gym 125 ETSWY 4vr Sees need for some changes Warden values County council By RICHARD TIIUMAS Of The Examiner At 10 am on the second Tuesday of each month Bill Gibbins Warden of Simcoe County marches promptly into the countys council chambers Resplendent in the black robes which symbolize his of fice an 18th century style tiri cornered hat covering his close ly cropped red hair the burly sixfooter walks quietly to the dais Turning he removes the hat and addresses the represen tatives from the countys 33 municipalities who stand silent ly before him Good morning council he says in deep but softspoken voice Good morning Your Wor ship say 54 councillors in unison To the observer the scene is reminiscent of headmaster entering classroom in an English boys school but in Simcoc County politics as well as farming is steeped in tradi tion And Hill libbins as both farmer and poljtician is man who thijlktt it is worth preserving Ihe ritual and vestmcnts add dignity and decorum to the council chambers he says would hate to see it disap pear he says later offduty in hislmtflcsthofficc clad in sports jacket and tie IIANIiIC IIN FAST We are often too quick in changing things for the sake of changing Bill Gibbins ByTERRY FIELD The Examiner After 17 years as trustee Midlands John McCullough says he sees his last days with the Simcoe County Board of Education ap proaching He did not say when those days would an nve Perhaps it is time to let someone else make their views known he muses Being trustee is very satisfying The rewards and ac complishments fora school board trustee are intangibles and remain hard to measure hesays You can achieve sense of accomplishment through changes in the system You get satisfaction from finding with problems and trying to resolve those concerns They are politicians Mc Cullough says of trustees but they are not motivated by politics Its concern for society that attracts trusteea lot of people dont realize the sacrifices trustee makes He got his start with the elementary school in Midland in the midsixties and joined the countys board during its first year 1969 McCullough served as chairman of the board during its first two years and has just finished stint as presi dent of the Ontario Public Slmcoe Warden honored County traditions respects time Warden Gibbins your school board sense of accomplishment is John McCulloughs reward Schools Irustees tion Married and the father of three Mcullough is KVR Televisions retails sales supervisor dont take any great satisfaction in saying had part in budget that remain ed static or only went up by six per cent would hope my contribution would be more human contribution and more farreaching than the nuts and bolts of finance IDENTIFY TRENDS McCullough says that if the process of education is to re main valuable to the society trustees must be able to iden tify trends and changing values The board members have to be finely tuned to changes ttheyi cant brush ideas aside lightly but must look at them objec tively An example perhaps is the question surrounding the French language high school facility for Penetanguishene McCullough says he supports the attaching of an annex to the existing high school as Assoctar opposed to constructing separate building as compromise The reality of the situation is as McCullough sees it that the French community has valid concern but the numbers are not sufficient to justify another school 7ltAllIIlilSl however foresees day when size of council will be reduced Examiner Photo John McCullough Midland area Examiner Photo TIMBER Lumbering life tough but fulfilling IIy BRIAN BAKER For Austin school board trustee for off many buslilots throughout Simcoe Tounty black However the Stiycarhld warden is not one to stand in the way of improvements If see way where things can be streamlined Ill certain ly try to change them One aspect of streamlining county government which Warden libbins is keenly con cerned over is the planning committees current rccom mendntion to reduce the numb her of councillors from TH to tilt certainly dont tccl thcri designated it could rcassume from the province such privileges as rezoning land determining policies on sub divisions and hiivc more say on such issues as major transportation routes through the county the future of the Niagara Escarpment and the preservation of Lake Simcoc from pollution points out Warden lilibiiis lo someone who is also ltccvc of Innisfil township and has to be 54 members The longtime resident there councils day today business how been libbinscs in the could he done with less tow nship since tt£lti thc prescr He says most of thc vation ol Iiake Simcoc is municipalities ang numbers should be cut down but many are saying dont tiikc away our deputy rccvi The cuts would intan the loss of deputy room on county council for lli ol lllt municipalities The proposal would also change lllI basis ot rcpicuciitii tion to ii ttllllillltltiill ot tot population and oipmlicd assessment lltilit lltl lllittlll representation himt on do Silt of lllt clcctorzitt ltl itndcistandalily key issue We have got to pick out our priorittcs it we want to main tain it as rccicationzil lake hesays llic population around it has got to bo controllcd and dont think the major industries should become establishul in the basin We buy to bc very selective as to lllt ty pcs ot industry coin mg lllltl tlll arca liilcss ltnriicandtirilliu ttill trol dcclopmeni their sewage will have to be taken to HIIISlliltli tlcorgian llay says Warden thi piopomd my lltl tlibbiic ytirdcii llll to tl up it it wcziic going tohiivc inii standard which wouit its ntoic lair in lllli ot to the largii toittiiliiiiiit lllltllltlliililli aili liiiJlici isscssnicnt illllljititillittlltll lhc rcamn wily llttlltt and trillia broke lt tioni thr county was tlii tci that tiny lltl lliit litt ittitnl plttiili tioiioncoliiicil cpicwtiluinii ltt sit ioi tliytltitillrdtl tlicn iiiziybc it lltilllll tu lit the tolliiigwood and lidlantliiiwnis ltll£l llli ltl Likc most county politicians in Siiiicoc oimty scratch llill lillllllh and underneath youll iiiid tarniir at heart Ilc has been tarming iii In lllgtlil loyiiisliip since he return llic jiltititlll not tl if ttl with lll tathci iroiii Saskiit tempt to toicc fiic iiiiflci clicyygiiiiiilttli llllllltt tpiitic wztti Ic lll tntlici was born in tlic represciitatioti to jtittl liiltt ltilllll but went west to nor thc ttrt stcp townrtl lionicstinidinltttitidicsays regional govciniiiciii lltt llttl to how one of thc Warchtiibliiiia lllltl hcrds ot lciscy cows in llc say pcoplc it inimc tcatchiiisiiyswithahintot ounly huyc rcgioiiul Ligrics ll in mint tciii ititittt tt iiiit lililk ioyciiiiiwiat pi lll irdcn tibbiiis still iarms it icrm tll llll township but tak turthcraxuiylioiiitlo iiicpl iiottici pagc out ot his It soiticont ii ttc tillll lnxik llt iiitticd the municipality now iii it pro world ot municipal politics in lilciit it no tioulil to tit is lcgtil ltlitllllllltltlltl to pick up lllt plaxiic and tall lint Iltt£ll£ttll tliciicoiiiicillur lnmiy llt tttllllt tl ltiit in lllttI viitoi itil toniptdinicnt in iiiiiiil lll lltllllltlltitt otii iimic itlt nd unitA am ic llciiliiiidiiiipcisoiial lit1 toiitplisliing uniotinnp not llowcyci in lllll pic ii twin Sillillltl Milli tltiillil ll tax in lllt world oi lttlllilt ipnl llttltiliiiik tiiIiitls iiiiiikiiil iiiiltiw of unitilgtinigitioii in ltllii or services tor llttllthli ltttit laidcntiibliins say It must tw ciy bani siimll Illllllltllillllt with low asstssnicnt to keep up with sliih costs for llltlll tlllllili truck is llltlltil Mpciiihtiiic Another ispcci ot sticiiiiliii lllL llic utility opttuition llii waidcn would like to wc iichiiwiiig tlic lltlltitlitilt til leiniiingiirtLi We should lllt plan tlicii itw licsiys ll Sinicot itll iii ottm no tltilllil iliciit toiiim wit your tinic not yoiii ow ii iy Wiirdcn lilibins whc thiiikaii of calling it lllll itci iiioictimn1iyciigt it going to bc diiticiilt tltcicx no tlolllit iliotll ti iilll whnt ttilltiltllh lltt inst what lll do hcyays with siiiilc liii to do somctlimg cant sit tltilllttl with lll ltll up litit with the tttltlltltlltt to in llttlttl ltl minioni who hic liitlt lllllllll lHilli tziiiioi iol litillllldli llt mill tllt mi wiiictbiin wil tiitn up who the lllllt tllllll Frank Miller speaker at Georgian Members of Li ltl isoiy coin mtttccs of ltilflliill tollttit will inch todisihss llltll iolc ill the iiiiplcmcntiitliiii oi iolliti programs during an ttltil forum May it at the illllNtIDtll pus it Norm Williams cliiiriiiin ot the ouiicil ot ltcgcnts tiic governing body oftiiitiii ios oiiiiiiunity tollcgcs will llil dress the gathcrtni giyiiii those present an outline on how the council views the mic of tlic advisory committccs meeting tiltllitllil said the purposi ot tlic day long event to sticiiithcti the link between the collcitc and the industrial com tittiiiity iiid to increase the cttcctiyciicsr ot tiic advisory ctiiiiiiiittic well ll will scrvc as tlttllt by which to bring togethcr the advisory commit lcc iiicmbcis the oiincil ot lftttlll and the Management toiiiiiiiitii ol the ollcgc llt thltlttl Discussion gioiip iiid liinl liiicr iiitiirio workshops will tllilltll ticiisiirci will address the members to dicuss iiiiiitciu giitiiciini billowing an evening relatingtoiolligcprogitiiiw loii liord ltillittl co cliciry hrd and sot thc lltt was making an inch of diniicr About goopcoplcarccx pcctcd lttillltlltl thc forum Jack Downey Vespra farmer holds handful of the silt that causes pro blems for landowners along Willow Creek south of Mineslng Tons of sand washed down the river each spring raised the level of the land and caused floodwaters to fan out draining into nearby municipal drain Formers fields cannot drain properly because the ditch is filled with floodwater Authorities are planning to clean out the creeks old channel to allow water to flow through the area Examiner Photo Farm acreage lost to Willow Creek IIy SIICIIIICV NIIIIUIJS if The Illlllllltl Vespra lownship farmers hoc to recover lost acreage by having three miles of Willow rcck rc channellcil into the path it flowed lo years ago Silt ladcn water that dumped tons of sand in an area about two miles south of Minesng over the years clogged the crcck turning the area into swamp lhc Nottawasagti Valley on servation Authority now awaiting ministry of natural rcsoiirccs approval of plans to open thc siltedin channel and allow surrounding faiiiiland to drain properly lariiicr say the problem started with the heavy rains of llttrricanc lliicl tn the 1950s litiring that storm water nishcd down the swollen creek eroding banks and washing soil downstream IiICIIiSIIIII Sll TI The area south of Mincsing is flat and the current slowed thcrc depositing silt which in turn raised the level of the land In the following years silt deposits became so heavy the south part of the river filled in Now when spring floodwatcr enters the area it flows into the nearby Swalcy municipal drain that empties into the Muskrat Marsh lack liowiicyi local farmer sid the drum was not meant to hold that extra water The floodw atcr stays in the drain all year and the adjacent fields cannot drain properly This Ausfln Bowman lifetime timberman shows what happens when tree is left and not harvested This once fine hemlock has rotted out Examiner photo by Brian Baker llowman originally of Stroud lumbering and sawmilling has been lifetime occupation He has been in this business since 17 and is one of the last full time lumbermcn in this part of thccountry Although the bulk of the logs he cuts are sold directly to big commercial saw mills he has his own saw mill at Craighurst He designed the sawmill himself to make it almost fully automatic His son Handy has recently joined him in the business as partner Handy hopes to attend lumber college in Memphis Iennesscc This business is different because the whole family is iti volved including my wife remarks mr Bowman We have purchased 700 acres of luniberland in Northern ir tario and locally we lumber This isnt something you get rich at overnight There is lot of hard work and expense It is just one way to make living We do it becaue we like the lifestylcandoutdoorlife FIJASI litllt IIIIIII Being close to nature is what lumbbering is about Deer follow tree cutting operations in winter feasting on buds and twigs of maple oak and other hardwoixls This winter Itandy spotted brush wolf iften they come across raccoon tree Squir rcls red and black are com man The largest trees they how come across were in Minising swamp red maples loofeet high and with tmnk diameters up to five feet The niosl common species of trees they cut include white pine cedar fir hemlock ash maple oak silvcr biicli bccch anti some basswotxl llltick cherry is priid by the furniture making industry Birch is in demand ltil Jllltlt paddles ink and maple are preferred ltil cncciiiiii and flooring so lltllttll llfxtil largely for boarding and con Slllltlltllllll ltlllllitl tasswtmd is in demand for cabinet and cupboard work At one of their present log ing operation sitc at llolly Mr llownian showed what happens when timber harvesting is delayed too long lhicc it four huge basswood trccs had already fallen down if deteriorated to the point where nothing could be salvaged Another large hemlock had become weak and broken oil CALCULATE AIlII Across thc stump of one hemlock we counted hill in nualar rings lty the age ol 5o cross sectional growth in three years Near the century mark this growth rate was less than one inch in years The op tiniiim timc for harvesting this lltt said Mr Bowman would hacbetiiioycarsinto Most trccs begin to llt it between ill and too years says Mr llowmaii It is false con scrvation practice not to harvest ticcs when they are ready llc believes that limbs and branches liom cut trccs should be tctt to rot into humus to enrich the soil and not be lillllt ed to make it took tidy He has seen evidence to show that old trees often spread disease toyoung healthy trecs lrccs are our greatest natural renewable resource says Mr llowman Our country cannot afford to let tree products go to wash any longer means many acres that were once used for growing crops or graying cattle are now under water much of the year or the smil is too wet to be used inc farmer Gilbert Haight said hes lost 50 acres because of the drainage problems The creek has no outlet We cant grow anything on it tland near creek It used to be used for growing grain and hay said Haight Were getting nothing off it now Itsjust dead land but theyre still collecting taxes IIiv TO llen Price conservation authority resources manager said the authority plans to dig out the old channel from where the Willow reek now cuts across to the municipal drain to where the Black Creek meets the Willow Creek further downstream three milc channel about 60 to tilt feet wide would be dug by the authority if plans are ap proved stream bottom 20 feet wide would have specially sloped banks designed to reduce bank erosion They would be shaped to extend five feet outward for every one foot in elevation Gradually sloped banks would not be eroded away as easily said Price and vegeta tioii that might be able to grow there would help hold soil together Landfill material would be pilcd ontlie north side of the stream This would serVe as dike preventing flooding of ad jacent fields except during very havy spring floods lSEI AS ROAD Piled material would tic thtl as an access road by authority workan to bring in iiiiiciiinciy for maintenance of the stream Once ministry approval is given the authority must seek land easements along the stream front landowners iio perty holders would be asked to sign permission for authority officials to use the access way for future nlalllltlltllltt work said Price At an estimated ltilztl out it $40000 the project would pro bably be completed in stage he said nly $20000 has lttll allocated this year so only the first stage may be done in NW Vespra Township would piy per cent of the cost The rcs would be paid by the authority with Ontario grant assistance Farmrs have been complain ing about the year round floating for years but no government body wanted to take any action Price said funding was not easily availble for llllts type of project Officials also hid to be sure the problem was annual not just restricted to one or two wet years Hopefully this will mean substantial amount of agricultural and that has been lost in the last 1t years to lengthy flooding will now be flooded less frequcnty and will be flooded for lesser period said Price Mrs John Tribee of Barrie correctly Identified last weeks entry in the Know Your County Contest as the Swan Shop in Craighurst and wins two steaks courtesy of and Super Discount in Barrie Angus or Alliston if you know the answer to this weeks entry send your name and address and telephone number along with your entry to Know Your County Contest The Examiner Box 370 Barrie L4M 4T6 Winners are selected by random draw of all correct answers and will be notified by mail