The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007 THE NEW TANNER 19 ROCKTONING 35 MINUTE WOMANS FITNESS Mon-Fri 7am-9pm Saturday 8am-12pm TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH Everyone is welcome to come for a tour of Rocktoning Fitness and enjoy some refreshments. Circuit training provides a one-stop total body exercise session, combining cardiovascular and strength training into a time efficient workout. OPEN HOUSE 160 MAIN ST.S. ROCKWOOD 519-856-4842 ROCKWOODThe Miller Council ChipsGuelph/ Eramosa by Rebecca Ring Whose bridge is it anyway? Ownership of the CN bridge on Eramosa Sixth Line is under dispute. Built in 1916, the bridge is now closed due to its unsafe condition. It was supposed to be turned over to Eramosa Township by CN following the satisfactory completion of work in 1992. Work was done in 94, but the Township has no written confi rmation on fi le that this work was completed satisfactorily. Guelph/Eramosa was denied government funding to repair the bridge as it is not owned by the municipality. Public Works Manager Ken Gagnon said CN has not been forthcoming with documentation, even with MP Mike Chongs assistance. His offi ce recommended that the township fi le a Request for Mediation with the Cana- dian Transport Agency, which it did in July with still no response. Council agreed to write to the federal Minister of Transport requesting immediate action. Sunpark Energy proposal supported in principle Council agreed, in principle, to donate the use of town- ship land behind the municipal offi ce for a solar panel park. Sunpark Energy approached council with the request, which, if implemented, would supply the town- ship offi ce with power and feed any surplus into the public grid. County and township planners determined that there are no zoning issues as it would be for public use. New snowplow for winter Council approved the purchase of a Viking-Cives In- ternational dump/sander/plow for $153,726 plus taxes from Waycon International in Guelph. It was the lowest bid received from the three vendors that responded to the advertised tender. In the 2007 budget, $145,000 was set aside to replace the old unit. The bid prices received by the deadline were all higher than that amount, due to upgraded specifi cations by Public Works Manager Ken Gagnon. The original price was based on a standard transmission, whereas an automatic would allow smoother operation for ploughing tight areas like subdivisions. The sander control was upgraded as well, to allow full integration into the GPS based vehicle tracking and data collection system. The additional $21,024 will come from the Roads Equipment Reserve. The old unit will be sold at auc- tion, with any proceeds going to Roads Miscellaneous Revenue. Experienced Business People from Rockwood, Acton, Guelph and sur- rounding area have formed an independent business networking group to help grow each others busi- nesses with business leads and improve business skills. The Business Network Group meets Thursday mornings at Buckys Caf in Rockwood at 7.30 am for networking and for support. Entrepreneurial members own their own business and are inter- ested in helping each other, expanding their business networks and meeting new people in the area with similar goals. A wine and cheese open house on September 27 at Rumours Furniture, Main Street, Rockwood from 6-8 pm is aimed at new members. In addition to wine and cheese, special features at the network- ing event include gourmet dips from All In A Basket, coffee from Supreme Cof- fee Service, and chocolate treats from the Village Sweet Shop. Space is lim- ited so RSVP by Sept. 19. For more information please call Sandra Lastovic at 519-763-3900 Ext. 1001 or 1-866-838-4366 or Mike Dawkins at 519-856-9470. Information is available online at www.info@busin essnetworkinggroup.ca Business group is formed Wellington OPP responded to a reported vehicle in the ditch on Guelph road 3 of Guelph-Eramosa Twp. at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7. Responding officers found a 2003 Toyota Co- rolla in the ditch and the driver had been drinking. A 53 year old Kitchener man has been charged with impaired driving and fail to provide a breath sample. He is scheduled to appear in Guelph court on October 15 to answer to the charges. Speeder of the Week On Thursday, Sept. 6, at about 12:45 a.m. Wellington OPP Constable Ron Smith was patrolling Wellington Road 124 near the Fourth line of Guelph-Eramosa, moni- toring traffi c. At this time the offi cer found a 1998 Chevy pickup truck travelling east- bound at a high rate of speed. A 20 year old Caledon man has been charged with speeding at 142-km/h in the posted 80-km/h zone. He is scheduled to appear in Guelph court on October 3 to answer to the charge. OPP Offi cers nab inebriated car driver By Rebecca Ring Im a little bewildered by the weather, but the joy still rings heartily, said Eden Mills Writers Festival found- er and author Leon Rooke, Im very pleased. Everyone worked so hard. There is a wonderful array of writers, many new, who are a delight as always. About 1300 people de- scended on the picturesque village of Eden Mills for its 19th Annual Writers Festival last Sunday to listen to more than 50 diverse authors read from their latest works. These include poetry, adult fi ction and non-fi ction, young adult and childrens literature. In addition to these read- ings , there was musi c throughout and magic shows in the Childrens Area. There was also an area dedicated to Aboriginal authors, called Adisokaun area, where six authors read, including Lee Maracle and Rene Andre Meshake. Contest winners, from across Canada and the USA, were announced and some read their submissions. Win- ners of the Ishar Singh Poetry Contest for students from grades one to 12 were Lydia Benian, Arianna Zimmer- man, Kate and Sarah Taylor, Jessica Gut, Jaya Wasteneys, Michael Pura, Nathalie To- maiuolo, Megan Brownlee, Anik Hazra, Stephanie J. Wilmott, and Rachael Kim. The theme was Earth Mat- ters. Fringe contest winners were Mike Freeman, Jane Garrett, Susie Petersiel Berg, Keri-Lyn Durant, Emily Pohl-Weary, Francis Chali- four, and Laura Langston. The Literary Contest win- ners were Leslie Vryenhoek, Moez Sirani, and Grace OConnell. Past winners have gone on to successful writing careers. Neil Smith won fi rst prize two years ago and is now an established au- thor, who read at this years festival. The central street in Eden Mills became Publishers Way, where about 45 pub- lishing companies, large and small, and self-published au- thors displayed their wares. PEN Canada was also there. It is an international organi- zation that fi ghts for freedom of expression. Every year, an empty chair is placed at each venue to honour a persecuted writer. This year, the empty chair was for Anna Polit- kovskaya, who was found shot to death in the elevator of her apartment building last October. She covered the war in Chechnya and claimed that Russian armed forces com- mitted human rights abuses there. She continued to write in the face of death threats. Many, including Russian hu- man rights observers, believe that her murder is linked to her work. Investigations are underway, which PEN Canada is monitoring. Rides for Readers was in full swing with 91 riders using the complementary bus service donated by Elliot Coach Lines and the festival. Festival Director Jane Hast- ings said the program helps to make the festival acces- sible to adults and children in need. Each received a food voucher, a hat, a book bag and books donated by publishers. The food court offered a variety of sweets and sa- vories. Vendors were Red Papaya, Bombay Caf Mapleton Organic Dairy, Robertos Italian Eatery, and Rockwoods Village Sweet Shop. Red Papaya, a Thai restaurant in Guelph, donated food to Rides for Readers and to the Wel- lington Rifl es Cadet Corps who volunteered to help park cars. They do a really great job organizing parking, which was really crazy before they started 11 years ago, said Hastings. Hastings was very pleased with how the day turned out, Authors truly enjoy read- ing in our backyards. It is intimate and personal, with authors meeting and min- gling with readers. Next year marks the festi- vals 20th anniversary, which Hastings hopes will include the likes of CBCs Shelagh Rogers as the Town Crier, authors who read at the very first festival, and Canadi- an heavy-weight, Michael Ondaatje. BRAVING THE RAIN: Rain didnt dampen spirits at the Eden Mills Writers Festival, as is shown by this crowd on Publishers Way, the main drag in the village. Rebecca Ring Photo Spirits high at Writers Festival despite drizzle