox- ford Township ready to accept waste this summer. The county's plan is to close all the small landfills in Oxford (Tillsonburg, Holbrook, lakeside, East Oxford and Drumbo) and use the 220-acre site at Salford as the sole landfill in the county. But that course of action could lace some opposition.. Tillsonburg Council will object strongly if the county attempts to dose the landfill on the western boundary of town, says town clerk Ken Holland. Tillsonburg recently wrote to the Ministry of the Environment's London office to clarify .whetheror not their 55-acre-landfill site has to close when Safford opera. A reply has yet to be received. The Town of Tillsonburg received a certificate of approval to open the land - Fill in 1973 although since restructuring of Oxford County the site has been operated by the county. SITE .APPROVED "We had the site approved for development in two stages," Holland explained. "We`re still on the first stage now and it has potential for another stage. Council wants it to remain open as long as it can be utilized." Tillsonburg council's main reason for not wantingthe site closed is the in- creaseed costs of trucking garbage to Salford. "The county's position has always been that all landfills in the county close when Salford opens," said county engineer Don Pratt. Barring any legal roadblocks, the Salford site should be ready by July 1. Preparation work began about a year ago and was going well until the beginn- ing of November when work at the site was plagued by heavy rains. Some earth work still has to be completed and drainage tiles have to be installed, but that can be done in the spring. Pratt said he would not support leav- ing any of the five landfills in the county open when Salford is ready. "They're not acceptable environmen- tally," he explained, "They're being us- ed in lieu of more environmentally ac- ceptable sites." NOT UNSAFE, UNACCEPTABLE The present landfills are not unsafe, but they are unacceptable, Most have been in use since the late 1960s or early 19705 and standards nowadays are much more stringent. "They're safe enough, They're just not environmentally sound,`." Pratt said. "There is pollution occurring We're polluting the groundwater in all cases." The fact that the pollution is not affec. ting anyone makes them technically sThe present landfills were con structed in areas where the soil is sandy allowing contaminated water to leach through into the groundwater. The Salford site will be a safe one, Pratt said, as there will be 15 feet of clay underneath the waste to act as a liner stopping contaminated water from getting through to the ground water. "The water will stay with usand we'll have to manage it but there's not poten- tial for contaminating the ground water at Salford as there is at the others," Pratt added. WOULD BE OBJECTIONS In fact, there would probably be ob- jections -if the county tried to keep some of the landfills open. The life of the Holbrook site was extended through an agreement between the county and Norwich Township. Norwich coun- cillors have stated adamantly that they want the county to live up to that agree- ment and close the site at the end of June. Pratt expects the 100-acre site, only 30 of which are used for waste disposal, will be full to capacity anyway by June 30. The county's small 20-acre site in the former township of East Oxford, near Curries in Norwich Township, will like- ly "just disappear." Pratt said it is not used toany great extent and is only open once a week. DRUMBOISDONE The 25-acre Drumbo landfill in Blandford-Blenheim Township will definitely have to close sometime this summer. Although it could hold more .garbage, there is no cover material readily available at the site. That would mean trucking in cover which would be costly, Pratt said. The Lakesidelandfill site is about too acres but only 15-20 acres of that is used for fill. Pratt said there may be some opposition from Zorra Township about closing the site but he has not heard anything concrete - "There is no magic date for closing the landfills," he said, "'they will all crisis go from here? eventually be phased out." The only site that has to close June 30 is Holbrook because the county has signed an agreement. The life of the others could and very well might be ex- tended a couple of months, "It's all subT7ect to argument from local municipalities," he said. "There may be some time left in some of these but it's always been our plan to close them when Salford opttts. Practical)y and environmentally they're not sound. "Municipalities wanting sites to re- main open could be another fly in the ointment. When faced with no landfill within their boundaries they might decide that a bad landfill is better than none at all." Tillsonburg council seeks Oxford dump plan details TILLSONBURG — Town council will ask Oxford County for a com- prehensive outline of how .garbage services in Oxford will be adminis- tered if the Salford landfill site wins provincial approval. Council's decision Monday night was a reaction to the county's move to have all Oxford municipalities deliver their garbage to Salford in garbage packers or large trucks be- ginning June 30. That decision was made. in November in the expecta- tion the proposed Salford site would begin operating "in the near future." But Tillsonburg wants to find out what plans the county has for exist- ing dump sites, what it might cost to use the Salford site and how trans- portation to the dump will be organized. Councillor Milt Chesterman said Monday he is concerned about the possible closing of the Tillsonburg dump, which would mean domestic and industrial garbage would have to be transported elsewhere at in- creased costs. Town clerk Ken Holland said he understands the county, which is re- sponsible for garbage disposal. wants to operate a single dump and local sites would likely close if the Salford landfill is approved and opens. Councillor Gayle Leachman called the county's decision "pre- mature" because it didn't consider all aspects of the issue, The details of the garbage proposal are "com- ing at us piecemeal" and town coun- cil should ask the county for a "whole dump proposal." Establishment of the Salford site has been hotly debated. A joint board found the site unsuitable, but in 1983 the then -Conservative gov- ernment overturned that finding. The decision is now in the hands of the Liberal provincial government Both sides handed new information Salford decision expected by spring by 7~0 hone ad OW rrItm proceoa or all TORONTO — A government decision conditions atb on the future of the Salford landfill site Responding legislature by is expected before April and new infor- Gner, Premi mation regarding the site could help in making that decision, environment any decision r minister James Bradley said Tuesday. is lionn and nd the n speaking to reporters, Bradley said invested. the new information, the result of hydrogeological tests, has been given to CIRCUMSTA' advocates and opponents of the Salford Rocognixinl landfill site. the forme Tr But he refused to reveal to reporters the results were, saying only they Nnq of a Joh budding the what "are things that will be taken into con- a h have the havecumthe sideration'' in any government decision a tj things have about the future of the site. e finitely more Bradley said the government has then." reject the site, allow it to Meanwhile, South-West Oxford iw it to proceed with new Township officials are anxiously shed to its development. awaiting word from Ontario Premier the to questions raised in the David Peterson regarding situation Lakeshore MPP Grace with the Salford landfill site. er David Peterson said Township council is hoftfng Peterson egarding the site's future will order a new hearing into locating a 1 byy existing site prepara- county landfill site near the village of The met with dlllons of dollars already Salford, premier representatives from the township and Oxford County officials in November to' VCES CHANGED discuss the matter.. I his previous objection to "If Peterson says the dump cam o ry government's overtur- ahead are we finished or will we still it Board decision against fight," asked new councillor Gerri site, Peterson said cir- Kloster. ave now changed and "we Mayor Walt Wilson said council with Toruuto arassing situation where would have to meet inspired that make it in- lawyer David Estrin to discuss what complicated than it was course of action the township will take after Peterson makes his decision. U LJ Oxford won't allot cash for Hydro hearings By Howard Burns Woodstock Bureau WOODSTOCK Pushed to the brink by the prospect of soaring mu- nicipal legal costs, Oxford County council on Wednesday rejected a proposal to set aside $85.000 to take part in .ongoing hearings into new Qtttario Hydro power lines. The decisinn abruptly ends the county's legal involvement and leaves Oxford unrepresented at the provincial joint board hearings, which reopened in Guelph this week - Last October the county asked Kitchener lawyer Marc Sommer- ville and planner Ian McNaughton to protect Oxford's interests during the five -week, 1985 portion of the hearings. Total cost to the county to the end of December for their work was 526.273, council learned. But in its 14-5 rejection of the recommendation from Oxford's planning committee that $85,000 be designated to continue the repre- sentation in 1986, council indicated it wasn't prepared to spend that much money on the cause. Charlie Tatham, planning com- mittee chairman and Woodstock councillor, said the power line issue had boiled down to "spend and fight or back off and do nothing" in 1986. A frustrated Tatham. who sup- -.. �_ mmars<`c<=on sn „ann 3❑ oo�nm c�.n\ � Q3 i In04 C9 m yy G W w m^ =m m �Hyo. u���.~QQ AEc a2 cm�' ?cam Vic. �jO� ports continuing some degree of re- presentation at the hearings, still plans to approach the Ontario envi- ronment ministry for financial assistance. Such a tactic at the very least would force the province to under- stand that its hearing system must be restructured somehow, said Tatham, maintaining the province must find a better way to solve long- standing problems such as deliver- ing more electricity to Southwest- ern Ontario from the Bruce Nuclear Power Development. East Zorra-Tavistock Township Mayor Dom McKay,who in the past has been an outspoken critic of council spending money on the Hy- dro haggling, said Oxford has noth- ing to show for its earlier involvement "To me, we're fighting ourselves with our own money. I think we're on the wrong track," said McKay in arguing against setting aside the $85,000 for this year. He predicted the entire issue won't be settled without a court fight and that the lines wouldn't be built for years. Woodstock Mayor Joe Pember said he couldn'tsupport getting in- volved to such a costly degree, but suggested the county shouldn't en- tirely drop out of the Hydro line issue this year. He reminded council that Ox- ford's original intention last year was to oppose new lines along High- way 401 and to ensure Hydro fol- lowed the principles of good plan- ning in making route selections. Among the plans studied by Hy- dro is the rebuilding of existing lines through south Oxford. Ingersoll Mayor Doug Harris said "for me, personally, it's time to draw the line" and suggested it might be possible for the county to cut costs by sending lower -paid representa- tives tp monitor the hearings which are expected to last until July. Woodstock Councillor Phil Poole said money would be better spent in trying to make the hearing system less "divisive" and dependent on high-priced lawyers. Blandford-Blenheim Township Mayor Ed Down said while the ex- pected costs are high, the county, has no alternative but to stay, in-i_ volved. "No other group can be in- volved because of cost and time" factors. argued Down, who support- ed the proposal. County planning commissioner Ken Whiteford said in a report the proposed $85.000 figure included $75,000 for legal costs and $10,000 in planning fees this year. Under such a proposal. the lan- yerwould havebeen involved in the cross-examination of Hydro ex- perts,. attended the hearings to Sim- coeand been involved in the closiq; arguments in July. ;Among the key reasons forstay i nt involved, said Whiteford. is that the. county has been the only body re- t presenting Oxford residents at the 7` hearings. F Also -there is no question ... that the corridors tend to go along the path of least resistance." Warden Helen Smith confirmed E laterthatwith no money setasideto, cover expenses, the formal repre- sentation at the hearings will be suspended indefinitely. "I can't see a next step unless someone proposes something at t1w planting level" said Smith. No relBef in sight for Oxford insurance pains By Howard Burns Woodstock Bureau WOODSTOCK — There is no im- mediate relief in sight for shell- shocked municipalities and school boards facing whopping liability in- surance premium increases. Oxford County politicians were told Tues- day. In detailing the rising cost ofOx- ford's 19M liability coverage to the county's administration and finance committee, insurance executive Lyle Wells of Woo&Wk said the outlook is generally bleak. "The liability explosion ... is very real and shows no sign of reducing in the foreseeable future," said Wells, a vice-president of Frank Cowan Insurance Company Ltd. "Indeed, there are signs that mat- ters could deteriorate." The Princeton -based company specializes in municipal, school, public utilities and hospital insur- ance coverage. Wells said it appears the current upheaval in the insurance field will probably require the attention of the senior levels of government and, possibly„ changes in the law, He cautioned that the situation ■ Ottawa says insurance crisis a provincial matter C2 could worsen if there is a further reduction in the insurance market available to municipalities, school boards, hospitals and other public risks. "Unfortunately, any remedies through legislators will take time and, meanwhile, liability insurance is going to became even more dift5- cult to obtain at any price," Wells predicted In his review of what mu- nicipalities and other public bodies can expect. 1M1't=Its said the remaining insurers in the market are under mounting pressure to substantially increase premiums to help offset the costs of claims. Municipal and insurance industry representatives believer multi -mil- lion -dollar civil court awards are at the root of the turmoil, which the Association of Municipalities of On- tario calls a crisis. "The problems we. have now will probably continue for some time unless the legislators step in and take some action," such as limiting the liability of public bodies or a review of the way the judicial sys- tem treats civil lawsuits. Another legislative course, Wells said, might involve an "examination of current and proposed statutes that favor the plaintilrs position against that of a municipality or oth- er public body." The committee learned that in Oxford's case, the 1986 cost to re- new its $3-million liability coverage will more than double to $54,614 from $26,405 last year. The total cost for all its insurance coverage will jump about 60 per cent to $82,375, from $49,854 last Year, Wells also left the county to grap- pie with whether it wants to put chase pollution coverage of sl-m 11 lion -per -claim at an additional cc, of $25,000 for 198& The pollution coverage would t. capped at a total of $2 million in a�- orte policy period and would i volt'!e a deductible of $25,000 p, claim. Wells said such coterage is dire„ cult to obtain at all because of the so -tilled provincial "spills bill," a law'that makes the owner of any pol'ution-caushig substance direct- ly Tsponsibile for ariv immediate cletttrup or damages. t c $$ � � Q� Ca —cc42, py o °awn uoEpp>dcp56S3 acc (U c m v c E E. O^sv .0 c v E =r so r ° goe°0 coy�o>'wO `qgaS ._psi y._s}rN at a. s00ccsm :oog m2 uaaa F.�°eF— �LZ wm "'�ei3aR u9Gw c.-cm.co y ao h?o oE-0 o my3 , CJR-+s Z EZ w.° a_x ca£s' zN 'r,$3 cc 3aT; t°9Gwcd,— .`°c°� u•o .c o �o W — — 0e0-NaEs�e`vd ° WV ;s: o— ��=pis cwy @ £a�� ac��E°zta � a+ cea^..c� L rwiJ G- o���e�,sa�o��3o3uues°ad O M 3 d„3Y vy i 9aL:ay w.. c a, yn a,-O-zb as .v LcoFG yFs3E= v sad a.m4`m� seas 0.(i z w W C), o,LyNE0 Ci �..y •oEo ao.. so$�° roc ycc 0 5 3 m>p aior=vag93� sea. 33 �ao.. �u`.Cuuo��9« .ns �a v= v 7 hFYi 41 . 09.V OC— 'C fir lMww8en _.yOv b.—,CL d.y a L. �+ u fYeos am d-O'E U'o'= Lo Cm[—�opA'pff'j^ 3. a CI .-. ';n 7 .y. t 4 W G 1yl r?; mom? o� o,' xv' `o a°��c u arc 'i?� dp$ cnvx c ME Fms�iw w u Council shuts lid on another attempt to watch hearing RT AIISoa DOWN"! of Tke Senlinel-Rerlev Another attempt to have Oxford County represented at hearings into On- tario Hydra's proposed expansion of transmission facilities has been shot down. Warden Helen Smith was forced to make a tough call at county council's meeting Wednesday night, but she rul- ed a motion to have lawyer Marc Som- merville attend portions of the hearings on behalf of the county out of order. The motion, introduced by Court. Ed Down, called for Sommerville to represent the county at the closing argument portion of the hearing in Guelph and attend a lines affecting Oxford at a cost not to exceed $15,000, Following the meeting, the warden said the matter was brought up at coun- cil's last meeting at which time the ma- jority of councillors voted against spen- ding any more money to have represen- tation at the hearings. She said the per- son who raised the motion (Coup. Down) was not in the majority at the last meeting and therefore could not raise the matter again according to the county's procedural bylaw. JUST THE MONEY The only difference in the motion voted down at council's last meeting and the one brought up Wednesday was the dollar figure. Council refused to spend $85,000 at its Jan. 8 meeting to have Sommerville involved in the hear- ings on a limited basis. After the ma- jority of councillors voted against spen- ding the $85,000 a second motion was in- troduced calling on the county to spend $50,000 to be represented at the hear- ings. But the warden, ruled that motion Lot guard brings lots of questions Oxford County councillors have a lot of questions about providing a guar d to look after the county courthouse park- ing lot on Graham Street but they're not getting a lot of answers. At county council's past two meetings Coun. Jim Gibb has questioned bills to Norcam Security and Investigations Ltd., the company that provides the guard service. Last October, the majority of coun- cillors approved an agreement with Norcam to snply a guard to control parking at the lot five days a week dur- ing the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between noon and 2 p.m. at a flat week- ly rate of $175. The of rate includes $15 for gas and councillors asked whether that was for mileage or because the guard has no shelter and must leave his car running so he has a warm Place to sit. Public works committee chairman Ed Down could not give council a definite answer but said the guard was only hired in November on a six-month trial period after which time the situation will be reviewed. It was suggested the guard's hours be reduced but Down said if that were to happen then his services should be cut out altogether and another method found for controlling the lot. He said the county's engineering department is doing a study o parking at the courthouse and plans to Include the operation of the Graham Street lot in its report. C'loun. Jean Ferrie asked Down to look into the matter and have some definite answers regarding how much has been paid to date for the service 1'or council at its next meeting: out of order because it had the same in tent as the first motion- Somecouncillors indicated Wednes- day night that they felt some of their colleagues were being unfair in trying to ut inappropriate motions through Wit h a new warden in the chair. The Hydro hearings !afore a Joint Board began in early November and are expected to last several more weeks. Oxford spent about $26.000 to have Sommerville monitor the first five weeks of the hearings and most coun- cillors felt the expense was not justified. Others felt that without anv representation whatsoever at the hear- ings Oxford might end up with more than it bargained for in the way of transmission lines. The route being pro- posed by Hydro would affect two townships in Oxford — Norwich and South-West Oxford. The proposal is to follow an existing route although the lines will be upgraded. Garbage station on track A proposal by Zorra Township to establish and operate a waste disposal transfer station at the Lakeside landfill site has been approved in principle by Oxford County Council with a few air- ings attached. it will be up to the township to under- take all the necessary environmental procedures to acquire a Certificate of Approval from the Ministry of the En- vironment to operate the station. The townshipp will also have to bear all legal respons(bility for its operation and pro- vide environmental impairment in- surance or post asuitable bond. The county will not participate in operating the site or transporting the waste materials from the station to the landfill site. The county has agreed to allow on -site se ration of recyclable materials provided they are stored in enclosed containers and removed promptly. Zorra s proposal was in response to a resolution passed at the county level stating that all domestic waste must be brought to a single landfill site in Ox- ford (Salford) by packers or large transfer trucks The township's plan is to have the transfer statism service the balance of Zorra that does not receive household garbage collection. Oxford officials get first-hand look at vaulting insurance rates RT MIcaAH PLINER of The Sentint-Review Oxford county officials got their First look at insurance rates rendered haywire by spiralling premiums at Tuesday's administration and finance committee meeting. Mainly because of skyrocketing third party liability premiums, committee members perused a submission from Fronk Cowan Insurance, up 85 per cent from last year's price. In 1985. the county paid $ 6,406 for third party liability. This year it will cost $54,614, WHOPPING JUMP The liability increase will bring the total protection cost to $82,375 from last year's $49,854, Committee members were also leit to decide whether an environmental liability policy that carried a $25,44a premium and a $25,000 deductible would be worth purchasing. Members accepted the report from Frank Cowan Insurance representative Lyle Wells and forwarded a decision on the environmental liability policy to the public works committee. The county is presently insured through Frank Cowan Insurance. While last year's package expired New Year's Day, the firm has extended its protection for all of January. Wells told the committee that liability' premiums show no signs of levehing off. The premium hikes are tied to huge awards to private citizens who seek damages against public boards and companies, Wells said it's up to the lawmakers to legislate an end to the insurance crisis. Politicians could moderate rate hikes by imposing a cap on how much municipalities can pay out in litigation or creating a grid for litigation set- flements. He also suggested a complete review of the judicial system that makes the awards, 0 0. e��VyaE2a �S`3 w-�0 Q'V LC8 Q 0, 0z E om r4, oc o 3Q 0=to=°�@° �n(U u� �'ct 2" giya ,t to.Lw ax.N t°y� 3 ac ,a ° x o 3 w 3 F CLAc g � o �°v �' F.E �' vc-, .c ttitt� • MO' L O 0 W aoti s=%3.ar mo�.II0 m11vai$c w%•aa-6 ZEE e >'��E°E ca$aui' >v, °o..o�t`—ov �'C+''c Zoeraa°u tnu c-ANoLatoFw� Cst C 3 i� E'or o a nsvl °u.—'3 ca w- >Cc ° m is O W C R 0. a }`% •o 0 o E of i C'cJ O' L, > .N'-'.1 ." . w °' tL ?, ° r— �`s�iv e,'r+=E awcro,°o3� 'c•a a.,e/ 8 7 p w.—.O » L � a F Ln G w�• V �= QEaL''a'n•yu L as 4� =sm �O a o Doom o E a,w-a a��>; w o ra a. u = Q. 4J a.a rr w a 3 , .— ' F o � v �K�w�to'tl �Eaoww.y(D m =vma9 a > s Etac we c°.a•`0oca r7 a o a y .=9...°0 SW a. 0= ad�°o p eti '^sue 0 3 r a 00 3 ° G �L as c=aw �a aa� w a a $am «awa OL,q c7 c'q� O> t°3oa'- I >�c °cw o oa �o•-H -a Emg3L Ga` n Q�T�m> n Frn 6of=o Guard costs the county $175 a week It's costing Oxford County $175 a week to provide a security guard at the parking lot on Graham Street across from the courthouse. At recent county council meetings there have been a lot of questions sur- rounding the cost of providing security at the lot. A report from county engineer Don Pratt received little discussion from councillors though on Wednesday. The report said the guard works five hours a day, five days a week. The $175 he is paid includes $15 for gas, as the guard has to use his car for shelter, The county has had the guard station- ed at the parking lot since Oct. 30 on a six-month trial period. Coun. Joe Pember said the county hoped by polic- ing the lot it would give a more ac- curate idea of how much parking is re- quired for the court house. ®earth in No insurance a big oxford gamble, some councillors say By AIISON DOWNIE of The Sentinel -Be view Oxford County is gambling by not having en- vironmental impairment in- surance, say some county councillors. Strong objections were raised Wednesday night to the county not Purchasing an insurance policy of. fered by the Frank Cowan Company which carries a $25,449 premium, subject to a deductible of S25,000. The limitations on the policy were a concern of many of those who voted against taking out the special coverage. The limit of liability pro- vided by the policy would have been $1 million for any one claim with a maximum of $2 million in claims a year. VOTE OF 10 TO 9 AOAnair Couneil voted 10.9 against pur- chasing the coverage. Zorra Coun. Wayne Smith was justifiably concerned that the coun. ty would choose not to have en- vironmental impairment insurance but at the same time telling his municipality that in order to operate a waste disposal transfer site it must have environmental impairment in- surance. He said the criteria the township will be forced to follow in order to operate a transfer station is a contradiction and pointed out that the county operates a number of landfill sites. "It's bad when you say we don't need it but they do. I have a problem with not carrying insurance on ex- istingg dandfill sites)," Coun, Joe Pember stated. "Heaven knows what's in some of them. We don't know what will happen down the road. We can't take the risk the way 00 Bullen Smith lawsuits are going." Colon. Phil Poole said the SS:~i,oW Policy would only cost 25 cents per taxpayer, a small price to pay until legislators do something to control the large settlements that have sent insurance premiums skyrocketing. "We can't cover ourselves for everything," Coun- Don McKay said. Public works committee chair- man COun- Ed Down said the county has $I million in waste manage- ment reserve account that could be used to pay any claims laid against the county. His committee recom- mended to council the policy not be endorsed. County engineer Don Pratt said if there was a problem with leachate at a county landfill the policy would not cover the damage. It would only cover damage done to property out- side of that owned by the county. He said contaminants are monitored both by the county and -Ministry of the Environment at all existing landfills and tyre have been no pro- blems in the past. Other risks that would be covered would include road salt -contamination and pro- blems caused by weed spraying. "We don't carry chemicals or con- taminants," he said. Conn. Ken Bullen said if the coun- ty paid the $25,000 premium this 1 year it could be sure the figure would escalate next year. Committee pushing for a county -wide paratransit system I AT AUSON OOWNIE --- al The Snnfkrl-Mv6w A paratransit system to take han- dicapped persons from all over Oxford County to London and Stratford hospitals is long overdue, a local group says, The Committee for Oxford's Han. dicapped, formed in late 1B35, has prepared a preliminary report on the number of known paratransit vehicles in the county (eight) and the number of persons in county institutions that ecouid possibly use the service (244), The report was presented to county council Wednesday. The spokesperson for the committee, Catherine Allen, said her group was not looking for funding from the county. When the Onlario government, through the Ministry of Transportation and .Communications, first funded paratransit systems money was wily provided to municipalities which had existing regular bus transportation As a result, Woodstock Is presently the on, IY e(Immunity in Oxford to receive fun for a regular paratransit bus LIMURIntritS paratransit system, operated by Ravin Coach Co., is rut on a cost reuxrvery basis with a service club paying $10 and riders paying R Allen said the communities of Inger, soli and Tavistock desperately heed ac- cess to paratransit transportation, She said a system needs to be worked out so that vehicles leased by the oxfoni County Board of Education can be ustai Dy the general public. On 180 school days a year the vehicles sit idle except for IIz hours each day, Allen pointed. out. "The NEW has said in Oxford the% will onlyy deal with one municipality,` she said. '•If an), system was set up It would have to be county -wide and tvun ty run.,. Co-ordinating existing vehicles to provide a county -wide paratransit system Is wily ate of the things Allen'. group is studying on behalf of the handicapped. A meeting will be held in the hear future to duets a countywide system with MTC representatives. ' $4 million courthouse sadly lacks in checks to fire and vandilism i By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sewow-Review The Oxford County cour- thouse does not meet fire Safety standards, Woodstock's fire prevention officer Capt. Wray Fallowfield said today. The courthouse, which has undergone major renovations over the past several years, doesn't have smoke detectors, a sprinkler system, proper fire exit doors or an emergency lighting system, Fallowfield said. The county's in- surers have estimated the value of the building at just under $9 million. "We've asked for things before and they just ignore us," the captain said. "As far as I'm concerned my interpretation of the regulations (in the Ontario Fire Code, 1981) are they are breaking the law." Oxford's public works committee is investigating a security system for the courthouse to protect the building from break-ins and fire and smoke damage using an alarm system. Representatives from Radian Security Systems made a presentation to the committee Thursday but prices were not discussed. The committee heard Unit the county would get a break on insurance rates if a security system was installed, A"20ACNED THE COUNTY Clerk Harold Walls said Hooton approached the county about install- ing a security system after a break- in last October when vandals caused about $3.000 damage inside the cour- thouse and stole a small amount of money. Warden Helen Smith said today the committee's feeling in closed session — when the matter was discussed further — was that a fire protection system is just as impor- tant, if not more important than an intrusion system. "I think we will see it happen," she said. "But we're going to in- vestigate it further. There was no recommendation made to county council." The Warden said she was unaware the courthouse building contravenes regulations under the Ontario Fire Code. Fallowfield said the last time he issued recommendations to the county was in 1983. He said it was a long list and although he wouldn't go into details he said the list included things like exit doors, emergency lighting and portable extinguishers. NOT SEEN eY COUNCIL Walls said recommendations made by the fire department were never seen by county council. He said a report in log$ went to the Sheriff's office and the 19&3 report went to the county engineer's office. County engineer Don Pratt was unavailable for comment this morning. The fire department has the authority to enforce regulations under the fire code using the court system. "But as far as governments go, we have a problem," he said. They have too much going in their favor to take them to court. We'd never win. "I am the only fire prevention of- ficer for the whole City of Woodstock. I've been on the job five years and there are buildings I haven't even got to. What it gets down to is how much time can you spend on one building." The Ontario Fire Code is supposed to regulate fire safety in most of the buildings in the province. Fallowfield said. Help get our people jobs county to tell province By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sentinal-Review Oxford ounty council is petitioning the provincial government to take the necessary steps to promote and encourage industry to locate in tobacco growing areas. Oxford would also like the provincial treasurer and minister of industry and trade to meet with top officials from affected municipalities to develop a strategy to create job opportunities. The resolution passed by Oxford County council Wednesday will be cir- culated to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Rural Section of the AMO, neighboring coun- ties and regions with tobacco industries and provincial and federal politicians. The resolution states that the local economy of Oxford, the counties of Brant, Elgin and Middlesex and the Regional Municipality of Haldimand- Norfolk have been negatively affected by Lhe decline in the tobacco industry. It said the decline is affecting not only the farm community, but also the numerous small businesses serving the tobacco growing industry. "Other types of industry have not. located in the area in sufficient numbers to provide the employment op- portunitles to offset the impact of the; decline in the tobacco Industry," the rlution reads. Tllsonburg Mayor Jean Ferrie said the resolution to a good one and hopes It will "uthmately he effective." she did raise a concern that the resolution was an attempt to get an economic develop. ment department for the county which she said she would not support. Tipping fee issue left hanging Er Stu SCatvnt Of TM SrrrtMblbrY. Tipping fees at landfill sites should be implemented as a method of compeasa, tion for municipalities which pear- . ticipate in recycling programs, says a member of Oxford County's public works committee. Nell Hostetler told the committee Thursday the advantages of tipping fees applied at landfill sites would be two -fold — as a way to help reduce the volume of waste being taken to landfill sites and a form of compensation for municipalities enacting recycling pro- grams designed to reduce the volume of materials taken to landfill sites. But Hostetler's views conflicted with those of Don Pratt, Oxford director of F engineering, who said in a report tipp- ing fees wouldn't -significantly reduce the volume of waste being landfilled." Indeed, Pratt predicted tipping fees would likely result in people dumping waste in local swamps, abandoned gravel pits and roadside ditches. Pratt's comments were contained in a letter. The committee learned roadside dumping is already being done in some _ areas of the county — a large quantity of garbage consisting of old bed parts, kitchen cupboards and numerous bags of garbage was dumped earlier this month along the roadside in Sweaburg swamp. This may be the tip of the iceberg, Committee members wondered with the expected closings later this year of the five operating landfill sites once the Salford site is to operation, would more people take to dumping their garbage along roadsides instead of travelling to the central landfill facility. The committee intially made a mo- tion to recommend to county council that tipping fees would be premature at this time, then agreed to defer its deci- sion until Pratt could attend a meeting. ,Judge won't toss out Salford site charges By Howard Burns Woodstock Bureau WOODSTOCK—A pitch to have a provincial judge toss out environ- ment -related charges stemming from work at Oxford County's con- troversial Salford landfill site failed Thursday in provincial court here. The charges — under the provin- cial Environmental Assessment Act — were initiated by South-West Ox- ford Township officials as part of opposition to the landfill platys. At the end of a day or legal hag- gling on the pre-trial motion to de- clare the charges null and void be- cause of wording of court. documents, Judge R. D. Reilly of Kitchener ruled the charges could stand but ordered the wording revised. The motion was brought by a Lon- don lawyer representing DeKay ('(instruction of Hyde Park, its own- cr and three employees charged with proceeding with work at the landfill without proper approvals. Oxford council had awarded a $2813,000 earthmoving contract to the firm to prepare the landfill for its scheduled opening in July. The first and its president, Bever- ly OoKay, each face I counts under the Environmental Assessment Act slertnning for work at the site last year between July 17 and Aug. 20, Equipment operators Ernest Sachs of Hanover, Laurice Ford of Tillsonburg and Paul Tuttas of Lon- don each have been charged with one count under the same act aris- ing from work last Aug. 21. Tim Price, the lawyer represent- ing the firm, its president and the three employees, argued Thursday that there was a legal problem with the sworn documents that outline the charges, Ile contended that the documents improperly named the township and therefore should be declared null and void. He said that the township could not lay charges tinder the terms of the Provincial Offences Act, which sets out the way for "persons" to take legal action. Township clerk Helen Prouse was named on the documents as the mu- nicipalitys authorized agent, Township lawyer David Estrin of Toronto said while it was his post - thin the documents were okay, the judge had the power to amend them to clear up the situation. In rejecting the, bid to declare the charges null and void, Reilly ruled that Price was "half right." The judge said he agreed the township itself had no right to lay charges and shouldn't have been named at all, but he said the argu- ment was lost because Prouce also had been clearly identified as the one who brought intbrmation to a justice of the -peace that led to the charges. • 0 • 0 County works sets dates for phased dump closings By Bill SCRIV[II_- -of n. Scnaml-hrtor A phased closing program should be implemented for Oxford County's ilve operating landfill sites once the Salford landfill site is on stream, the county's public works committee has recom- mended to county council, With Holbrook landfill site designated [or shut down on June 30, the four re- maining landfill sites should begin clos- ing operations over the next two to three month period to correspond with the opening of the central landfill facili- ty, the committee recommended Thursday. But there are grumblings from of- ficials from various municipalities complaining of increased costs which will be incurred when landfill sites in their areas are shutdown. Four of the five operating sites — Holbrook, Tillsonburg. Lakeside and Blandford Blenheim — are currently administered by Oxford County and the fifth site, East Oxford, is operated by Norwich Township. The. Blandford- Blenheim and Lakeside sites are recommended to be closed July 31 and Tillsonburg and East Oxford, Aug. 31. Two weeks ago operations engineer Roy Brankley told the committee that because of the risk of environmental damage to all the existing sites, the sites should be closed almost im- mediately upon the opening of Sahord landfill site. Yesterday Brankley said although existing landfill sites were not "environmentally sound", several could continue operations for upwards of one year, allaying fears that if open- ing of the Safford site was delayed by legal roadblocks, the county would be caught in a bind where to put its waste. AT LEAST ONE YEAR Although the recommendation called for the landfill sites to begin closing operations in a two month period following the opening of the Satford =ile. Branklev said completion of the operatlong would take at least one yarn Closinwork at the sites would. includ , major earth moving operations — final cover, topsoUing and seeding would he completed in 1987. "Assuming we have a central. (lurid fill)facility, it's our responsibility to put an end to the sites we have," he said. "Over a three-month perod, material flow can be redirected to tho central facility." By closing and transferring operations during the sum mer,.it would be possible to temporarily secure all the closed site by the end of fall with final closure work carried out in 1987, Brankley said. Next to the closing of the Holbrook landfill site, which will cost an estimated $150,000 — funds have already been allocated by the county for this project — the landfill site in Tillsonburg is expected to be the most expensive site to close, said Brankley. Calling the Tillsonburg site "probably the- most environmentally sensitive sites' in Oxford, Brankley said it could remain open another lJs years depen- ding on the amount of industrial wastes which flow into the .site. Don Prall, director of engineering, has recom- mended because the site doesn't meet acceptable landfill standards, it should be closed "at the earliest practical date." The Tillsonburg District Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to county coun- cil, has stated its fears ol'the extra costs to the municipality and local industry for garbage disposal if the town landfill site is.closed. Zorra Township has urg- ed county officials to leave the Lakeside site open because its council doesn't deem the site full. Blandford-Blenheim mayor Ed Down, chairman of the ppblic works' committee, admitted while he'd liked the municipality's landfill site to re- main open, "it is environmentally un- safe." Down said he was also concet ned of the extra costs that will be incurred by the municipality and local industry to ship waste to the Salford landfill site New name may follow work on old Oxford County jail WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — The s1.8-million facelift of the 19th-cen- fury Oxford County jail may be topped off with a name change. Restoration and expansion work is nearing completion and the Ox- ford County health unit is to move in this spring. Known as the Oxford jail since its opening in 1854, the building was closed by the province and left va- cant in 1977. Councillor Phil Poole of Wood, stock said Monday the new name is important, partly because the word jail carries obvious negative conno- tations. Selection of an upbeat nano, In mf-1,10 tlo• building's rnnd- ern use and perhaps its past signifi- cance maybe leftto an Oxford coun- cil committee. While Poole would like to see a name with some historical link, he isn't fussy because almost any change would be an improvement, he said. A new name also might thwart any tendency to refer to the build- ing as the old jail, said Poole, who has been conducting an informal poll for possible names. Poole said one suggestion is. Cas- tle Cameron, an early nickname fur the jail when its governor was John Cameron and the turnkey George ForheN Health unit needs $140, 000 in furniture By Arch aUGM _ _— ol r14 So N"lllorlb INGERSOLL — Oxford County's board of health has approved spending approximately $140,000 on furniture for its new offices in the renovated Woodstock jail. However, because of Ministry of Health and Ministry of Community and Social Service sub- sidies, the county will only have bear approximately V5,000 of that cost. The board of health's approval followed a presentation by Katherine Smale of C.A. Ventin Architects of what furniture has been selected for the board's new headquarters. Smale brought pictures and a cost list to show the board, and after the presentation board member Phil Poole expressed satisfaction with the selection. "It's good looking, but you're not looking at extravagance in Poole any way.' The board also gave Smale the aW proval to tender for suppliers of the items. Smale will be inviting specific firms to tender — she said there are probably only five in southwestern On. tario that could handle such a large order but the tender will also be advertised to allow any area firms to bid. Smale will specify the actual items and the manufacturers, but the bid will also,include services such as shipping, assembly and installation. The furniture chosen is modern in design, and much of it is modular, to allow flexibility of use. The expenditure will have to be ap- proved by the Health Ministry. The furniture is in addition to the original $1.8 estimated cost of the pro- ject. a fact noted by Ingersoll Mayor Doug Harris. "It is an increase in this amount on the total project. It doesn't smooth over the wounds of those who said it would be "X" number of dollars over." Lay memebers may be paid for meetings Lay members of the Oxford County Archives Management Committee presently don't get paid but that could change after county council's next meeting. The county's administration and finance committee has recommended that lay members be paid for meetings attended and travel expenses according to Oxford's remuneration and expense policy for non -elected appointed per. sonnel, Under the policy, lay members would receive$70 for a day meeting and $50 for a half -day meeting. The policy has not changed since 198U, treasurer Howard Day told the committee Tuesday. Coun. Dun McKav requested that the archives committeebe requested to provide minutes of its meetings to coun- ty councillors. Coun. Marg Munnuch objected to paying lay members saying they had "a fun job ... I don't know why they ex. pact to gel ppaaid." fhe archives management commit tee was former) last year to investigate d the feasibilit y ul .i county ride archive. in Oxford. Salford battle Three Ontario court of appeal judge: will decide March 10 whether South- West Oxford Township can proci�vf with its fight for secret cabinet documents related to the Salford land- fill site. 'Che township lost a bid in. Januan for release of the documents, which led to;i controversial decision by cabinet in CMi3 approving the Salford site. The hid tar the secret documents is part of the township's court challenge of cabinet', decision to overturn a joint hearings M,ard ruling that the site be rejected The township's argument is that it needs the documents to properly prepare its case-. The province's lawyer argued that the documents are covered by cabinet.. privelege and the most important' ieipers — a report from the Ministry of die Environment — have already been released, The township's application for leair lu appeal the divisional court ruling rout January will be heard March 10 at c ,sgoodo Hall, Toronto. Here's what councillors are costing ya By AUSON "WN11 of Tito SoftlMeb1o06W Remuneration and mileage expenses aid to Oxford Coun- ty couneXors in 1985 totalled $168,717. A report received by the county's ad- ministration and finance committee Tuesday also showed that councillors spent $23,020 on conventions and seminars for a grand total of 2191,73T Former Warden Charlie Tatham, of Woodstock, had the hightst tallies with his remuneration and expenses totall- ing V1,710 and bills from conventions and seminars totalling $5, 101. The average paid out in remunera- tion and expenses for councillors was about SUM. Councillors who spent the most at conventions and seminars were Woodstock's Les Cook. $2,914, Inger- soll's Jack Warden, $2,695 and Zorra Township's Wallis Hammond, $2,28.5. (loth Warden and Hammond lost re- election bids in the November municipal elections and are no longer members of county council. County councillors support their own Tillsonburg apartment rejected fry AUS NI BONNIE of TM Sxtial-beln Tillsonburg Mayor Jean Ferrie had a smile on her face after last night's Ox- ford County Council meeting. For a moment it looked as though county council might overturn a j unanimous decision by her own council rejecting a proposal for a new apart- ment budding in a low density residen- t tial area. But a petition signed by 300 residents in the Concession Street area and com- ments from Ferrie and fellow Tillson- burg Conn. Jack Whitmore convinced council to support the local municipality. The county's planning committee had recommended support of the proposal by Peter and Jacoba Retsinas for a 23-unit, three -storey apartment building on the south side of Concession Street. The Retsinas own 21.z acres of land now containing only their own single family dwelling. Their lawyer Tom Morris told council the best use for the oddshaped property would be a multiple family dwelling unit. He said the cost of subdividing the property would be prohibitive. APARTMENTS NEEDED With a vacancy rate of just over zero per cent, the Town of Tillsonburg re- quires new apartments, Morris said. George Demeyre, spokesman for those opposing the proposal, said if the development was allowed to proceed it would open the doors for other apart- ment developments in the area. Other concerns raised by residents included extra traffic in the area, effi- ciertby� al buffer zone, lack of frontage and the possibility of increased crime. In the petition presented to the coun- ty, residents asked, "why does a town or county have an Official Plan and zon- ing if our elected officials are going to change the zones." A:n Official Plan amendment and zone change would have been required in order for the apartment to be constructed. The county's planning committee held a public meeting last week to hear support and objections to an Official Plan amendment. No residents attend- ed and Demeyre said that was an error on their part. Because the proposal was unanimously rejected by Tillsonburg Council the residents felt the committee would also turn it down, Demeyre said. There are no Tillsonburg represen- tatives on the planning committee. GOOD PLANNING Conn. Whitmore and Mayor Ferric said they were disappointed the plann- ing committee recommended to over- rule their municipality's decision. But the majority of councillors supported the local municipality's decision in- stead of the planning committee's recommendation. "Who am I to sit in Ingersoll and say what's best for them," Conn. Doug Har- ris said. Conn. Charlie Tatham, chairman of the planning committee, argued that the county planners determined the proposal was "good planning." "I respect our departments but I'm a people person," Conn. Jim Gibb said. I don't think 300 people can be wrong." The only councillors who voted in favor of allowing the proposed apart- ment were councillors Tatham, Les Cook, Betty Yeek and Ernie Hardeman — all members of the planning commit- tee. The final vote was 16-4 against the development. The Retsinas can appeal the deci- sions of the county and Tillsonburg Council to the OntarioMunicipal Board (OMB9. If the matter does go to the OMB, Ox- ford's planning department report sup- porting the proposal will be submitted as evidence and that will put the county "on the spot," Coun. Tatham said. "We will suffer the consequences. we'll receive our just desserts," he added. Following the meeting, Mayor Ferric said she had expected county council would support Tillsonburg's decision. But she was not overly optimistic that the OMB would support the decisions made by Tillsonburg and Oxford County. Salford decision coming in two weeks By ALISON DONNA of TM SeeNmi-bView _ Premier David Peterson's decision regarding the controversial Salford landfilt site — which Oxford County and South-West Oxford Towiubip have pa- tiently been awaiting — could be, an- nounced in two weeks. That's what Conn. Charlie Tatham told county council Wednesday night after speaking with Gary Gallon, policy advisor for environment minister James Bradley. Peterson had promised to give the issue his early attention but bath sides have been waiting since November, when those in favor of the Salford site and those against met with Bradley. Tatham said there was no indication in his conversation with Gallon as to which side the premier might favor. .,He said some people would be sad and others happy," said the Woodstock representative. Peterson has three options: stop development of Salford, call for a new hearing or confirm the pprevious government's decision and allow, gar- bage to bedumped at Salford /although certain conditions could be attachedi. IT'S EM B AR ASSI NG As 'opposition leader, Petet36n was higfh)y critical of a.Pmgressive Conser- vaitive cabinet decision overrVing a joint board's decision that the Salford site was not appropriate. In early - January, the ppremier called the Salford issue an "embarassing sttuation." While Salford residents have done everyything they legally could to stop the site from going ahead, the county has continued with expensive site preparation. At Oxford County Councfl's meeting Wednesday a schedule of closing dates for landfill sites in the county was ap- proved. Under the plan, the five sites in the county will be closed between June 30 and Aug. 31, "This may presuintuous,' public works chairman Ed Down said, " But we feel we have to plow ahead." He added that the dates could be altered depending an the response from the premier. . Councillors who did nut attend any conferences last year on behalf of the county included Woodstock's Wendy Calder, South-West Oxford Township's Howard Cook, Blandford Blenheim Township's Ed Down, Ingcrsoil's Doug Harris. East Zorra-Tavistock Township's Don McKay and Norwich Township's Helen Smith. One-third of the amount earned by municipal councillors is nontaxable. Committee turns down Salford site user fees WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Charg- ing fees to dump garbage at Oxford County's planned landfill site at Salford is unwarranted. its public works committee concluded Thurs- day, in recommending Oxford council scrap the notion for now, committee members seemed to agree it would be premature at best to start charg- ing customers a "tipping fee" to re- coup money for county coffers. The recommendation goes to council for consideration March 12. The committee also said such fee, were not essential to the startup of the planned Salford dump — a con- troversial site the county hopes to open duly 2. Although the immediate fate of j the landfdl site is in the hands of I Premier David Peterson's cabinet, the committee has indicated it has no alternative but to wrestle with Salford -related issues on the as- sumption it will open. Peterson is considering whether to revoke or alter a 19i33 Cotbserva- tive cabinet decision overruling a joint board's rejection of the Sal- ford site. During Thursday's discussion of fees, county engineer Dpn Pratt told committee members he could find no local rationale to start charging users of the landfill site. Ile said a tipping fee was similar to charging admission to the site, which he feels can be more simph and fairly financed through the county's tax system. Such a fee would have been based on the amount of garbage being de- livered to the site. In a report. the county's engmeer- ing department stated slapping us- ers with a tipping fee wouldn't "si. nif5cantly reduce' the amount garbage going to the landfill site 1, spawning new private or mtrmew, recyrlinw initiatives. C 0 • Environment m111 inister backs Salford landfill By Howard Bums Woodstock Bureau WOODSTOCK — Oxford County!; $2-million, decade -long stnrggle to open a landfill near Salfatd won heavyweight backing Friday from Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley. "The Ontario government will a] 'low the continued development of the Oxford County landfill site near Salford." Bradley announced Fri- day, ending weeks of speculation. The decision followed an envi- ronment ministry review of the Iandrill plan that has been at the zntre of political and legal storms ,ince 1975. It appears to clear the political decks, allowing Oxford to move ahead with its plan to ready the site for its first packer -load of garbage - "in early July. `I am confident the landfill site can be operated in an environmen- tally sound manner," Bradley said + in "strongly encouraging" the coun- ty to take whatever steps are need- ed to reduce its impact on the farm- ng community of Salford. Opponents of Oxford's plan had pressed the government of Premier David Peterson to revoke or alter a controversial 1983 Conservative_ cabinet decision that eventually at- iowed expensive site development io take place. In allowing Oxford to proceed at that time, the cabinet of then -pre- mier William Davis overturned a 1982 ruling by a joint board that had i ound the site unsuitable after a 59 day hearing. Any delay in capping that site would raise the risk of off -site pol- lution, Bradley said. "To reduce the level of activity at the site, recycling re -use or other waste reduction programs should be established. To this end, my min- istry will provide any, assistance it can to the county, the township or to local groups." Ile suggested landfill user fees might enable the county to provide money to Salford to offset any impact. The decision was greeted with a degree of relief by former county warden Charlie Tatham of Wood- stock and with disappointment by Mayor Walter Wilson of South-West Oxford Township, which had hoped Bradley would have halted the project. , "We shall continue to build a fa- cility that will look after the coun- ty's solid waste in a safe and smis- factory manner," said Tatham, who as warden in 1982-85 found himself caught up in the controversy. Wilson, whose township has been fighting the proposal on the grounds the cabinet should have stayed out of the issue in the first place, said the outcome damages the credibil- ity of Peterson. As opposition leader at the tune " Peterson had been critical of tho ,,,ay the Conservative cabinet ban- died the issue. - Peterson conceded under ques- tioning in the legislature in October that it would be a "tough call" to 011 make as a new premier, but prom- ised to give the issue quick I attention. In upholding the Davis -cabinet decision Friday, Bradley said the Liberal government had reviewed the issue thoroughly and examined new technical information. In making his long-awaited an- nouncement, Bradley said a review; ur the evidence from test holes and from recent site development had revealed thatthepresence of"thick clay, silt" would ensure the protec- tion of the ground water systems. "My primary concern is to protect the quality of the drinking water Extensive studies indicate that lho site will not pose a risk to the qual- ity of drinking water to residents m Safford." Bradley also said engineering +echniques to be employed by the county will will make it a sale site to operate. Another factor weighed by the minister was the condition of the oxford land(tll at Holbrook, which has handled about 31,500 tunny (35,000 tons) of garbage a year fro Woodatock, Ingersoll and the to+•. ships of Norwich and South-Wr Oxford, The Holbrook site, kept open short-term certificates of apprr, from the ministry during the baii nver Salford, is IU close June Wilson said as soon as the cabinet became involved in 1983, the envi- ronmental board's ruling in the township's favor automatically be- came a political hot potato. "Naturally, Cm disappointed. I don't know what information the province got, but we never had a chance to examine it. A landfill is a landfill until you get it —then it's a dump." Reached at home, Tom Way, who has been the chief spokesman for the Concerned Citizens of Salford, said it was the first he had heard of the province's decision and de- clined comment. ' Dairy farmer Lew Roberts, an op- ponent whose property is just east of the Salford site, said the govern- ment's decision is going tobea dis- appointment to many. "1 can't say I'm surprised. He (Peterson) has been reneging ever since he took power." In rejecting the landfill site in 1982, the joint board cited concerns about the site's hydrogeological suitability and concluded it was an unacceptable place to bury garbage. The board also said a landfill would likely lead to the decline of the community and rejected county arguments it could be engineered to make it safe. - Fire study caught in Salford shuffle Pratt speculates Pratt said two more fire ex - By A11SON DOWNIl of The SeMinel-Review Oxford County's public works com- mittee has requested a staff report on a 1983 fire safety inspection report on the county courthouse. The author of the report, Capt. Wray Fallowfield• Woodstock's fire preven- tion officer, recently said the county was contravening the Ontario Fire Code by not carrying out recommenda- tions made in the report. In explaining why the report never came to the attention of county council. in 19m, county engineer Don Pratt said it may have got lost in the shuffle as the lengthy hearings over the proposed Salford landfill site were held the same year. Copies of the report went to the county clerk and Sherrif s Office. The public works committee discuss- ed the 11 recommendations is the report, some of which have alread been carried out, then called for a staff report on the ways the others could be met and costs involved, GIANT CHIMNEY During the discussion, Pratt said one of the main recommendations - enclosing the stairwells and steps leading to either the basement or se- cund floor and installing fire doors -- would be almost impossible. In Fallowfield's report, he said in the event of a fire, the stairwells would act like a giant chimney and pull the fire from one floor to the next. "it's something you can't build into a building like this, Pratt said. "You can't do it without destroying the features of the building. It's not practical." The committee seemed interested in investigating the installation of a fire alarm system, an emerrggency lighting system and placing exit lights over doors la the outside. tinguishers should be installed in the basement of the courthouse which Coun. Ken Bullen said was even more important now with thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment located in the basement. FLAME PROOF DRAPES A recommendation that drapery materials in the courthouse be replaced with flame proof material was labelled minor by Pratt. He said the draperies in the courthouse are the same as most people have in their homes and pointed out that nothing is completely fireproof. A similar recommendation that linoleum on second storey halls and main courtroom be replaced because it can become impregnated with old was which would add fuel to a fire could he looked at during ongoing renovations of the courthouse, "This is not at great big deal," Pratt said. "There are other problems that require more attention." The only recommendation the county's public works department disagreed with is that another exit is re- quired from the basement. Pratt said there are already three exits leading to the outside from the basement. Coun. Gene Mabee said the county has an obligation to carry out as many recommendations to Fallowfield's report as possible. He said they, should not be ignored. Some of the M01"Inen- datiuns in the report could be used as guidelines in the ongoing im peaventents to the courthouse, Pratt added. on Thursday, the committee looked at two other fire inspecitoll reports from 19M -- one on the counh library and the other an the registry of- fice - but all of lbe recommendations in those reports have been carried ,,,,; tho county engineer said. Committee going for $40,000 to $50,000 Pitching for the archives ar etRG Ila1N[r65 -- w tM futMl-tirrtiw Supporters of a county archives will be pleading their case for between W 000 and $KOW in funding later this month before a committee of Oxford County council. so an archives can get going this year. Eleanor Gardhouse, vice-chairman of the Oxford County Archives Manage- ment Committee, a subcommittee of county council, said in an interview she's optimistic the county will approve such agrant this year. But she said she expects the manage- ment committee is going to have to do "a selling job," when members appear before the administration and finance committee March 24 to present their case. They are hoping to be included in the 1986 budget. The management committee is hop- ing the Norwich Archives will be con- verted into a county archives facility this year, it,would be known as the South Oxford branch. A $40,000 to $50,000 grant from the county would be used to hire a full-time archivist and an assistant clerk -typist, and money to rent the Norwich building from its owners, the Norwich and District Historical Society. IN RESERVE Committee members hope the grant would also include money to be placed in reserve to establish an archives in Woodstock in 1991. The management committee's pitch to the county will have to be a hard one. Gardhouse said the management committee will emphasize the primary function of an archives is to control and preserve local government documents. County councillor Don McKay, chair- man of the administration and finance committee, said in a recent interview "there are an awful lot of other things that are coming this year." The finance committee, which makes recommendations to county council, has just begun work on the budget and is already looking at a 10 per cent in- crease in the county library's budget and a hike for the planning department, McKay said. The archives committee has already made a major concession so that a county facility can begin operating this year. SIGHTS CHANGED The committee changed its sights from Woodstock, its original preferred location for a county archives, to Nor- wich because of the presence of a local archives in that village. But it also I hopes Woodstock will get its own ar- chives branch in five years. The Oxford County Archives Group IOCAG 1, which was established in 1984, studied the ins and outs of setting tip a county archives and ended up recom- mending three sites where one could be located. All three recommended spots were within the square surrounding the county courthouse in Woodstock, because such related research facilities as libraries, the museum and the land registry office were nearby. Last month OCAG supported the ar- chives management committee's move to establish the first county archives branch in Norwich, and to seek money from county council to finance it. OCAG has also recommended county council set aside money each year in a reserve fund for the establishment in 1991 of a Woodstock archives branch, HALF THE PRICE Gardhouse said there was a price tag in excess of $90,000 with OCAG's 1984 I' recommendation to locate, furnish and equip an archives branch in Woodstock. Using the Norwich Archives building, and making use of the equipment there, an archives could be established for half that price, Gardhouse said. The county would "be starting off by getting a good deal," she said. A staff of volunteer workers is involv- ed in the operation of the Norwich Ar- chives, but last year, for the first time, the county approved an operating grant to the facility. The grant was for $13,590. There are reasons for operating a county archives with paid staff, said Gardhouse. institutions such as the library at the University of Western On- tario will not turn over relevant ar- chival material to a facility that is not headed by a professional archivist, she said. What if the county turns down their request for funding? "We haven't even thought about that," Gardhouse said. Too soon to talk about tipping fees says works committee h ALISON DOWNY of TIN So11liiel•Rwkor It would be premature to institute tip- ping fees during the startup operation at the Salford landfill site, Oxford County's public works committee has decided. County council asked the committee to look at tipping fees as a way of en- couraging recycling but county engineer Don Pratt questionned the ra- tionale behind the suggestion at a public works committee meeting. He pointed out it costs more to recycle than dump material at a landfill. "You do recycling because you think it.s a good idea and it makes you feel good, not because of the money involv- ed," he said. Tipping fees could pay for the opera- tion of the site, but Pratt said it would be fairer and simpler to use the taxa- tion system. The committee's recommendation that tipping fees not be instituted at Salford will be dealt ,with by county council March 12. Conn. Nell Hostetler, who has been a 'proponent of tipping fees, said the issue could be looked at again in the future. DIVERSION FEES Some members of the committee seemed to favor diversion fees, which would give recognition to the fact that some muncipalities recycle to try to ex- tend the life of landfills. The committee agreed to investigate the idea further. Public works chairman Ed Down has said the county must work on the assumption that the Salford landfill site in South-West. Oxford Township will open July 1, although the fate of the landfill is in the hands of Ontario Premier David Peterson. An announce- ment about whether he will overturn or alter a 19a3 cabinent decision allowing a dump at Salford after a joint board found the site inappropriate is expected within the next few weeks. Salford strategy session behind closed doors South-West Oxford Township council will meet behind closed doors with lawyer David Estrin Tuesday W discuss the legal situation facing opponents of the Salford landfill site. A few members of council and repreaenfatives of the Salford Concern- ed Citizens Group met with the Toronto lawyer Thursday at his office. Aspects of the legal case were discussed but no decision was reached on whether the township should oceed with the court battle to stop Oxlprd County from going ahead with the landfill site, said Ernie Hardeman, the township's councillor - at -large. The township has been forcea to reconsider its position since the pro- vince announced Oxford would be allowed to proceed with the landfill operation. The special meeting of council Tues- day will not be open to the public or Press. Besides meeting with their awyer, council will also discuss "a few other things including (employee( wages," township clerk Helen Prouse said. DOMINION of c$ =„gym = uL s c NO=c =: ma cb n O r O ~ Y C) e m F A CL ti ■� 'y L,nu OYi cwy�'cc°'o i r 0W-Zei of — >.L O C J 0 0 C .0 « ` bo M 5 C L � 3> eve o-Os2 is�o�o �4u O � ao„muv •-3 OCm M7+m 0-0 00==02E�n y, 3 mow;— oL �Lic C E ` pp�CComyy i a�iu «�V-0_- 0 c E= y ^ w=? F C — = A = C W tL. 2 tC �— C ° o oa o.. o c; o 0 y E m _aL > S 3 s EW E% Np.�•otoc c r' p d0.'f a?i u = ws� v a= � SSE s sd z° NC"tx.O ,b sC'QV �,E'> c.J LM LL9uEe..E ca o. �Sa� m x'omb °'vi9Ea, �a �yo ..E�.coLoo O C�P�dWC���RL �1L7 Nyy L F 0 • E South-West Oxford opposition still kicking By "IG IItOTNWILI of The SnNhtsl-Rlittleva _ South-West Oxford Township has been given another chance to try and obtain government documents it deems crucial in its ongoing battle against the establishment of a county land- fill site at Salford. on Monday the township was granted leave to appeal a January court ruling which dented them access to secret papers related to a 1W. cabinet dect- sam by the then Progressive Conser- vative government. The cabinet over- turned a ruling by a tribunal that held hearings into the landfill proposal and rejected Belford is the site. The township feels it's essential to ex- amine the cabinet documents as part of its fight to nullify the cabinet decision on the grounds that the decision con. travened "the prfnciplcs of natural justice," a violation of the Charter of Rights. South West Oxford Township lawyer Greg Richards said from his Toronto of- fice Monday no date has been set for the hearing before the Ontario Court of Aµ peal, but said it may be held in abut three months, depending on the court schedule. Whatever ruling is rendered by the Court of Appeal, the matter may Security consultant sought Committee wants courthouse better protected cult solve the important problems' for less than $30,000, Pratt touched oil an issue raised at eel'lCl' Illel`tlrlI when he re- minded Ili conmitteethat it would be impossible to satisfy all fire safe- ty concerns without destroying parts of file courthouse. WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A con- sultant should be hired to come up with ways to better protect Oxford County courthouse front the threat of break-ins and tire, the county public works committee agreed Thursday. The committee recommended that Earl Pearce or Vandervesten and Rutherford Ltd. of Utnibeth do - the,iob at a cost of $1,500 to $2.000. The recommendation — to go to county council March 26 — calls for the Finn to take emergency lighting, stroke detectors and security mea- cures into consideration. The committee also recommend- ed that $30,000 be set aside in the 1986 public works department bud- get W cover the over-all cost of bet- ter protecting the 19th-century courthouse. Pearce told the committee the cost of installing a security system to detect intruders would vary, greatly depending mt its degree of sophistication and coverage. tie said the likely costola "basic" security package would range be- tween $8.000 and 1$20.000. Providing battery -powered emer- gency lighting in the courthouse corridors to permit the building to be safely evacuated during a power failure would cost about $5,000, he estimated. An early detection fire alarm sys- tern of smoke or heat detectors would probably total $8.000, he said. Oxford politicians and officials recently have been talking about the need for such protection mea- cures at the Victorian -style coot- , house, which has undergone expen- sive renovations. Councillor Ken Bullen of Wood- stock questioned whether earmark- ing $30,000 this year would bo enough to cover the design work, equipment pumliases and instal- lation. Ile said he would rather son the project done right the first t.imr in- stead of taking a "NIickoy Mouse" approach ,if that was Will of the choice facing the romnillec. Butchief county elwilleer Doll Pratt said "I can't help but thinkyou eventually end up before the Supreme Court cd Canada, Richards said. In January three divisional court judges, in rejecting the release of the cabinet documents, accepted. arguments from a government lawyer, Thomas Wickett, that the documents were privileged cabinet papers of a kind that is always kept secret Wickett also told the judges that the major document, an environment ministry retort, had already been released. Oxford councillor gains time for proposed health service WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Coun- and letters of support forwarded to Oxford jail on Buller Street, and c it for Phil Poole of Woodstock came the province. Bullen said that was something that to the rescue of a proposed mental Poole said the county support required further investigation. health service for children by stall- ing a vote on the issue at Oxford County council Wednesday. Confronted by questions and con- cerns he felt could be better hand- led by forces behind the proposal, Poole persuilded council to delay action. It is to be reconsidered by council in two weeks, with those who helped develop the proposal oil hand. Council debate centred on fears county money would eventually have to be pumped into the service, which is being promoted by several local groups. The proposal, which had received widespread support before finding its way into the hands of Council- lors, calls for an annual operating budget ot'$440,000 with full financ- ing by the province. Up for debate Wednesday was a recommendation from council's so- cial services committee that the pf oposal be approved in principle would be on condition it not be re- sponsible for financing and pointed out some youngsters are forced to travel to London or other centres for such specialized counselling and treatment. The dollar signs and space re- quirements prompted several coun- cillors to voice concerns about what the county might be getting into if it gives its blessing. Councillor Ken Bullen warned that if the province provides full financing at first, there would be no guarantee that Oxford wouldn't eventually be required to put up some money. The proposal hints the mental health service may require space at the new county board of health of- fice soon to be opened at the former I — Woodstock Mayor Joe Pember warned councillors 'we'll end up picking up the tab" when the pro�- ince bails out and saddles count:, ratepayers with the financial bur- den. The proposed service is beie_ heavily promoted by Family and Childress Services of Oxford. which receives about 20 per cent of its financing from county council. It would require hirhnga prograi-.',' director, social workers. child care specialists, a speech therapist, a psychologist and a part-time psychi- atric consultanL Under the proposal, any provin- cial money for the service would flow through family and children's ser tccs. ;Salford landfill talks won't include lawyers WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Using a i"person-to-person" approach in >coming negotiations over the planned operlingol'the Salford area landfill site is better than involving lawyers, Charlie Tatham, former ;Oxford County warden, said Wednesday. "1'lie talks are to be, arranged at the request of Mayor Walter Wil- non's South-West Oxford Township, which has been bitterly lighting the county's landfill plan since 1975. Wilson brought the request to Ox- ford council Wednesday, saying the township is prepared to discuss ways to reduce the impact the land - I fill site might have on the people of Safford —a tiny farms ng eommun toy of Ilighway 19, about six kilmuctres Routh of Ingersoll. The township's -movement on the issue represents a °glimmer of light" and a chance to resolve differences based on fair play, said T_ athani, warden betwt n 1982-ft5, "I don't want our lavv-vers there. said Tatham of Woodstock, adding. similar problem was handled smoothly by politicians taikin;: "person -to -person" several years ago. The landfill site has been i source of stress f'or years and per, Laps the talks will help ease the tensions, said Warden Helen Smith of Norwich, who referred the re quest to the counly's public work. committee. The talks should be based on a "good neighbor" policy, said Coun cillorPhil Poole of Woodstock in urging the county to quickly take up the township's offer. South-West Oxford plans to ask , the snlpr one court of Ontario to N u sae out a IM Conservative Calif. it, i derision that overturned an ear hoi refection of the landtlll site ■ ti CL a ■ ltttt� ma d O A 0 Alm Cr 0 0 0 4 Ly'= QI 1 y 0C v+ E ° tpap, m'a �a a °�'6vm«Via@a Y ga� Lw og+ E aa�@ w0,1 r '°0c P-&$o'oE 'o $>yQ rE7'yyu s_t« �F3 uaams es_C �"�,x cg°u o;y�.:EL_wo .Oit0Q3mc °w>oanl.2 .=0is =acE«mac o • t-' e. 5EN��aa L'`ta�0 T°L3 uW Z3Eo�-��-m tm.r a C E ami2 x,L c EL° m 5 10:12 � a 0 0mE@@vE@� 0s•amo m mou�3ry�°u °u sic .cc W. @ m m o m c22co.u0cc o0— cc cu Er Oo,A c � m.. � � 7 00 t OF om f_09;1vlE 0 c °w 3 d ww0�0 - b •� mmmi: cad ��.6. �m co..=@EE E E2'. o a Clio aoco10c•=" 3�E0 E c 'at- Etc r �s q vi woa.w��°1 mccg. E m Ems« ^—''WEWfi'0 Wwao @,g m a « ,°off'- o v m0 s�3—c-xia«m3xE�,� 3� �Erm.m3"Py�'3�"uWac, ry is �'—f0 rci maws-'+-mw�ry •• tsY'v« w m« M= rA a:.s U n 3a E-4 EE awl 0 �oa7$�m a0aci Oyu »E uao�i @ mE r a za , @ E 9a E WZ yp�`���pp�a'�' E0afi10 i°"�yE «a@c°aa V:Q uua0� Fire, security system coming for courthouse By 1014 PRtttell of TM %#11"l-11oviow A preliminary design for a fire detec- tion and security system for the court house should be ready for Oxford Coun- ty officials in two weeks. Vanderwesten and Rutherford Ltd. of Lambeth was hired by the county public works comrnittee Thursday to design the combined system at a cost of approximately $1,5(8)•$2,000, The com- mittee's recommendation to hire the firm is expected to be formally endors- ed by county council at its next meeting. In approving the study, the commit - Lee stressed it should be an "adequate" design, with emphasis on fire protection. At Wednesday's county council meeting, several councillors questioned the lack of response to a 1982 fire in- spection report which cited a lack of smoke detectors, a sprinkler system, fire doors. or an emergency If Ling system in the county -owned building. None of the deficiencies have been corrected. The building has never met the code — never will," county engineer Don Pratt told the committee, because it would he impossible to fulfill certain re- quests, such as covering in all stairwells. ' •MICKEY MOUSE' The committee agreed to set aside $30.000 for the system. although Conn. Ken Bullen argued that an additional $5,000 might be more appropriate to avoid doing a "Mickey Mouse" job. "If you have $30,000 in the budget. you could do a good job," said consul- tant Earle Pearce. A basic security system woula be $8,000420,000, "then it's a question of how much you want to extend it." To provide the fire protection component, he estimated it would take another $8,000. 'I don't know what the fire depart- ment has been saying, except for what I read in the paper." Pearce said. "but I think they'd like to see a sprinkler system in every room." For early detection, he advised the in- stallation of smoke detectors instead of heat detectors. Sprinklers contain a fire "but often it's too late; it should have been detected earlier." before the (usable- Ynk melts, triggering the system. - Battery -powered emergency lighting and exit signs should also be included, he said, at a cost of about $5,000. Pearce will deliver his initial plans to the public works committee March 27, Tillsonburg C of C not happy with word town's dump to close By GREG ROTHWELL of The Sentinal•Review TILLSONBURG — A bid by the county to close the town dumpp in Tillsonburg, after the landfill site is Salford opens in June, is meeting opposition from the town's Chamber of Commerce. Matthew Scholtz, the secretary of the Tillsonburg and District Chamber, said today they can't see any reason why the dump, which Is located in the south part of town near Tillsonburg's industrial mall, should be closed Aug. 30. The Chamber says such a move could have a detrimental effect in attracting new industry to the town. LETTER FROM PRATT In a letter to the Chamber directors, county engineer ton Pratt said while there are no apparent environmental dangers from the Tillsonburg dump, "it is demonstrated that the soils in the area are unsuitable to contain or renovate pollutants to the degree re- quired by modern landfill design standards." The county wants the town to truck its garbage 19 kilometres to the Salford landfill site, which is to open June 30. Pratt, in his letter to the Chamber. said that is not considered "an unusual- ly long haul" and "the added cost and inconvenience .should be acceptabie." but admitted that the town may not be happy about the proposal. TOWN CLERK HOLLAND Town clerk Ken Holland said this morning the Tillsonburg council will also be looking at the count_v's proposal shortly. The next council meeting is March 24. Holland said the dump, which has been in operation since about iw,i. is us- ed for both domestic and industrial waste. But, he said, the industrial refuse taken there is "inert material" l lone company, for example, dumps its wooden pallets theret and the town uoes not consider any of it environmentally hazardous. The dump was developed as a two. . phase operation. The present dump site may be nearing capacity. Holland said, but the second site is located on town owned land adjoining it. However, no stele have been taken to develop these. cond phase of the operation, the clerk said. • • Impasse reached over industrial development bait at county level By MICHAEL UEMER of The Sentinel -Review Members of the cotmty's administration and finance commit- tee reached an impasse Tuesday over a $25,000 allotment to pr0- mote industrial development in the county. Municipal development officers Paul Plant of Woodstock and Ted Hunt of In- gersoll made a bid for $25,000 to sub- sidize a county tour and attend two American trade shows. While they are interested in attrac- ting industry to their own municipalities, Hunt and Plant told committee members that firms they contact often decide to locate in other areas of the county.. Neighboring municipalities also benefit when a new plant begins operations in Oxford, the men said. COUNTY TOUR The county tour would include 45.50 to plant managers, foreign banking of- ficials and members of ponsulting firms who find suitable sites for industry - The businessmen would be accom- modated overnight and ushered around the county the next day. They would be fed breakfast and lunch and provided willf-alamd of golf and a barbecue in the afternoon. Total cost of the tour is estimated at S7,000. It would cost an estimated $12.600 to operate a booth promoting Oxford at a Chicago machine and tool show. Par- ticipation in a plastic show in Boston would be a $5,900 expense. Woodstock mayor Joe Pember said the joint promotion of individual municipalities and the county impress- ed officials in charge of selecting the site for a Toyota plant that eventually went to Cambridge. 'PULL TOGETHER' "I see the benefit of the county pull-. I ing together as a whole," said commit- tee member Marg Munnoch. "It's going to help the whole county, not just Woodstock and not just Ingersoll." i But when the proposal came to a vote, the committee was split 2-2 with Woodstock representatives Munnoch and Panther voting in favor and Warden Helen Smith and Zorra Township representative Wayne Smith voting against. The item will go before county coun- cil as an information item without a recommendation from the committee. "1'm not totally opposed to it but I • would have like to have seen more coverage of what the county has to of far," said warden Smith. "They made it clear Woodstock and Ingersoll was their first responsibility. 1 was also con- . cerned about the amount of money they were asking for. The concept of trying to sell the county is not bad." APPLICATION Representatives rejected a proposal from the committee in charge of setting up the county archives. The committee is calling itself the South Oxford Branch of the Oxford County Archives. its members want the county archives to beeventually moved to Woodstock but they are willing to ate the archives at the Norwich Ar- e ivcv: for the next three to five years, Committee vice-president Eleanor Gardhnuae told county officials that it woutd cost $41,525 to establish a work- Ing arehives. Tha applicetian budgeted 115,0t11i for a full-time srchlvisl $77,It0U for a ((aft - time archivist and f.Y,750 for aclerk- typint. to work for 15 hours a week. Munnoch and Pember laid Gar• dhouse they rouldn'l support so large [in expenditure, Pembor suggested the archives should return with a drastically Keeled - down request. "Maybe there could he a gradual slope to it. The only thing old I keep are my shorts and my underwear and they're not going to tang in tiny museum " Z CD MO 3 so WO _O X �u o7,10 - gym¢ vyu 'EmtOoti°� N i•YY NG->. sy-. Euna.v cr, E=. - M _ - t pypY Yalu - o� ° �," ❑o 0 1 C1 Y GCL Y ..ot❑ O'D T7ji.0 rri�.-1 O° c v:cE�3Y m c.yEi.wr u0 at'oc.-C�-_u-E'^ �F°�tLo oast-°o�3%uo�3o°: L a uoymO mo �9ccYoT�`oo°°lac;, `a -O E�dYQc.C,-, �.�L' EEoOW�,c OZ O�L a E W c o.r =_ v y y o 3 c� ;� � �;1 y T%T C'• OwmYE-CTL� wCLLs=.c':c� 7 V 0 6 o g 0 9 "- L c L' ,o tt Y m v,Ytxsoe.`o—E�A„cY .°r�yCcZ2 G o5uoE- Y �5E3?'Y�b°o C� `Y oOLRwl o, ;eFmrrs - �tXoo��ro�� Y O.V YL YR.8,= y V, Y 9,n EJ' ink �9 L L.CjilLG roY °�-c aro E m c«`a L =sin o�o�ypE £°u,sY, °'C i. On Y E` C V ,� o S > y vi2W Mal� pCp•Ou°i° oQ c c�W .EM. ��E n4 ,E^�CC YO u�L 2'a E t�a,u >> v6itlQp�ppE Lyy ��ryryYc Yana ✓U to �U a a, VJ-.C., V Mc_0Gb .4'. omii .0 0 WC 0 0 O _— Hardly a snip Committee leaves budgets unscathed 4 ALISON DOMNIf of The Sennul"Renew _ Oxford Counly's administration and finance eommittee gof its first look at 1966 department. budgets Monday, but committee members ept their paring knives lucked away. Four budgets were presented to the committee including planning, health and social services, public works and Woodingford Lodge - few cuts were made. The planning and development budget was reviewed first. Planning commissioner Ken Whiteford estimated his department would re- quire $536,4.51 this year - a 23.5 per cent increase over last year's figure of $436,150. But before he left the room committee members had cut $5,01 from his budget, which brought the in- crease down to 22 per cent. To offset the increase, $100,000 will be. taken out of reserves. Whiteford said his department's salaries, including benefits, are up about 7.5 per cent. A chunk of the department's budget will be spent on the new computerized land related in- formation system which is coaling about $707,000. The planning commis- sioner said the cost of establishing and operating the system are being heavily subsidized by the provincial govern- ment to the tune of about $590,000. The administration and finance com- mittee cut $5,000 from the $20,000 set L _ uo Egrn° w$«`- rnea3rn tE�.°'oii �y' u m.r-O w� vmrn O9 �LEn= 3Etlp°c3t°aO°" .° t" a u0� ��tVO a'rn L�yV rC� ipt'Ct _pm wcoy= a 33 9mRr9E E m._.o �XZ 0rnx E°-arn�0Lx 4�"t3 l N -E aEea�^@a.✓d3 druuy=EctOw s$EEy��. u P.0-E °.'t0 wx~Ea?a�ic@oF �a, c°F a .g -. -C: rn rncy_ymc O L U.''� �etr!E='vyy Gi LL r.0 U._ �o m EL rn 3 w� E Lo Eybo Gl CwRmm N °« .�3sv�Csa+ Re'� � LtRrnw ��'.=✓1 Joao=rn-C L os ie W ^r.,G L7ifs u pa0 to EuL T0"? A� 0.a � Rf'o o y px"V VLfY-, CVao f0"Y uQov«y^ °.tyv h y aWE'o�o'�Lf �tos° �wcnf•YE iao aside for computer consulting fees for the new system as well as $600 from the land division committee expenses. The health and social services budget, which is heavily subsidized by the province, was estimated at $1,050,33.3 for this year, up from the $906,313 spent last year. The increase to the county is about 2.9 per cent. Net welfare costs this year are expected to reach $759,760. Costs to the county for providing day care will rise about 14.9 per cent this year. The net costs will be about $34,763, about $4,000 more than was spent last year. It will cost about $4 million to operate Woodingford Lodge this year up half a million dollars over last year. The $4 million estimate includes renovation work to a lounge area on the second floor for use as a dining room, ad- ministrator Brian McReynolds told the committee. THE SAME FIGURE The only .budget presented to the committee showing no increase was from the public works committee. The department was asking for $9.2 million dollars, about the same as last year but ended up getting slightly more. The committee agreed to include another $25,000 in the budget to renovate the jail governor's residence alongside the county jail, which has been under renovation the past year. Public works chairman Ed Down said thereason the public works budget was down was because little money is being spent on the jail this year, with renova- tions almost completed. They work was paid for out (if reserves last year. Coun ty employees will carry out renovaliom to the residence. More than $900,000 has been set aside to close up landfills in the county when the Salford site opera this summer. county engineer Don Pratt said, A per Lion of money has also been set aside ir: the budget to create additional parking at the courthouse. ROAD MAINTENANCE The department expects to spend $169,100 on buildings and grounds maintenance costs, $632,000 on winter road maintenance, $3,493.,100 on road and bridge construction, $10,000 on traf- fic signals, $259.0W on vehicles and equipment and another $448,700 on vehicles, garages and present equipment. The committee also looked at a pro- posed budget from the Oxford County Archives Committee totalling $3Q725, but it was eventually set aside when committee members decided to get feedback from county council Wednes- day night on what to do. ' 1 can't support this," Coun. Marg Munnoch said. "f feel they're going at it in too big a fashion. I'm not ready to spend that kind of money." Coon. Wayne Smith madea motion to abolish the committee, formed late last year to look at the feasibility of creating a county archives, but couldn't find a seconder, The bottom line is we shouldn't have gotten into this," Coun. Jae Pember said. "We should leave the $36,000 in and let county council deal with it as a whole " Oxford council backs call ff for chuaren's counselling WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A personal plea for support made the difference Wednesday as Ox- ford County council backed a call for a children's mental health ser- vice — after a month's delay and on the condition local tax dollars would not be shelled out. Council had set aside a written request to support the proposed service March 12 amid fears the county, might eventually have to contribute some money. But Ross Dawson, executive director of Family and Children's Services of Oxford County, came to council Wednesday to ease those con- cerns and make a successful lob- by for support. Council voted to approve the proposed service in principle and agreed to voice its support in a letter to Community and Social Servicos Minister John Sweeney. Dawson, who was closely in- volved in developing the propos- al, told council a request for fi- nancing has been forwarded to the ministry but that hasn't been a reply. Council's support, he said, would help organizers pressure the province for money. The proposal calls for the hir- ing of about 11 staff members and an annual operating budget of $440,000 with financing from the province only. Dawson said financing was clearly a provincial responsibility in this case and one not easily ducked. Oxford is the only county in Southwestern Ontario not to re- ceive provincial money to operate specialized counselling serviees for its children. tie said the prov- ince has Ililly financed 69 such c,riccr sineo 1978 nr,d that Ih. ford children are missing out. Dawson said the need for such a service surfaced recently when his agency and Woodstock Gener- al Hospital became "overloaded - with requests for assistance. He said the province spends about $21 million a year in South- western Ontario on counselling services for children and "not one pennygoesto families in Oxford. - He said part of the task involves getting the province to under- stand that sending children to London for treatment is not al ways practical for area families. The service would provide range of counselling P"09ruuls for troubled .children, it would in - hiring a program director. social workers, child care special- istn. a speech therapist a p..ychol- o.i I and a part -tune P,'whiaLnk, c n.!dtant. • • ,-A Woodstock house won't be razed for civic parking Ali �e ! WOODSTDCK (Bureau) — A pro- posal to demolish a house to pro- vide more parking in the court- " - house square area here was narrowly rejected by O.xford County council Wednesday. Council voted 11-9 against razing the county owned residence to build a parking lot with room for about 45 vehicles. The public works committee had recommended the demolition to handle an expected parking crunch because of this year's planned cen- t Ifzation of thecounty health unit a the restored Oxford jail on Buller Street Chief engineer Don Pratt told council about28 parking spaces could be created on either side of the house if it was left standing• enough to sat isfF a municipal minor variance requirement. Public works committee chair- man Ed Down of Bland fard Blen- heim Township said 47 additional employees will be reporting for work in the area when health unit employees start working out of the restored jail. Woodstock Mayor Joe Pember supported razing the house because "you have a parking problem right this minute . _ at peak periods. I think this is the only way, I'm sorry, but the house has to go." Councillor Charlie Tatham of Woodstock wanted the house left .standing and a study clone on the courthouse square to take into con- sideration parking wind pedestrian movements. Ingersoll Mayor Doug Harris said tearing down the house wouldn't solve anything and suggested ef- forts should be toward eventual constriction of a parking garage. The courthouses main custodian lives in the two storey house on Light Street. mamma cnf0'�7�co ro c'o V m •, •c mmxmm o ��zm-, hoc mm4o .�O.O_`< 6�.G0 O F n '0 ! 'z m p G N F it o n m am 0 C) Bt FL CA am F a k S A m m cr _. =m io 0 c.�a�oR Nw50�o.0-tv �N n0 a=am m to A �'<r•ad ammu-am_a.mo;a°�y'=d,mn�-F, r/1a0myO CXrym4,'WG oC NONn 1Gn WsyoM mJ1 .Z �. RO'mG SW y -r mt<`ilmOf,O^<�9 COO �_'rmie 00m SNtD Comm Oa Im ---��a' n'c may go 'O N A '•a 50-rmj - p- NNm _=5 7 Qo _ � o. osa Mmo� 3nfD3 AmOO'G lolly G _ w. _. N m G. '1 •6 0 tq SN Oa7 4 1.1m m X _ - m•o�-e."ti-m na" _ aOOn a0a O <agn <r 3 v -,ga min .. •DO N��m m� V/mN�a � � N Oym (4�n1S��aN ?O.F-m ��F,.�• O a o.o _-=mac _�-.' rov m,� .:�a a.m,ms•-• • In other business, a bid by Ingrox ered for a shopping centre in 1977 ago when a proposal to build at res- Lid. to build a small retail mall and but plans were withdrawn when op- taurant was rejected by the town restaurant. in Ingersoll was ap- position forced a showdown before and the county on the grounds the proved by council over ohjertlons the (ooimo Nlnnir'ipal Board. plan did not make full use of the from a developer in the area. II Tiered six yearrile. Cnunail agreed to changv lls offi- cial plantopormil constrUC-tion0na Thames Street South site that had I" been designated by the county for industrial uses. Ingrox plans to build a mall with i 875 square metres (9.400square feet) of retail space and a restau- rant almost side -by -side north of the CP Bail line and the Thames River. It was opposed by Gerria btvesti- ment Corp lawyer Paul McIntyre. who said the development was ill 11, - suited and would cause traffic flow problems. McIntyre said the town had prob- lems filling existing store vacancies in the traditional downtown area and the Ingrox mall proposal would only make matters worse. The official plan change had been i supported by Oxford's planning de- partment staff, who concluded the commercial growth would be a logi- cal extension of the shopping dis- trict. The same site had been consid- I L'V'0•S m00 No 000'�O <<RPW�o§'0o,rmf�83m om 'J'm.N 5. 99WEN� SeamEa �yoaN mg 5.R m'<f.�3 �crnoc�mamwyov_ d...m� m o c'< ❑ o QK ,W. 5. ma 0 0 Oxford hears pitch 'to join ball hall of fame ta y Howard Burns oodstock Bureau WOODSTOCK — Oxferd County ll grab a share of attention at the on to be opened Canadian Base- ll Hall of• Fame atOntario Place if proposal presented Wednesday is hit- A pitch to put Oxford's name in a favored spot among the displays was made to county council by Doug Smith, the hall's director of operations. He said the county could buy it- self all kinds of recognition by play- ing up the story that Beachville was the site of the first recorded base- ball game in Canada in 1838. Restored Oxford County jail may officially open June 29 WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — The building in late May or early June. tentative official opening date for Tatham, chairman of committee the restored Oxford jail here is of Oxford council overseeing the June 29, county Councillor Charlie project, said the June date is fa - Tatham of Woodstock said Tuesday. vored, partly because it allows the Being converted into office space opening to take place before the under a $1.8 million project, the old ' traditional summer .vacation jail is to serve as administrative of- period.. flees under a centralization of Ox- He said while dignitaries and ford's health services. politicians will be there, he hopes The board of health is making the opening will draw residents . plans to move into the restored from across Oxford because it was taxpayers' money that turned the 19th-century jail on Buller Street l into office space. Ij Early talks have toothed on the possibility of having a week-long Oxford O Ks open house atthejail following the official opening but nothing has been settled, said Tatham, who was Salford fund WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A fund to ensure money to replace the Sal- ford landfill site when it reaches capacity and closes in 25 years was approved by Oxford County council Wednesday. In accepting a recommendation from its public works committee, council agreed to set aside M380 each year beginning Jan. 1 to cover the anticipated cost. The savings will swell to about $4 million with interest over 25 years. County engineer Don Pratt said in it report, The Salford site is nearly finished and is to open June 30, County grant to hospital may be put off WOODSTOt:'K (Bureau) — A re- quest that Oxford County make a grant toward a planned expansion at Alexandra Hospital in Ingersoll might be put off until next year. Noting that the hospital's plan has not yet been approved by ihn province, Oxford's administration and finance committee recom- mended Tuesday that council deal with the matter during 1987 budg,•t talks. "I'd sure be reluctant to put any thing" in the 1988 county budg,-tr sold committee chairman Don McKay of Fast Zorro-Tuvistm 1, county warden when the project was approved. The plan calls for the county to receive rent from the province when the board of health moves in as a tenant. County councillors seemed to like what they heard, but voted to send the proposal to Oxford's adminis- tration and finance committee for a recommendation. The one-time cost of sponsoring the display would be about $9,827, Smith said, although there would be a small maintenance cost charged to Oxford each year. Smith said Involvement would bring the area to the attention of hundreds of. thousands of visitors the hall of fame is expected to at. tract after its opening May 10. The initial design of the Oxford display depicts two life-size models of baseball players in period uni- form surrounded by a mural with a scene based on the I= game- Children's service planned by FCS wins endorsement By A11soN WWNIF Of The ten""l-Review JA proposal for a children's mental health service in Oxford has received the backing of county council. Following a presentation on the pro- i posed service by Ross Dawson, ex- ecutive director of Family and Children's Services of Oxford County, council approved the proposal in princi- ple provided no funding is required from the county. "Your endorsement will help pressure the provincial government to get the money to run a children's men- tal health centre," Dawson said. -There are more than 100 examples of needs that aren't being met in the com- ty because such a service does not ex- ist, he said. Since 1978, 69 municipalities in Ontario have established children's mental health services. Oxford is asking the provin- cial government for about s400,000 to set up a service here. A meeting with ministry officials has been scheduled for Friday. If full funding is received it would enable the county to hire 11 staff members who would operate out of In- getso11. Woodstock and Tillsonburg and provide counselling services. Dawson would like to see the program set up within one year. LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT He said the province has not en- couraged Oxford to set up its own ser- vice as officials believe residents here can be serviced out of London, but that is impractical cost -wise for many Families. he said. The Thames valley District Health Council has given its backing to the proposal. Conn. Don McKay was the only member of county council to speak against the proposal. He said these types of programs encourage parents to be irresponsible. "It would be nice if all parents were responsible," Dawson replied. "But in reality there will be casualties and you can pay for them now or later." He said the cost of keeping children in institutions amounts to $100 a day while group homes charge between Ego and STO a day. "The level of funding we receive will determine the number of staff we hire, he said. 1 Oxford committee rejects pitch to keep Tillsonburg dump open WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A bid to keep the Tillsonburg landfill site open beyond its planned closing this summer was rebuffed Thursday by Oxford County's public works committee. The pitch was made by the Till- sonburg District Chamber of Com- merce, which maintains the closure of the county -operated dump will lead to an increase in haulage costs for the town. Oxford council has decided to close Its Tillsonburg site Aug 30 as part of the phasing -out of smaller dumps In the county afterthe open - ;A ing of a central one at Salford. The chamber suggested in a letter released to committee members Thursday that the Tillsonburg loca- tion be kept open as a dump for some waste material. The chamber said its proposal wouldn't harm the environment and would leave more room at the Sal- ford dump, scheduled to accept its first load of garbage Jute 30. The chamber mentioned such de- bris as leaves, brush, "stable indus- trial waste" and remains from de- rnolished buildings as the kind of garbage it had in mind, County engineer Don Pratt said Thursday the Tillsonburg site is "founded on sand for about as far down as you can dig" and is not up to stuudards. Ile cautioned public works com nidtr,• lwlnbccv Thal. Iho con tinuedbperationwould requirego- ing through all the "jumps and hoops" of a provincial approval system. Pratt said part of the trouble with the chamber's proposal is that it in- volves someone making judgment calls about whether a load of gar- bage is harmless. The committee agreed with Pratt and voted to stick by the county' 9 earlier decision. A suggestion by Councillor Gene Mabee of Ingersoll that Oxford get environment ministry support to back its decision didn't earn aqe support at the committee. Chairman Ed Down of Blandford- BlenheimTownship sild ttin th, environment min i might cloud the issua t , ,,,.,11 .,. r.lN o\oa ;i clear-cut anvier. M O X r- ,11 u L O 4) O O 00 CL 1"0 ca (Cf m ��Ewa 'RYA log Ec`j wL�gyd�y 3G�.,,vmaQyy3 �•'p� �-'FS t1 ^+►'ono'2s .-«�'�•g i� C ey Oa �q� `o „�°Tw •o�C�,•o��6ev.`S�'•,f°�G�y �y1� w�,yaF% paa¢�o=0 £'�E��3�`�wuwmmon,G Sx 7ig E :� try r� Va� Eov O°`o.'3ap.,aoi pLp° �9 1!m-E 13it w.c�mv•�4`}y� SE«g ¢ U X C) O bl L F 9. G) �' N 4 N wnmm O £^i3Er� 29 H2 �..w«`' � !;E". 3 �«.�m`nt0wc lVy �.t33rj uto° Sin T�vi3�o� "> vA 5�9 m Su w w 9 - - = w a�A5r Ec�mEmU _ _ L �• �E�=�"8 o c o� o$=° 8Gs°8..W maw3•o o3 oo E= E�- 4. � G Q ORE Cy 9�pp �3on U� E a c l I B3 0-: • ao.oc � 9m Gaoyg T ° �u Z 8' w5o 'P lid�v TO A ey�i E- R > e_ ��p v._'i2iEo-g3m W=�pp Lowy r'a Ay �„-`m wo•cii aE� u `��O v� ccWM.:7 qc_ a va3w wa ° m 3•og8£tq-.B xdN�'o Sa•5 my c.5o$: os eo�m`o�3 Committee keeps increase to four per cent By AUNN DDWNIf of TM S,iirriml-sevler The eight municipalities in Oxford County will face four per cent tax in- crease if a draft budget of more than $22 million is approved for 1986. The county's administration and finance committee approved a draft budget Tuesday asking Oxford municipalities to contribute a total Of $6,877,488, up from the $6,609,783they kicked in last year. Treasurer Howard Day said the 1986 proposed budget includes spending $1.4 million out of reserves and surplus funds. Government grants will add 1 $10.4 million to county revenue this year with other income adding an estimated $3.3 million. Expenditures this year will be about $22.2 million, an eight per cent increase over the $20.5 million spent last year. The approved budget last year totalled $21.7 million. The draft budget for this year in- cludes $9.9 million for public health and welfare, $8.1 million for public. works, $W7,000 for solid waste management, $509,8ag for recreation and community services, $1.3 million for planning and development and $625,220 for general government operations. In the general government budget, a proposed five per cent increase in coun- cillors' salaries concerned members of the administration and finance commit tee. While Conn. Joe Pember pushed for the increase to be lowered to 4.5 per cent other members of the committee, li including Warden Helen Smith,said there should be no increase. If the five per cent suggestion is accepted council salaries will total an estimated $188,0()0. Last year councillors were paid $171,505. Members of the committee reviewed departmental budgets last month and few cuts had to be made in order to keep the budget around the five per cent mark. One addition that was made to the proposed public works budget at the committee's last meetingg was taken out Tuesday. Some councillors wanted to see $25,tco included for interior renova- tionss W the turnkey residence on the museum square while others felt the project could wail another year. - When asked how much would have to be removed from the draft budget to avoid any increase in taxes, the treasurer replied uWul $288,000. County council will consider the pro- posed budget at its April 23 meeting. Council apologizes but has little hope for archives I Members of the Oxlord Ceunly Ary chives Committee received an apoloy ifrom Warden Helen Smith Wednesdagy for the confusion surrounding the com. I mittee's mandate - or lack of mandate. The warden made the apology at a special administration and finance committee meeting held to discuss con- cerMa with the archives group. Since members were appointed to the ar. chives committee last November they have been OF in a "gray area chairman W 11 liam Gladdmg told county councillors. The group recently presented a pro- posed $41,0t19 budget to county council that was met with much apprehension. With those funds a county archives would be developed in conjunction with the Norwich Archives for the south end of the county. The budget report also in- dicated the committee was looking at eventually establishing a second ar- chives In the northern part of oxford County. County councillors are to blame for . the confusion that erupted when the report was received by the county, Warden Smith said. She added that councillors did "not do their homework" and read what was in the original proposal. POLUTICAL SIDE "We formed this committee and ask. ed you to bring in recommendations and you've done exactly that," Coun. Joe Pember said. "But from the political side what I see before me and group the costs involved I don't think we can financially afford it. The budget seares me off." Pember said the new council which took office in December is not as en- thusiastic about the concept of a county archives as the previous council was. Coun. Don McKay said the committee was not at fault because its mandate was not clear enough. He said coun. cillors had second thoughts when they saw the final budget of $41,0W with the possiblility of another archives being established doubling the cost. "We've got lots of yes-men but when it comes to putting up dollars it's a dif. ferent story," he said. Archives committee member. Shirley Riddick, said although her cm-' mittee requested instructions they never received any from county coun. cil. She said members feel they wasted their time preparing recommendations only to be shot down when presented to council. SUSPENDED FOR NOW The administration and finance com- mittee agreed to suspend the archives committee until more direction is received from county council. A recom- mendation will also be going to the county asking that $30,375 be donated to the Norwich Historical Society for Operation of the Norwich Archives in 1986. "This is only a stop -gap measure to keep Norwich afloat until council can decide what to do," Pember said. "We should deal with this as quickly as possible." 'Draft Oxford budget 'set at $22.2 million Tax increase four per cent WOODSTOCK(Hureau)- The tax building known as the jail turrikey's increase to Oxford County's eight residence. I member municipalities was capped Woodstock Mayor Joe Pember pr- at four per cent Tuesday under a 1986draft budgetofabout $22.2mil- gued against the move, saying the lion. county should proceed as planned The estimates were approved by and fix up the building so it could be used as a needed meeting room. Oxford's administration and fi- A bid by Warden Helen Smith of n-mcecommittee. signal] ingthe end Norwich to eliminate a proposed of its budget deliberations that be- five -per -cent raise forcouneil meni- gmn with departmental reviews last bets that had been written into the month. In makinga last-minute cut. the budget didn't earn enough support Pembertried to have the increase committee reversed an earlier deck reduced 1o4.5 per rent as a -'bench- Mon and took $25,000 from the pub- mark" figure for eniployee groups- lic works department budget for but his motion was narrowl> renovations to a courthouse square rejected. - -� �_- The committee added S10,0M) to Alexandra the budget for Oxford to sponsor a may l� r ie waiting permanent dispia)' at the Canadian Baseball }tall of Fame at Ontario 'tit Place in Toronto, pla}tug up a local next year link with the sport. Alexandra Hospital may not know "f think it's advautageous to blow how much money Oxford County will ourownhorn;'saidPenibenaddm contribute to its proposed $4.5 million lie expected such it display would renovation and expansion project for draw, tourists into the area and give about a year. Oxford a higher profile. The county's administration and It follows an offer by the hall of finance committee was asked by coun- fame, which recognixes nearby cil to review a proposal made by the heachcille as the site of the first hospital regarding the expansion pro- rr(orded baseball game in Canada ject and come back with a recommen- dation. But committee members in. Treasurer Howard Day said lho dthey were unsure of what they huttim line of the total budget re - were expected to do. quires the member municipalities "They haven't talked money yet," ' locollectivelyrontribute$ti,877.488; chairman Don McKay said. "I'm reluc- up f in $6,609,783 in 198,5, tant to put anything in this budget for Government grants pump $10.4 them." million into county coffer's and oth- Couu. Marg Munnoch said until the er income will add an estimated hospital gets final approval from the $3.3 million. Ministry of Health "they are a long way The remainder needed t0meet from doing anything." the proposed budget is made up by But Coun. sync Smith, who sits on using $1.4 million in surplus and the Alexandra Hospital board of trustees, said the hospital hoped to reserve money. Expenditure climb to 212 ind- begin construction next year, lion, up eight -per -cent front the $20.5 million the eounkV a(•tually spent last year, or two per cent more than the 1985 approved budget of $21.7 million. Major expenditures include $9,9 million for public health and wel- fare, $8.1 trillion for public works, $1.3 million Vol, community plan: nhrg and development and $9W,000 1'or landfill sitex. Other areas of the county bud t t am,general government, SM5,`M0; Lnertion to persons and proper tN d8;633; mrreatior and conununity servitors. $5W1188. The budget is to be forwarded to county councll for scnrtiny and pus- 'Ible ruts. next Wednesday. 0 11 • so LM _O X r•10 • am 5a 9�gLNy7 Oro�ly. ^c �E�15i aaQ u 068 E m4 G C v�untV� mNa.o C C y eL�m y C uu V G yin 0 S z ,Cp� L q W V L& V 9- G. NLO�''co,'am,cL p�0. !9� O•C �. _ NLJ C �>.5 yam: fan? °,©•�mt `,-: eL 'e yea, 72 CLh1l a � - ? Fumo Foa;��'r. N�s 9 v groan n eci aY �i, a vu�y Ji Tj C �C C'=" EU= S = �� O. C y_T VLc u�v3w aoF.'_^O% ELF« 'v �._`' aromac,fOaL'=tee .a �v O,G mti>Lu 30 mK9�CE°p'66 L'aD c o o kLoSa, E '=IaEr2;E.wp E asr m'z� co Lr 3m Sao= a'ru t; -'c= v mr�a ae�o'— t00�0•� a02 . E �5 m^Ev .%,aULc >,3 bDw La'.0 °".n=E 3 >,c�L� �19.0o s:v m_� rmnuc�c°noon o=c—, cMa+m °Et.cc —Goiwms" .arc nD.-'E Fo�Mv�a.°;n o i:yv Fgamo>F-copy =coo£ uu 1: u�d3 �F'= 'a m r � o c m. o a S u `�owoc�a2°Nv_? o��yy0 P. Om^ Cl iLumayo���Eo c° 04 -tea Vic.. f-, iv�+��-.�cl-'O u, ,�LQ✓. oar .(:0 ur 0 0 L 0 Oxford County council backs hall of fame grant Witt DSTOCK (Bureau) — A iate- inning pitch by Nast Zorra-Taviv- tock Township Mayor Don McKay to get. Oxford County council to drop plans to spend $10.000 for a display at the Canadian Baseball Hall of ' Fame in Toronto failed Wednesday night. McKay argued that the county shouldn't be getting itself involved In such expenditures and said coun- cil should have the "guts" to turn down the hall of fame offer. He said municipal tax money was never intended to finance such ven- fares, but he was voted down. W d gued the baseball display was a great opportunity to promote Ox- ford to a large number of tourists who will pass through the hall of fame The invitation to put Oxford's name in a favored location at the soon -to -be -opened hall of fame was made two weeks ago by its director of operations, Doug Smith. He said the county could buy it- self unprecedented attention by sponsoring a display to play up a local link that nearby Beachville is repognired by sport historians as the site of the first recorded base - on stock Mayor JoePemberar- ball game in Canada in 1M. County 's share adds 4.5 per cent to tax on Oxford municipalities By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sentinel -Review Oxford taxpayers will be adding 4.5 per Cent more to county coffers this year than they did last year. County councillors Wednesday night approved a $22 budget for 1986 that will see levies to Oxford's municipalities increased 4.5 per cent over 1985 levies. Councillors made no cuts to the pro- posed budget last night. The ad- ministration and finance committee which spent the past month reviewing individual department budgets also made few cuts. To have avoided any in- crease to taxpayers; councillors would have had to trim about $288,000 from the draft budget. While the county expects to have ex- penditures totalling $22,196,698 this year it will collect $15,319,060 in revenue, which includes more than $10 million in grants. That leaves $6,977,638 to be raised through taxation; about $167,705 more than had to beraised in 1985. OUT OF RESERVES The budget passed by council in- cludes $266,633 for protection to persons and property, $9.9 million of public health and welfare, $8.1 million for public works, $907,000 for solid waste disposal, $513,538 for recreation and community services, $625,220 for general government operations and $1.3 million for planning and The county will spend about $1.4 millionout of reserve funds this year to meet expenses which have risen, While the actual 1985 budget was set at $21.7 million, the county only spent $20.5 million last year. Levies to individual municipalities in the county are as follows: Blandford- Blenheim Township, $767,241; East Zorra-Tavistock Township, $593,153; Norwich Township, $809,399; South- West Oxford Township, $676,854; Zorra Township, $1,067,348; Town of Tillaon- burg, $774,460; Town of Ingersoll, $442,102; .and City of Woodstock, $1,746,577. A budget bylaw is being prepared for council's next meeting. "Well -dressed, crazy bunch" Grade 13 students who sat in on a re- cent meeting of Oxford County Council had some interesting things to say about the experience. Coun. Doug Barris, a teacher at In- gersoll District Collegiate Institute, ar- ranged for more than 50 of his Grade 13 law students to attend council's April 9 meeting. Here is a selection of the students' comments that were passed along to county councillors this week: + "I found the county council meeting interesting and much more in. formal than I thought it would be.. Do you people party together?" flow important really, are those • "it would he a good idea to have antler cheirs for those watching county council." • "Thank you for allowing us to in- trude uppoon your meeting. I'm not sure I uodoratood it all." • "t was Improiw®d with the degrees of both formality and ttviality. You are A well,drrsaed, crazy buneb. ' million eight Oxford backs call to oppose free trade -- WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A cal' by organized labor to join "working people" in opposing planned C.S.- C-anada free trade talks earned sup- port from Oxford County councii Wednesday night. The politicians voted 17-2 in favor of supporting local labor and its tight against the tree trade push. The bid was brought by Lynda Miller, a vice-president with the 9,000-member Oxford Regional La- bor Council. "We will be faced with double jeopardy — the loss of hundreds et manufacturing jobs and the de- struction of the tcounh's) rural fab- ric:' Duller told council. "We call on this council to take a stand to protect the jobs of the peo- ple in this communiq and to protect the kind of life we have been able to enjoy here," she said. '.Hiller cited a recent provincial study, which had concluded that a l ree trade pact with the U.S. would i nimediately threaten about 281.000 manufacturing jobs in Ontario. "Those Canadian industries that ire operating at less than optimal apacity would simply tail in the -ace of American competitive pres- sure, Miller said. She said '-one thing that is knowri fur sure is that the textile industry could be the first to go... causing the loss of 6" 8 jobs at Harkey Woods iLtd.) in Woodstock." a long-time manufacturer of underwear and oac of the city's biggest employers. Miller said Prime Minister Brian ytulroney's push for a free trade pact with the U.S. should be a scan prospect for Oxford, partly because the area is heavily dependent on \Ioerican-owned branch plants. :;he said free trade would remove I he barriers that prompted some of those companies to locate here. Woodstock Councillor Phil Poole agreeti with lhegist of the prvsentii- tion, saying agvone who went for- ward with free trade at this stage would bo f'olich 4) i EW EM _(A 4) Ew C C O L W L OI tilt - E " � !" g av Ga •ry•w.�rco,> y Y �CV� ~Lw OCE—ry^ �E3 uO3_S°ac°i�S_B CS A O Yi _ a �cd3oCya�oB p Ws��ca�a 3> <« .WTI vam.8 o�<Eg�3 c �o �o�ooE®wi7u ci> E3 3M3wmma_oa .15 d W U'..' ® Rd A C MW Qz $ °a lCouncillors taking the raise -no matter how much it may be By ALISON DOWNIE week, but how much the increase will N The HstMI.bvbw be remains to be seen. East Zorra-Tavistock Township Oxford County councillors voted in Mayor Don McKay tried to convince his favor of giving themselves araise this fellow councillors that a raise was Archives group still around - for now The Oxford County Archives Manage- ment group has managed to keep the hangman at bay for at least another couple of weeks. County council has suspended the operation and function of the group, un- til further notice. While the committee has been suspended, it has not yet been disbanded as some councillors would like. "Between now and next year we have to sit down and wrestle with whether or not we want a county archives and where we want it," Conn. Joe Pember said. Council agreed not to make any more decisions regarding the committee un- til councillors hear a presentation on archives from an expert in the field. That's scheduled for April 3o. Wednesday night, council agreed to give a grant of $30,375 to the Norwich and District Historical Society to help it operate the Norwich and District Ar- chives for IN6. Councillors also asked its staff to prepare a priority list of ar- chival requirments for the Oxford County Archives Management Commit- tee for council's consideration. THEIR APOLOGIES I Councillors agreed to extend an apology to the members of the commit- tee for council's lack of direction and confusion surrounding the committee's mandate. Conn. Phil Poole opposed having the staff prepare a report, saying the only l decision council had to make- was j whether or not the expense of an ar- chives is worthwhile. "This is going to get out of hand fur- ther than it is now," he said. "It's an ex- pensive proposition... I've voted againsO this from the start." ! A motion to provide the archives management committee with a man- date to investigate and recommend pro- cedures to establish a county archives was tabled on the advice of Conn. Joe Pember. H we vote for this we're in the ar- chives business. If we say no that puts 1 the issue to rest," he said. "I don't have enough information yet ... I'd like to see all the staff information." w � E s zi c � �L�C4eLqdIj'oti �.«qayaw� ^�,J,7�b� Orj. �N g�61ijyy�gg>.�'73d :4 a8b $aaua�o,:' g�$7v a7.�pv: County hurls�� $t 0,000 grant to hall of fame The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum hit a home run at Oxford f County Council's meeting. YG Council voted 17-3 in favor of giving the Hall a $10,000 grant this year towards construction of a display honoring Beachville (the site of the first officially recorded baseball game in Canada) and Oxford County. More than a quarter of a million people are ex. pected to pass through the Ontario Place museum tryear. Coon. Don McKay was one of the three councillors who did not suspport the idea. He said he would rather see property tax money Used to provide essential services. "I know we need tax reform but we're not apt to get it," he told council. "It's up to local councils to say no to some of these people looking for handouts ... I'm sick of do-gooders." Coun. Joe Pember said the grant is going to a good cause "and sometimes YOU have to blow your own horn." Construction ofthe display was to begin immediately as themuseum will open Ma 7---.—.--- - unecessary this year but the majority disagreed. Councillors voted if-ii in favor of taking a raise in per diems, Councillors receive about $%Vo a year, while the warden collects W,000. That works out to about S2ao every two weeks for councillors. Coon. McKay said councillors are only required to at- tend three or four meetings a month and he believes they are well III - "It dependsa on what committee you're on and what it's doing at the = tr time," Coun. Jce Pember said. "I've felt overpaid on some committees Pember and underpaid on others." Last year council members were paid a total of $171,545, while the proposed figure for 19W is $166,0W, which works out a five per cent increase. The county's administration and finance committee will discuss salaries at its next meeting . Those who supported McKays stand on not taking an increase this year in- cluded Ken Buflen, Ernie Hardeman, Jean Ferric, Doug Harris, Nell Hostetler, Eugene Mabee, Helen Smith and Betty Yeck. Those who were in favor of increas- ing council salaries ` included Les Cook, ` Ed Down, Jim Gibb,Jahn r Heleniak, Marg - Munnoch, Joe Pember, Phil Poole Wayne Smith Charlie Ilk Whitmore Tatham, :Jack Whitmore and Heleniak Walter Wilson. Conventional wisdom remains the same at county council By ALISON DOWNIE N The SwitYutAvvlw Conventions are a controversial topic — even among councillors. Among Oxford County councillors there are those who have no use for conven- tions, while others believe they can be educational and beneficial. two sides squared off Wednesday night when Coun, Don McKay introduced a motion to cut $10,00 from the $32,000 set aside in the 1966 budget for conventions and yw ., delegations. We need to cut some of the things that are important in order to provide what's essential," McKay told ` councillors. But only five other council members supported his bid. They included Ken Bullion, Doug Harris, Nell Hostetler, Marg Munnoch and Jack Whitmore. Harris said he supported the idea but felt it was already , x too late as some of the $32,000 has already been spent. Earlier this month some council members travelled to lus McKay Angeles for a planning convention. Others have already ar- ranged air transportation to a health conference in Van- couver in June. This policy should be for next year, If we're going to be fair," Coun. Joe Pember said. Conn. Phil Poole said he believes some conventions can ..`, be educational, "if you don't go you don't know." If he had received support from the majority of coon- ftl, cillors, McKay said he planned to introduce another mo. lion to change the county's convention policy, Presently V", each councillor can attend two tn-province conventions and one out -of -province convention annually. He would like to Harris have seen that changed so councillors could only spend a maximum of $1,000 a year at conventions. • • • • Township loses bid to have Salford ruling overturned By AIISON DOWNIE of 7M Seminal-bview South-West Oxford 7bwnship has failed in its attempt to get a Supreme Court ruling that the provincial cabinet exceeded its jurisdiction in 19ff1 in giving permission for development of the Salford landfill site. The township's lawyer David Estrin argued at the two day hearing that ended N'riday that cabinet exceeded its jurisdiction in overruling a 1982 joint and which tound the site unsafe after a 59-day hearing. The Ministry of the Environment should not have been allowed to change its position and provide evidence at the cabinet -appeal stage, Estrin told the court. Last month, new Liberal Environment Ninister James Bradley announced the province would allow continued development of the county landfill site near the village of Salford after reviewing the issue. The controversial site is scheduled to open in July, when all other landfills in Oxford County will be phased out. After hearing two days of evidence in Toronto, Justice Eugene Ewaschuk dismissed the township's action. If he had ruled that the Progressive Conservative cabinet's decision was null and void, then in effect, Bradley's decision would be as well, said Estrin. ca F16 tc c ell L 33ii - a IL cc > N ■� 9 3 � �r \ CJ iE A=° aZ, >� gaca,m �' u mCT -;y u N'S koco Cy�y quo u Sr Q3q, tg. a�TS�a dww °va 27u'EZopfL_ IMA EO 2 5oE.y9s>.�s3°>�aR a i .5 S j be ° �p�y fir W �.N-..° b, O N all a.y it Poe � L'4'p�u�?, 'a>b'a r7 TW ��YC�aL P+O°C CZ03 L M~'��o�b�90 y v �,yTj 'O .+UQQt 0. p Yi � �'y p op G t ��a�y�u�v�yaVO°���j Q tE tw�i,53(�54$WatV9sg Perth landfill plan has Oxford officials worried about water CONnNOED FROM FACE 1 Woodstock Mayor Pember said he was amazed when he diseoved how close the proposed site is to a creek, But he added that he has more faith in the environment ministry than most government ministries. Pember plans to ask his council to support a request to the MOE that city officials be kept up to date on what is happening with the pro- posed landfill. "The city has to monitor the situa- tion," he said. "We have a large invest- ment at Pittock fake. We have enough Pollution in the Thames without adding to it." East Zorra-Tavistock Mayor Don McKay said the site chosen "seems like a strange place to put a landfill." in February, when the site was among five being looked at, his council sent a resolution to North Easthope Township expressing its concern "due to its prox- imity to the village of Tavistock and Thames River water courses." The Tavistock Men's Club and Board of Trade has also objected to the chosen site. WON'T SPEND MONEY Seeing how much Oxford County and South-West Oxford Township have spent on legal fees in the county's fight to establish the Salford landfill, McKay said his township likely won't spend any money to fight the proposed landfill. "I know the neighbors don't want it, but it has to go somewhere, as long as it's safe," he said. A vocal objector to the site has been David Oliphant who is a Tavistock representative on East"Zorra-Tavistock Township councilHe said the commit- tee that chose the site did so because it offered "the least line of resistance." "I can appreciate that no one wants a landfill, but a little bit of common sense should have been used. Maybe it won't pass an environmental assessment," he said. More than 2W area residents have signed a petition against the proposed site, including Oxford MP Dr. Bruce Halliday, a Tavistock resident. Like Oxford officials, most are worried about possible water pollution problems. NO PROBLEMS But Linda Friesen, of R, Cave and Associates of Oakville, who is project engineer for the landfill, maintains there is no need for concern. The site will have a clay base and a large buffer zone is planned. Surface an ground water monitoring will be done regularly. There will be very little opportunity, if the site is operated properly, for anything to contaminate the creels," she said. "If a problem were to arise it would be corrected before it ever has an impact on Oxford County." The active part of the proposed site is about 12 acres and will serve the municipalities for about 20 years. Their garbage is now going to the Region of Waterloo but they have been given a deadline of Dec. 31, 1968, to find their own site. Because they may have to debenture to pay for the site, the property will not be purchased until a certificate of ap- proval is received for the landfill from the MOE. That certificate will be issued only when the design for the landfill is approved, which is at least two years down the road. NO REQUIREMENT Even though the site is only about one km from Orford County's border there is no requirement for the municipalities involved to notify Oxford of its plans. Friesen said there's still a lot of work to be done and the MOE and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) will be looking carefully at the designs to ensure the creels is protected. But Stephen Fahner, a land use technician with the UTRCA, said legal- ly there is little the authority could do to stop the landfill from proceeding and must rely on the MOE's expertise. The UTRCA has voiced a bit of con- cern with the landfill proposal as there have been problems with agricultural pollution in the nearby creek. He said improper manure management was the cause and if a landfill goes in the area it could hinder remedial measures to clean up the creek. The environmental assessment on the proposed site will take six months to a Year. Once that's completed and test drilling done, the municipalities can ap- ply for a certificate of approval under the Environmental Protection Act. North Easthope Reeve John Lindner, who chaired the committee which chase the site, said the decision was made strictly because the site had the right heavy clay base. He maintains there will be no problem operating a landfill safely. He couldn't understand why Oxford would want to be kept up to date on what's happening with the proposal to develop the site, saying the landfill will be in Perth County, not Jxford. He said his area did not get involved when Ox- ford was trying to establish a landfill. "We have enough problems trying to gel this site, but we're willing to co- operate with anyone who wants infor- mation," he said. "The site looks favorable to this point —further hydrogeological testing still has to be done." Oxford's engineering director. Don Pratt, said he was surprised Oxford wasn't informed of the proposal to put a landfill near its border but he's not too worried. "If they're doing a full environmental assessment then we will find out about it at some point," he said. "It's a lung drawn out process that no doubt we will become involved in, We will review their information to see if there's anything there," 00 0) tag CD T- f% N N 0 O L CL CL M 0 %#NM x Family, ofNMmum of 1M FRY TOWN tta+,aa friends nuture memories of Andy Tatham TORONTO — A small group gathered Tuesday on the University of Toronto campus to pay tribute to friend and col- league Andy Latham. Zack Tatham — not quite two years old — was among those gathered listen• ing to wads of tribute and planting a tree in memorial to his father Andy, who died of cancer in February, 19a5. MACH FOR ZACK Much of the service was for Zack's benefit, said Department of Landscape Architecture faculty member Sheila Murray, one of the event's organizers. Faculty member Jim Belisle read a letter written for Zack that he might remember his father. "Andy was an Inspiration on many levels. He challenged ideas without ever using confrontation tactics. He always appeared so even...so balanc. ed..so full of optimism. "When he became III, none of this changed," read Belisle. "Everyone would have understood if he had been depressed, but far from that, he seemed to always be the one cheering up others." �0 ya � ec� ,c O C Q oU C-, C p ^ C F Y 0 v O�8 mr�o-6 �e C fJ E q W�6Yy"g6 OL O.O ^C_ aQo CL �ZF E ECCc Andy Tatham graduated from the Faculty of Architecture an [andscape Architecture in December 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. DIED OF BONE CAN('FR Tatham died of a bone cancer, much the same as that which afflicted runner Terry Fox, Among Tatham's relative$ attending the ceremony Were Zack, Andy's wife Pati, his parents Charlie and Millie Tatham, brother Peter and sister Pat. Guests took turns placing dirt around the base of a white ash tree, planted outside the College Avenue Student Centre. A plaque decorates the tree at new UXtorn County Be former site of the coun ford County Municipal That's Woodstock city door, its base. Andy Tatham traveled a great deal, and had a keen interest in preserving the environment during his five years of U of T study. "Planting a tree is symbolic of a lot rrf things important to Andy," said Belisle. "Zack, we want you to know these are not feelings that only came out after your father died," continued the letter. Andy Tatham touched everyone vho methimandwearealiverysad we -will no longer see that familiar black hair. rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes and easy smile around the halls of the I University," wnciaors were treater of Health facility We old jail. The tour was iinar held at the coun cillor Marilyn Mann t (Staffphoto by Ted Rhodes) 11 The courtyard of the old Oxford County jail once extended a sombre welcome to all who ventured there. i Oxford jail reborn CARLOS VENTIN - - - used a team approach "From dark and dingy to bright and airy' WOODSTOCK — it's not so much a Holly*ood- style makeover but a rebirth for the historic Oxford County jail. The 19th-century city landmark has been treated to all sorts of attention during a year -long restora- tion and expansion project that has readied it for occupant/ of a different kind. Once left abandoned, it probably has never had it so 000d, The old jail near Victoria Park on tree -lined Buller Street is about to reopen as a modern office building, one with a twist or two. The first tip-off might be the death mask over the front entrance, butdon't let it spook you. While not a part of the restoration,vt ties in with the many historic elements of the jail that have been retained by Simcoe architect Carlos Ventin. The "recycling" job involved reducing the jail to a shadow of itself and starting over, said Ventin, who has made a name for himself in restoring heritage buildings. "We did it by using a team approach" and over- came structural difficulties within budget to turn it into a place of business for county employees, Ven- tin said. It was all designed to ensure a "certain amount of character was left behind," said Ventin, adding the results are "far-reaching" and often dramatic. The jail has been the centre of emotion -charged debate since the province closed it for economic reasons in 1977. R has been vacant since. County couneil's decision last May to go ahead with the $1.8-million restoration project sealed its fate after years of uncertainty and political controversy. It was to be razed in 1979 but council ran into a wave of opposition and later reversed itself. A grassroots Save the Jail committee led the fight against its demolition. The jail was described as among the country's finest examples of Italian Ro- manesque architecture. Now there is excited talk about its grand opening June 29 as the new home for Oxford's board of health and home care department under a central- ization of those services. The county is to recoup about $120,000 in annual rent from the Ontario health ministry under the plan. 1 think the majority of people will accept it on- thuslastically," said Councillor Charlie Tatham of Woodstock chairman of a committee that has over- seen the project. "Over time, hopefully, it will prove to be an asset for the whole county" said Tatham, warden when the proposal was given the final go-ahead last spring. From dark and dingy to bright and airy is the way Save the Jail committee members described the transformation during a recent rainy day guided tour. "To see it like this is a big thrill," said Helen McDonald, who served as chairman of the citizens' committee. .,This is even better than what I had visualized." Historic elements retained include the original exterior of the building, its jail wall, unique cell block stone work, interior brick arches and some window bars. The exercise area has been turned into a treed courtyard and new iron -gated archways have been punched into the surrounding jail wall. A modern skylight is a featured part of the addition. Positioned to the right of the front entrance is the death mask of wife -murderer Thomas Cook, who in 1862 became the first county jail prisoner to be hanged. ' East Zorra-Tavistock Township Mayor Don McKay said the finished product hasn't changed his long- standing belief the money should have been spent on a new, "more efficient" building. "I guess if you're into heritage, it's well done," said McKay, an outspoken critic of the project Oxford courthouse standards may mean provincial paper By STAFF and BUREAU writers TORONTO — Fire safety standards at the Oxford County courthouse may be the subject of a ministerial ex- amination following recent revelations that the three - storey building has no fire alarms, sprinklers or smoke detectors. Earlier this year The Sentinel - Review reported on the lack of fire alarms and fire protection systems at the courthouse. fast week CBC radio in Toronto reiterated the problems in a report on courthouse facilities in the province. In the Legislature Tuesday members of the Progressive Conservative party told MPPs that for many years the Ox- ford County courthouse has existed without fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire escapes, sprinklers or a proper fire hose. Orders have been issued by Woodstock Fire Chief Charles Young to bring the court building up to standards. After answering questions in the Legislature about the condition of On- tario's justice facilities, Solicitor General Ken Keyes said in an interview he will be examining any reports done on the Oxford courthouse "to see what steps could be made to bring it closer to appropriate standards." FIRST THINGS FIRST Keyes said he does not know what measures would have to be taken until he has reviewed the existing reports on the building, but he said the first thing will be to determine if there are reasonable safety precautions in the building. "The safety of individuals using Public buildings is of concern to us, and follows pretty directly under the Wn- tario Fire Marshal's) mandate," Keyes said. Attorney General Ian Scott told the MPPs that courthouse restoration starts have accelerated under the Liberal government. He said outside the Legislature that the acceleration program represents an increase of about 50 per cent over the previous Tory government's courthouse restora- tion and revitalization program. Scott said many of the province's courthouses were built more than 100 years ago and "very little has been done over the last 40 years torebuild or replace them." it would be nice to replace them all in one year, but that isn't in the cards, because the taxpayers are unlikely to make the funds available," Scott said. Province may have to quit old Elgin courthouse A have be" wisde By Gordon Sanderson and Bill Lindsay of The Free Press TORONTO—The court and legal offices in the 134-year-old Elgin courthouse will have to find alter- nat ive accommodation unless Elgin County can make the building suit- able for continued use, Attorney - General tan Scott said Thursday. "Id some cases we have bought the county buildings and in some cases we have constructed our own, but in St. Thomas, the lovely, old. fashioned courthouse is owned by the county and when our lease is up with the county, we'll have to say to the county, 'if you can't provide adequate facilities for us we'll have to move to other quarters; " Scott said in an interview. Iris remarks followed a second day of criticism in the legislature about conditions in the historic building. where the third floor has been closed and condemned as a lire trap, the courtroom root' leaks over the judge's head and wit- nesses and victims often have to occupy the same small waiting room with accused persons. Conservative Justice critic Terry O'Connor has used the St Thomas courthouse as a prime example or aging court facilities in many On- tario communities needing upgrad- ing and refurbishing. The three -storey courthouse in Woodstock was listed in a Conser- vative background paper as pn- olher where local fire protection officials have issued orders to bring conditions up to present-day standards, in the Woodstock building, "if there were a fire in the basement, the people on the third floor wouldn't know and would have trouble escaping even if they were alerted," the Tories claim. Scott said "we're anxious to stay in these historical buildings where the owners of the buildings are pre- pared to make them suitable -for our purposes, lie called it a land- lord and tenant problem. "Like any tenant, when the build- Ing we're in ceases to be suitable for our purpose we'll have to con- sider moving." In St. Thomas, the province is prepared to pay rent for any build- ings it occupies if Elgin County in- dicates it will undertake to snake certain improvements, "but in the end, ifthe landlord doesn'jprliMID a building that is suitable, we have to alternative but to move." The ministry of government ser- vices will be negotiaLng with Elgin officials "on whether a new tease is appropriate or whether we should move somewhere else." Scott said. oft the day-to-day problem of vic- tims and accused persons sharing the same waiting room raised by O'Connor in the legislature, the at- ttmey-general said it is not unusa- al for people awaiting their turn to appear in court to share the same waiting room. That has been the situatioe in Ontario all my M. If it should hap pen that a witness called by the crown regaites to be isolated be- cause of the unpleasantness of waiting in it public room. arrange - men. can an and will be made in the future as required.' - O'Connor said he had spoken ear- ly Thursday with the crown Attor ney and sheriff of Eton. who had confirmed the situation happens frequently in St. Thomas where vic- tims. sometimes in cases involving sexual .assault, are kept waiting in the same room (or hours with an accused. ScoK said if, in the judgment of the crown atlorr" or police, an accused be held in special isolation facilities — or ifthe victim requests 0 See Pipe M (W1 1 0 , Vote for 4% pay raise splits Oxford council R'OODSTOCK(Bureau)—Oxford saying he considered current rates County council members voted 10-8 to be "too high" based on the work- in favor ofgiving themselves afour- load at the county level. per -cent pay raise Wednesday Woodstock Mayor Joe Pember night spoke In favor of the raise and said With the increase, salaries for it was better for council to accept . 1986 will rise to $7,631 from $4,338 reasonable Increases at regular in - for the 19 rouncillors representing .tervals rather than a big one later. eight member municipalities inOx- Two councillors were absent. ford. Warden Helen Smith's salary In other business, council ap- will increase to $22,895 from .proved a long-term, lease agree- 522.015. ment with the Oxford County board Council went without a pay in- of health for use of the county's crease in 1983 because of the poor restored jail on Buller Street. economic conditions but received The agreement calls for the increases of five per cent in 1964 board of health to pay the county and four per cent last year. annual rent of $174,405 in monthly During a brief debate on the ree- allotments of building as office $14,533 for use of the space during the ommended four -per -cent raise, first year, beginning June. 1. year, East Zorra-Tavistock Township ly The lease also provides (gge r Don McKay argued against mayor rental increases to 2006 peeggedd to the increase and urged council to the consumer price index. take advantage of a "golden oppor- Council was told the board of (unity" to demonstrate economic health, which receives most of its leadership. I money from the province, is expect - Councillor Ken Bullenof Wood- ed to be moved into the restored i stock also opposed the increase, jail by next week. ,,l,.r'°�kj ei 4t9mfa� Case about work at Salford site. I remains stalled By Gifts ROTNWFII of The Seoliiel-Reefew Environmental charges against a London area construction firm related to work done last year at the Salford landfill site — set to open at the end of June — are sitting in a legal limbo. There are 11 charges against DeKay Construction Ltd., of Hyde Park and company owner Beverley DeKay and one each against three equipment operators. They were laid by South- West Oxford Township after the com- pany did some earth moving work at the Salford site between July 17 and Aug. 20 at the behest of the County of Oxford. The Environmental Assessment Act -'charges allege that the work was per - farmed before the company submitted an environmental assessment to the Ministry of the Environment for ap- proval, and before such approval was received. The maximum penalty for a first offence is a fine of $5,000. the max- imum for each subsequent offence is $llitm Landon lawyer Tim Price, who Is representing DeKay, the company and its employees, is seeking an order from the Ontario Supreme Court that would prohibit the provincial court judge presiding over the case from dealing with the charges. NOT NULL AND VOID Price argued unsuccessfully before Judge Robert Reilly in provincial court here Feb. 13 that the charges should be declared null and void because a preamble stating who was laying them was improperly worded. Judge Reilly rejected the pre-trial motion and amended the wording so it was in a more proper form. After Judge Reilly dismissed Price's motion, the lawyer made an application before the Supreme Court arguing that the judge was incorrect in his February ruling and should now be prohibited from proceeding with the case. The Supreme Court has reserved its ruling "indefinitely," Price said in an interview from his London office. If the Supreme Court re eels Price's application the matter is litely to come back to theprovincial court. If that hap- pens he will be making another pre. trial hid la have the charges slnycd Health board gets its office -officially oxford County has finally [recited a lease agreement with the tenant who will be moving into the former county Mail. Councillors approved a bylaw Wednesday night authorizing the warden and clerk to sign a 20-year lease agreement with the oxford County Iluard of Health. The board of health will be moving out of its present home on Brant Street adjacent to Woodstock General Hospital at the end of this month. The agreement to lease.office space trom the county in the former lad on Buller Street says the board will pay $14,533 monthly for a total of $174,405 annually. Because the board is not moving Home Care offices into the jail building until Jan. 1, there will be a break on the rental rate for the balance of this year, councillors agreed. The rental rate will he reduced by $2,481 monthly for the re- maining six months of this Year. Security guard, inspector urged for Salford landfill site WOODSTOCK(Bureau)—Oxford five bids from contractors interest - County should hire its own security ed in operating the Safford site. guard -inspector for the soon to be The information went into a i opened landfill near Salford, its closed session, but Warden Helen public works committee agreed Smith of Norwich said later the Thursday. committee didn't agree on a recom- The committee recommended to mendation to take to council. In - county council that a sentry be stead, she said. all information will hired under a contract to keep be brought to council for action track of garbage entering the site, next week. direct traffic and make security In other business. the committee checks. recommended that council termi- The county had used the services nate the services of a security firm of a security firm at its Holbrook that has been enforcing a parkin, site, which is to close at the end of control bylaw, which restricts use the month. Operations engineer of a Graham Street lot to count. .Roy Brankley said the new method employees and those doing busi- will add flexibility in the important ness in the area. first year of operation, making the. The committee felt the peak -time inspector directly responsible to service probably isn't warranted in the county and "part of the team," summer and that alternati%es Brankley said an experienced should be examined. candidate has been lined up for the Works chairman Ed Down of landfill's planned opening June30, Blandford-Blenheim Township ,.- J The contract will pay $65 a day or told the committee it might be pos- $780 every two weeks. sible to have someone enforce the In a related matter, committee bylaw and also do other tasks t'or " members had their first I'limpse of the Counh. Still lower than most Some planning fees may double in cost W AUNK aaWNlt _ of TtA UsNael•Rorlew _ Application fees for Official Plan amendments and plans of subdivision will increase to $200 from $100, if n recommendation from Oxford's plann- ing committee is adopted by county council, The planning staff sugggested the in- creased because new the fees do,01 rover the cost to the planning depart- ment for staff time, reproduction of reports, public notices, postage and ICgnl fees, which can arise from Oil - I ano Municipal Board referrals and ap- peals. The $100 fee was aslablished in 1983. Planning commis+ltrller Ken Whiteford said asurvelof planainr all plication fees enargea oy several regions and counties in southern On- tario showed Official Plan amendment fees ranged between $3W and $1,000, with the maprity in the V100 to 11000 range. For plan of subdivision applica- tions, the tees range between. $200 and $i,ono, with the average baring around $400- Whiteford had recommended the ap- phcation fees be $150 for plans of sub- division and LM for Official Plan amendments. Coup, Ernie Hardentan maintained that loth fees should be the same and other members of the cony mittee agmed The committee recommended that council pass a, bylaw to implement the lee increase I , .. .;,Wit Landfill fight not over yet in Oxford TILLSONBURG — Town council has vowed to continue its fight to keep the Tillsonburg landfill site open beyond its planned closure this summer. Council agreed Monday not to abandon its bid to keep the dump from being closed Aug. 31. as part of Oxford County's planned replace- ment of smaller county dumps with a central one at Salford, 20 kilo- metres away. "We're not prepared to give up without a good fight," said Council- lor Milt Chesterman, who noted that hauling the town's garbage to Salford would cost each taxpayer an extra $40 to $60 a year. Councillor Remie Miggens, chairman of the public works com- mittee, told council the committee is trying to arrange a meeting with its county counterpart to outline the town's opposition to the closure. In a letter to council, John Hatton of the provincial environment min- istry ruled out use of the local dump for disposal of household or industrial waste. He said the dump could be used for "inert material" — earth or rock till — but warned that first a public hearing, engi- neering studies and a monitoring - program would be required. The Salford site is to open July 1. Council believes it could save trucking costs if it were allowed to dispose of construction materials, trees, branches and solid industrial debris in the local dump on the southwest edge of town. The environment ministry main- tainsthatthe sandysoilatthe local dump, opened in 1972, is not ideal for containing seepage. Hatton said the site should be closed to prevent further damage to Otter Creek. In other business Monday, coun- cil heard that the public utility commission will study alternative routes to a planned, high -voltage hydro line through Trottier subdi- vision in Tillsonburg's west end. Construction of the 27,000-volt overhead line was halted last month after residents protested to the PUG The residents believe an overhead line would devalue some properties and be a hazard to children. Led by spokesman Shashi Kul- karof, about 30 residents showed up at the council meeting armed with a petition signed by 110 objec- tors to the overhead line, which would follow a CN hail right-of-way between Rolph Street and Quarter. line Road. PUC general manager Garry Mc- Kenna said the PUC will examine costs of rerouting the line along Fox Alley and Coon Alley to the east or the subdivision and report back to council June 23. fie said It would cost $106,000 to put an overhead line through the ,ubdivision, compared to nearly S200,000 for a buried line. The line is needed to handle increased de- mand for electricity in winter and to serve as a backup in event of power failures in Tillsonburg, he said, Oxford County 'to manage its landfill site d By ALISON DOWNIT of The SeeflMI-Arview Oxford County has decided to take on the responsibility of operating the Salford landfill site. That means the county will have to buy equipment required at the site, 1 which will cost almost $1 million. Council spent an hour behind closed doors Wednesday discussing operation of the landfill site, set to open June 30. The recommendation approved by �t council was that Oxford will operate the Isite using county staff. Council also gave authorization to enter into a five - Year agreement to lease -purchase $%5,320 worth of equipment from Car. ruthers Equipment of London. The equipment required includes two compactors, a tractor -dozer and hydraulic scraper (earth mover). Public works I chairman Ed Down I said under the lease -purchase agreement the county will pay the "+ company about $165,000 a year for ,. five years, then will have the oppor- lunfty to purchase the equipment at a cost of about $208,000. Down Down said it waspublic works staff that suggested the county operate the site. Originally his committee was look. ing at having Menary Contractors of Brantford, operators of the Holbrook landfill, operate the Salford site. The company submitted three different quotes the last one being $295,000 for the first gear. Public works committee members felt the quote was too high but didn't want to go with an unknown contractor. Down said. "it won't be any cheaper for the coun- ty to operate, and I hope it won't be more expensive although it might be looking at the short term because of the equipment coat," he said. "Some con. tractorscould have done it cheaper but we wouldn't get the standard we want. We have to have the highest standard Possible, We promised that to Salford residents." When the county takes over operation of the site three additional employees will be required. Down said two employees must be at the site when the landfill is open and the third may be us ed elsewhere in the county some days. Fire safety probes finished at two area courthouses I'ORONTO(HurecuU-1'iresa(i•- :,uUu,nur, if' the fire marshal i tt in:pectionsofthe Woodstockand concerned about conditions in St. 1 homas courthouses ordered by Woodstock and St, Thomas. Solicitor -General Ken Keyes have Local fire departments have not been completed and reports are be •placed any orders against the hig prepared, Keyes told the legis- courthouses. he pointed out Nev- lature Tuesday. - erlhch ss he ordered the Ontario Deficiencies have been found in lire marshal to inspect the two the fire alarm system In Woodstock buildings after Sterling madehi, but the report from the Ontario fire allegations two weeks ago,. marshal's office is still being pre- Keyes said he has never seen thi• pared. Keyes said. But, Keyes told two courthouses and does not knov. the house, the courthouses belong when the fire marshal's office win to Elgin and Oxford counties and hacr il:, r-.,lrori. rrarl7r. are merely leased by the ministr;c —_ orgovernment services. Any action to correct deficiencies is the rc- (Courthouse fire safety sponsibility of local fire departments. report under microscope That is not good enough, retorted MPP Norm Sterling (PC — Carle- i.". free TNT TOItM0 SOAUO ton -Grenville). who had charged ;,¢', of The �"i-se�' June 2 that the courthouses had )_. TORONTO — A recently cam - deficiencies in their fire alarms, ptoted fire safety report on the Ox smoke detectors, sprinkler systems ' ford County courthouse will be. I and fire escapes, t reviewed by the Solicitor General's "The building has to be up to reg- office to determine what steps should be taken to upgrade the ulations, Sterling told Keyes. Un- I der the Fire Marshal's Act, "you I are ultimately responsible for the r safety of those buildings. You can't duck" it on local officials." Keyes said the local Fire depart - merits are responsible for enforc- ing fire safety regulations but the province will co-operate with local .�.< County's losing the road battle, engineer admits By ALISON DOWNIE of The Seatleel.behw If Oxford county fixed all its deficient roads this year the bill would total almost $40 million. That was the bottom lineof the county's 1996 road needs study update, completed annually as a requirement of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. The $40 million figure hasn't changed much the past few years although the county has been trying to keep up with the work, construction and design engineer Stewart Watts told Oxford's public works committee. When he join- ed county staff 10years ago there was only $9 million worth of work required on county roads, "Our level of service hasn't changed much but maintenance costs have doubled," he said. "We're losingg ground and there's nothing we can real- lyy do about it." The burden of fixing roads is just too much for local taxpayers, Watts said he maintains claiming the provincial and federal governments have to kick In more funding for roads. BUY THE COMPANIES When Watts pointed out that the up- per tier governments use gas tax for purposes other than roads, public works chairman Ed Down quipped, "to buy gas companies." In recent years, the county has been spending about $3 million a year on road construction. But it's not enough, The southern end of Oxford County has suffered most. Norwich Township, the Town of Ingersoll and South-West Oxford Township have some of the poorest roads in Oxford, Watts said. There hasn't been A major county road project carried out in South-West Ox- ford or Norwich for the past 20 years. Charles Street in Ingersoll is being reconstructed this year and Watts said the county is now ready to rebuild the Culloden Road in South-West Oxford. Preliminary work began on the project about 10 years ago, which he used as an example of how time consuming a ma- jor [road project can be. "We're just starting to look at Nor- wich now, ' he said, "fit will probal,ty take 10 or 12 years for us to get then Oxford County is responsible for 509 km of roads and about 273 km of them are deficient The deterioration will continue, Watts said, because with its road budget restrictions the count can only eliminate about 13 km of deficien- cies a year. Watts expects the road funding pro- blem will get worse before it gets bet- ter, By the Year It193 he predicts the county wi)l strictly be doing maintenance on roads such as patching and plowing. There just won't be fun- ding for anvthing more, he said. • Toronto firm tries to block Salford site By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sermeel-Review Oxford County has been 'slammed by a Toronto com- pany for the way it has gone about acquiring equipment for operation of the Salford landfill site. Sheridan Equipment Ltd., of Toronto, has written a letter to the county pro- testing council's recent decision to sign a leasefpurchase agreement with Crothers Ltd. of London for almost Sl million worth of heavy equipment without calling tenders. The company has asked the Ontario Municipal Board to turn down the county's funding re- quest for equipment required at the site when it begins operation June 30. "That's an awful at of money to spend without calling tender pro- posals," said Gary Harley, Sheridan's sales manager, "The discussion took place in camera and that's very unusual." Harley hopes the protest will con- vince county councillors to reconsider and call tenders for eeqquipment. The county had asked Sheridan to give a verbal price on two pieces of equipment, which it did, Harley said. But official quotes were not requested. Had tenders been called, his company could have put together a total package of all four pieces of equipment required by Oxford, Harley said. FINDS IT STRANGE County engineer Don Pratt said he Tillsonburg landfill gets no reprieve By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sentinel -Review DE S P I T E NUMEROUS lobbying efforts by Tillsonburg politicians and business persons, the deadline for closing the town's landfill site will not be extended. Oxford County's public works committee has refused to even meet with Tillsonburg's works committee to discuss closure of the site and develop- ment of alternatives. Chairman Ed Down said the town has Jong been aware of the county's plan to close all existing landfill sites once a central site is in operation. The Tillson. burg landfill is scheduled to close the end of August. With the Salford landfill site set to open June 30, Tillsonburg appears to be the only municipality in the county that is unprepared. In a letter to the county, Tillsonburg Council "requested (Ox. ford) to extend the closing date of the Tillsonburg landfill, until such time as the town has developed an economical alternative for closure of the site." SOME PLANNED AHEAD County Warden Helen Smith pointed out that earlier this year many of the rural municipalities in Oxford had to arrange for roadside pick-up for all residents after a regulation stating that domestic waste can only be taken to Salford in packers or large transfer trucks was approved by county council. The rural municipalities planned ahead and are prepared for when the central landfill begins operation, the warden said. Other committee members pointed out that Tillsonburg is only about 12 miles from Salford, whereas ocher municipalities are a lot further away but still have plans ready for transpor. ling their garbage to the new site. At this point Tillsonburg isn't likely to win the fight to keep its landfill site (which according to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) is being operated without a valid certificate of approval) open. The MOE is supporting the Coun. ty of Oxford's stand. - In a recent letter to the county, the MOE maintained leachate problems at the site will likely worsen and could eventually lead to the "impairment" of Big Otter Creek. - Concern has previously been express- ed with the elevated chlorides in the receiving water course which is a source of supply for irrigation of tobac- co crops. If development of phase two of the Tillsonburg landfill were to go ahead, as the town would like, a similar situation would occur, the MOE said. finds it strange Sheridan is protesting the county's move because there is no law requiring municipolities to call tenders. Normally tenders are called to get a better price, but in this case, Pratt said county staff believed they were getting the beat price from Crothers for the Caterpillar equipment the county wanted. Pratt sai some of the com- panies that sell heavy equipment could not have provided the complete package required without mixing and matching different manufacturers equipment. "We didn't think there was any point in tendering," he said. "There certamir might have been if we had more time. Initially the county was intending to have a contractor operate the Salford site but he "got greedy" and was asking too high a price, Pratt said. The deci- 0 N �uo oo" 7 mNyo 3 �=No gay L ayR� a u c o ti v 8, i 9v3°^ c ANgm R Are, a m uE u of SELL afiv°'O d 5 o u o lion to have county employees operate the site was made June 11 after council discussed the matter for about an hour behind closed doors. The eeqquipment the county plans to purchase..includes two garbage compactors a dozer and an earth mover. Crothers has given the county an "ex- tremely good price," Pratt said. 1f the work had been tendered it would simply have been a gesture. "We were stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't think the tendering process would have done anything. It would just have looked better," he said. COULD SLOW PROCESS The complaint by Sheridan could af- fect the county getting Ontario Municipal Board (OMBi approval for funding. While Oxford has enough money in reserve to purchase the equip. ment outright, it has chosen to go with a five-year lease agreement. Because the time period extends beyond the current term of council OMB approval is re- quired. Oxford treasurer Howard Day said. He would not speculate on what Sheridan's chances are of tying up fun ding approval. EW y g� Ea; Gage cc 8 "e$"Sc o�mm.S'm EL 0 7L'` yS'aw F+d tpQ tO `° yec � W�QQ U9m�«2ORG .EErL O�b 5nW «Eo3Xm�JrAFty+ -�mLeqCJ .GF$ w�5;sg�g+" m._. g 9 AZSy��.~`3 �63i v•`1..�c�m.g ❑ ony Lo Tillsonburg would keep dump open TILLSONBURG —Town council is moving to obtain an injunction _ that would keep the local garbage j dump, scheduled to close on Aug. I30, open until Oxford County can justify its closing. jIn the latest move in a protracted debate over what will happen after j Oxford's centralized landfill site at j Safford opens on Monday council decided to get legal advice on ob- raining the injunction- The county has ordered all other dumps closed after the Salford facility is in operation. Tillsonburg opposes closing the local dump because of the in- creased cost of hauling industrial and domestic garbage to Salford. Town officials last week released a study that showed the closing will -mean an extra $173.650 in transpor- tation fees for 28 industries. Councillor Jack Whitmore, who is also a member of county council, said it has been difficult for Till- sonburg to present its views to county officials. Councillor Bob Smith. noting Ox- ford's works committee has refused to meet the Tillsonburg works com- mittee. said the Oxford committee didn't even have the decency to ad- vise the Tillsonburg committee it wouldn't be attending a meeting. Opening sports biggest event ages, as the mayor sees it By CECILIA DECK of The Sentinel -Review INGERSOLL — Mayor Doug Harris called it the "big- gest event in ages." Saturday, a three-year 1 dream of his came true. He of- ficially unveiled the Sports Hall of Fame, the fourth building in the Cheese Factory Museum complex. Although the building won't be ready for the public until mid -summer at the earliest, members were inducted at a ceremony at the arena this past weekend "The whole thing was my dream," said the modest Harris. "1 set up a com- mittee three years ago to do three things: to gel George Hayes into the hockey hall of fame, to get Oscar 'Lef- ty' Judd into the baseball hall of fame, and to get our own hall of fame. Teo of those came true." Judd. now a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Hayes, who is not yet in the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame, were both on hand for the unveiling. They said they were proud to honored locally. Judd grew up in Thorndaie but says he played a lot of baseball in Ingersoll in his early years. "We had the best team here in 1930 that there ever was in Canada." he said. "We were intermediates. but we played the Hamilton Huskies senior team and beat them 19 to L" WITH RED SOX Judd went on to pitch and play first base and outfield for the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Blue Jays. which later became the Phillim "If people want to know who was the first Canadian to play for the Blue Jays, it was me," he Joked. Hayes played baseball and hockey in the Ingersoll area in the 1930's before being suspended for life from amateur sports for hitting an umpire. He then turned the tables, and became a hockey linesman himself, He worked his way up to the NHL, and in his career worked over 1700 games, including 149 Stanley Cup games. RATHER SURPRISED Inductee Levi Coles, who has lived in Ingersoll since 1946, said he found it 0 "rather surprising" he was being in ducted. A badminton champion in the 193o's, Coles said he played just alvin 1. every sport until an arthritis operation in 1964. The Ingersoll hall of fame is a "fine idea," he said. "Woodstock doesn't have one, do they?" he added. Criteria for membership Include championship athletes and teams, outstanding conches or sponsors. and honorary members who have lived in Inggersoll since their accomplishment. Flarris said he believes Ingersoll is the only community in the area with its own sports hall of fame. "We're honoring every champion we've ever hod," said Harris, "We feel very proud about it," INGERSOLL MAYOR Doug Harris says he lived out a dream at the weekend with the official opening of the Ingersoll £ District Sports Hall of Fame. Pictured in the top photo in- ductees George Hayes on the left and Oscar (Lefty) Judd on the far right. That's Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame direc- tor, Bruce Prentice, in the mid- dle. Harris is pictured in mid- dle photo from the left unveil- ing the sign with hall chairman Hary Fishley, while inductee Gary Bowman looks on. Bowman, a 1967 roller skating champion at Michigan State University, is still active in i slowpitch, golf and NBC hockey. And in the bottom photo, Sports Hall of Fame in- ductee Len Coles played just about every sport until an ar- thritis operation stopped him in 1964. He was a badminton champion in the 100's. i 10 Landfill to open despite challenge WOODS I()( F lliurvikio, - The N('ll(•dllled opt'long lhmkla1 of' flit, Salford lal)(11'lll %\(nl'I he slallvd ll\ a legal (Ihalleni;e h) Oxford Coml- `F IA s ('0I11ractilig OI, C(juipilloill 1()1' it the dump. tilt rounty's chiol' eugi livor says. Sheridan Equipment [,ill. ul'mal- Ion Is appealing a Iliv-\cal' oil I,-' 'r(3 to-pyrellasc contract belm'en li . county anld Crolhers Lid of Lund•'. r. belitre Ihc. Ontario Alunicipal _ .Board. company sidC� msnayer Gary Marley slid 'I'ucsil;j Sh�ri- dan (-milend., Ihc cloud) nt•[od Inl- propell\ ill lou'ing (-(Illlpill(`Ill I'o l' the lalldfih A,om CrvtherI %%iffi lilt going to tundl`I'. The Intlllicipzll boli'd has Ilot of approved the l'llnil':1('L. which Coun- ��I ly eoullell entewd into b> it 10-8 gy \ut(• oil Jun( Il. I oullty tiollle(rllt 011't-vtor Doll _ l•Lut said the b(l ll'd clovs not 1'(•- t/ gaily coutractS to be LClldl'ted. Ill' "61 n.lid all [flat m lit(i s to the board is u Ih.d the Catom has the abilihto p1\ for till volllrotItall(] thilL 11aS `-• n%\er been ill doubt. A June 12 lall('r from Siterid„I:. Blantisird law l'll'lll ill Oxford C'ullil -II P I,% says Sherich 1 didn't get a 1p1, shut at the cone., 1 ''Our client bs- hv%es that Ir.t�kt'd. it could have provided a mot' cuulpltlitive and ' hciter price in the puhlic inl(•rest..I li �a'CiI IISi(•I'I(Ipll had lllad0a171(I. '! Pratt said, the tontibaut probably would hu%v gone to ('rulhcls. lie said Sheridan told hum if could not fff supply all ['our pwsv> ofequipment to he leased is(' rolhu., could. And '! he said she PHI'll ShOlidiot quoted waa almost ldlwival its Crothers' price. it Ilrall said till, vonlracl was not offered fill, lcndrr be( lose the % ullill %$Lt, ill it 1 1111( a `t' s 1 I t Ile It. - '4• ongillal p1111 In Ivils ((Illlplilellt for the site fell lhlough in May \%'loll a bid Irom a lit mllord firm Thin the (•uunly had hoped to strike a deal with procod too czpensiec. lit- said il' tilt• rulmly had Pore- ' Nell Ihin. 11 ACoale% hate -tartCd a leudering pruces> much ea rlior. Pratt tt aald he In sal'siled %kith 11'1t• deal belmven the county :.Ind Crulhers ill ll sb d lhal petlditig illtow pol board glpul\al. U1Il)rd Cuoso will h a-t' mill all option to buV Ill l'(%v will, Inn' plus of llea\y iquipolvlsl IIOIII (.mill(%& - IWo 1, C°IiII I(.n'>, soil• 111111(luzel' till`] a +cralieraliiit'llll but fin'thebulldoz. Ih sidd lilt ruuni\ pl al Is) I)ur 111 llllllpint 111 alit I 1110 It .... • - �plle.-. ❑l I,hn Ill li mot' I l I ll -I 1111 deal ( III Il,. b n1 •�I '.'�.. y G•Q > VG T��R4 mhA E Y.G of xLo Y O'G p•+� 99 J O OF~ gCY'6 Lu GL 6^ G NOi tE O AdLGN1iC` O O u a N L 3 U L U 0 0 3� mF c�>»'o�G'NEti F to .n a 3 m u Y L TL YL �yGAuW avENvaE$ r3 f: N LyL tp G C � u MZ E o m 3 0 ay. 0�°�93.NG 3 d y viQ y•.°. o9 p, "�, >-�axwow =o ^moo-'„ �S m t 3 YGrn�crnc 'u,E my qp.O$ O v � ,C o➢ oE CyO'r3CO, py E"o pp G C R to C .G N u O � O Y -• in O ^_f,J ._ y�o'O L= N Y N L O It •C O�CL Y d t y�oa Ed gs�yoo� _ Q N� y C�4�g L D.00 �z.Y EGG bO'3Eou ti3 G..G N 0:' A N 3 �. vFFL�f�yyfRR C-py�G T� t;�¢ v T�3�C W9 flm��3 9 � 1555Idd Li G:3 � y�G • VCa flEgM �f ; R all g n A i ER�F5 &'smog 9m?�3 5= SGO��L CCIl C�Eny W �.�i EEiNi 209 yq CpO �py.{4 /I L4v cJUG W 3u<. w "y�=N NdcF' 43ms_ 4 Nq1 $x qwL�C60 -c•L.a v`= v m•p'- l C O 1 C S. '��i y 'v. � '] � 3 i .L J •_• y I„ G OO9 Y'O L J J t O pa Ovy. N^ W t y: 3N T»GC'Oin 3L`9w>j5v4 _ _- mYm��YCN yu.c yam �G'c °-'—'-'--s-__-= J- G3 czdo'c`9 4 9% O�% CL U Y T U L C Y 7 L� OO L r �" ••1 n X v VCeI -00 p.O d-Cy ay cFu*•!`1 E Yy ZN y>Oj�y Ty7 t b0 Y GEm eMm_U,xi rs m, c-cz�c C=:Fl U (ij 53'° 3 _v c3 GU s oaa3L`3 r A —t y e °y2F .. M y B mb ZE 3CR�ubv0 oN9ly` U000mi Y m Sm3m v m=Q3 —WO— L romi, a.��°»,53 out-=a=.c ec0oaocr E o"C p 0, c T`" t Y� O 00 `3 :o0m-�*9�TH Q La � &>o73 U �mpv oF��<Em3 70 CIO f0 V 2t en afterYearS of controverSY Salford set to op W'1 re lletl• "I don't think so," but By AUSON DOWNIE of The inielml•Ravlow It Would be surprising if Salford residents and IS th- West Oxford Township officials let the controversial Salford landfill site open quietly Mon- day morning. 13ut if they have anything planned, nobody's talking. "No comment" was a familiar phrase this week. The Salford Concerned Citizens - Group and South-West Oxford " Township Council have spent hundreds --- - of thousands of dollars in legal fees fighting the site chosen by Oxford Coun- ty for a central landfill, near the village of Salford. Township treasurer Alan Forrester said Friday the township alone has spent close to half a million dollars since 1978, when the site was chosen, on consulting fees, studies and lawyers hi an attempt to stop the land- fill from being developed. Meanwhile, Oxford County has spent over $2 million developing the site, which is scheduled to open Monday at B:IkI a.m. There are still lawsuits related to the landfill outstanding, confirmed Toronto lawyer David Estrin, who represents both the township and residents. •WAIT AND SEE' When asked if he would seek an in- junction to stop garbage from going in- to the site until the lawsuits are resolv- ed Estrin, who is one of the top en- vironmental lawyers in the province, refused comment saying "wait and see. When asked the same question, south -West Oxford Mayor Walter i 1 0) CM 6 °may O Ap0r V8= Q C y Q p ooG vaHrn� Q)NRVT a�uc. c0wo� ��.°.. �b� Eo 'a'ggm� E o Q^ m-_y uF+ E`oE d^ ofm�v a >�°_ �iu'•m .y = c 5'u w Jci.S q°q++E'+ , y-`� y�m c�_N$. _8 gE��'sppvi vV12=M $,,0 z.E` �ot�y d=m0oVa °0 i°3cci is 3a °D�°°� aci H art c.a3 c.y'o� aECe v> tii °t$ = ag9"� 3$p ��i'dx°'E C.Lo SGo�sa -c a �,°na'�sm o �E o3m 2z0. WE 7?le m vE� a'Jrg�vv° yyuc ggpEg W§ Fp5p`c o�` y$vv QS ¢ &ov�Q 9 0ac 5n'ac Las:�Eaa� �Q'�-� T:c cvx>=4 �'+=Es �'c =y.E ac �R Ell jE 4 '�• •Cd A>,o= L� d�oV �:;g g'3T. �r'C E�'S;ny Ac N�p:H 5 Lp� I 2Q$, mo�5 0 v A 304 NC s��AW ��g T yyvl tY 9i `J' y �y .�2,wO430-2yi Y x•S E 5 c5� a''b�j ri.3 3 ° a Exe�� 9s'.ymy ci _eii �.����5is g$8'`s .`Eg�,.1= �.s'�aE-�i`o.Oa�E4'a'�.. i`j$4{y P 3 cb=a.e �, :J 4 L7.5 i son he, adds , "we haven't retired out lawyer yet." The township's Coun: at -large Ernie Bardeman was also evasive, fie would not deny that the township was planning some sort of action, but regarding an in- junction said that was 'pure speculation." When asked if residents planned ' to picket or block ' the county from opening the site Monday morning �>� ; Tom Way, who "- heads the Salford Concerned Citizens group, said: "I ( don't think we're k.-" IL going to lower Hardeman ourselves to that standard." But he hedged when asked if the ggrrooup would have anyone at the gates to thelandfill site Monday morning saying he "wouldn't want to comment on that." COURT ACTION Way noted that court action Ls still pending. The main court action still to be heard involves the township, which is trying to have the certificate of ap- proval for operation of the site over- turned. After a 59-day hearing before a joint board, the site was found to be un- suitable but that decision was overturn- ed by provincial cabinet. As part of the main action, Estrin is also fighting for access to documents used by cabinet in making its decision. The township also has a court case against Oxford County related to the county's failure to get Ontario Municipal Board approval for financing the development of the site. The final court actioninvolving the county is the residents' attempt to get a permanent injunction to stop the site being used in any way that would be a nuisance. Estrin said all of the matters will be heard this fall before the Ontario Court of Appeal. No dates have been. Confirm- ed yet. ''Any one of them could overturn the county's authority to run the site," the lawyer said. lJ 11 i 0. pening of Oxford landfill won't end feu4 By Rob McKenzie of The Free Press SALFORD — imagine that the lice -trade debate saw governments suing one another. saw cabinet overturn a hearing board and the dickering and bickering lasted 11 year imagine all that, oil a smaller scale. and you'd have something Close to the Oxford County landfill feud. The feud is pr i narih between the county, which wanted to di -I a landfill near Salford, and one of the county s townships- South-Weslalx- fond. which is where Salford is and which wanted the dump togo sortie - Township sure county dumped on Salford where. else. nct, warmng started after the county bought land for the dump h%o kilometres east of Sal- rord in 1975 and it continued through councils, courts and the provincial cabinet.. The landfill opens today. The feud endures. Both feuding parties maintain their theme' the county says town- ship residents are displaying the NIAIBY (not -in -my -back -yard) syn- drome. while the township accuses the county of barging ahead with- imt knowing the landfill's effect on the environment. 9 "The whole idea of the com- mon good is foreign to everybody now." said the county's long -lime director of engineering. Don Pratt, when interviewed at the landfill site recently. "But you can't just go somewhere else. You'd be a fool to think you wouldn't have the same arguments." • Contacted at his home one, ki- lometre front the landfill last week. township Mayor Walt Wilson said the county "shoved it clown our throats. They went ahead and then they tried to say it was wile." Wil- son was a township councillor when the dump donnybrook started in 1975. In that year Oxford C7ourtty learned that some of its scattered landfill sites were nearing capacity and would have to be replaced as early as 1980. The county, then de- cided that instead of digging sever- al dumps it, should build one cen- tral dump. Pratt said most of the county dumps of a decade ago were. un- safe Ile said they often caught fire and wui• "environmentally ques- tionable." A central dump could be better managed,. he said Feud over Oxford county dump persists From Page C1 anyone it was intended for a land- fill. "I suppose it's legal. but it's very unethical." Woodstock Mayor Joe Peniber. who at the time sat on county coun- cil, said the county bought the land t,brough an intermediary for a good reason. "We don't normally tell ,when we buy property. The price would go right up. Ifs a normal. common practice." The Salford landfills next hurdle ,was its greatest- a public hearing, -under chairmen John Wheeler of the Ontario Municipal Board and 5lichael Jeffery. of the provincial 'environment ministry. that lasted 55 days in 1982. The hearing revolved on whether the soil at the landfill site was im- perious or did it have seams that would allow waste to seep into sat' - rounding farmland :and the water [;able b,�rlpWh' . The county produced experts and the township did the same. The township's consultants said the soil did have seams between its layers of gravel and sand and that meant "contaminants will leak from all the Salford landfill site and as such will have a unique im- pact on groundwater in affected zones." In December. 1982. Jeffery and Wheeler sided with the township. "We must conclude that the geol- ogy of the site was not sufficiently understood by the county%s consul- tants to enable them to recommend the site for landfilling." they re- ported, calling the Salford site "unacceptable." County officials were furious. They said the board lacked the technical expertise to. make such a conclusion. "The gist of it is that the board screwed up," Pratt said. "A hatchet job." said Pember. The county appealed the deci- sion to William Davis's Tory cabinet. In August. 19m, the cabinet over- turned the hearing board. Reasons were not given. Wilson is still mad about the cahi- netaction. "Politics got into it. The county did a lot of lobbying to the government — there's the whole sticker," The township found a sympathet- ic car fit David Peterson who was, asan opposition leader —which he was at the time — lends to be, shocked and aghast. In an April 15, 1985. letter to Sal - Ford resident Alton Manicom, who lives next to the landfill, Peterson wrote that "it is a travesty of'. the system to have the hearing process, with expert testimony, overturned by politicians in cabinet who know very little about the issue." of Two weeks later. Peterson won the election that would make him premier. He began hedging. InJan- nary, 1986. he told the legislature, he was considering "the new reali- ties of the situation." The about-face was completed fit March by Environment Minister Jim Bradley. "Extensive studies indicate that the site will not pose a risk to the quality of drinking water to resi- dents in Salford," Bradley said. That cleared the way for today's opening of the landfill. The township is pursuing a suit against the county and three minis- ters of the former Conservative cabinet, demanding the release of the documents it based its decision on. The township lost in divisional court but in March won the right to take the case to the Ontario court of appeal. The appeal has not yet been heard, - "We haven't retired our lawyers het." Wilson said. At this vale. the landfill feud might overlap with dispute over the county's next landfill site. Pratt ,,aid the Sallvrd site will be full in about 25 year's. "We'll get nicely ctuing here and find the next one." And Joe Peniber. if he stays in ,fIrtve it few more years, might find Itintseh' saying these words about :umther group of angry residents: "You've got to resOect theta. 11e11, who wants a dump in their back yard"'' So. fit August. 1975. the county acquired 24 hectares (60 acres) of farmland from Salford farmerGord Hutchinson for $60.000. This land. along with 60 hectares (148 acres) expropriated from two Salford farmers in 1977. would be the cen- tral landfill site. With those first steps, the county walked right into court. . c Township lawyer David Estrin told the Ontario supreme court in 1979 that the county � land acquisi- tion was illegal in two ways: the county hadn't passed a bylaw au- thorizing the purchase and it didn't have the approvalof the Ontario 4funcipal Board. County lawyer J. Edgar Sexton countered that the township may have committed "technical irregu- larities." but there wasn't any snb- slantial wrong or miscarriage of justice - The coot sided with the count% and the ruling survived township appeals to the Ontario court of ap- peal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Wilson said that even if the courts upheld the land deals, they - stunk He said the county dealt .. sneaki ly: buyi rig H utch i nsoiis ('air, through a lawyer and not teltine 9 See Page C2.. Col. 1 Woexistock Bureau An angry Alton Manicom, 52, of Safford, holds a sympathetic letter from Premier David Peterson. .L' L■ CD O L. CL 1 w � yl 1 '.i},WIIr�:a,: �Ya .yLWvr�i 2, p S ro 7 0 0 .0 ,C _p� 4 0 4 4 U t C U C V. L O C i CS R N G R J `0 d,'P 'O ay'y. ^•w.=D LVG E'.'�� `° �..3`scv Zn E"'os�ai=4r Lo ao O,j��,o`p°z'wa E=°'s e."m�.p -o •�., f �. __ az=3110Ma6 +✓L yOy WN W4G C _V'. �-Li'•'ua�ELRO9 .-.4LR OC'a OUO •p' - �x"a'_ 'Ra4 c_y cLCp-=O1-nu.• =a,u •,�, La=—. s�iclti ctwo�= .�' D- >•,L fa bDD !nLE 7^'3a yaiG roCd' .Ctl4=0'L J�0L0^� L CTA r"L•�dOa uti�LOU's Og'i]O�tOiw 00000c®F��y.v,: �UE4v'-Oy CCdyO�ODVC''� - - LFvFO...O a NNR YO NCUL.�Cv1 a+.�Fb4NTa�Og�ti(��9.'."s.+�ry/'6 Wes, r/ 4 -. y 4 L 4 4 0^ y ;n Y 'O bA -O G_ O. C(� N y 0 4 Gi N 4 C N �,N.. M Ocy'coo 3.a�ao$��-��vmc'Nv i_c�wor c'�°����cL— - p.c E� �yroo�ymnpcQ o: doy n0G A' o io oaoa�s� ��0. ��Q Ou, a is wt, mE S'.^R.,- G.a �—: 0 %L wupp .+ 4.Oxt, CL 5z -_ OOUO Z:D _ � I _ :_ _ 4 .. O O O 4E .3 R 4 SO vii^ Nmi�L G�-NU"CC � Z U rC .� -a ^ L CL E w tU � 2 0 3 a=5i - N a. Rm-'�oaE,..N3oo to _ s' ^-52 x OUw�2C o> �dm'so��eu3h�c' -c acsa�-o C 7 z 11- - L m yn.00 40D✓^r-, ... .= m m I:-:='oaT�aL°v3sc� 'OY rvaC0 poV'tit=N'-a Qf9d CIZopry SRN W _ ap`cpP vp cam. .2i D ®i do aoS Gm>r. Or.-, SALFORD RESIDENTS hoist placards to show their disap- proval of the landfill site near their homes that opened today: About 20 men, women and children joined in the protest outside the gates of the landfill site on County Road 46, east of the village of Salford. !Staff photo by Alison Doll niel Peaceful demonstration marks landfill opening N etuoa oowatl of Us se"llneLawkw SALFOftO When the Salford landfill site opened this morning about 80 residents icketed at the gales to show they're still opposed to the site. AlthougK there are still outslnnding lawsuits related to the site, the county opened the landfill today at a a.m. Minutes later the first load of garbage, originating from Woodstock, was dumped by a forge Laidlaw packer truck. Picketers kept the demonstration peaceful. They carried an assortment of signs with slogans such as: We're net finished fightinngg yet, Oxford County buries principles as well as garbage and. Environmentally ttnsate: Politically The picketers, a handful of them children, half-heartedly paced oil the shoulder of County hood 46, near the gates to the site hoisting their placards for passing motorists. "I hoped this day would never be," said Tina Eccleston, who lives about a mile from the site. She's concerned about rats, odors and pollution from the landfill, 9af0Ylp0 10a01 A small group of men leaning againal it truck counted the number of un- covered loads going into the site. By 9:30 a.m. they had counted four or five and noted that the county had promised to come down hard on anyone who did not have a cover over loads being brought to the site. Or, Tom Mayberry, co-chairman of the Salford Concerned Citisons group, said It was left up to individuals to decide if they wanted to join in the protest, Some group members chose to stay home fooling a protest would accomplish not hingq. ' Thla Is it significant day In the life of the landfill," Mayberry said "slur lawault still sit* there. We want to make sure they tOxfardl keep the Nile operating the way it should be. Inside the gales, county workers were boring holes around the first waste cell in order to erect it fare. At the tfattom of the cell a compactor was levelling the first pflr al' gartwga, "They're putu' of a goof allow today," Evchiotat said, "hut Is it always gu Ing to he like fide.' E • 0 O O W O (3) "o z m poi EO�O£o c q$�uy $yx Yaaui ov E at ca off K�z 33;684,.y. Cu3X d. v.S Eto�`s°e0 V, = La £—l"M a �aui'j�i .`wcJ^>'Lc°'ywfi3 -ME Ao�' o'`04 4a$F oc� o�V'ot u W you too y= OE c 3 , �'_o in�a R72"6o ocEuLee 0 03T3 yu Rf A v .2 ° sap 75 T L` 0) u O .Q a e Or v o ° u c _ !2 3 E a a3 u 3 0 o _ m m Wig_ ego m Ea �' 3 's�� ov 'o Am o c '°1T' > .°'. n c E m NOC p N E E� a y o.°5 u o 3a o 4 m Wsa> 4$�3"y°$�°� uu ,y o�dw c '-�oT ea4io8.� emus mE^ a. 3,_Ty> oyo L� G'0','u TQO'��0� t �C •p n'O of -. �+� E > O Ors W N'O. Noq tE m3 m�MNM NY O �rJo. => E�Qin'gyE 2"a'S±yc L 0$ o'yCC 8'BB^300�a6—�o3�w v;s� a q3 ��_ 0 c o'S E.4 Ew0,N'�Tc$t'a, " u,Y �'24�•0�waci �c�9°c��� E ESE m a`�2maG>WY$—v .�fj UYJyi. tL °50 �� clv.. °d. o'er-3'a'+f° sG— E� oa a E Euc'. £ Oxford County is falling behind in maintaining road `standards' By eta "trouts d 1M Swtn"1.e11.6w Five-year forecasts for road, culvert and bridge construction in Oxford County project work valued at more than $20 million. But, despite the exten- sive schedule of repairs and reconstruc- tion work, county design engineer Stewart Watts warned the county's public works committee Thursday that the county is falling behind in maintain- ing road standards. We have too miles of critically defi- cient roads now," Watts told the com- mittee, "We can build 10 (miles) a year. We are falling behind. There is no way to get rid of that situation." Committee chairman Ed Down asked Watts if perhaps it was time to lower the county's road standards, but Watts replied that the public expects higher standards than are now provided. "There's no point in reducing stan- dards if its going to be 40 years before you get back to it," commented Coun. Ken Bullen. Watts said the projections — which in this report cover the period 1985-1990 — are only accurate for the first couple of years. "The ministry expects us to submit forecasts, that's what basically we plan to do," said Watts. "The first couple of years tend to be accurate, beyond that it is the staffs best guess what projects will be ready out of the dozens that are in the mill." He said projects are generally scheduled acording to need, but the county never spends more than a $1 million in one municipality in a year. Warden Helen Smith wondered if there might be a better way of schedul- ing the work so that there was not a deficient system in one area at a time. Engineer Watts replied by way of ex- ample that years ago Culloden Road was "a hell of a mess," and so it was reconstructed from end to end. So now, since it was all done at one time, it is all a mess once again. Watts said the engineering depart- ment has gradually been working its way across the northern part of the county in rebuilding roads. He said most roads that needed doing in Blandford-Blenheim and East-Zorra Tavistock have been done, and they are almost through Zorra. South West Ox- ford is next, and Norwich is i0 the design stage. Included in the projections are $2 million over five years for hot -mix resurfacing; $1.6 million for road reconstruction from Highway 19 at Ostrander easterly to Springford, scheduled for 1999: the replacement of the CNR subwav in Concession one, lots Association loses bid 'over group home zoning li By atISON BONING of The Sowlist-o"iew A new -plan revising policies for residential development and communi- ty facilities in Tillsonburg received Ox- I ford County council's approval Wednes- day despite an objection from the local association for the mentally retarded, p which claims the plan is too tough on r group homes. The development plan, known as f Amendment 40 to the county's Official Plan, determines neighborhood plann- ing district% and the location of low.. medium awl high density residential areas, ? The Tillaonburg and District Associa. i lion for the Mentally Retarded hod lawyer fan lemon appeal to county couned Wednesday to change the plan to allow group homes in low density i residential areas. Under the plan even- tually approved by council, group homes ate rail allowed in low density (RD Breast, Linton said the province supports development of group homes in low density neighborh)odq. Although the Platt was developed after several public meetings, he said it gives the impres- sion that there is something wrong with group humes. Tillsonburg councillor Jack Whir more said his council had considered the plan for two years. The decision to omit group homes from developing in HI ( low density) zones would riot (utalk ban them. Whitmore said with an amendment to the county's official plan a group home could still be developed in a low density area, although the pro cess might take four or five months, Court. Phil Poole &.eked why group homes should be allowed in some area, yet not in others, In asking for county council's sul, port, Tilbionburg Mayor Jean Ferrer said it was a unanimous decision of her council that under the new development plan group homes only be allowed tEl develop in R2. R2 and R4 zones.. Council did not pursue Union's con- cern and apppprrooved the plan its recom mended by'f"llsonburg officials, two and three in coal. Oxford for $1 1 million, scheduled for 1988; and $1 million for the reconstruction of County Road 19 (Charles Street) in Ingersoll• which is now underway 0L E .. _r T`bdrg landfill site gets four month extension County takes over Norwich Avenue strip but faces a major reconstruction bill BY AWAN DOWNIE of The Sentimel-leview Oxford County has reluctantly assumed a road m Woodstock that could end up costing county taxpayers almost half a million dollars to repair. With a WS cote, county councillors agreed to assume the por- tion of Norwich .avenue, between Parkinson Road and Highway 401. Those who were against taking over the road were scared off by the cost of reconstruction to bring it up to standards. The price tag is $961,470 of which the Ministn of Transportation and Communications i MTCI has agreed to pay 50 per cent, on top of the county's regular subsidy. in any given year. That would leave county taxpayers with a bill of SM,000. Woodstock Mayor Joe Pen.ber told county council Wednesday his municipality is unable to get development on the stretch of road because the MTC has control and will not permit any further driveways. He said he could appreciate cattneillors concerns that if the road was taken over it would shoot to the top of the county's priority list for road reconstruction because of the high traffic count - 'But it meets the requirements for a county road and we're not asking you to fix it right away," he said. The road would only be a burden in the county system, Coun. Doug Harris said, and will delay other road projects. "We most pull together to increase development," Coun. Marg Munnoch argued. About a month ago the county assumed part of Norwich Avenue, and Cedar and Wilson streets and extending that to include the portion of Norwich Avenue beyond Parkinson Road is a logincal move, Court. Ed Down said. If the MTC wanted to it could transfer the road to the county and provide no addi- tional subsidy, Coun. Ken Bullen warned. He pointed out that Woodstock's share of the county budget is 29 per cent. A recorded vote was taken, those in favor of assuming the road included coun- cillors Bullen, Les Cook, Down, John Helemak, Munnoch, Pember, Phil Poole, Charlie Tatham, Jack Whitmore and Betty Yeck. Those against included Jean Fer- rie, Jim Gibb, Ernie Hardeman, Barris, Eugene Mabee, Don McKay, Warden Helen Smith, Wayne Smith and Walter Wilson. Coun. Nell Hostetler was the only member of county council absent. Following the meeting, Pember said he was a little surprised but pleased the county agreed to assume the road paving the way for new development in the area. He said he would be meeting with the county warden as soon as possible so they could arrange to meet with MTC officials to discuss getting additional subsidies. Pember said he would like to see 75 per cent of the reconstruction project subsidized. �o�oo��XoM . oR°�.vmomo ;0�0 o�w _ aoaSA�o��'-'n= Foamy+='myvo�mm�em�m�mmcRommfoo�mc����0a�� my� °On 9pm.x.Cf G. oy~ �n G',n.+..O ?�7 £piptt .'�G'p C. �GC,-n,D 67or 0 U) m CG.o•��G^mC '�. 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Cso o "S O o m ' m •O;-. o t7 a, =c ^wSG '7p oolA n.-m ,E� �� �ymOmO a l�aE �, con, ^0c't�a °'�° 'O o .•..��� Ts LV�D.1 3 y ° r'' p ,°•.,�-�+m y �O.o N'C F Y�•G? n �; �'tQW _�o�_ T5o S�Do��m �eD r� mcac.sF,yMel npR _ ac°cti mmaa cm ma -ry w • By ALISON OOWNIE of The Sentinel -Review Tillsonburg has won its fight to keep the town's landfill site open four months beyond the scheduled closing date. After proving that perseverance pays off town officials were all smiles when they left Oxford County council's meeting Wednesday. The Tillsonburg landfill, which a operated by the county, was scheduled to close Aug. 30. The closure date has now been extended to Jan. 1, t967, with certain conditions attached. During the past two months, county councit has received several letters from Tillsonburg council and the towns chamber of has asking for an extension. The county's public works committee consistently refused the request and declined , to even meet with Tillsonburg's public works committee to discuss a possible ex- 1 tension. The county committee maintained that Oxford's plan for at ssibeast ex - years has been to close all the existing landfills within a couple for months of the Salford landfill opening. The Salford site opened June 30. In a last ditch effort, a delegation of Tillsonburg councillors, led by James Battin, presented the town's position to county council yesterday. Battin said the request was only that inert industrial waste be allowed to go into the site for the rest of this year until alternate plans can be made. Domestic waste will go to the county's cen- tral landfill at Salford beginning in September. THREATEN TO DO SAME Explaining why Tillsonburg required the extension when the other seven municipalities in the county were prepared for the opening of the central landfill, Battin said: "Municipal councils work in a relatively slow manner. Most of its only react when the crunch is upon us. We need additional lead time." County councillors Don McKay, Mayor of East Zorra- Tavistock Township and Jim Gibb, Mayor of Zorra Township, threatened that if Tillsonburg received an ex- tension on the closing of their landfills they might also seek extensions on the closing dates for landfills in their municipalities. Coun. Margaret Munnoch was against granting anexten- sion saying it would set a precedent. Gibb pointed out that Tillsonburg is a lot closer to Salford - than most municipalities in the county, including his own. -e- but everyone else managed to have plans ready for when Salford came on stream- Ferrie Cow. Doug Harris told Titsonburg councillors they shouldn't feel hard done be. He said other municipalities in the county were inconvenienced and had to make quick plans to meet the same deadlines. SAVE LANDFILL SPACE' The duplication of services, operating two landfills in the county. bothered Court Ernie Hardeman who asked if Tillsonburg was willing to contribute finances for operation of their landfill for an additional four months. Tillsonburg Mayor Jean Ferrie said yes if the costs were "at all reasonable." "If we can save landfill space, then why not do it?" Hardeman rreepplied Battin estimated that Tillsonburg would save over $100.000 — morily in trucking costs — during the four months when industrial waste will be taken to the local site rather than being hauled to Salford. He was pleased with council's decision to grant the extension. The only coun- cillors opposed to granting the extension were Munnoch, Ken Bullen and McKay. The extension was granted with the conditions that the Ministry of the Environ- ment approve what types of industrial waste can go into the site and that the town contribute financially to the cost of keeping the landfill open beyond the scheduled closing date. "We are very pleased with council's decision to support us," Ferrie said. "This is designed to help nor industries." 0 135 tons of garbage daily goes to Salford By AtISON DOWNIE —' of The Si"nel•Review • AN AVERAGE of 135 tons of garbage is being deposited daily at the new Salford landfill site. County engineer Don Pratt said the landfill has been busier than expected, but that has a lot to do with the time of year. High volumes of demoli- tion materials such as old shingles, boards and bricks are being brought to the site by individuals. "We expect it will fall off though," he said. This is the third week the central landfill site — expected to serve Oxford for the next 20 to 25 years — has been in operation and so far there have been no major problems, Pratt said. Garbage -'- from Woodstock, Norwich Township, Ingersoll and South-West Oxford Township is now going to the Salford site. When the landfill opened June 30, a group of about 20 residents from the village of Salford picketed outside the gates but did not obstruct traffic going into the site. Since then, Pratt said he has heard nothing from the neighbors. "I'm sure they don't love us, but it's pretty quiet," he said. "I expect the big- gest thing they will notice is the amount of traffic in the village itself." Two new employees have been hired to work at the site joining four other county workers, There are generally five full-time employees at the landfill including a security guard, two maintenance workers and two men who handle excavation. The foreman visits the site regularly. STILL RENTALS While the county has a recently pur- chased compactor on site, some equip- ment is still being rented including a se- cond compactor and dozer. Pratt ex- pects deliveryof the compactor within two weeds, but said it could be a couple of months before the dozer arrives. Workers have now completed erec- tion of a. 3,000doot litter fence, measur- ing eight feet high, around the waste cell where garbage is dumped. Snow fencing has been erected closer to the waste. to keep paper and plastic bags from getting blown around. Before the gates were opened on the landfill site, Pratt stressed that all loads being brought by individuals had to be tarped to avoid garbage strewn sideroads on, the way to the site. He threatened that charges would be laid agaist those who didn't follow the rules. "Most people have been pretty good," he said. "Those who have un- tarped loads that could blow around ... we've given them hell. Most realize they've done wrong when we speak to them about. it." Pratt tears a strip off panel paper er ALUM DOWNIE - -- - of The seRNlwl-lit A public institutions fnspeetiot panel's report on the Oxford Cotm(v courthouse and social services building has been criticized by county engineer boo Pratt. He told the public works committee the panel often serves as a sounding board for disgruntled civil servants..No(Ing he meant too disrespect to those who are call- ed upon to serve on the panels, chosen by the attorney general's office, Pratt sold fher should be abolished because lhev are moll' a waste of little and effort. The panels consist of six residents who tom- the c-ouu(v too, six days looking a( buildings and commenting on what Improvements can be made. Ponei members • are called upon to serve•, similar to jurors. Tbev are relnlloursed Slli a day for their lime. With a broad mandate most know little about what they are asked to look all Pratt said, "I don't know what weight you can put to their report." he said, , IN county engineer, he has been asked by (he public works ronunittee to resistant to she latex( report Fill c0910(,1buildings, compiled after• a spring tour of facilities ill' .*11iford, * -. f1peonnnendatioo for the county' courthouse included improving air circulation :-and rrlr(ilafion. providing ritar'e Nasfrrolrni facilities for judges. Juries and she pabiic, exit signs, and providing more office space for crfnlinal court fandil' divislme, Regarding (he coun(v social services building the panel found during its insper- filau there were no exit lights, no fire alarms, detectors or sprinkle• systeno. sown of the items the panel prided out urndd be simple Johs in cart i' oil :and ,nine of its reco interdafions ore not required Under building crate regulations, Pr:a(( said. '9 do l think we can just Ignore the report," ('nun, Eugene Alabee said. " 771r1' make some goal rreommendallmnx." Pratt agreed to responel to she panel's revonnnendallons it, if rr•parl as a 1'nfurr 1' meeting. OMB approves Salford landfill equipment deal WOODSTOCK(Bureau) -oxford ounty's bid to finance almost $I million worth of completing equip- nu?lit for the Salferd landfill site I,as won speedy approval from l.he Ontario Municipal Board, de�Pite a 'gill for a public hearing. Tin holding the (OMB) ePProval in wry hand." county clerk Harold Walls said Wednesday. adding it means that council's June decision to acquire all four expensive pieces of enuipnunt from the London Oxford County will probably support city's debenture plan By ALISON DOWNIE d The SenNMI-Review Oxford County will likely .support Woodstock's request to the Ontario Municipal Board to debenture s2,s00,000 of the castof the new com- munity centre. The total cost of the new community complex, south of Parkinson Road and east of Manitoba Drive, has been pegg- ed at about $3 million. Woodstock of- ficials hope to get a grant of A"W,000 from the tourism and recreation ministry. Debentures totalling s2,5wu0O would allow for acquisition of property for the complex and construction of a com- munity college component, the city's economic development officer told county council's administration and finance committee Tuesday. In a letter to the county, W'oodstock's clerk John McGinnis said, "the dehen- lure recovery will be by a mill rate on all property for s1,00000 and through a 10-year lease with Fanshawe College who will pay all debenture costs on the si,500,o0o as the cost of constructing the college component. The administration and finance com- mittee is recommending the counh' ap- prove the debenture request, Oxford branch cif ('rOthcl� .. . upheld The July i uNIB decision clear - the way' for the county to acquir., the equipment on a lease-W-owl bases over five years to planned Walls said. Sheridan Equipment Ltd. of Mis- sissauga had asked the 031'B10 hole a public hearing in the matter. stal - i ng i t never had a formal opporw n i ty to bid on such a deal 1n lodging its complaint with th, OMB Sheridan suggested impr:' pl ie ties" were involved in council - dune 11 decision to have (Pother I td supply the r-quipmenl withoi.,' ralhng lenders. In a June 12 letter to Oxforc L ounty. Sheridan's lawyer. Ronale' U obb of Brampton, contended th- ot•st interests ot'Lhe public were n ' ,erved because the firm wasn't gr, - ,,, a fair chance, ..Our client believes that.. . a>ked- it could have prmided .'. more competitive and better prl,> ill the public interest" Webb da!(: While: acknowledging that R...- lenders 1'or such a contra:'' not called, the county nia '.. I he arrangement with Crothcr:. - presents the best possible deal The county had been in tot:' - with Sheridan during the selecti proven+ leading up to the oPenl!: of the Suiford landfill ite. but rec- ommended that Croihers be named the supplier - In its renew tit' tile mattel . a two - member OSIB panel concluded I Sheridan's objection did not'justify a public hearing, Walls said Wednesday that ONIB approval %vas only sought because the financing of the deal goes tre- Notid the current term of council. .t-hk`h expires ill 'November. 1988. County engineer Don Pratt said O\tm`d brought In enou;h heavy equipulenl on an Interim basis to cuinvide with the operation', June 30 opening, while the Issue was be- fore the ONIB- The blur pieces ofegwpment are two landfill compactors. one bull - corer and one scraper unit Tenders for the contract were not called because the county Pound it- selr scrambling to pill together a I: .deal at tilt- last minute. tbllciwing lilt, collapse kit' negonauons with a f1ran1lord i'irni which had been in- 'or,lod to opinion,_ the landfill By ALISON DOWNIE of The Sentinel,Re.low The first hurler to he Orm ed in Austin'. ill, n'/lx :rl,b;• ,.' I,o,If ill , Cr open "oo,I Iho end of thin 91 lr'em ill,- pin, am:.l .: r` a>:"ra,rnr krirli.Sb,l n Oxford 1'ruurl hn.. :!Rree•d aI rllwnd she iw'. :u, la.III ' d,,, P', drrrop until the end Ill this I. till' 11, i41 ,'Ppl ".1 0iwf, pe. I I io tk` I0:,t .,Fief [Ie it I ill he i4, tv file 11,101+ It, glee Illllll aplotot,Uf, A oloiP% IPlli,11, •Ii fig ufn, I t1.I!., I,• I "fertile:: - schedided with 16c 110V aryl II irk. Co"istr eliti neer Icon P,"If foi,f rile Nerl, I,'whtt 1, n v,,. ,,...t. ,rir.n^I ut I'tthe PA letalol miff dirt-Villifl %„ In 0 11u1 o ill I,,- av,'r`/H I'.1 ,If Ili, duwp III tlilehaiSfir' Ill,, Inhtldh,v 1011 appitpe If,, it 110vo. once the (Ixfod's public it erkv I omn"m he it_I 1 r. r'•i - ii,ll: it a IA! mref with nihiff aburp''s:pabtit'. it",il Illollofrr ,.,'.. ,, .:;Fit i;-• 1.:' I. puahfllf furshe-town tointl ;,it mhbf... u-,Ill"i. , `lf[ jO it .' %I, sa/arlex N11d plaipment 7yllsonhar'g^lui-ssrdthecounm ftil fitI,(II„i dlrsfl'bw as much at, 8400.00O, 111111a1(Ch 1 1 n..'' - - ""r` :1 f -. Historical architecture traced by local conservation group of GM 8on111Nt _ of no saw".Geeler It's weather beaten and badly in need of paint. When you walk by the abandoned wood -framed building you may wonder about its history. When Lawrence Lee spotted the Hawkins Chapel on Park Row, just off of Mill Street, his curiosity was piqued. He's decided to find out more about church and the con- gregations that once worshipped there. The University of Western Ontario student is working with the Local Architectural Conservation Ad- visory Committee (LACAC) in Woodstock this summer preparing British Methodist Episcopilian church on Park Row, was built in 1888 as the local black community's church. (Staflphoto) Information about buildings that are of historical or -architectural significance. When they think of architecture, most residents here would call to mind the beautiful homes on Vansit- tart Avenue and Light Street. And some of those buildings have been recognized for their architectural importance. But there are many other buildings as well, such as the Hawkins Chapel, that bring this city's heritage to light. The chapel is probably a century old. The British Methodist Episcopalian (BME) church was built as a house of worship for members of the black community in Woodstock. "It originally started when a cou- ple of men took donations from the people around town," Lee said. They obtained a plot of land and a few years later built their chapel. Lee wants to find out more about the history of the BME church and he's trying to locate the person who still pays taxes on the building. Other public buildings in town he's looking at include the Oxford Hotel and the railway station. He will be preparing a loose-leaf notebook on the 25 homes and buildings in the city that have already received designations as be- ing of architectural significance. The work will serve as an architec- tural guide to the city. Lee is also putting together background information on 25 to 30 other homes in the city which some day may bear an architectural designation. A third part of his work involves the mapping out of potential heritage areas in the community, where whole sections of buildings could be designated. Woodstock should take advantage of the architectural and historical styles in the city, I.ee believes. Area designations, although they Oxford County — when it comes to milk, there's no udder like it Oxford County is keeping a tight grip on the Dairy Capital of Canada crown. While Oxford milk pro- ducers lead the way, Perth County producers are an im- pressive first runner up. Perth actually has more milk producers but Oxford produces more milk. In 19W85 Oxford farmers produc- ed 166.6 million litres of milk com- pared to Perth farmers' 162.2 million litres; a difference of about 4A million litres, the latest statistics from the Ontario Milk Marketing Board (OMMB) show. The only other counties that pro- duced more than I06 million litres of milk in the same year were Well irtgton with 127.5 million and Huron with IOL6 million. "There's no question, Perth is really coming on," said Peter Gould, an OMMB economist. "But they have declined a little bit recently." PYRTII'S A Cf)Mt1R In 1981.02 Perth came closer than it has in the past 10 years in vyink I" the Dairy Capital crown. Oxford onlyY produced 1.8 million litres of not more during that year. But In IOM43 Oxford produced 2,2 million Hires more and in IMI-M It produc- ed 3.6 million titres more. Oxford had 706 Bcenced milk pro- duetion units at the end of July I Ws, while Perth had=. Milk production units across the province have been ' steadily declining, but that doesn't mean there are less producers said Gould. He said partnerships, incor- porations and two or three families operating a farm under one licence He said there's no question Oxford is still Dairy Capital of Canada. There is not one other single concen- trated area in the country that pro- duces as much milk as Oxford. On- tario is the second largest milk pro- ducing province in the country behind Quebec, But producers are more spread out in the neighboring province, Gould said. The OMMB produces statistics an nually. Membership in the non- profit agency, the sole authority In Ontario through which milk can be marketed, is compulsory. The marketing board is owned and oprrated by the milk producers of the province. can be controversial, "can really make a town start to shine," Lee said. "History doesn't cost a lot of money," he said, "because it's already there." Marianne Park, secretary of the Woodstock LACAC who is supervis- ing the summer work project, said Lee "is doing a marvelous job, We're just so pleased to have him here." LACAC, a subcommittee of city council which, would "like to have a higher profile" in Woodstock. Park said, "There are a lot of people who don't know what we are or what we do," Lee's work, which will expand on work undertaken by a summer stu- dent last summer, "is a very am. bitious project," said Park. "There is such a rich history in our area," she acid. "We so often ig- nore or forget it." Lee's research will help the LACAC not only when it makes a pitch to council for a building designation, it will also give them the information to present people with "solid answers" if they have questions about their home, Park said. The LACAC would also like to hear from homeowners who can pro- vide them with personal histories of houses in the community. Lawrence Lee would appreciate your calls. Until September he can be reached at city hall, 539.1291, extension =. Lawrence Lee is also ttlrehesays isover 100years taking a look at the old and was a vital cog in the Woodstock Canadian Na- development of Woodstoek. tional train station, a struc- (Staff photo by Ted Rhodes) Closed meeting to discuss car plant I By RON "WON ' of the unthubaeeiee, Oxford Countycouncilwill hold a special closed session Thursday to discuss the location of a car plant in the county; possibly the long-awaited General Motors -Suzuki plant. A source who requested anonymity said Oxford Warden Helen Smftit had called the 11 a.m. meeting a1 the re- quest of Ingersoll development officer Ted Hunt. Ingersoll has been touted as one of three southern Ontario sites on the car companies short list for a new, $600-million plant. A final announce- ment had been expected at the end of July. Smith was unavailable for comment — Hunt denied he was speaking at coun- ty council and said he knew nothing about the meeting. The agenda, according to the source, said the meeting's subject was the "location of (an) automotive plant in Oxford County." County council will issue a press "lease after the meeting, said Howard Day, county treasurer, but he refused • • rlNl 1 l? r rrd. I t u i ploIngersoH paves way for car Industry officials say Ingersoll chosen site of GM -Suzuki plant " am Mai[[ of 11111 SONWO-R*lvkw Need cfllalaaa nrea cvrK T• de0`•N I F O• ROAD ALLOW [; w[[N , MON[N RRONTANO; OONO[[[ a lane gesso)) site of the joint General Motors -Suzuki automotive j 1 I 1 j i a4 i manufacturing plant. rl I I 1 9 1 6 17 ' 6 a 1 4 3 1 p 1 At a special meeting this morning, Oxford County council voted I I ! la I t a,�a�a to support six joint resolutions passed by the Town of Ingersoll �.......I_______________, __. and the Township of South-West Oxford's at a meeting last night.The which resolutions would beeal necessaryingoTndhefiasl ylet unannounced an amendments a 11: )JItE�9 �6E1 s e 3 1 4 1 3 II $65amillion GM -Suzuki venture. Both Ingersoll Mayor Doug Hams ;_-__i__L;��j,�- —1 and town development officer Ted Hunt denied Canadian Press re its Chat fhe town has officially been given the mNl. i r "It's simply to get certain lhfngs in H I place should a decision be reached, ' Hunt said, About 44 acres of town property have been optioned by a Toronto, realtor, l Hunt said, although the realtor did not L OT reveal the proposed use of the property., ,q L O T 24 I L O 7'i 23 Harris said county council's actions „ supporting the town were the "normal z process continued to deny he requested - PART 2 I l A PART 1 the special meeting, although Oxford TOWNSHIP or SODTM-WEST oxFORO TONN or INGERsou o County Warden Helen Smith said after- wards that Hunt had indeed asked for the county meeting. = CONCE.SS/ON I / The county and the municipalities N have also asked the province to use a 1V ministerial order under the Ontario r t Planning Act to put a zoning order on We the property "for provincial interest" if I A required for the car plant. (The official ° plan amendment and zoning change i would follow). _ I tD Harris said he was not excited or anx- ious about the possibility of the 2,500 o jobs and multi -million dollar invest- ment in his community. "We just work, we j just do our day-to- day job... I'm sure - aeac auoruas avrtw coeeuuoRa IARe a__ --I re-rt 'nerto t- eon- _sou-_ some people won't '� --- ---------- ---- -- -- - believe it but right r now, actually I'm more anxious to go c have lunch and a maybe get ready to L O T a LOT 2 4 I L OI T 23 plav ball tonight," �s he said_ Harris A lawyer who requested anonymity CONCESS/ON =' 41,5' - • d f h' 1- Is h ha 1 d r S.a1 two a IS c ten w o ve an APPROXIMATE under options received letters saying RELOCATION OF surveyors will be on the site next %I -,ek. CLARK ROAD IdRa - Industry and government officials - who asked not to be identified - told THE KING-9 HIONWAT No. 40, Canadian Press the car assembly plant will be built in the Ingersoll area and the automakers wjll receive more ' han _ SW million in federal and provincial O SITEBOUNDARY- AREA 250.0 N,/e90 ACRES assistance. NOIE. AREAS AND DIMENSIONS (W METRES) ARE APPROXIMATE ONLY 2,500 JOBS Ontario, Quebec and British Colum- INDUSTRIAL SITE bia had all submitted proposals for the auLY reel plant, which would employ more than 2,500 people and produce 200,000 Sprint.oe minicars a year when it opens in 1M. "A`a 1M r"aaa The joint venture is the sixth major investment promised by foreign and THE TOWN OF INGERSOLL and Township of domestic automakers in Canada in the South-West Oxford took steps today to en- last'two years. courage choice of an Ingersoll area site as Ingersoll is attractive to Suzuki, one location for a proposed GM; Suzuki assembly or the smaller Japanese carmakers, because It qualifies for assisance - ---- - under Ottawa's industrial and regional development program. That program, which provides incentive grants for companies locating in high unemploy- ment areas, was instrumental in enabl- ing financially strapped American Motors Canada Inc. to build its $7s4-million plant in Brampton, just west of Toronto. Suzuki insisted on significant finan- cial assistance from both Ottawa and Ontario to raise its half of the sr,50-million investment. The sources said the federal and provincial assistance will amount to more than $50 million in a variety of incentives and retraining grants. Although the deal was ready to be an- nounced. more than a week ago, it hing- ed on the result of discussions between the two sutomakers, the pqwerful Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Canadian government over now many vela, Res Suzuki could export into Canada. SVF:Ks PERMISSION GM and Suzuki had nought permis• sion to sell 25,000 to 50,000 cars a year in Canada prior to the start-up of the new plant - compared with about 3SO).now -- while limils continue' on -her Japanese carmakers, The Japanese ministry WON apparently unwitting or unable uI provide the two carmakers with such a large increase in exports, Talks between Japanese and Cana. deanofficials held in Victoria earlier thin week apparently resolved that pro- blem, the sources said. Last year, the South Korean automaker, 11rYundai announced it will build a su)-miIlion plant in Quebec that will start operations In NO Toyota and Himda have announced Investments of OWN) million and $200 million in LMtaria, AMC -Renault is huildinq In huge plant In Brampton slid General Motors will spend 0 billion revamping its ()shown plant. LOT 1 22 M4000NALD -CARTIER FN[EWAV TOWN OF Ingersoll n DVNSHIP South-VtOXfol plant. Resolutions approved with reference to optioned land is located in the south-west end of Ingersoll. ant LOT 1 22 M4000NALD -CARTIER FN[EWAV TOWN OF Ingersoll n DVNSHIP South-VtOXfol plant. Resolutions approved with reference to optioned land is located in the south-west end of Ingersoll. ant Oxford ovens route for auto plant mine the "appropriate services" that proudly promotes itself as a he had not heard whether the town ments and we haven'theard a Ingersoll also qualifies for assis- By Howard Bums for the site. community with both a "heritage has been selected as the site for any thing." Lance as an economically de - The county decided it would en- and a flrture," is expected to be plant, let alone the prized GM -Su- in a press release after the coun- pressed area -under a federal in- Woodstock Bureau ter into a cost -sharing agreement named within weeks as the site of zuki venture that has the area cil meeting. the county said it was dustrial expansion program that WOOI — Oxford County with other levels of government to the proposed General Motors -Su- abuzz. pleased 10 be in a position to sup- provides financial incentives to make undisclosed "off -site" im- zuki auto assembly plant. General Motors refused again port Ingersoll and South-West Os- companies locating there. has emerged as alast-minute part- has in steering the planned $ti50- $65Motors-Suzuki nermillion provements if Ingersoll is chosen. Hunt said he has not been told Thursday to confirm that the plant ford Township in a co-operative bid Local sources said Ingersoll is an r is an 'no that Ingersoll has been selected will be built in Ingersoll. "There's to attract an auto plant to the area. Generalplanned Between the comments" obvious choice because its after the closed, hour-long council and declined comment on a Cana- been no decision on when or where "County council applauds the town finely inexpensive and level land. auto assembly plant into Ingersoll. While local officials dismissed a penatio meeting that centred on an un- diatS Press report Wednesday that or even if it will go ahead," spokes- and the township in the high level good transportation Rnksattd avail - automotive plant, there the plant will be built there. man Nick Hall said from Oshawa. of co-operation that has been dis- g report: that the town has already named were smiles and handshakes all Hunt said the town wants to be "You say Ingersoll. but you might abilft of labor. played ... to encourage the choice y won the high -stakes race, the wel- around. ready in case it is picked by the two as well pull any name from the hat, of the Ingersoll site for the pro- The site is sandwiched between come mat is clearly out in anticipa- Among those attending what was automakers, it means as much." posed autmotive manufacturing Highway 401 and a CP Rail line. tion of an announcement naming to have been a secret meeting of Oxford Warden Helen Smith said Asked about GM and Suzuki's ef- plant" west of Ingersoll Street. Ingersoll' council were Ingersoll develop- that, while she had heard nothing forts to get the Japanese govern- The Woodstock -Ingersoll area, Much of the land beyond Inger- County council voted Thursday to ment officer Ted Hunt and several official, "this county gives every ment to allow Suzuki to increase its hit hard by industrial layoffs in re- soll's boundary is zoned agricultur- join the municipalities of Ingersoll lawyers, one carrying documents or amount of encouragement" to local export levels to supply the assem- cent years. has unemployment lev- al and while the parcel inside the and neighboring South-West Ox- drawings. bids to land the plant. bly plant. Hall said "it's between els higher than the provincial aver- town is in its industrial park, there ford in efforts to make a site ready Ingersoll, a quiet town of 8.500 Ingersoll Mayor Doug Harris said the Japanese and Canadian govern- age of 6.8 per cent. are a numberof private residences, for immediate industrial develop- ment should the massive GA1-Su- ------. -. ___— --•- _.-__.,.. _ zuki venture go ahead as planned. I { The location was identified as jl park - Talk of Lakeside landfill extension , Decision stands, u--- - ---- subdivision b239 eyondtIngers90acrdustrial park beyond ISouth-Wet quickly shot down at the county level Oxford and into South -Wes[ Oxford Town- ship near Highway 401. Oxford council approved a wide- - plan first rejected by county By RICKNUGNts - of The s.nenel.Re.tow ranging resolution stating that the county fully supports the use of the - to attempt br Zorra Township to extend the life of the Lakeside landfill A'Q was 1` ---- _ _ - By RICK HUGHES horrible," said Coun. Marg Munnoch of blems," said Ed Down, of Blaraord- site for the development of a major turned drone by county council Wednesday. I Coun. Jim Gibb, Sfayor of Zorra Township, presented a motion as W'ednesday's - of The Sentinel -Review Woodstock, "I think it would beater- Blenheim. - asset for the area "That auto assembly plant but cautioned that a decision to "select, acquire q ! council meeting requesting the Lakeside site be allowed to stay open for non- domestic waste until it is filled. and a terrific land is totted as a (Ludt butter, - In a recorded vote, Oxford Count assessment Y assessment for the municipality." and should remain as such. Five louses council Wednesday narrowly endorsed or develop' the site has not been Coun. Gibb said he doubted the materials that would be going into the site would Coun, Nell Hostetler of Fast-Zorra out there moves it that much closer. a planning committee report denying Tavistock said there is little else the Where does it s '+ i made. "If constructed as currently be of any danger to the environment. - White county council voted down his motion, following a suggestion by ,Coun. approval of a.. proposed residential area could be used for. A concern of South-West Ox[oM estate subdivision on the west side of Wh le it s rated as Coun. planned, (the plant) would result in an investment in excess ofS500 mil- Charlie Tatham, the public works committee will look at the possibility of opening the site under strict controls as to what may o into it. y g good agricultural Ernie liar lemon was that allow_ 1he city. land, the problem, as tanner the development The recorded vote, asked for b Coun. P mg oph ent would create a - Y Whiteford acknowledged. is that lion, employ in excess o per- �— ' -- - ---' - '-- - _ _ - _ _,_—__..�-�..� the Ken BWlen of Woodstock, w•as 9-7 in precedent for other people wanting to :favour slope and topography of the land make developa "cultural land not tit use. upholding the committee's sons and, when operating atcapac- ity, produce approximately 204000 ,.l Preferred route not being taken it difficult to farm. W'hieforrdd concurred with Hardeman. k landmark decision; dwas the first time Hostetler also pointed out the pro. saying a critical issue in denying the, since its creation the county's planning motor vehicle units per annum," resolution says. to Salford site says SWO council posal meets all setback requirements application was consistency. Approving Committee rejected a subdivision for residential land abutting it would lead to many other similar ap-the proposal. agricultural land. It adds that an unidentified in- "various �! t - plica[iots which would then be difficult The development in question was pro- On P On the negative side, Coun. Gene to deny, he out. vestor has requested as- surances" from the municipalrp- By MASON DOmNt As. a result of the complaints, South- l Ltd: It pointed 'Ibsen by Commercial residential I of Ingersoll said the fact of its "If you look at this parcel of land as called- for five estate residential lots, councils involved and calls for ap- of nee SON" F"i" West Oxford's road superintendent DE REHAM CENTRE Max Hooke was. asked to do a traffic close proximity to heavily used rail suitable for estate residential. then :each on 2.5 acres of land, M be built on - lines alone made it an unsuitable site. there is a lot of land in the county (like ptoval of a provincial cabinet order that would zone the site for a ear — Not everyone is following the ell count on County Road 6, south of ng ow brick Foldens. He did and made his fo company property backing onto "[t has the potential for creating pro- it)." Highway 'L and County Road 30, just pl permitting report road W the crounty's new central landfill�wesl n site at Salford. couthe cell Tuesday night, But the value of of Woodstock. The committee had rejected the - --- -- -- - - - ----- --_ ---- suchassembly developmentp most immediately. The route recommended (or loads port was placed in question when coming from northern Oxford council members discovered there had pro. posal at the urging of county planning at the u l Whiteford, Such an order would come from parts of is not being followed claims South-West not been a previous traffic count node cowl Ken whet 'argued- the development would violate Municipal Affairs Minister Ber- Oxford, Township Council. Instead of on the road before the landfill opened. Oxford's official plan. nand Grandmaitre, eliminating the travetlin via Highway 401 to Highway Hooke said. an average ol'444vehicles When the planning committee's need for the applicant to clear local 19,1f1enipgeast onCounty Road 46at travelled along the road each day the reportcanIforapprovalatcoumN planning hurdles. the village of Salford some contractors counter was on for aweek-end total of council, it was requested that item be The county was told that. white are using County Road 6 as a short cut. 3,108.,. .voted on separately, the applicanthas taken options on the land, none of the deals to ac- "We've had a lot of complaints about "Well we know it ttf♦e traffic) wasn't dust and noise." said township clerk that before," In discussion prior to the vote, it was - - quire the property have been much i Mayor Walter Helen Prouse. "They're (trucks) tear- Wilson said after .hearing Hooke' I pointed out that while the area is listed as Bond. agricultural land, only 17.5 at - closed ing up our roads." report. the ao acres in that parcel are now be The county also agreed to make ing farmed. 2nynecessary changes toits official "Il (the land) is sitting there looking plan to recognize the proposed use jj - and co-operate in studies to deter- ! Time not well spent on By RQN PRESTtNI of Tim Sentlsol-Roviow Oxford County's contribution to a joint committee studying ways to help tobacco farmers and develop industries to replace money and jobs lost as a result of the tobacco in- dustry's decline is a waste of time, says East, Zorra- County planning simmers a bit i in its opposition to Zorra zoning a n. • A zone change approved by Zorra by township council is being appealed the county's planning department. However, the planning department agreed to reconsider its opposition to the plan after arguments by Zorra Mayor Jim Gibb at a meeting of county council Wednesday. The zone change approved by Zorra township council is for a parcel of land located on the west side of County Road seven, just south of Highway 2, by the Rayside Inn. The land is now zoned special agricultural industrial with a site plan .-•.+;'j designation severly limiting its uses: the application by Shirley Cooper is for it to be rezoned special agricultural commercial. The planning department's report on the application notes the planned use of { the property is primarily for boat storage and sales. There would also be some building of trailers and wagons. r` "� `!) 'N,! } PLAN PANNED IT Because the work is not primarily agriculture related and the area is part I of the agricultural preserve area of the county's offical plan, it recommended appealing Zorra's decision to grant the zone change. '•I take exception to the emphasisbe- ing placed on twat storage," ibb at county council. He said the primary purpose as ex- plained to township council at the public hearing on the application was es o k for "the fabrication ollivestock construction bins, farm gates,with the inspec- wagons and trailers,', tion and repair of boats as a sideline activity. Whiteford countered that the report is based on what the applicant on nally for. He told him the land would be used _ said it is likely the applicant had altered the focus of the. application since speaking with him. "At that time the role was the con- struction and repair of boats. As she progressed throught the system it was pointed out that clearly the planning trouble with that." department had He suggested the applicant could be contacted to see if she was willing to keep the boating end of the business as He the ment would be pne. repared oireconsider its position if the predominant use was to a farm -related one. changed The appeal will stand until the out- discussion is determined. come of that tobacco farmers, says EZT mayor Tavisock Mayor Don McKay. could Ix: better %lent in other work S Ml)rut with the addition of Elgin Coon ty earlier this Creek, It drops to 11"A McKay shimmed the project at a meeting ulOxford County council areas. Whiteford, warden Helen Smith. and lire committee learned this week i will have the help of three researeW Wednesday, saying thee -money and time (especially time spent by county plann- county councillor Charlie Tatham sit on the committee created by Oxford, Elgin until December. The three will be Praia by the federal government through ing commissioner Ken Whiteford) and Brant counties, plus the region of Haldimand-Norfolk. work incentive program Whiteford said today that he hie s . "I think a lot of farmers need help." spent about 80 hours in the last. fmr on committee businesswhirl Smith said today, "end that was Ox- ford's from the beginning. I months is "not heavy in relation to other work' position think I am getting the message that he's doing in the planning office. working together is getting some atten- The committee will present its repot federal and provincial .govern Lion (of the senior governments) rather than pulling apart." to the ments. Whether the two government act "is anyone's guess.' ( ABOUT $18,4ts0 APIECE Each municipality was asked to con- said. But if the committee report does spu tribute to the $1,01 needed for the com- the senior governments to come up wit 'they'll look like heroes." nilttee. tOriginally Oxford's share was a program 'Tillsonburg dump extension' not for all types of wastes TiLLSONBURG — A four -month postponement in closing Tillson- burg's dump to industrial waste may be a hollow victory for town council. Council has learned only "inert" industrial waste such as solid con- crete may qualify for the extended dumping period. - A letter from Oxford County engi- neering director Donald Pratt indi- cated waste such as paper, wood shavings, wood pallets, demolition rubble, scrap tobacco, asphalt ma- terials and "mixed loads of general industrial waste" likely would not meet the provincial environment ministry's definition of "inert garbage." Jury out on courthouse security plan The dump was to close Aug. 31, when all county garbage will go to the new Salford landfill site north of Tillsonbur& But Oxford County council recently extended the life of the dump to Dec. 31 for industri- al waste only. Concerns have been raised that trucking away waste will be costly for Tillsonburg indus- tries and the lack of a local dump willdiscourage industries from lo- cating here. Councillor Jim Battin said Pratt's letter, discussed by council late Monday, represents an "attempt to throw a roadblock" into any practi- cal use of the extension. Town clerk Ken Holland said he understands only solid concrete meets the ministry's definition of inert waste. In his letter, Pratt said industries wishing to continue dumping waste at the local dump must submit a garbage sample to an independent laboratory for a leaching test Eden MacKinnon, general man- ager of Flo -Con Canada inc., told council that ministry guidelines are "pretty stringent" He said he submitted a garbage sample for testing but he believes the specifi- cations are so strict almost no in- dustrial waste will end up in the dump during the extension. Council decided to ask the minis- try for specifics of its "inert' designation. In other business, council ap- proved rezoning a parcel of land on the town-s southern edge from gen- eral development category to in- dustrial, despite the opposition of a dozen neighboring residents. The 97 hectares (240 acres). an- nexed earlier this year from Nor - By ALISON DOWNIE folk Township, is owned primarily of The teeutnef•sevfer - by businessman Joseph Redling. A report on security at toe Oxford with 16 hectares (40 acres) held by County courthouse will be up for discus. the town. Unhappy residents told sion sometime in September, The whole issue of installing council they fear certain types of emergency lighting, a burglar alarm industry would bring noise. odor and a fire detection system at the cour- and other problems to the area. thouse has been put on the backburner - They were assured by municipal by public works officials. The issue staff that existing bylaws and site - came up earlier this year and although plan controls can be used to limit there have been numbed discussions at county. council anttlic works - industrial use of the property. Mayor Jean Ferrie said the mu - committee meetings, noof?badiisions have 'J nicipality, without any vacant land been reached, zoned as industrial, needs such In March, the county hired a land to attract business and help l Lambeth company, Variderwesten and ! Rutherford, to the community thrive. carry out a preliminary, design for a fire detection and sedurity Holland said the land will not be system. The company estimated the serviced until there are definitr combined system would cost about prospects for new industry. $30,000. County engineer Don -Pratt said he's been in possession of the report'1'or sometime but has not had time td. On anything with it yet. He wants to talk to company officials further before presenting recommendations to the public works committee. He told the committee recently his report should be ready in September. - A 1982 fire inspection report cited a number of deficiencies at the cour 1_-ail thouse including a lack of smoke deter. r'. ors, a sprinkler system, fire doors, or an emergency lighting system. Pratt has told councillors the building may never meet the Ontario Fire Code because It would be impossible to fulfill certain requests, such as covering In all stairwells• because of the design of the building. The courthouse has been broken into twice in recent weeks although losses were minimal. Vandals have also struck at the now board of heahh building adjacent to the courthouse. - Whatever security system couch council decides to go with will likely bi installed by the public works depart. ment. Pratt's Indicated he would prefer Ihnt. Security at the board of health building, adjacent to the courthouse, will not be covered In his report. Ingersoll.wins the race GM- uzu c noses Even Dixie has heard Oxford scrubs scheme town for car plant about Oxford system to establish archive pNlelk %*A@ sed to Pleatea of no SaaNtaf-lavisw TORONTO — It's official. At a lavish press conference late this morning, George Peap- ples, president of General Motors (GM) Canada, gave Ingersoll its biggest moment since The Big Cheese was sent to the New York World's Fair in 1866 with the announcement the town will be the site for a $500 million GM/Suzuki plant. 'More than anything else, the new Tuesday), found their way to Ontario venture we're announcing today Place in plenty of time to partake in the represents a partnership." said Roger conference and reception that followed. Smith. chairman of the board of GM Also present at the announcement were corporation ;Detroit), "of people from Ontario Premier David Peterson, different countries and with different Michel Cote, federal minister of skills working together to create regional industrial expansion and Bob something exciting and new-" White, head of the Canadian In making the announcement. Smith Autoworkers' Union. said the plant is a reflection of mcreas- '•I can talk," was Ingersoll Develop- ing competitive pressures worldwide, went Commissioner Ted Hunt's first which require new management reaction. strategies. "I've been waiting for that call a long "the bottom line of the joint venture time_- phenomenon is that no vehicle Hunt said the town has been involved ----- - - manidacturer today can be an island." G in negotiations since August 1984, but OV@rllor►s louse he said.. only learned recently the unnamed - The Ingersoll client was the two auto giants. And, in will get facelift which Severn- fact, Mayor Doug Harris and Hunt only Oxford County will undertake renova- mem and industry >:- found out for sure the town was selected officials tried to - when Pea es made the announce- bons to improve the exterior of the jail keep cloaked in ment today. governor's house on the courthouse secrecy for man- "It's going to have a positive effect, it sggdjacent to the recently restored jail, ohs; beat out more can't be anything but positive," said which now houses board of health of - than 60 possible 1. Harris today. fices, the governor's house is in need of locbyations Torontocod.�1.. "My summer new windows and roofing, including in - by a Toronto con- g• g salting firm Smith hasn't been my sulation and ventilation, and the bricks Ontario, Quebec and British Colum- r normal summer... require pointing. bia had all submitted proposals to I haven't been on County council approved the renova- the golf course tion project Wednesday after hearing Suzuki for the plant since June, I miss- that a CommunityFacilities Im rove - The venture will employ s et Earlier estimated •r ed a lot of ball i ment grant is avaiable to Oxford which 2,fg0 people from the outset- a games, but I don't will cover 50 per .cent of the costs. A forecasts set the number o[ immediate begrudge one pp employment positions at 2,500- �(� grant of ty's924 has been approved but ROLL OFF LINE "" minute of it," he f the county's, public works employees CorvsOFF LINE of the plant will begin Harris said. ``f don't expect to use the full grant. this fall, and the first cars should roll off Also representing Oxford were 1 Council decided the building Would be the assembly line in a few years. Warden Helen Smith, South-West Ox- .1III used strictly for county purposes, Peapples said the Ingersoll site was ford Mayor Walt Wilson, Oxford MPP 'i avoiding costly interior repairs to bring chosen because of its proximity to key, Dick Treleaven and Oxford MP Bruce it up to standards-for^public use. North American markets and bow the Halliday. A grant application has been made to site fit into Its plans for just -in -time the citizenship and culturt-tn�'nistry to P ] The 150,000-square-foot plant will be see if Oxford can recoupsome of the supplier network and a skilled and located on a 570-acre parcel of land on money spent to date on te governor's stable workforce. the west side of Ingersoll Street. About The conference today marked the of- 44 acres are within the town limits 'house. ficial signing of the terms of the joint while the rest is a part of South-West I The balance of the exterior work will venture worked out by GM and Suzuki Oxford Township, but owned privately. 1 be carried out by the public works Motor Co. of Japan. The ceremony in- Earlier this month, county council I department iq,,19a7. interior renova-, corportated many traditional Japanese passed a series of resolutions suppor- Ions will also be considerednext year. customs and symbols. The ceremony ting in -principle, zoning and Oxford - - took place in front of a Japanese temple County Official Plan changes necessary bell at Ontario Place, before the plant could be built. One of The joint venture calls for each com- the resolutions called for a. special pony toput-up hall of the 000 million in- ministerial order to allow the vestment for the plant, municipality to by-pass the lengthy The Japanese manages will ad- zone change and official plan amend - minister the day -today operation of the ment hearings. facility. GM will buy the minicars and market SPECULATION them in Car4da and the United States, R was more than three months ago while Suzuki will sell the four-wheel that it was first revealed Ingersoll was p drive vehicleson a short list of possible locations for ' NO INVITATIONS the plant, along with the Barrie - Town officials, who denied all along Collingwood area and Brantford. any knowledge of the plant location, Speculation mounted Ingersoll had and who still today insisted they had not become the favored site and in July and received invitations to the announce- The Daily Sentinei-Review revealed a mmt (except for a late night phone call Toronto real estate agent had purchas- ed options on close to 400 acres of pro- perty on the town's western borders. Suzuki becomes the first Japanese automaker to agree to operate under the terms of the Canada/U.S auto pact, which allows foreign caretakers in Canada to export to the United States duty free, provided there is 60 per cent Canadian content in the automobiles. The decision is a significant one for the Canadian auto industry and good news for suppliers. GM/Suzuki expects to buy i2oo million in Canadian -made components. The Japanese automaker bag also held rtiations with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), reaching an agreement allowing for the more flexi- ble Japanese style of management. Bob White., CAW. president said, for Canadian auto workers the agreement to be part of the auto pact Is the most signiYic•ant exppeecct. The pravinc0 is kicking in a ii;o)-mlllfon forgiveable loan against certain performance targets, 60 per cent will be forgiven if they make their 65aPmillfon Investment target, another 4o par cent will be forgiven It they reach the auto poet requirements within four years. Tbc plant)Cnsawill be medalled on Suxuki's l No. 2�lanl In Kasai Cit�, near Tokyo and wit Fie approxirnata y 25o,heclares (016 acres) About 200 employees will be sent to Japan for training That venture will be financed by the federal government as its contribution, By ►Aat MILTON of rhi, Snnhrl-Review The reputation of Oxford Cpunty's Land ftrl.,ted Information System has reach ed way dawn south. to the land of cotton. Deputy planning commissioner Liz Ottoway told the planning committee Thu-s j day that a delegation of four city councillors from Birmingham, Ala. will travel to Woodstock in September to look at the planning deportmenCs computer The database, shared by the nine municipalities in Oxford County, will eventual- ly include a wide variety of land related information including property ownership. zoning history, topographic data and assessment information. Ottoway, project manager for the pilot project, says the system is unique in Canada. "It's a combination of the software, how we're using it, how we're sharing it among the municipalities," she says explaining the syst.em's attractiveness to other municipal overnments. Ottoway will also visit Kitchener and Bracebridge later this year to explain the system to councils in those areas. The system was installed at the Oxford Courthouse last January. Since then the data contained in the Ministry of Revenue's master assessment tape has been load- ed Into the database. The project also aims to translate 140 Ontario basic maps into digital form for use on the system. Ottoway received approval from the committee to attend a user group seminar in November at Toronto's Sheraton Centre sponsored by Environmental Systems Research Institute Canada Limited (ESRI). - WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Weak support for the creation of an ar- chive system and concerns about future costs prompted Oxford County council Wednesday to scrap a management board formed only last year to oversee its development. In doing so, council effectively called a halt to any plans to set up an archive of its own. Council pledged instead to financialy sup- port the operations or a small ar- chive in Norwich, managed by I members of a local historical f society. A volunteer group initially pressed Oxford to establish a coun- ty system in early 1965 and the county eventually agreed to form the nine -member management board. The county archive was pro- posed as a way to preserve muni,i- pal documents and guarantee eisy public access to records. East Zorra-Tavistock Township Mayor Don McKay, chairman of the county's administration and fi- nance committee, said Wednesday I he supported disbanding the board because it was his feeling council wasn't "hog wild" about proceeding. McKay said later he also feared the county would find itself eventu- ally stuck with running an archive as an expensive, new arm of the municipal government Warden Helen Smith of Norwich said that support for an archive sys- tem in the county had crumbled since the creation of the board, pri- marily because of cost concerns. Oxford urged to ask for grant _to improve Tavistock watermain WOODSTOCK(Bureau)—Oxford council should seek an Ontario en- All requests for such ministn'.. grants must be made by the county; Uon<of County Road 29. of James Midill is a vironment ministry .grant to help offset the $80,000 cost of improving considered the legal owner of all waterworks in Oxford. .:;14iaproperty pioblem for road officials because part of the house is on county prop- t a watermain in Tavistock, the coun- The committee heard that a grant ert_v- The septic tank system also, tv s public works committee recom- mended Thursday. also is to be sought by the township stretches onto county property and under the Ontario neighborhood might be dugup by work crews dar- l The East Zorra-Tavistock Town- Improvement Program, with work scheduled to start next year. ins the road improvement project ' Staff told the committee that tar-: ship Public Utility Commission project involves upgrading the wa- In other business. the committee recommended that council ask offs- lier attempts to resolve the prob- , lems have failed, leaving county of I ter system along Woodstock Street North from Jacob Street to the vil- cials to quickly pursue negotiations to buy a property in Drumbo that ticials in a quandary, with road work already under w-ay in the luge limits, prevents the first-class reconstrue- area. WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — An ;economic forecast calling for beat- ed development activity — a spill- over from previous months and a wave of new growth linked to the General Motors -Suzuki auto assem- bly plant — has led Oxford County to bolster its planning department staff. ' The hiring of two planners on one-year contracts was approved by Oxford council Wednesday after a closed session on the soaring eco- iaomic fortunes of the area. Both should be heavily involved in handling development applica- tions, council decided. Council authorized planning commissioner Ken Whiteford to re- cruit the extra help to cope with what be described as the "quicken- Operating hours biggest problem for Oxford's rural townships All's not rosy down at the Salford landfill site w uar aaoats -- — - .t nun t..rt..r-an4. DRUMBcI —The county's central landfill site at Salford is proving to be not so central for some of Oxford's rural townships. A chops or complaints is now rising from township councils about the landfill's operating hours, with Zorra. Blandford-Blenheim and East Zorra-Tavistock all voicing dissatisfaction. in Blandford-Blenheim, a 96.5 km round trip to the site is creating problems for the township's domestic garbage collector and for township residents trying to dispose of non -domestic waste. Council's frustraton with the hours came to the surface again at its meeting Wednesday, when councillors learned county council's public works committee had rejected its request to have the hours extended. "We shouldn't just leave it," said Coun. Marg Klosch, "The solutions are there, hug we're not getting beyond the complaining to the solutions." The Salford site is open from 6 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The problem is those hours severely limit the time garbage can be collected in the rural areas. -What it means is that (the contractors) are only physically able to pick up gar- bage for one-half a day." explained township cierk Keith Reiblmg- "They have to shut down et 3:30 p.m. to get dov✓n there to dump. And once you get in a backlog position, it's hard catch up." If a contractor tries instead to dump his load of grabo a early in the morning, it is9,30 a.m. before he is done and it's 10 or 10:30 a. m. before he can begin pick-up that day. Klosch said the distance is also acting as a deterrent to people wanting to dispose of non -domestic waste. She said people are putting non -domestic waste in garbage bags and having it picked up as domestic garbage. See related story, Page 5 The township's garbage contractor, Frank Dorombozi, is finding so many homes kith extra bags out front, he's had to leave some bags behind, said Klosch. The extra garbage further complicates matters by filling his truck faster, forc- ing more trips to the dump. Coun. Camiel DeSloovere said many people, faced with the long drive to Salford, are transporting their waste to the closer Paris dump. Paris has had to contend with such an influx of people, it has imposed a fee for people from outside the area wanting to dump there. And there are those who are merely damping garbage an rural sideroads. Mayor Ed Down, a member of the county's public works committee, was the only council member to defend the existing hours. "The biggest reason is to take into account the people of that area. We don't want to inconvenience them any more than we have to. We don't want it open like a Becker's store," he said. Down said a [iveday pick-up instead of the exis�ng four -day pick-up [night solve the problem. But he warned council not to expel the problem to be solved by a change of heart by the county. - "The public works ( committee) is not going to change in this, and council at the county is not going to change on it," he said. With distance being the key factor, Conn. Wilma Duncan suggested. council take a second look at recycling, while Klosch suggested it re-examine the possibility of a transfer station in the township. "Now that we are realizing the problem, just how far it is, we should look at it again. A transfer station won't solve all these problems, but it will help get the garbage off our - sideroads," said Klosch: Down Oxford County expands -plann0 - ing -department age or accommodate growth. of time that can be devoted to spe- The department has processed cial projects and research work has 74 applications for changes to the declined." eight local zoning bylaws so far this I It has meant delays in starting an year, up from 63 in the correspond- important residential development ing period in 1985. plan for Woodstock and the fate Subdivision applications have production of the department's an - suddenly become more numerous nual report for counciL and the number of land -use inquir- The two students had to be used ies has skyrocketed, Whiteford said to assist with development applica- in his report lions, although they were originalL• "The increase in development hired to complete research aetir-it% has meant that the amount proliecu- ing pace" of economic growth. The strong burst of activity this year has strained the county's plan- ning department, leaving staff members scrambling to keep up with development applications: Whiteford said that while there is always an element of uncertainty, "all aspects of development" in Ox- ford will likely increase during the next 12 months. He cited low interest rates, the strong direction of the economy and "healthy gains," such as the prized GM -Suzuki plant, as reasons for his upbeat forecast. The two au- tomakers are to build an assembly plant in Ingersoll and South-West Oxford Township, giving the area a $5Wmillion economic boost. His department believes devel- opment land will be hotly sought in the coming months, leaving little chance for a slackening of its workload: Whiteford said in a report to council that while the situation in his department was sometimes hectic in 1985, it remainedunder control until recently. "Although the problem was man- ageable in 1985 as the economy generally improved in the county, it has become more acute with the incline in development activity ... showing no evidence of a down- ward trend or even a slowing down in 1986." Whiteford said stafF members have logged about 980 hours of overtime since the beginning of the year to keep up ,, th the work and department projects. That figure does not include Whiteford's hours or those of his deputy e:immissioner, Liz Ottaway. Council heard that the 10-mem- her department was recently aided by the addition of two summer stu- dents, one of whom will remain with Oxford for the fall. Council also learned the'depart- ment has handled 20 official plan amendments at an unprecedented rate in the last two years to encour- i4 j When the roaring died down dump was quietly closed By 111150111 DOWBIll of The 5nntlnnt Mdnw After the roar Tillsonburg put up to keep its dump open, there was hardly a whimper when the gates closed for the last time Aug. 30, Tillsonburg tried on several occa7 Sloan to gel ' per mlpsion from Oxford County to keep t� town dump open even though the county's central land- fill al. Salford had finally opened in late June. The first cti' ine of requests never made it past Oxford's public works committee, but finally a delegation ap- proached council and a compromise THIS KUTANIYAKI porcelain limn was also presented similar gifts to South-West ux- presented to Mayor Doug Harris by Osamu ford Mayor Walter Wilson and Warden Helen Suzuki during the car maker's tour of the town Smith. Aug. 30. The legendary lion is to protect the (Staff photo by Phyllis Coulter) owner and his valuables from the devil. Suzuki Committee change proposed Oxford urged to tighten control on public heath W OODSTOCK (Bureau) —Oxford County must gain a tighter grip on public health matters and spend- ing, Councillor Ken Bullen of Woodstock said Wednesday. Bullen is preparing to seek coun- ty coeneil support to transfer the public health function from a long- established board to the hands of a committee of county council. A motion by Bullen asking Mu- nicipal Affairs Minister Bernard Grandmaitre to bring in the neces- sary legislation to permit the changeover goes before council Oct. & The autonomous, nine -member Oxford County board of health is made up of six county councillors and three citizens appointed by the province who oversee its oper- :,tinn. Bullen said the board's annual budget has grown from $PA0,000 in 1975 to S1,11 million this yc:,r, 01' which 25 per cent or $382,000 is covered by the county. The rest ofthe money comes from the province, which gave the board a four -per -cent increase in funding this year and sets out many of the programs to be offered. Bullen said that while the county maintains two-thirds control of the board, the full council has little clout in setting the budget or con- trolling costs. if accepted, his proposal would lead to the scrapping of the nine - member board and the loss of pro- vincial appointees. All responsibilities would be transferred to the county's live - member administration and fi- nance committee, which must re- port directly to Oxford council. Bullen said the current system shuts county council out of the de- cision -making process, although its must pick up its standard 25 per cent share of costs. It's not the first time the issue has been raised at the county council level. Council voted in early 1979 to ask then intergovernmental affairs minister Tom Wells to transfer the public health function to county council, but the province balked. Warden Helen Smith of Norwich said she will have to be convinced that tampering with the board of health system is necessary and of some benefit to the county. She said that among the factors to be weighed is that many public health programs must be imple- mented by provincial law, leaving little room to manoeuvre. The threatened loss of prone cially appointed citizens to Ili, board utay emerge as a concern Ito cause they take their job seriously and develop sums• expertise, slit, sued was reached. TiOsonburg was told it enuld keep the dump open if the town kicked up the maintenance and operating costs and used the dump only for Industrial waste approved by the en. vironment ministry. 'That proved to be an exercise in futility," said Tlllsonburg's clerk Ken Holland. The ministry required all the waste going to the dump after Aug. 30 be inert and it's almost impossible to find inert Industrial, waste, Rolland said, Solid concrete is considered inert but leaves and brush aren't. He said some in- dustries submitted samples of their waste for lab tests, and althoup the results are still not back he s not optimistic. Initially Tillsonb6rg was worried about the cost to its industries to truck waste to Salford but cOnpetition among contractors for work' has meant less money than expected is being spent on trucking, he said. "I think council's just going to let things sit and see how it works out," Holland said. While Tillsonburg. officials wait, county officials are checking their own figures because the Safford site has pro- duced some suprises. Oxford's central landfill site is filling up twice as fast as orginally anticipated. Engineering director Don Pratt said the landfill has been receiving 50 per cent more garbage than anyone had expected. A large amount of demolition work is being carried out in Ingersoll and that has contributed to the increase the past month. Apart from that he has no ex- planation as to why the volumes are so high. SURPRISING . "It's quite surprising,- he said. "We don't weigh loads coming in but I'd say we've been getting about 300 tons a day. We had thought we would get 200. It could be because it's summer, I don't know." Two municipalities, the townships of Blandford-Blenheim and Zorra, have urged the public works department to extend the hours of operation at the cen- Val landfill site because of the amount of time it takes to make trips back and forth. The later request from. Zorra asks that the hours at the central landfill be extended one hour earlier in the morn. ,ing (opening at 7 a.m.) and a half hour later in the evening (5 p.m.). If the township's contractor is in the Uniondale area it take 112 hours for him to get to Salford. The situation would be improved if the landfill were open to hours a day, Monday to Saturday, clerk Wayne Johnson wrote in a letter to the county. When Zorra'S request got to the public works committee is was turned down, as Blandford-Blenheim's had before. Committee members said in order to change the hours the environ- ment ministry would have to approve and change the county S certificate of approval for the site. Also it wouldn't be fair to Salford residents to have the site open even longer. County engineer ton Pratt blasted contractors for accepting jobs in the rural. municipalities knowing they would need more time than they estimated to fret to Salford. ZF1117611SN DRY CLEANERS Dial 5484407 Suede and Leather Experts CANADA'S OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED IN 1834, DAILY SINCE 1849 TOMORROW: Cloudy, high 20 (68F) Building quality AW for over 26 years DAC®fVr! 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The plowing match, which has attracted tens of thousands near north of Competitors are of visitors; ends today. Story, more photos, Page $ I Tie Beeman proposal.•, fty'sne cex erienc with unified governm n Woodstock is the only city in On- j.� f /^�/��j { �c a The Woodstock's operated libraries before restruc- that has re -joined a county go- city O move turing,tario do not contribute to the vernment. Should the City of Kings- ton: do the same, as suggested this . gets mixed reviews 10 years later county system and run their own libraries. week by Kingston Township coun- ❑ The county is financed by cillor Peter Beeman? Beeman wants political battles over the restruc- planning responsibilities prior to levies against each municipality, the city, Kingston Township and turing." restructuring and remains in based on assessment. Wood- ' Frontenac County to study the Restructuring took five years charge. It is also responsible for stock, the largest municipality, merits of creating a more unified to accomplish. The result is a the Official Plan for Oxford. pays 27.8 per cent of the county local government. The Whig -Stand- unique political system that ❑ Social services and welfare budget. Ingersoll pays the lowest and sent staff writer Cathy Turnbull said is either "a had become a county responsibil- share, at 6.9 per cent, but this will McKercher to Woodstock to find out strengthened county or a wa- ity before restructuring and.re- almost certainly increase once a what happened there. tered-down region." main so. new GM -Suzuki plant an - Here's how it works: ❑ The county is responsible nounced this summer is included STORIES by CATHY McKERCHER ❑ The county is run by a 20- member council. Woodstock, for water and sewer services but contracts these back to the mem- in Ingersoll's assessment. This year, the county's budget is $6.8 Whig -Standard Staff Writer with a population of about ber municipalities and their utili- million. Visitors driving into Wood- 26,000, has six members on coun- ties commissions. Turnbull said that this division stock from Highway 401 are cil. Ingersoll (population 8,000) ❑police service was left in the of functions and responsibilities greeted by a line of signs put up and Tillsonburg (population hands of the member mimicipali- within the county was the result i by the Chamber of Commerce. 10,000) have two councillors ties. As a result, there are six mu- of decisions made locally —not "Woodstock, The Friendly' a e ch. The fi ve townships, whose nicipal forces in the county, plus the result f o prodding from the p g City," the first one says. "And Populations range from 6,000 to the Ontario Provincial Police. province. Dairy Capital of Canada," the 9,000, have two county council- El The county has set up a cen- next adds. "With Everything In- lors each. Some members of tralized dispatching system for Battled province dustry Needs," says the third. council — mayors for example — emergency fire calls but firefight- The signs don't, however, tell become county councillors by ing services are run by member In fact, he said, some of the visitors of Woodstock's most virture of their office; others are municipalities. Woodstock's fire toughest battles the county faced unique feature: It is the only city elected. department, like Kingston's, is came from the province, which in Ontario that has rejoined the ❑ The county is responsible staffed by professional firefight- pressed for a regional police force county government system. That happened in 1975, when for borrowing and debentures. ❑ The county is responsible ers. In the rest of the county, there a half -dozen volunteer fire and complete county control over water and sewer services. the City of Woodstock and the for running a landfill site. Collec- departments. How did all this come about? "separated" Town of Ingersoll — tion of trash is left in the hands ❑ The county runs the library The story begins in 1970. which became independent of of the member municipalities. system, but Tillsonburg and Smaller Ontario municipali- the county government in 1914 ❑ The county had taken on Woodstock, both of which ties, including those in Oxford, — rejoined Oxford County. had been shaken by the release The moves were part of a mas- of a provincial cabinet statement sive restructuring of the county # 1 post -unification headache? on standards the government that also resulted in the amal- 1 wanted to apply in improving the gamation of 11 rural townships into five, and the creation of a Finding a landfill site structure and performance of local government. new style of county council. The Joint Darcy McKeough, who was action went against the tide of then municipal affairs minister in more than 120 years of separa- In the decade since Oxford The story of the Oxford the Progressive Conservative tion of city and rural govern- County was restructured, one County landfill site may provincial government, was ments — a separation that dates issue has been more divisive and send chills down the spines pushing for the creation of re- ' to 1849 legislation setting out the more costly to handle than any of officials in the city and gional municipalities with a mini - municipal government structure other. Kingston Township mum population of 150,000 to in Ontario. It's trash: 200,000. And he had said on sev- ®efensive move The story of the Oxford eral occasions that he saw noth- County landfill site may send chills down the spines of officials Oxford Township near Salford. ing sacred about county bounda- Brian Turnbull, who served as in the city and Kingston Town- Most county residents were ries. In Oxford, where the total a consultant to the county dur- ship who are now trying to find a happy, except, as might be ex- population was 77,900, county ing restructuring, says it began "basically joint landfill site. pected, those who lived in an leaders were beginning to feel as a defensive move." Under 1975 legislation that al- around Salford. squeezed by the sprouting of re - The province at the time was lowed the political restructuring That's where the trouble gional governments on their bor- promoting the creation of re- of Oxford County, the county began. Pratt said the county got ders — including the Kitchener- gional governments, he said, and was given the responsibility of caught up in a tangle of legal bat- Waterloo region to the north and Oxford's leaders felt that unless finding a landfill site to replace tles that dragged on for years. Haldimand-Norfolk to the south. they did something themselves, the half -dozen dumps that mem- "This is the kind of thing we And so in an effort aimed the county might get eaten up by ber municipalities had been Were facing," he said. "At one largely at self-preservation, Ox- larger regions., using. point, we couldn't expropriate ford's leaders began to consider Beginning a process is one D.L. Pratt, director of engi- the land unless we could prove creating a regional government thing, succeeding is another. neering for the county, said the that we needed it. We couldn't of their own — perhaps within Turnbull, now an alderman in old sites were all "environmen- prove that we needed it until we the county's boundaries, or per - Waterloo, said that the key to tally suspect" and it was felt that could do test drilling to make haps in a larger territory. success in Oxford was the work finding one good central site was sure it was a good site. But we In January, 1970, the over - of the local politicans. the best idea for Oxford. couldn't drill until the land was "They were,the people who The county quickly set about rezoned. And we couldn't rezone Please see WOODSTOCK, Page 2 were front and centre," he said. doing so and: identified a piece of "And they fought some tough farmland in rural South-West Please see HEADACHE, page 2 0 Residents react/Page 31 ��� sM ��y�o�°a o ��w� C,�•� o�E aocQ� o o coo��� a�i S my ��� o V O Q ❑ U o a� o c 0 �n wy �•oy �� u 0 y F ycs mac,In g,y oaon A ow c a y o o ° o� Q'4'u alit=ram" y.�Yg-003 CZ 3��CL) ff- oy y o to o at cc oa 2 c°s n ®o � rs V • to � cC V «S i ++ .t.' .L' C7i x. 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O �- cook �c0c 'O r a; rn O oyw o,n o r...�c+ 00 acaEo oFoo { _� ram•/ 0 (� !/� .N+ �••' U .CC W N >, Cif CZ ono[ �ada 9 " `Z CZ $n.o yC� oY� CZ Cam_ > O � r E4 U oc"acoi°�' ate " (V cts 1. V ocw r 3 t~ Z ra O O v 5, 00 CZ M o a A a a ® e=- C.O�w k o�� V y coo. z e C ua Q� �� U O oywQa 1~wOc ns o u oro.oc� �ao� In a p y c E+ WS o° 000p� `'a •u m o ;-4 s� O, O x G a`"i o� E" f •c worKing on restructuring set 4-L"'l- Oxford County J_ to ble on cutting edge By ALISON DOWNIE Other advantages include less wind of The Sentinel -Review blow, Less odors, reduced seagull Oxford Count has an o be population in the landfill area, less dust of and on the cutting edge if it purchases high tech garbage shredding equipment compand act and cover tuction e to he waste daily.ment from a Cambridge firm. But the honor would cost Oxford more GUESSTIMATE AT $225,000 than half a million dollars. The shredder recommended for the County council heard a presentation county's centrallandfill site at Salford would cost about $225,000. Construction this week from the president of Shred- Pax Limited on low -speed shredding of a shredding station would cost equipment that can reduce the volume another $250,000. Annual operating costs including equipment, an operator, of materials going into landfills anywhere from 30 to 115 per cent. A power, heat, hydro and maintenance Canadian company, Shred -Pax is a world leader would be about $83,700, Bell estimated. Shred -Pax has developed two in the design and manufacture of low -speed shredders, municipal waste shredding projects, a technology developed in the past 10 years, one. in Hamilton and another in Malysia. A pilot project was recently Company president John Bell ex- plained the process saying each shred- carried out for the Region of Waterloo and it looks like councillors there will der has a cutting chamber with two agree to purchase a shredder in 1987, Bell said. rotating shafts that have knives attach- ed. The shafts rotate at different speeds oxford could increase the life of the :allowing the knives to rip and tear apart Salford landfill from 25 years to as much as 54 years. waste. The machines are capable of handling all types of domestic waste Some ` county councillors seemed as well as tires and old appliances. They wary of the new technology developed in the mid 1970s, but Bell said, "I think operate without making much noise. With a shredding we've come to grips with problems. If program, cover material, which represents about 25 per Oxford were to go ahead you'd be a leader in the game." 'cent of the volume at landfill sites, can be eliminated completely, Bell said. When questioned, Bell admitted there are still a lot of unknowns. NeW bul alnn'11"g WAR ILM &6%n^wAP% Am a,%# undftecl F aft Amok to- 60 k o%f s" mom m He told councillors the province By. Howard Burns is serious about solving the space Woodstock Bureau problem and won't put up with the crowded courthouse conditions in Woodstock much longer. WOODSTOCK — Building a new Another possibility is that the administrative headquarters for province might decide to move to. Oxford County has been pencilled tally or partially out of the court - in as one way to ease a crowded house for alternative aceommoda r situation at its courthouse here, tion in the city, he said. The provincial attorney-gener- Under a two-year lease that ex- al's ministry, which rents much of pyres at the end of the year, the two floors at the courthouse, told province , pays the county about county council Wednesday extra $170,000 a year in rent. space is required immediately. Councillor Les Cook of--Wood- In the longer term, council heard stock said an important factor to be that the courthouse won't be big considered is how much the county enough to handle the growing will get from the province in a lease needs of 'both the province and agreement for the I entire court - county. The 19th century court- house. "There obviously is not, house doubles as the administra- room for both of us. One or the tive centre for the county. other will have to find a new Warden Helen Smith of Norwich home." said there won't be any snap deci- Councillor Phil Poole of Wood- sion made over the future use of stock said the building is better the courthouse, but vowed to tackle suited to, be a courthouse and Ox- the lack of space problem as a ford should start planning for an priority. administrative headquarters. The provincial stance left county Councillor Charlie 'Tatham of politicians pondering the fate of Woodstock said construction of an the Oxford -owned courthouse and administrative headquarters for wondering if it would be best to the county was an exciting prospect j rent out the entire building. If that and urged council to "get on with happened, the county would have it." to build a headquarters to call --- home. The issue was brought to council by representatives of Attorney - General Ian - Scott, who made it clear either the province or county will have to relocate. While strongly hinting that it wants to rent the whole building from the county at some time, the province stopped just short of mak- ing such an over-all request. 1 Assistant Deputy Attorney -Gen- I eral Glenn Carter said the whole matter is still under review and a h report will soon be presented to 1, Scott for a decision. Councillor Ken Builen of Wood- stock argued that the province must make up its mind before the county even starts to plan for a pos- sible relocation. Council voted 11-9 to press the issue by requesting the province commit itself to leasing the entire: courthouse from the county star+- ing Jan. 1, 1992.' . In a pitch to council, provincial architect Lionel Sharp `said there is a "total lack of room" and asked that extra space at the courthouse be set aside to serve the courts as an interim measure. "The courts here have been operating under great difficulty for a long, long time." The province has its eye on coun- ty office space occupied by the clerk and warden, totalling about '. 71 square metres (766 square feet) on the main floor. He said if that extra county space was made available court services could be reorganized and "a much more efficient" operation could be created. ' The province could then have in- terview rooms, an office for the jus- tice of the, peace, a washroom for jurors and separate quarters for I women lawyers. But even that won't be enough, Sharp said. "Therefore, accepting that the courthouse is presently full, it will be necessary for the ministry of the attorney -general or the county to relocate in the next few years." ftiftd Cz Q) WQ O Q) i N O 4 O O V rcz 8 8flell ti 5 ���1 l g ii; � U �,� � Atilt, _ -tim - c fatt m95p�44 E3 "IAs U�� 1.Rv�y>,sg; 11WEiff ityg ,Pye,ma e$ is, 10 MU u�'E 2�2 au two-a��u um u ZEu 965 V WC%&,Z5 j �t �loq oc Kc 3 $N`oybr0c my �E Ttl�O .CXJN 2� w air d.. m'Gooa E0. 3 =c .oammE. ow ti`m uc'..O�u3L M i A r'O 2�3 Et N J O. E>3-'yR«w S' to uE c3 hm Niv3 EFL >��7 .�s�`p s'.t-O o p pw u u2V> ::± Rt fit COR w�s o ai E'. R y OC^W u aOi �S 3LaO C f4ao iGti dO9 EO V O Cwyyc .N Rrc0 p-,YSa LLN 3•�y�. =ESE= o V.-.,.� Gw 0 ECi uvt p .uS 9C,S y W ... al u E C ... i C u 0 �,Es�3a ouvuL 0 oaLa 9_ N V w C N rn ao w ., "G "c�S� 6 O.❑ 0) D) ,•-' ... y O F _00- - '.� u y .E w a=+wa 7 V �OiJ'O V1�001�R,�ro•, cOi via .>. OC`� OL'> O L 7 N O o °c°�xEc mm d9 •� 6 C .f/1 C'(S .O V w Nd NO2OF'NO d "' •'a N -y i G N L Ozcvs v�Ov.�ctou!n of H=^2 3 cU V oeFeu "uH WorRing on restructuring sec `�; ••"` ""_-. -- "`V. a"• Oxford County has shot to be on cutting edge By a1130N DOWNH Orb, iRRMRII-Kovim Oxford County has an uppurtumty to be on the cutting t.•dgc If d purchases highteehgarbs eshroddingegwpment from a Cambridge firm. But the honor would cost Oxford more than half a million dollars. County council heard a presentation this week from the president of Shred - Pax Limited on low -spud all dding equipment that can reduce the volume of materials going into landfills anywhere from 30 to 115 per cent. A Canadian company, Shred Pax is a world leader in the design and manufacture of low -speed shredders, a technology developed in the post 10 years. Company president John Bell ex- plaine the process sayin each shred. der has a cutting chamr with two rotating shafts that have knives attach- ed. The shafts rotate at different speeds allowing the knives to rip anti tear apart waste. The machines are capable of handling all types of domestic waste as well as tires and old appliances, They operate without making much noise. With a shredding program, cover material, which represents about 25 per cent of the, volume at landfill sites, can be eliminated completely, Bell said. Other advAl'Itag,OR. INCIUdE flan wtnd blow, less Odors. reduced Resqgull pnpu1ation in Ifle landfill area, kes dust and rOrluctlun of equipment Said time to compact and txlver the waale daily. GUES11TIMATIN AT f2L`r,tNNl The Rhretlder rerrommenrled [or the uuunty a central landfill alte at Safford would goat about $22ri.live Construction of a shredding station weld cost another 4250,000, Annual operating Costs Including equipment, an operator, power, heat, hydro and maintenance would he abuul 1:83,700, (Sell estimated Shred -Pax has developed two municipal waste shredding projects, one in Hamilton and another in Malysia. A pilot project was recently carried out. tar the Region of Waterloo and it looks like councillors there will agree to purchase a shredder in I!itt7, Bell said. Oxford could increase the life of the Safford landfill from 25 years to as much as m yenm. Some county councillors seemed wary of the new technology developed in the mid E91os, but Boll said. "f think we've come to grips with problems.. if Oxford were to go ahead you'd he a leader in the game." When questioned, Bell admitted there are still a lot of unknowns. New building may be answer to lack of space By Howard Burns Woodstock Bureau IkOOUSTOC'K — Building a new administrative headquarters for Oxford County has been pencilled in as one way to ease a crowded situation at its courthouse here. The provincial attorney -gener- al's ministiti, which rents much of two floors atthe courthouse, told county council Wednesday extra space is required immediately. In the longer term, council heard that the courthouse won't be big enough to handle the growing needs of both the province and county. The 19th century court- house doubles as the administra- tive centre for the county. Warden Helen Smith of Norwich said there won't be any snap deci- sion made oger the future use of the courthouse, but vowed to tackle the lack of space problem as a priority. The provincial stance left county politicians pondering the fate of the Oxford -owned courthouse and wondering if it would be best to rent out the entire building. If that happened, the county would have to build a headquarters to call home. The issue Was brought to council by representatives of Attorney - General Ian Scott, who made it clear either the province or county will have to relocate. While strongly hinting that it wants to rent the whole building from the county at some time, the, province stopped just short of mak- ing such an over -ail request. Assistant Deputy Attorney -Gen- eral Glenn Carter said the whole matter is still under review and a report will soon be presented to Scott for a decision. Councillor Ken Bullen of Wood- stock argued that the province must make up its mind before the county even starts to plan for a pos- sible relocation. Council voted 11-9 to press the issue by requesting the province commit itself to leasing the entire courthouse from the county start- ing Jan, 1, 1992, in a pitch to council, provincial architect Lionel Sharp said there is a "total lack of room" and asked that extra space at the courthouse be set aside to serve the courts as an interim measure. "The courts here have been operating under great difficulty for a long, long time." The province has Its eye on coun- ty office space occupied by the clerk and warden. totalling about 71 square metres (760 square feet) on the main floor. tie sold If that extra county space was made available court services could be reorganized and "o much more oflleieni" operation could be Ireated. The province could then have ur terview rooms, un office for the jus• lice of the ppace, a washroom per jurors and separuto quarters for women lawyers. But oven that won't bo'enough, Sharp said. "'therefore, accepting that the courthouse is presently full, it will be necessary for the ministry of the attornev-&'enoral or the county to relocate, In the next raw year$." — He told councillors the province is serious about solving the space problem and won't put up with the crowded courthouse conditions in Woodstock much longer. Another possibility is that the province might decide to move to- tally or partially out of the court- house for alternative accommoda- tion in the city. he said. Under a two-year lease that ex- pires at the end of the year. the province pays the county about $170.000 a year in rent Councillor Les Cook of Wood- stocksaid an important factor to be considered is how much the county will get from the province in a lease agreement for the entire court- house. --There obviously is not room for both of us. One or the other will have to find a new home." Councillor Phil Poole of Wood- stock said the building is better suited to. be. a courthouse and Ox- ford should start planning for an administrative headquarters. Councillor Charlie Tatham of Woodstock said construction of an administrative headquarters for the county was an exciting prospect and urged council to "get on with it" • • C M MCI O E E��d 5�3�ccq� �r4 C.��L Q'i t� �y3jwv p�C yy( Y L 0 �3cg.o3ic c�nE"bxFdE'�MUM ou ,gg3o$�OE° v'—°�� °:om°�=3uE��Laeu3 ��eF�mO•o ut.�i `g u�iSU 9 ii `3 o Q GW wu.i L �C"UO A e sd®o"va,78 �O c°ih� a v S•��°'��o��. ALL `° o tr�t` moo D•r,m. oA5sip =Myo!o cJ.$vv. aEr— —low 5a�o�s �oroE0r%E,� V co Cu ins0...7� =1 Ly O,�08'«7 L7 W O O.0 �' V .cc 3 ro to��woC�c3�° i6�roluAX�aB ii u ai Provincial gov't wants more space at Oxford courthouse By AUSON DOWNIE of The SsMinel-Bowiew As the struggle over space at the Oxford county courthouse heats up, Warden Helen Smith says it appears county staff or court officials will eventually have to move out. Several county councillors believe the building, owned by. Oxford, lends i itself better for use as a courthouse I rather than an administration building } and would be willing to relocate if the Province agrees to lease the entire building from the county. Push turned to shove at county coun- cil's meeting Wednesday when a spokesman for Ontario Attorney General Ian Scott said extra space is re- quired by his ministry immediately. With county and court space re- quirements increasing annually the message was clear — one of the groups now occupying the courthouse will have to relocate in the near future. Referring to the recently corn eted renovation of the county jail into board of health offices, Coun. Don McKay said it was pitiful the county might have to go out and spend another $2 million to construct an administration building when it had a building right at the back door of the courthouse. There's still some vacant space in the board of health building but not enough to house county staff, Warden Smith said. PLAN UNFEASIBLE + Lionel Sharp, an architect with the at- torney general's office, said the shor- tage of space at the courthouse resulted ` in discussionswith the City of Woodstock -about leasing space in the old police station/market building. But the renovation costs and dealing with Works committee wants to view shredder work By AIISON DOWNIS of The Sentinal-nevi w Members of Oxford's works commit- tee want to see a landfill shredder in operation. Recently Shred -Pax Ltd., a Cam- bridge firm which manufactures slow speed shredding machines, made a presentation to the county. Warden Helen Smith indicated at a recent public works meeting that she would like to see a shredder at work to assess the benefits. Others agreed. County engineer Don Pratt said the nearest sites in operation were in the Waterloo Region and St. Catharines. He said the benfits of shredding include ex- tending the life of landfills and making them more tolerable. But he said it wil! have to be politicians who decide whether the advantages outweigh the cost. •It's a political proposition, not a business proposition," he said. The cost of establishing a new landfill could make the proposition worthwhile, said Coun. Nell Hostetler who added, "the longer we put off getting into it i shredding) the more our landfill is fill- ing up. if we can save space we should." Pratt said the central landfill site at Salford is getting 50 per cent more in volume than expected. "That's even more reason to look at shredding," Hostetler said, two authorities, the city and county, at one time made that plan unfeasible. Sharp said his ministry would seriously consider relocating all or part of Its operations if thecounty can't ac- commodate its needs at the courthouse. "Courts have been operating under great difficulty for a long time now," he said. Court operations are short by about I'M square feet of space right now, but in the short term could make do with an additional 766 square feet of space: Sharp proposed relocating offices of the warden and county clerk to provide adsyuate room in the short term, which would cost between $60,000 and $120,000, Money for the initial renovations would be available next year, sharp said. A study of the county square carried out in 19V recommended the cour- thouse be turned over to the Ministry of the Attorney General, noted Sharp. Coun. Charlie °. Tatham said sell- ing the courthouse would not be feasi- ble. He said the county should sell ,� all or nothing on `. the square. Coln. e,t - Doug Harris agreed, saying the - courthouse should always stay a coutr, ty facility. Tatham There is tradition here, but deci- sions are not made any better here than anvwhere else." Coup Phil Poole said. "We should start to look for a puce to build a proper county btillding. ' If a new adminfstratfon bui g°t"; ahead it should be built on the cour- thouse square, Coun. Joe Pember said. Warden Smith said that was a nice idea but not practical because the shortage of land would mean the building would have to be several stories, which might look out of place with the older buildings in the area. Another iwildine would also compound parking problems in the area. -Until the province makes a commit- ment how can we plan to go out and !wild a new building on speculation." Coon. Ken Bullen asked. His resolution asking that the at- torney general's ministry be requested to make a commitment to lease the en- tire courthouse building on a net-nc•1. basis, with the lease effective Jan. 1. 1992, was approved by a slim 11-9 vote Councillors in favor included Bett,. Yeck, McKay, Fember, Les Cook, Har ris, Jim Gibb, Poole, Wait Wilson Er Me Hardeman and Ed Down Those against included Eugene Mabee, Mam Munnoch, Nell Hostetler, Jack Whit more, Jean Ferrie, Wayne Smith. Tatham, John Heieniak and Warden Smith. Following the meeting, the warder said she would like to have a special council meeting to discuss the cour- thouse space issue. Eventually a cort.- mittee might be formed, but for now "I'd like to see all county councillors in volved." Smith said. Fire protection All of the fire departments in Oxford County are in pretty good shape when it comes to rescue equipment, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for County fire co-ordinator Chuck Young told Oxford's administration and finance committee Tuesday that over the next five years he'd like to see most of the fire departments in the county equipped with a generator and lights to make firefighters jobs easier at night. The cost of a generator is about $1.300. while lights are about $500, Young said. •'Most accidents happen at night and without the proper lighting it's difficult to get by," he said. Heavy hydraulic cutters and spreaders have been provided for most of the departments in Oxford including Hickson, Thamesford, Drumbo, Mt.. Elgin, Norwich and Woodstock. And about half the firefighters in the county have now been trained to use the equipment. "We're getting in pretty good shape." Young said. REFILLS FELjILLES DE REC;HANGE 7OR Oxford delays vote on board of health change W 001'>5TOCK (Bureau) — A pro- posalto overhaul the Oxford Coun- ty board of health system was set aside Wednesday to give its chair- man a chance to respond. The bid was brought by Council- lor Ken Bullen of Woodstock, who introduced a motion calling for the province to transfer Oxford County board of health powers to the county - After some debate, council opted to postpone a vote on the actual proposal at the request of board of health chairman Jim Battin of Tilt- sonburg The autonomous, nine -member board consists of six county coun- cillors and three provincial ap- pointees. In a letter requesting the delay, Battin said the board of health hadn't had enough time to discuss all the Implications of the Bullen proposal The Item is on the board of health's agenda for its meeting to- day in Woodstock. Bullen is seeking support for a motion that asks Municipal Affairs Minister Bernard Grandmaitre to initiate legislation to transfer the responsibilities of the board of health to a standing committee of co Illy council. n proposing the motion Wednes- day, Bullen said although Oxford has a two-thirds majority vole on the, board, the full council has little say in determining the budget— of which 25 per cent is paid by the county. lie said a simillar motion was approved by Oxford In 1979, but the province never acted on the request. Bullen said his proposal for an overhaul would give county council greater control over salaries and the introduction of non -mandatory health board programs. The official ground breaking ceremony for Ingersoll's new GM/Suzuki plant was held $aturday at the site on the town's wester;A #carder: Doing the honors were i from left to right) : Premier David Peterson, Oxford MP Dr. Bruce Halliday, CAW president Bob White the managing director of the new joint He said county council would also be a more effective voice at Queen's Park, which covers 75 per cent of the .board's budget. But Ingersoll Mayor Doug Harris said he remained unconvinced that a committee of council could do a better job than the health board. which has the aid of three laymen. Norwich Township Mayor John Heleniak said he reared Bullen's proposal would "politicize" the sys- tem, possibly jeopardizing the level of health care in the county. Warden Helen Smith of Norwich said any dissatisfaction with the system perhaps stems from the ab- ►I aentee rate of county councillor=: w board of health meetings. She said Baton has been forced to juggle board of health meeting times it, get county councillors to attend on a regular basis. South-West Oxford Township Mayor Walter Wilson said he wit, concerned that scrapping the pres ent setup would prompt the pro.- laceto reduce its share of financing. The only vocal support for Bul- ten's proposal came from Wood- stock Mayor Joe Pember, who said itwas timeeounty council accepted full responsibility of public health venture Masayuki Ikumu, GM of Canada president George Peapples. South-West Oxford Mayor Walt Wilson, and Inger- soll Ma}'or Doug Harris. (Staffphoto by ,I►ison Downie) GM/SI ceremony draws thousands al' ALISON DOWNII of The Sa ftel-sew" INGERSOLL — Thousands ulresidents from the surrounding area turned out Saturday to welcome General Motors of Canada and the Suzuki Motor Company to the area. The companies proved they know how to throw a par1g, putting eon it lavish celebration in a huge Ihrec-lent complex before and after the official ground breaking ceremony for the new $500-million GM/Suzuki auto plant that has been - the talk of the town lately., There were free hot dogs, hamburgers, roast beef, sort drinks, balloons and baseball caps for everyone who showed up. Bough estimates put the crowd at about 5,000 people, many of whom travelled from as far away as London, Woodstgck and Cam oidge to see the sod turning at lti¢ i7o-acre site oil the western border of Ingersoll and South-West Oxford The high level of Worst, in the plant was displayed when about:1.001) persons crowded into one of the tents to watch the sod turning ceremony. The lent was filled to capacity with people standing and sitting in the aisles. Doing the honors with chrome -plated shovels were Premier David Peterson, Oxford MP Dr, Bruce Halliday. Ingersoll Mayor Gong Hargis, South-West Ox- ford Mayor Walter Wilson, GM of Canada president ,eorge Peapples, and the managingg director of the new venture Masayuki Ikumu. When l e, planned I5o.ikxi square -font plant reaches full production, 200JI(Xl small cars and sport, utility vehicles a year will be manufactured annually, creating 2,000 4w jobs Production is expected to begin in 190, Warm. sunny weather likely helped attendance at. the celebrahans Saturday afternoon, said Tayee Wakefield, who is in charge of government relations for GM. She noted that for every cap that was given away, si would be donated to the Ingersoll pool road. About 5.000 caps were expected to he distributed. The name of the new plant. CAMI Automotive Inc., and the plant's loge, were unveiled at the ceremony. The i ignataries. who were treated to a lunch hosted by the two manictpufities, also made short speeches to the crowd. PM/Suiuki madde the announcement of where the new plant would be built Aug. 27, Peapples said Saturday: "We think we made an excellent. choice in deciding to locate CAMI here, not only because of its easy access to transtorta- ❑nn routes andclose oroximitv to our North American markets, but most on - "Out, "Our studies indicated that the population in this area is hardworking, has high skill levels, and is extremely loyal our studies didn't indicate just how friendly you ere," he added. All the speakers were applauded loudly but it was Ingersoll's development of- flceer Ted Hard who stole the show, When he was asked to stand up and be recognized, he received the loudest round of applause for all his work. For most of the afternoon local residents, many of whom arrived on freeshut- lie buses front Ingersoll, toured three massive tents. Where was food and live entertainment in one. and in another. Informational displays which included a working robot. In the third lent where the official ceremonies took pplace there was also a large video screen showing a lUminute film offering boo ground to the joint venture. lit congratulating Ingersoll on winning the fight for the large auto pram, Premier David. Peterson noted there ha hewn fierce competition from other communities in Ontario. "What is happening here is onique in the war ld: we can all is, proud." lie,aid 0 County council rejects proposal to transfer responsibility to council 11 Mf ..,.a Public health function will stay with health board ar Mtltal aOtYlaf M 11r fMtYeti-ae�w� _ oxford Count. councillors have overwhelmingly said no to a proposal to transfer control of the public health Nnc- tion to county council from the bard of health. At a meeting Wednesday night councillors voted 15-4 °agairtxt supporting a resolution calling on municipal af- fairs minister Bernard Grandmaitre to initiate the necessary legislation to amend the County of Oxford Act so .the transfer of control could proceed. The conimverStal resolution, initiated by CourtKen Bullen, has received much discussion over the past few weeks by county councillors as well as the health board• w hich is nmv an autonomous body Jim Sarin. chairman of ;he Mmrd ri h 'alto, "onco'li ilyxu the imph"ations of --'--'—' the resolution volcod hie objection at council's meeting. He brought along proof that Oxford's health budget was not out of line with -- - -- - other beards in the province in terms of development or budget. increases. Bat - tin also maintained that county council does have control with six of the nine - member board being county councillors. The other three members of the board are appointed by the province. "The present operation is a respectable one," he said. "We're willing to have a committee examine that if you want, We are doing our best." �+ Sullen reiterated he was simply trying to bring the responsiblity for health expenditures back to an elected body, 'not six members, but the whole of coun. cil,"hie said. Loun. Les Cook praised Batten for his courage in presenting a resolution to council that would surely "rock the boat" even though he said he couldn't sup- port it. A strong supporter of Sullen's motion was Coun. Joe Pember, who mid he ifullen would go one step further And hand 11a respomsiblity for public health back to 0 OK sought for plant' hoste WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — It aP- pears efforts hate been launched to slWw the establishment of a Jap- anew style hostel on the site of the CA1111 assembly plant. a joint ven- ture of General Motors and Suzuki. Oxford County planning commit- tee members heard Thursday the automakers are requesting that a X provincial zoning order on the site be modified slightly to include a aAnmmitnn" and "food senwe fa- 0 E c. T Ii� cilities" among the approved use: The hostel would be designed t initially accommodate up to 50 ei gineers coming from Tokyo to si pervise the Pon assembly Plantstartup of the $500+mi Although a provincial zoning c der is in place, Oxford must I through the procedure of changii its official plan— a process that ,just under way. T�>,c co.ca >°al�3Wof. m a v v m L W T d m L a a aa� �naT a ram'% a=— a�a �o ao R�t-L yTWL F�� �m�E 3wos cy E a s° {cEa�gS„ ffi ��a M.;���H'3.i 3apLo� '$JF the provincial government, which pays ro per cent of the health expenditures in the county. This motion puts the responsibility and authority in one spot," Pember said - councillors who supported Buller a motion included Pember. Wayne smith and Ed Down. Following the meeting Sullen saidhe was disappointed with the final vote. fie had expected the vote to be closer with at least eight councillors supporting him. "A few backed out at the last moment," he explained. "The whole issue was clouded with feelings towards the lay people ion the board). The county still can't question their budget. Why should six or seven councillors be able to speak for 20 elected officials." During discussions some councillors pointed out there was room on the board for seven county council representatives but only sirs willing to serve could be found, it was suggested that situation should be rectified.. Coro. Margaret Mun- noch was the only volunteer and was appointed puntic woris-ebrrnnttlee.- The county agreed to take over the portion of road from the Ministry of Transport and Communications at the request of the City of Woodstock. But the move upset many councillors from outside the city since it will mean a $5W,000 expense for the reconstrue- tion of the section, and will bump other needed road projects around the county lower on the priority list, she said. Smith said there was resistance to the move in the rural areas and it might have been defeated it it had gone back to county council. County engineer Don Pratt said yesterday the order in council is one of two ways that responsibility for a road can be changed, w�iUt the other being the county choosing to do so by bylaw. DEAL CLOSED ' The notification of the takeover closes a deal arranged, by the county with the MTC, whereby Oxford takes the road off its hands and in return, the ministry promises to provide Oxford with a 50-per-cent subsidy for the estimated $1 million reconstruction project. The county will have to pay the rest. Woodstock officials view the area. one of the main entrances into the city. as ripe for commercial development. A parcel of land on the east side of the road was rezoned highway commercial earlier this year. The city wanted the county to take over the road, seeing the change as a way of facilitating that development. An7 MTC policy restric- ting access off highways would have held back any development of the area The road also needs repair and widening, but it is not even listed in the ministry's 25-year forecasts. As a coun- ty road, it will be repaired much quicker, since its heavy traffic load will bump it to near the top of the county's priority list. County construction engineer Stewart Watts said the engineering for the redesigning of the road — it will become a four -lane road — should begin in 1997. He could not say when county council would approve the estimated M.Wo needed for the reconstruction, but an- tic 'paled it would be before 1990. The county will take over the rest of the road, from Parkinson Road to Dun- das Street. from the city on Jan. 1. Oxford still awaits courthouse move WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Tho Province hasn't made up its mind whether it wants to rent the entire, Oxford County courthouse, Warden Helen Smith of Norwich Sald PENNING THE PROCLAMATION Wednesday. Mary Schadenberg, right, and Kathie Richards of (he Oxford council helsaaidre a coonnse y as Oxford Lung Association took on as Oxford County Warden Helen Smith, council passed a resolution seek ito signs the proclamation kicking off the 1986 Christmas Seal cama commitment from the province l"', pafgn. Hamilton artist Helen Witkowski designed this year., rent the whole I9th-century strk, + " heals, six symbols of peace and love. The occasion also ntarke lure on Hunter Street, begianiu;, the 40th anniversary of the association lit Oxford County. it begalf Jan. 1, 1992. on October 22, 1W as the Oxford County Tuberculosis Assoc i The attorney -general's ministry lion, Schadenber r is the association's executive director whll recently to handle about the business b of room to handle spurt busincs.: Richards chairs fund-raising efforts. there, raising the prospect the t.titaffphofo h,t Ted Rhimle0t county may be forced to relocate IN IN Land severance policy review rejected IBy Howard Burns Woodstock Bureau WOODSTOCK — Citing hard times in the farming community, a tobacco -belt mayor's call Wednes- day for a review of a policy that restricts the way agricultural lend may be divided was rejected by Ox- ford County council on a 9-9 vote. In asking forthe reviewby county eouncil, Norwich Township Mayor John Heleniak said he was looking For ways to help farmers who are in financial trouble. The county has had a restrictive policy on rural residential lot cre- -- - aeon for a number of years that aims to reduce land -use conflicts and protect agricultural land, However, Heleniak told council that allowing retiring farmers to sever homes from agricultural lend holdings would make life easier and perhaps brighten their fortunes. Such severances are frowned upon by council unless the agricul- tural holdings are to be sold to an adjacent landowner. Heleniak said his motion asking the county's planning committee to "review and report" on Oxford's land severance policy In light of the "economic crisis" was brought for- ward out of a particular concern for tobacco growers, However, he also referred to the financial state of "agriculture in general." lie said such farm severances would enable retiring farmers to sell all but their residential land holdings, which would allow them to live in the rural community. Some farmers view land sever. ances as the only way to accommo- date their housing needs, Ilelentak said, adding that many tobacco growers have homes they want to *eep. Cmnu•illor Charlie Tatham of Woodstock supported Helentak's 'Oxford 11 call for a review of county policy, but inade it clear he doesn't neces- sarily support such severances. He said he feared that severing the residences would result in the "sterilization" of farmland. Blandford-Blenheim Township Mayor Ed Down said, while he has sympathy for farmers in trouble, he rouldn't support a change in the land severance policy. lie said the county's official plan frowns upon such severances because It strives to preserve foodland. Down said he had a broader con- cern that possible land -use con= nicts might arise if such residen- tial lots are eventually turned over to people from urban centres. Fast 'Lorra-Tavistock Township Mayor Don McKay said be viewed Heleniak's motion as a needless "make-work" project for planning. commissioner Ken Whiteford, who he said was busy enough. with the workload in the department, lie said relaxing the county's sev- eranee policy because of the eco- nomicdownt.urn was shortsighted, but didn't rule out eventually mak- ing changes to the policy: The county evaluates each land severance application on an indi- vidual basis and uses a "point. sys- tem" to determine whether itan should be given the gohead- approves training course 'for municipal WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A bid offered to start a training course for mu- and nicipal employees at a cost of volve $13,000 received the go-ahead from The Oxford County council Wednesday night empl The money will be spent tobuy skills, management training materials Don fiyDm Achieve Enterprises Ltd. of ingwi 14fan, which created the course. that e 'Council decided the course can ca should be available to all civic em- unioni ployees of Oxford, the eight mem- "I t ber municipalities and other "pub: We sh lie bodies" in the county. opport The approval followed a pitch by with v the Woodstock Public Utility Com- able e mission, which has experimented local with the course on a smaller scale. comm' PUC personnel manager Ron The Helmuth told council the utilitvhas video workers in county the course to its employees welcomed the chance to in - others. course is designed to help oyees learn management council heard. Pratt, director of engineer- th the county. said in a report ven small management errors use big headaches in today's zed workplace. hink this is a good proposal. ould avail ourselves of the unity to provide our staff aluable training at a reason- ost through co-operation with councils, boards and ssions." training package includes tapes on ways to. become a successful manager and other sup- plies. The PUC has agreed to help Ox- ford launch the course. which Pratt estimated would appeal to perhaps 140 employees in the county. Only a handful of employees at any one time will be able to take the course, which is to be scheduled to minimize the amount of time spent off the job. In another matter. council decid- ed to set up a $50.000 communica- tions network to allow member mu- nicipalities to make use of the county's newly created computer system. The money will be spent on extra phone lines and additional equip- ment that will give municipal of- fices direct access to the land -relat- ed information tiles. Oxford municipalities offered use of new county computer WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Ox- ford's new computer system is ready to show member municipal- ities such as Ingersoll and Tillson- burg what it can do, the county's planning committee decided Thursday. The committee recommended that all eight municipalities in Ox- ford be given a chance to use the system, now centrally located at Ox- ford's administrative headquarters in Woodstock. The recommendation will be pre- sented to Oxford council next week. For such an expansion the coun- ty would have to establish a $49,442 "communication network" of extra phone lines and computer equip- ment, the committee agreed. The multi -purpose information and mapping system was developed under a provincial pilot project and launched earlier this year with heavy involvement from Woodstock. - Deputy planning commissioner Liz Ottaway told the committee she strongly supports the expansion of the county's information system for use by area municipalities. She said such sharing of informa- tion was among the goals of the county when it decided to get in- volved with the pilot project. The computerized system has been designed to save time by put- ting otherwise hard -to -get informa- tion at users' fingertips. It offers up-to-the-minute land registry information, a system, to aid municipal building inspectQM access to all assessment data and help compiling mailing lists to in- form the public of proposed devel- opment applications. The monthly maintenance cost of00. the communication network is esti- mated at $2,8 While municipalities would be responsible for the purchase and maintenance of computer teami- nals within their offices, provincial grants are available to offset the expellSe. I L o. ups ° a tr CF G C R a ro � L G t0 M C d 40E NE= $',o°t a== m �aa07°bot ccms E �abG.o E LokGN . NaZ a 7 41 - ° ELR aua BCmL. E CZu �G<6GO N EEE V, L� IQO W E=lw Q%ryE0 a put aN«oc LOM 0 °o E E o O 2 ■la a v��w vL=x=W% C G N « rJ 0 O°0 OUG m C w,E.-WM 20, ,Ea E- j o �wc vac_ b -6 a3« WtOmc>w Ea3 O-O W GOa ^' aoo .ivrbG my�i W\ LWo LaG .q°«a c :° Oi ac0 o—ac, / woo=G Q) L� Gr ENy. r^ anwy y, a'sN�� N G d v U >LO m"90E ud WO. aD.- ti O] V ca. 200 �{ s 4V s Ma ao_mwa eeQ-E_ .0 °EoMa E 0 CZ a E` E u t"Omp��Fp 4� L N C L a m N L 0 _ ///�� d aL6y �'cEaG�wa Gd aGs3Na�aao G^. a m„ N a:c E LLOs- = N"L'OC O o vF_.m L a �=oe6 aa_ avm y OoWo . O L 7Z N G'a a 02 0 Ei «owl_ yr QCiHr a 5wa.Y%= p:4oEa I. WEL'e°o>`CE� t 0w w r: bE gEc «� _ _-- E c:� N w N e` CCrje°id�=try a°�P aF°o`'O0.wlmc`. -p ■e to�`xaO=oviftk- Op ou�'a�p a LFC�Odi �3 Ca �� EtJ_ 63 ii."q o't' Woa`�I r ESl taiu k..? 3N�w CEOE Ev,a'a3 iN y o R��-P5E p r, w 4 Tom' Xo0=°�s Otp�-`d'� a`0 oi, are time and rejected people, • S y at Beck<< ourity policy, to people from urban centres. oesn'tneces• East Zorra-Tavistock Township j Of SIX i verances. Ile Mavor non McKay said he viewed erevering the Helemak's motion as a needless 1, one trO1T1 suit in the "make-work project for planning Sarnia. The land. commissioner Ken Whiteford. who Township he said was busy enough with the )will be a hile he has workload in the department htrouble.he Ile said relaxing the county's sev- %n'ange in the eranee policy because of the eco. He said the nomic downturn was shortsighted, - Towns upon but didn't rule out eventually mak- ���� ' jse it strives .ing changes to the policy. The county evaluates each land noadercon. severance application on an indi- nd-use con. vidual basis and uses a "point sys- ry ch residen- tern' to determine whether it Own wn .,uai it Iurned oier should h,, ;,ire•n the go-ahead. Oxford approves training course for municipal workers in county WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — A bid ,n start a training course for mu- offered the course to its employees and welcomed the successful manager and othersup- ilcipal employees at a cost of S 13,000 received the go-ahead from chance to in. volve others. plies. The PliC has agreed thelp Ox- o County council Wednesday The course is designed to help ford launch the course. eh Prattxford night employees learn management estimated would appeal to perhaps The money will be spent tobuy skills, council heard. 140 employees in the county. Only a handful of employees at management training materials frAm Achieve Enterprises Ltd. of Don Pratt, director of engineer- ing with the county, said in a report anyonetimewillbeabletotakethe course, which is to be scheduled to Mp.1ton, which created the course. thateven small management errors minimize the amount of time spent Council decided the course can cause big headaches in today's oft' the job. should be available to all civic em- unionized workplace. In another matter, council decid- ployees of Oxford, the eight mem- "I think this is a good proposal. ed to set up a $50,000 communica- ber municipalities and other "pub- We should avail ourselves of the tions network to allow member mu- !ic bodies" in the county. opportunity to provide our staff nicipahties to make use of the The approval followed a pitch by with valuable training at a reason- county's newly created computer system. the Woodstock Public Utility Com- j mission, which has experimented able cost through co-operation with local councils, boards and The money will be spent on extra - with the course on a smaller scale. commissions." phone lines and additional equip- Qu f- ment ment that will give municipal of- PUC personnel manager Ron Helmuth told council the utilitv has The training package includes video tapes on ways to become a fieesdirect access tothe land-relat- ed information fihp;. Oxford municipalities offered use of new county computer WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — Ox- ford's new computer system is ready to show member municipal- ities such as Ingersoll and Tillson- burg what it can do, the county's plartning committee decided Thursday. The committee recommended that all eight municipalities in Ox- ford be given a chance to use the system, now centrally located at Ox- ford's administrative headquarters in Woodstock. The recommendation will be pre- sented to Oxford council next week. For such an expansion the coun- ty would have to establish a $49,442 "communication network" of extra phone lines and computer equip- ment, the committee agreed. The multi -purpose information and mapping system was developed under a provincial pilot project and launched earlier this year with heavy involvement from Woodstock. 1)eputy planning commissioner Liz Ottaway told the committee she strongly supports the expansion of the county's information system for use by area municipalities. She said such sharing of informa- tion was among the goals of the county when it decided to get in- volved with the pilot project. The computerized system has been designed to save time by put- ting otherwise hard -to -get informa- tion at users' fingertips. It offers up-to-the-minute bind registry information, a system..to aid municipal building inspectgts, access to all assessment data and ` help compiling mailing lists to fit form the public of proposed devel- opment applications. The monthly maintenance cost of the communication network is esti- mated at $2$00. While municipalities would be responsible for the purchase aid maintenance of computer termi- nals within theiroffices, provincial grants are available to offset the P\pen,c. 0 McKay efforts to put cap on `subsidized holidays' fall on deaf county ears h ALNON DOWN11 said she was only trying to make some et the featin.l-prlb councillors more accountable. She said Calling some conventions subsidized she believes if a councillor had to justify why they wanted to holidays East Zorra-Tavistock Mayor to co y vention they might haveve second Ion McKay treed in vain Wednesday night to get support from fellow county oounefilors to put a cap on convention .pending. The majority of Oxford County Coun- cil members voted against a motion which would have put a $1,000 max- imum on convention spending for any one councillor or staff member without receiving authorization of council. "This motion is not intended to keep anyone away from any convention that's a learning possibility — it's in- tended to put a cap on some of these ex- pensive capers to Los Angeles or Van- couver that are more or less subsidized holidays as far as I'm concerned," McKay said. He was referring to a planning coo- vention held earlier this year in Los Angeles which was attended by at least one councillor who serves on the social services committee. A social services convention in Vancouver this summer was attended by a councillor who does not serveon the social services committee. County council set aside $32,00D in its 1,%b budget for councillors to attend conventions and by October the budget was already overspent. The county's convention policy is each councillor can attend two in -province and one out -of - province conventions each year. THAT policy has caused con- cern for some councillors including Marg Munnoch who proposed the spen- ding cap. Although she told council she didn't think anyone was "particularly abusing" the policy, Munnoch said abuse is often perceived by the public. Following the meeting, the Woodstock councillor said she has no proof of abuse but finds some councillors atten- dance at conferences questionable. Four or five councillors should not have to attend the same convention, she said noting reports could be made by those who do attend. A number of veteran councillors said they had never seen any county coun- cillor abuse the convention policy. The press annually, runs a breakdown of what each councillor spends at con- ventions and it's up to each council member to justify their actions, Woodstock Mayor Joe Pember said. 'Even going to a bad convention is an education," he stated. Munnoch wasn't surprised her mo- tion was defeated by a 13-6 vote. She ^'RF. Councillors who supported 61 Munnoch in put- ting the $1,000 cap on conven- tion spendingg included McKay, Ken Bullen, Doug Harris, Nell McKa Hostetler and Y Jack Whitmore. Those against included Pember, Les Cook, Ed Down, Ernie Hardeman, John Helemak, Jean Ferric, Eugene Mabee. Phil Poole,- Wayne Smith, Warden Helen Smith, Charlie Tatham, Walt Wilson and Betty Yeek, ;Harris strikes out at county council By ALISON DOWNIE " of rM Sentinel-4eiaw Oxford County Coun. Doing Harris struck out in a big way Wednesday night. By the end of the county council meeting, he had three strikes against him after presenting three motions related to garbage issues that never even made it to first base. ODfirst got up to bat with a motion calling on the public works committee to recommend to council that a shredding opera- tion be implemented at Oxford's central landfill site before April 1, 1987, After a brief discussion, r31 Warden Helen Smith rul- ed the motion out of order, .~'`- saying council could not tell a committee what it Harris should recommend. Harris refused to change the motion, telling the warden to do whatever she wanted with it. During the discussion on the shredder councillors pointed out the money wasn't in the 1986 budget and the technology was still unproven. "In municipalities where they're trying to make these systems work, they're drawing on a tax base of millions. Here we have 89,00o taxpayers," Conn. Joe Pember said, "We might be the forerunners, but we might be broke. Harris struck out again when he sought support on a mo- tion asking the county to refuse to accept recyclable materials (specifically tin, glass and paper),at the landfill site beginning in 1987, plus administer the sale of those Harris, mayor of Ingersoll, admitted his town only has a I half-hearted recycling program but said the county has to be the leader and push municipalities in Oxford into the recycling business. While some councillors voiced support for Hai nur- County politicians and staff aren't ar am OWN of as fedlnel-tLrin Oxford County politicians are getting tough with the province. Although they've been asked to vacate their offices at the county cour- thous, in Woodstock to give court ad- ministrators more space Warden Helen ' Smith and county clerk Harold Walls are staying put. The warden and clerk won't be mov- ing unlit the county has a firm committ- ment from the province regarding a lease agreement for the entire cour, lhouse, which now houses the Oxford's administrative offices as well as courts torney General be requested to make a and court offices, committment to lease the entire cour- In October, a representative from the thouse building on a net -net basis; the provinclot attorney general's office at- effective date of this lease to commence tended a county council meeting to on January 1, 1992." discuss a request for more a cc at the The resolution was forwarded to courthouse for court ulfice& He Sharpe with a note from Walls that specifically requested the offices of the council would take no further action mt- warden and clerk. In the near future, tit a written reply setting out the pro - architect Lionel Sharp said his ministry vine's position on a long-term commit - would likely require the entire lmentwas confirmed, courthouse. Councillors received a letter from Sharpe in their agendas for Wednesday After hearing Sharpe's proposal night's meeting and were unhappy with county council passed a resolution his response. lie said he could not give •'that rho (Ontario) Ministry of the At. oafurdanunswer until the ministry has tion, they feared the starting date was too soon as many are tied up for another year or two with their garbage contractors. Recycling should be left up to local municipalities, Conn. Phil Poole said. The county shouldn't have to come on as the "big guy " The South-West Oxford Township councillors Ernie Hardeman and Walt Wilson were among the group who snip - ported the motion promoting recycling but their support wasn't enough as the motion was defeated by an 11-8 vote. The third strike against Harris came near the and of the meeting when he presented a motion, which if approved, would have seen a tipping fee schedule implemented at the landfill site April 1, 1997. He again voiced concerns about the amount of garbage going into the central landfill — about 50 per cent more than anyone had anticipated. The Salfordsite is expected to ser- vice the county for at least 20 years. Court. Charlie Tatham backed Harris an the motion, sing ing tipping. fees would make individuals more responsible for the amount of garbage they dump. A suggestion that on- ly large users should be charged, was made by Coun. Eugene Mabee. "Industries in general are not going to be happy with the idea," county engineer ion Pratt told council. "It's one service they get for the tax dollars they pay." Pratt said there are not enough statistics to justify making any deci- ,s sions regarding tipping fees at the cen- After his third motion was defeated Ma by an 11-8 vote, Warden Helen Smith complimented Harris "for trying." "lt we're not going todoanythingwe should start laving the groundwork for new landfill." the warden said. "We Smith saw how long it took the last time." Poole said the county should be looking for another land. fill site now as the process for establishing a one takes ahoul io>ears. pulling up stakes yet completed its 2D-year plan which should said. beshortiv. Count. Joe Pember agreed as all "We've In his letter, Sharpe Suggested got to get things in place Brat, The thing that the hell discussions could take place regarding only scares out of the additional 72.5 sq. metres his me is we're going to get the Fire Mar, ministry requires at the courthouse, shalts in here and when those bozos ,,the r1ineements of the Ontario Fire come through here we may as well flat - Marshall and the methods that should ten the building. They don't realise it's be used to imorcwe securitv." over too years old." one councillor who was adamant Council refused to take any action on Sharpe's short-term request not be met Sharpe's letter and will await the until it long-term committment is results of a meeeting between Sharpe, a recieved was Court. Ken Bullen. representative front the Ontario Fire "if we piecemeal this thing, f can see Marshall's office, Walls and comity �livni stalling with their answer," he eagim"r ion Pratt. _ 5 fgfll i 310�M ES� V a =J�9Ej 9=. a r..._ EV s�3 N���2r9i 3 E ` c =u 5 -`v 5=V � �E "E tc=. t� LIEJE t. Ef a'sRcc �pE s -c.E_.. E`er _, n 1 off— E IdEE 5E�=°� - a n S 3LEg3 1Eu_ ayy« 3 r nuE cF�cw� A ,a E x ,w E w E a Mo$ uc's_'c' 0 Sao >, 9.�a y%ymm E ME d L O=�mq� mF J�FR L -a-E, cd�ooy d WZ Estj 0, ,°'. �. m a- m car-?M owl_.E o W-'� Q �. v "E $ u d of o' rcy3 .3 =_ m �s J EM J u c j"y j C j O �3U a=LE F CIO c `o �z i,u "per aG_E3 R X 4? gip. =0vsw aEF E [� 2 cud o LV N�"cn3. N Gl .-, 67 aGG L a pro@E rib n a�co " �b A �� _��•° tED3G I== �Uin F E County committee suggests renting vacant house to children's services i By AUSON DOWNIi of The Sentinel. Rev low A recommendation to rent a vacant house on the courthouse square in Woodstock to Family and Children's Services (FCS) of Oxford Coun- ty will he voted on at county council's Dec, 10 meeting. The public works committee has recommended the court- : ty enter Into a three-year lease with FCS, for rental of the former custodians house at 79 tight. St., at a rate of $250 a month The agency will also be responsible for heat, hydro tmd basic malntenance. (n Thursday IeC9 executive director floss Dawson told the public work+; committee the current FCS office space at 92 Light lit. is being utilized to capacity. In some instances -offk a ~pace is overernwded, he said. The cramped quarters are due to a steady expansion of agency services and staff over tho pasit 10 yearo. Caw. r uugene Mabee fingersoll) was agreeable to ren Ungg the former custodian's residence to FCS. He said, "We're heating it and prying hydro an it I'd like to see it used " If an agreement to rent the house is signed it will contain an escape clause to allow the county to ask FCS to move with proper notice. Some public works committee members concerned about crowding at the courthouse were cautious about renting the custodian's house. Committee chairman Ed Down (Blandford-Blenheim i said some departments in the coup ty are expanding fairly quickly and the province is looking for more spare n the courthouse. "1 sure wish we had some guarantees we're not going to crowd people here working for us now." Warden Helen Smith (Norwich Township) said. "I have a fear about how fast we will need space.' Oxford eyeing options in courthouse squeeze WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — An ac- commodation squeeze at the Ox- ford courthouse prompted county council Wednesday to establish a committee to study the possibility of leasing the entire building to the provincial attorney -general's de- partment. Warden Helen Smith of Norwich said she will> elect councillors and staff members to sit on the commit- tee, which will investigate future use of the county -owned court- house en Hunter Street in down- town Woodstock The attorney -general's depart- ment — which rents much of two floors at the building— has told the county it needs more room. Offi- cials have complained that the lack of room has hampered the adminis- i tration of justice. "We're going to sit down and ne- gotiate the possibility of leasing the entire courthouse," said Smith, adding there would be no snap de- cision. "I think we want time to think about it." she said. "It's a big, big project" If the province agrees to rent the entire courthouse for its sole use, the county eventually would be forced to move into a new adminis- trative headquarters. Provincial and county officials met last Friday to discuss, the fu- ture of the courthouse and the need to protect the building from fire. The county has been wrestling for a year with the problem of how to satisfy fire code regulations without destroying the court - house's architectural value. A re- port is being prepared by the coun- ty engineering department. Establishment of the special Lie- gotiating committee Wednesday follows council's October passage of a resolution calling on the attor- ney -general's department to lease the entire courthouse from the county, starting Jan. 1, 1992. In a related move, council agre&d Wednesday not to take any action on a public works committee rec- ommendation that a vacant county - owned residence be leased to Fam- ily and Children's Services. of Oxford County. Blandford-Blenheim Township Mayor Ed Down, chairman of the public works committee, said be was withdrawing the recommenda- tion until the accommodation issue has been resolved. The Light Street residence near the courthouse might be needed by county or court staff members. lip• said. _ Hospital looks 1 to county for $ 3�4- million for expansion er nix. gaoarz of The Sentwt-ceder INGERSOLL — Alexandra Hospital would like Oxford county council to con- tribute $750,000 to its upcoming $4 j million renovation and expansion program. Alexandra's executive director Ross Bryant and members of the hospital board of trustees made the formal re- quest for the funds at county council's meeting this morning. The request comes as plans for the expansion are proceeding on all fronts said Bryant. L We are trying to p° look at next spring to qo out to tender, _ f and then we'll keep our fingers crossed that we can start on the renovation and construction in the and is designed to provide needed space for some cramped facilities. Through i the project, both the chronic care and i acute care wards will be consolidated into their own areas, the outpatient clinic will provided its own space (the emergency ward currently doubles as the outpatient clinic), the area for physiotherapy will be exp�inded, a se- cond elevator will be added and some hospital services will be relocated and upgraded. To prepare for the tenders, Alexan- dra's project consultants Stevenson, Kellogg, Ernst and Whinney are work. ing In the hospital preparing opera- tional outlines on each department. 'FUNCTIONAL PROGRAM' Throe questionnaires and inter- vleare, a consultants will prepare a "functional program" report on the hospital. It will be used by the ur chitecis It and Jordan In their design of the new areas. A critical concern of both Bryant and the hospital board is funding the pro- ject. The ministry appprroval of the con- struction included td'ilclal notification of its contribution of $2,0 million on the estimated total cost of $11.9 million. The authorization states that any additional costs Incurred will be the sole respon- sibility of the hospital. Bryant said the hospital will he able to commit) "),000 out of Its reserves, leaving 91.0 million to he accounted for. If county council ag¢rem to contribute $750 (IM, then that still leaves 1:550,(ap the iiospiial will have to earn through fund-raising. And any extra or surprise costa will also havo to be covered by Harris not The Town of Ingersoll's lack of representation on Oxford County's land division committee has been criticized by Ingersoll Mayor Doug Harris. This isn't the first time Harris has complained about the situation. After reading the names recommended for appointment to the committee for the 1987.88 term, Harris raised concerns as he did last year when 19WV appoint- ments were made. He said in 14 years he has been the only Ingersoll represen- tative on the committee. Planning committee chairman Cow Charlie Talham, who will serve on land division next year, said the reason was most of the situations the committee is ! called upon to deal with involve rural areas not urban arreas. Therefore he said the majority of members on the committee are from rural areas. The Town of Tillsonburg does not have a rep on the committee either, he added. Harris didn't buy that argument say - in development is picking up in Inger- soll and the eommitte might be called { upon to make decisions regarding the town without proper representation. Railing VIA Oxford County councillors have been urged to write to VIA Rail with com- plaints about the reduced level of ser- vice the corporation is offering the public locally. Al council's meeting Wednesday, Tillsonburg Mayor Jean Ferrie said it took her almost an hour on the telephone to book a ticket to Montreal. Half the time was spent on hold or listening to a recorded message. she said. Cow. Charlie Tatham and Phil Poole, both Woodstock representatives, said they had similar horror stories about the service provided by VIA Rail. "We should be raising holy hell about the service," Woodstock: Mayor Joe Pember said. "We should write to the prime minister and tell him to clean up his bloody act. H they're in the service business then they're in it." "I don't think they want to be in it. replied Poole. Taking on water Oxford County will assume the Brownsville water system on Jan. 1, The county will pay the Brownsville Water Co-op S15;517 for its assets in- cluding land, buildings, water wells, service lines, machinery and equip- ment. oxford will also pick up the bill for legal and land survey costs which the co-op will pay for the transfer agreement and legal costs involved in transferring the water co-op syndicate- t Inaccessible Oxford County's land registry office on Graham Street is inaceessible to the handicapped and lawyer JimHutchfn- son wants to see that changed. The Woodstock resident has written to Oxford County Warden Helen Smith about the problem. In the letter receiv- ed by county councillors Wednesday. Hutchinson said he has multiple sclerosis and recently broke his hip which makes getting into the registry' office extremely difficult. He would ap- preciate any efforts made to make the building more accessible and even volunteered to build a ramp himself at the front of the, registry office if council approves. The public works staff is preparing a report on the matter. 11 • Bryant mid the board is cmisaderitig hiring profe-md ional fund to &exist with the organisation of a campaign. ` f Alexandra A requcwd ri Ingersnll's Alexandra plual askingOxfordCounty to couxite' $'Al'i(sb towards a e4 million rxsion and renovation project has.n V referred to the county's ad ist.ration and finance committee Council passed a motion supporting a pro�0el in principle after ngersollayor Uoug Harris said the funding re0st was "as worthy as any that has t lZome up, within or outside the county, 41hal council has supported." 4 in 1987, Oxford will make its final 'S200000 contribution to Stratford ospital towards a renovation project here When the last payment is made, ifixford will have donated a total of three towards that t $600,000 over years p oject. 'a grant request can also be paid in three annual installments between 1987-89, said George Cornfield, �,. Areasurer of the board of trust. Les Dickson of RR 2. Burgessville, centre, accepts the 1986 Oxford County land saver award and a carved walking stick from Warden Helen Smith of Norwich and Councillor Ken Bullen of Woodstock. Arboretum work earns man_ Oxford land saver award WOODSTOCK (Bureau) — The 1986 Oxford land saver award was presented Wednesday to Les Dick- son, a former warden from Nor- wich Township who voluntarily maintains a tree collection for the county. Warden Helen Smith presented Dickson with the award, given an- nually to a county resident in recog- nition of outstanding land manage- ment efforts by individuals. Councillor Ken Bullen of Wood- stock presented Dickson with a carved walking stick on behalf of Oxford Men of the Trees. Smith said Dickson was a driving force in promoting establishment of the county's arboretum in 1975 and has since voluntarily main- tained it at his own expense. 11 The presentations were made at an Oxford council meeting. A warden in 1973, Dickson spie he promotes the planting of tre0A every chance he gets and is ge*_ ally alarmed that forests are ta" for granted in society. 0 He made the long-term comiiji-t. ment to look after the arboretui. when pot iticaI opponents of the a4 charged it would be a wastevir county money. He views the four -hectare (30� acre) collection on Oxford Couio Road 4 just nortb of here as a plgee of beauty for schoolchildren to vt& it and an example of nature at.* best. The arboretum now features 14D different species of trees. tr V HEAPING IT HIGH AT SALFORD Should Oxford be tipped for dump privileges? III, ALISON DOWNIE of The Ssarrel-Review There's no consensus among land- fill operators on the issue of tipping fees. Oxford County, which is responsi- ble for waste disposal for the eight municipalities in the county, has ban- died the idea around, but nothing con- crete has come of the discussions. Oxford's chief engineer Don Pratt advised county council prior to the opening of the central landfill site this summer that staff at the Salford facility would have enough on their hands without charging tipping fees to those who dump. Now that the landfill has been operating for close to six months some councillors are once again pressing for the county to take a second Soak at upping fees. Part of the reason is the landfill is getting much more waste than anyone predicted, Also, there are three or four irfdustnes in the county responsible for almost 20 per cent of the volume going into the site. Same councillor have suggested only the big users be charged for dumping. Others have in- dicated all users should pay. And some argue that industries receive little for their tax dollars to waste disposal should be one service they do Pratt. who is not a big fan of tipping fees, has suggested council wait until there is data from several months of operation at the central land- fill before making a decision on tipping fees. Some muructpalilies fn the county have only bow the site since Sept. I. The data the public works department 2ppsp (pit enough for politicians to yfi��lisA6ltjdRidisisru, Pratt said. Oxford's neighbors have differing points of view on the tipping fee issue. Some have im- plemented the user pay system at their landfills while others, like Oxford, maintain their sites with tax dollars. REGION OF WATERLOO The Region of Waterloo charges $13.30 a ton for normal household garbage at its landfill sites in Cambridge and Waterloo. There is a double charge for any "hard to handle" material such as asbestos or slyrofoam, said Mike Quinn, manager of solid waste operations, lie pointed out that the region plans to widen the "hard to handle" category to include other materials which can not be considered typical household wastes. As examples he said con- struction debris, tires, concrete, wire mesh, metal and large wooden containers will soon be double -charged. Industries are affected most by the region's tipping fees. Scales at the sites weigh trucks disposing of industrial waste. The three urban and four rural municipalities served by the region's landfill sites pay for garbage disposal through their annual levy based on figures showing how much they dump each year. In- dividuals are not charged to dump at the sites. Tipping fees cover current annual operating costs, but the cost of landfilling is becoming horrendous, Quinn said The region is consider- ing a Hat fee to household users which would help raise the funds required for future landfill- ing costs. The Regional Municipality of lialdimand- Norfolk looked seriously at implementing tipp- ing fees at its seven landfill sites about two years ago but the idea was eventually rejected by council. A predominantly rural municipali- ty. Haldimand-Norfolk councillors felt tipping fees might result In illegal dumping and cause same residents to fill in ravines on their proper, ty which would be unacceptable from an en- vironmenu+l paint of view, said Eric V'Hondt, director of solid waste. Hight now the costs associated with waste staff would like to see users paying through tip- operated by a pivate Curt. Since the mid-1950s disposal are being paid through the general tax ping fees, D'Hondt said. the city has had a contract for collection and levy, but Haldimand-Norfolk's engineering The landfill serving the City of St, Thomas is disposal of waste. Individuals who wish to use THERE IS no cliarge now for dumping at Oxford County'.,; central landfill site but in the new year counciliurs will be wrestling with the concept of tipp- ing fees. The idea has been tossed around before at the county level with no concensus reached. (Staff photo by Ted Rhodes) the site, do pay a tippiny fee, said deputy engineer Bob Brown - The City of Stratford operates its own lancifll site for residents living within the city limits - There are no tipping fees for residents, in- dustries or commercial users. The city hasn't even considered the idea, said deputy engineer Tom Crozier. Once city familiar with tipping fees is Lon- don. Tipping fees were first introduced in that municipality in 1973 to recoup the costs of landfilling. "It didn't seem fair any longer to pass the costs an to everyone through the general rate. It was more viable to the city to pass the costs directly to the users." said Gord Rodgers, an engineering aide in the city's maintenance planning division. London's tipping fee is $9,50 a ton while in- dividuals pay a flat rate of $415 a load. "When there's a charge levied, it encourages recycling of material and prevents some wasta"e," Rodgers said- "Recycling is very much in the forefront now," London owns and operates a landfill site out- side of the city limits in the Township of Westminster, although there are transfer sta- tions in the city. The costs of landifillinig are getting more and more expensive, which is where theinterest in tipping fees conies from. said Steven Dupuis. a policy analyst with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario iAMOi_ He said the AMO has been getting a lot of inquiries about lipping Fees, but the association has no firm Policies an the issue or data as to how marry municipalities have implemented fees. Dupuis is sure of one thing: '"rhe concept of user pay is definitely becoming more and more popular." - i n TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1986 \ x,� Enriched lives of people he met The funeral procession Icacc, Old St. Paul's Anrlirao Church ilontla3atterneon after ser- vices %were held lnr Bev. Canon John Davies. The church was nearls filled to capacity with friends and acquaintances paying their final resliecls Io the clergctnan. %SNjff yhofo h.t 'Fed Tmi n ) Family, friends, clergy pay final respects to Canon Davies a OW ROTHWELL of TM festieel-Raw" They came to Rev. John Davies's house Monday to pay their respects. The 'house' was Old St. Paul's Anglican Church, the parish he had called his own since 194H. The Dec. 24 death of Canon Davies moved many, and hundreds made a special point of attending his funeral service yesterday. There were members of the family, local dignitaries, fellow clergy and friends — in his 101 years he had made many. The service was led by the parish rector, Rev, Benjamin Burry, Bishop Derwyn Jones recited prayers for the 'departed and gave the blessing. Angus Mowat read from t Corinthians, 15, one of Canon Davies's favorite lessons., in eulogizing his confrere and friend, Bishop Morse Robinson recalled a chance meeting with Canon Davies on a freezing cold day 24 years ago at a parish in northern Saskatchewan. Bishop Robinson was enrolled with the Anglican Church of Canada's department of missions at the time and was undertaking an evaluation of the mission divi- sion of that western province. Entering the church, he encountered Rev. Davies, Taken v� aback, the bishop asked why he was there. Rev. Davies humbly replied: "they couldn't find anybody else to send," This was six years after he "retired" from his pastoral duties at Old St. Paul's. "This says something of the man," Bishop Robinson said in his homily. "He was a man of deep loyalty, a man of in- stinctive obedience. He was prepared to go anywhere he was able to serve." Canon Davies "had a quiet way of serving," Bishop Robinson said. "He had a quiet kind of listening concern of how he might be of help He had a love for his neighbor "and anommitment to the Lord his God," the bishop said. Those who met Canon Davies will recall "the sly little smile that crept across his face. He had a real sense of humor. He really enjoyed many aspects of life," said Bishop Robinson. "Truly he has been a marvelous example in our midst." Rev. Davies was bdrn in England in July 19&5, he came to Canada in 1909 and was ordained here. He served in five On tario parishes, including Old St, Paul's, from 1919 until his official retirement in 1956, but his first parish was in Dawson City in the Yukon, where he served for six years. commencing in 1913, lie maintained tics to the north, a part of the country he loved, through Project 60, a program designed to help uri live ministers serving in (hatnorthern frontier, Gifts to i',,:ject 60 may bemade in Rev. Davies' memory. Christmas was a little sadder in Woodstock this year with the death of Rev. Dr. John Davies. Canon Davies' death on Christmas eve, at age 101, marked the passing of one of this city's true servants, a friend to many. His life was marked with many achievements, but his proudest accomplishment was his service to all the com- munities he served with. He was born when Queen Victoria was in her glory, but he didn't remain in the Vic- torian era. Those who visited him found him talking with acute perception of the issues of the day, and he always marvelled at the ac- complishments of mankind which he had lived to observe. Until recently Canon Davies remained active at his parish, Old St. Paul's Anglican Church. He was a Rotarian, a member of the St. John Am- bulance, a Mason and a Shriner. He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, he had served as a chaplain to the Canadian Armed Forces from 1914 to 1919 and from 1926 to 1947. Canon Davies was active in community affairs in Woodstock since he came to this city in 1948, but he had a link with this community which stretched back the the First World War. During his Oust chaplaincy in Dawson City in the Yukon he met Klondike Joe Boyle, the adventurer and war hero who grew up in this town. In 1983 he officiated at a reinterment of Boyle at a Woodstock cemetery. Lured to the north from his home in England, Canon Davies maintained a connec- tion 'with the Yukon until the end of his life through Project 60, a project aimed at prepar- ing training of native clergy for the Yukon. Each of us is challenged to make good on our civic respon- sibilities, even if that means no more than casting a vote on election day. The call comes stronger to some than others. Canon Davies was one of those who heard the call and responded to it with great en- thusiasm. He had a good life, and the lives of many in this community have been enriched through their contact with him. • • TRYING TO UN -CROWD THE COURTHOUSE Warden wants to establish `space now intends to establish a committee to carry byAIISWf DOlMt11E out negotiations with the province. of US son"'1tevisfr County council also voted Wednesday to put a j The provincial government ap ptan to rent a house on the courthouse square to 1 pears t0 be serious in its quest for Family and until ill Services on the p� q backburner. Council will wait on that plan until more space at the Oxford County it is determined whether that space will be re - courthouse in Woodstock. quired for court officials or county personnel A meeting to discuss space ounty requirements was now located in the courthouse. held with government mand cofficials last Earlier this year, the attorney general's of - Friday and Oxford County Warden Helen Smith Tice requested more space in the courthouse i which 1s shared by court and county officials. County council chose not to act on the request until the province made a long term commit- ment regarding space. That was the topic of the meeting last Friday, the warden said, The details of the meeting were discussed during a closed session of coun- ty council yesterday — but the press was not. made privy to any further details. Those who attended the meeting included county clerk Harold Walls, chief engineer Don ' committee Pratt, fire prevention officer Ray F'atlowfietd, Lionel Sharpe from the attorney general's of- fice and a representative from government services. As a result of the meeting, the county's public works department will be preparing a report on what will be required to bring the courthouse up to fire safety standards, a concern of the Pro- vince, Pratt said. The warden expects a meeting will be held early in the new year to continue negMiationus over courthouse space. The committee she ap- C011nty's feisty engineer Pratt Handicapped access � ramp to be probed tee i answers .petition with snewords Theokintosouceso proks twmmifun- C will look into sources of provincial fun- � ding to build a handicapped access I those cases, the driver had been hold every driver's hand and do the ramp to the Oxford County Registry Office. 4 PAal foams - drinking. driving for him." _ of The AH...u.brN. "The elements at work to cause the Pratt told the committee that traffic The decision comes in response to a The stop signs at the intersection of difficulties, real and perceived," he lights would not be necessary at the in- letter from local lawyer James Hut- - County Road 6 and County Road 9 just said in the memo, "at this intersection, tersection and might be moreofa han- chinson who has multiple sclerosis and west of Beachville are adequate for are impatience, inattentiveness, in dicap than a help. recently broke his thigh. Hutchinson eq pa wrote in his letter that because of this "safe, sane, -sober and sensible tolerance and intoxication. All in all, Figures indicate that between 2,000 he has difficulty geeing into the drivers" according to a. memo from poor driving habits. and 3,000 vehicles. pars through the in- I registry office. county engineer Don Pratt. There is nothing that the road tersection on Road 6 on an average day i Don Pratt, county engineer, Pratt presented the memo at a recent department can do to combat these while approximately.6,000 pass on Road estimates the cost of building a ramp Oxford County Public Works Commit- things, nor should we be expected to 9. from the Graham Street sidewalk to the . tee meeting in response to a petition y- •— _ registry office at $17,000. To fulfill i from Beachvdle area residents. ; government standards, the ramp would I Pratt reviewed the 13 traffic in- - - ' 3` - have to be 4o feet long given a grade of i cidents reported at the intersection - - one inch per foot of rise and a 40 inch ' over the past five years and found the rise to the main floor of the registry. majority of the accidents did not relate Court, Eugene Mabee was concerned to a failure to see the signs. about spending $17,000 to improve ac- I Only two of the incidents related to a cess to the building when as far as the failure to see the signs and in one of committee was aware, only one person - - - -- - requires assistance. But committee chairman Ken Bullen said the figure didn't strike him as par- ticularly expensive for the necessary work. Coin. Nell Hostetler wondered if Hut- chinson could use the land registry in- formation computer located in the plan- ning department office. But a quick conference between Warden Helen Smith and deputy planning commis- sioner revealed that the computer may not contain all the information necessary for a lawyer's purposes. Smith also said a lawyer may need to be physically in the registry office to sign documents. It's not the space race, but ... Mr Altura aotrtat Of The 15"0118 hvin The space problem at the county courthouse will he tackled early in the new year by a special commit- tee appointed by Oxford's Warden Helen Smith. The eight -member committee will meet as soon as possible and hopefully will be able to reach a concen- sus on the future of the Woodstock building now shared by county administrators and provincial court officials. Smith said. The county owns the building and leases space to the province collecting around $170Aa1j a year in rent. Recently the province requested more space for court offices. Being hard- pressed for space as well county officials refused to even consider the request until the province made some sort of long term commitment regarding space at the courthouse. catAiifnT To Tssras n ptrt In choosing a committee to thrash out the Issue and come up with recommendations for county council. the warden appointed one representative from each municipality (a request of county council) in Oxford and ensured each standing committee of council was represented Members of the committee include Ed flown (Blandford-Blenheim Township), Jim Gibb (Zorra Township), Don McKay (East Zorra-Tavistock Townshipi, Jack Whitmore (Tillsonburg)), Marg Munnoch (Woodstock), Ernie Hardeman iSouth- West Oxford Township) and Doug Harris (Inger- soll).. Smith, who represents Norwich Township, will chair the committee. The heads of all county departments will be invited to the committee's first meeting to discuss their staff's space requirements. Followingg that it will be up to committee members to dart whether the county should move out of the building or ask the pro- vince to move. It seems inevitable that one or the other will eventually have to relocate, Smith said. If county staff makes the move, county council will then have to decide whether to build a new building and what to do with the courthouse - rent or sell it to the province, f xrlcf TOML KAM Dacus" —-- - Ilnpehrlly this committee cAn rani forth with a resolution for county council," Smith said. , I expect some healed discussion over the whole thing. There', a lot of different opinions. I have no idea which way it will go. "It's not a political decision, it has to be a business decision." The warden is certain some councillors want thv province to relocate, but she questions whether coup ly staff could fill all the space at the courthouse. Fin ding another tenant, requiring less space than the province, would be the only answer. Smith herself said she favors preserving the courthouse exactly the way it is today adding. "I know it won't be ease for the county to walk away from the building." "But, we have got to look at money. It has to be a goad business decision," she explain- v "�i� ad.' Hopefully by the end of January county council will �:, have decided what direction it r wants to take with the building Provincial officials expect to know the couuty's plans by the end fit .January. Smith points to carry out negotiations over short term and long term sae* will consist of eamtty =in- cillon and staff, The province has indicated its htdffsl space requirements would be filled if it was allowed to take over troth the warden's and county clerk's offices. But both county officials are a bit reluc- tant to give up their first floor offices. The coun- ty remains admamant it win not go for any Al, short-term agreement short-teragreement — preferring something in the long tern and more than a band -aid approach to the grapplings for space. Oxford's 125th warden pleased with events BY ALISON DOWNIE of The Sonfinel-Review Oxford's 125th warden, Helen Smith, was pleased with what the county achieved in her first year of office. In the history books of the future, 1986 will likely be noted as the year the county finally opened its central landfill site at Salford after 10 years in the making, when the landfill opened at the begnn rung of July, it was a big step as Oxford had struggled for years to establish the site. The biggest battle was with the Township of South-West Oxford whose residents and politicians didn't want garbage from the entire county dumped in their municipality, Now the landfill appears to be runn- ing efficiently although the volumes of garbage going into the site are much higher than anyone predicted. Smith 1 said that's a problem council will have to deal with in 1987. She will also be pushing council to begin looking for another landfill site to serve Oxford when the 20-year Salford site is full. While some might consider that idea Premature, the warden says past ex- perience has shown the amount of time and work that has to go into r establishing a landfill. The new $200 million OM/Suzuki Cami plant was announced In 1988 and while the county can't claim it had a big hand in convincing the companies to locate near the Town of Ingersoll, the decision "should benefit all of the coun- ty with spinoffs." Smith suggested. She expects the industrial growth will boost the population base. In 1986, the county added another gem to ifs ewels on the courthouse square in oodstnick. After spending over $2 million, the new board of health offices were opened in the former coun- ty jail in June. It took about a year to renovate the building which is now a showpiece. Smith admitted that six months later she's having second thoughts about the tenant of the building. With a push on for space in the courthouse, it looks like either county or court officials will have to move but Of the building they share within the next few years. in hindsight, Smith said perhaps county staff should have been relocated to the renovated jail. "1'm glad to see the building still there," Smith said. "I didn't want it to come down, but I think we have to ask ourselves if the administration of the county shouldn't be in there." Family and Children's Services of Oxford received funding for a children's mental health program in 1986 and in order to accommodate addi- tional staff for the program the depart- ment will likely require more space than it has in its but on the cour- thouse square. "The biggest thing facing ebunoit m the new year is lack of space, We're go. ing to have to deal with that." the warden said. ANOTHER FEATIIER .Another leather in the county's cap this year was put- ting the high-tech land related com puler information system into use County planners are now making the system available to all municipalities in the county. "It's just starting to Show benefits now." Smith said.kA "It's exciting and mind boggling the Smith things it can do." Oxford officials have received calls from all over Canada and the United States from municipalities interested in the system. . "I've enjoyed my first year. It's gone very smoothly," said Smith, who still has two years left as warden. '-Coun- cillors have been a big help to me and I hope that continues." a44 IN THE SPOTLIGHT The historic county courthouse and Santa Claus made nev,,� again in 1986. County councillors are trying to resolve a space shortage at the courthouse (left). The photo abbe shows some of the children who waited for Santa's arrival in Woodstock. A petition was started complaining about the fact a major parade was not held. is •