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Score lack of Information Dick Strong and area residents packed Rockwood town hall last Wednesday to form the Rock wood and Area Residents and Ratepayers Association and elect an executive They picked Richard Strong to head the nine man executive assisted by vice president Arthur Harris secretary treasurer John Clark and directors Bob Leslie Don Hilts Vincent Price Ray Ellis Anthony Kingscote and David Rowe Alms of the new organization are a To consider all subjects tending to promote the welfare of the community preserve and Improve its present eristics b To devise consider recommend and promote such legislative municipal and other measures as may be deemed wise and expedient In the Interest of the community c To assist in the en and carrying out of all ordinances and laws for the comfort safety health and prosperity of the community d To plan recommend and promote the adoption of such measures as will tend to beautify and Improve the community and add to its attractiveness o Generally to promote the good government of the Village and Township and particularly as It affects the community But the over riding theme of Wednesday organization meeting after a constitution was hammered out under the protern chairmanship of Toronto solicitor George Millar was Ihe water works and sewage system proposed for Not satisfied There was no doubt that the majority of those In attendance were not satisfied with the In formation on the proposals In the advertisements Issued under the name of the township of Too said some Others felt there was a serious lock of communication between the elected representatives and the ratepayers wood ratepayers We haven t got enough In formation to make an Intelligent decision on this they said Organizers of the ratepayers group which accepts residents from the area bounded by Highway on the north and township lines of Erin Naasagawoya and on the east south and west lively they were unable to see any plans of the proposed projects as was advertised in the Free Press TheygrilledMPP John Root who came to the meeting to ex plain the Ontario Water Resources Commission s plans for the area They pointed out the plans and estimates were not In Have you objections to the scheme newly elected president Dick Strong asked the crowd which stuck to business despite the oppressive heat Reassured he urged them to write the clerk of the township at once to register their protest Note paper pens and envelopes were suddenly supplied by the well organised group for all who asked Some objections were on their way before the three hour meeting was over Next meeting of the group will be held in the town hall tonight Wednesday FIRST PRESIDENT of the and Area Ratepayers Association Is Richard Strong who lives on Main St In the village Resident of Rockwood for three years Mr Strong Is chairman of the faculty of landscape architecture at the University of Toronto Ninety Sixth Year No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY SECOND SECTION Grill John Root at meeting I in Wellington Dufferln M P P John Root an unflappable politician who also Is vice- strode into his own riding Wednesday to swap Information with ratepayers about the proposed new waterworks and sewerage system He fielded some penetrating questions about the two projects proposed by the Ontario Water Resources but Mr Root also hod his turn at bat In front of the Jampacked town hall where ratepayers had Just finished founding a ratepayers association Mr Root reviewed the history of the two projects back to when samples of 140 wells In Rockwood showed to be either doubtful or unsatisfactory The survey also showed some sewage seepage going into the water at that time He traced the ensuing action after the county health unit was asked to assist In the survey up to a public hearing held in January 1969 Dae processes The proposed projects have gone through all the due processes and the village trustees decided to go ahead with it The bylaw to allow con structlon has had two readings Before the third and final reading It Is sent to the Ontario Municipal Board which decides on the basis of the objections received whether another public hearing will be held to hear objections Mr Root said was a high cost area for the Installation of underground projects because of rocks Estimated cost for both projects would be si Total assistance from both the federal and provincial govern would be approximately BS2 and the balance would be liquidated over years The federal government supplied assistance of from at per cent and of this would be forgiven if the project was completed In the time set aside for this type of financing The province financed the balance through the C at a rate of nine per cent More a ill stance In addition a provincial capital grant program to assist municipalities like would pay per cent of cost of the sewerage system amounting to 401 Assistance for waterworks amounted to an estimated based on per cent of the cost The federal forgiveness would come off the 852 Questioned whether the two projects could not be done in stages the O W R chairman pointed out that village trustees felt it would be unwise to tear up the village streets twice so they proposed doing the Job all at once He also pointed out that once waterworks were Installed there was more water used He said rates were set up so pensioners could afford services and the rate was adjusted every five years Most towns went for water first but Grand Valley because of a pollution problem opted for sewers Tertiary plant The proposed plant a tertiary three stage would be one of the most modem in the province Treatment of sewage would be superior to the Guelph system There would be no solids or raw sewage dumped into the river Why spend to by pass the Conservation Area and dump effluent Into Eden Mills Mr Root said that would be a good question for the hearing if the decides one is necessary Asked by Lloyd Chandler if the plant would remove nitrates from the sewage Mr Root admitted there was no method known at the present ttlme which would remove them Well it s time engineers came up with something different than the Romans did years ago complained one ratepayer Why do they have to dump into the river It Is not your river not my river but OUR river he told the audience to loud applause The vicechairman also told the crowd that services in front of a ii vacant lot increased the lot s value so there was a frontage charge for installation One lady said this new proposal had caught her family with two Why she asked should she pay for someone else to benefit The OWRC Is working on research to improve the feeding of algae by nitrates said Mr Root but so far there has been no solution Earlier ratepayers heard the solicitor George Miliar sum arize some of the questions they would like answered in eluding how many wells arc polluted Is It a minor or epidemic problem Hove all tho alternatives been considered Why were they rejected Inflation factor He agreed that the longer the project was delayed the greater the cost factor because of in but he scored what he called the lack of Information available for ratepayers There seemed to be general agreement among the large number present that the ratepayers association would be a good vehicle to guard the peoples Interests In the water works and sewage system projects but there were some dissenting voices I m afraid they will try to compete with the village trustees said ratepayer Sandy Hudson He felt the trustees were elected to do the job and if people were unhappy with them they could change the slate at the next election Next meeting of the ratepayers group is tonight and It is quite likely they II be demanding further answers on the controversial issue September is Fair month AND Mr and Mrs A Beck from Cleveland Ohio and Miss Daisy Islip from Toronto visited for a few days with Mrs Jim Oakes and Mrs Kathleen Rhodes of Lou Hilts and daughter Marie also Mr and Mrs Don Hilts and daughter Doona and Miss May of Guelph attended the funeral of their cousin Mrs Affleck Friday In Windsor Ontario Sept Sept 7 Gait Sept 12 Sept 12 Sept 12 Drayton Sept 14 Mount tore Sept 15 Arthur Sept ACTON Sept 1819 Brampton Sept 1B19 Sept 19 Fergus Sept 19 MILTON Sept 252G rand Valley Sept GEORGETOWN Oct ERIN Oct 10 12 Rockwood bows to Merlin but edges Norval 10 Merlin whitewashed Rockwood Seniors 70 In Merlin Sunday night In the first game of their C playoff series Silent bats and shoddy defensive work accounted for poor showing In spite of the loss coach Dick is confident his squad can even the series when it returns to this Saturday night at Sunday hex We veonly won one game on a Sunday in nine years but we II have to improve our defensive play coach commented Chick Milne and Bill Ward collected the only two Rockwood hits in the game Merlin Is located about miles west of Chatham Edge Norval Harry Barber and Jim That hits were the sole Rock wood safeties in win over Norval that tied up the Tri county league final series at one game each Thursday night John Salmon fired a neat one hitter to gain the win for Rock Third game of the series was played last night Tuesday in Glen Williams and the fourth is slated for Friday Aex McPhedran first Results of the oat competition sponsored by the Acton Agricultural Society were released by Judge S Cock burn this past week Listed In the order of standing and the variety of oats entered in the competition are the following First Alex McPhedran R Rockwood Harmon with an estimated yield of over loo bushels to the acre Duncan McPhedran R Harmon Calvin Altken 3 Acton Rodney Norman Harris Rock wood Rodney Smith Griffin G Sons R Rockwood Rodney Frank FOR ALL YOUR BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES VISIT PEARLS Variety Store 167 MAIN ST S ROCKWOOD Two days after the widely proclaimed Women Liberation Day Mrs Gordon chained herself to the Eramosa township halt It was a symbolic protest against the alleged polluting of the River by the proposed Rockwood water pollution control plant III do almost anything to prevent the dumping of sewage into the river said the attractive mother of two Residents of either applauded Mrs Gor don stand or looked askance at what they call another stunt by a handful of residents living along the river who oppose dumping treated effluent into the stream Have treasure We haw a treasure here and we fight to keep It Mrs Gordon said She maintained itwas time theengineersof the Ontario Water Resources Commission investigated feasible alternatives to present treatment plants Mrs Gordon also took issue with the effectiveness of treatment In a tertiary system which is being touted as the She said effluent would be high In nitrate which In turn would cause algae to grow which in its turn would make It difficult for fish to survive Mrs Gordon became interested In ecology after editing Anthony Kingscote notes and the subject of pollution control Is one that receives almost daily airing in the Gordon home The Gordons live south of 7 Highway on the western outskirts of Rockwood The River runs through their property The proposed outlet for the water pollution control plant only about feet upstream from their home Mrs Gordon stoutly maintains the river is too shallow to carry the flow from the sewage plant She fears their section of the will become polluted Thought of chains Her concern over the proposed plant reached the stage where she thought of chaining herself to the township hall as a means of bringing attention to the alleged problem Several neighbors along the river offered encouragement Friday afternoon the deed was done to the click of camera and delighted grins on the faces of the press Mrs Gordon has support for her views as well as op position but the controversy rocking has so many faces it would be difficult for an outsider to understand problems without being part of them There seems to be genuine concern by a large number of residents over what they consider to be the high cost of in stalling both water and sewers There is also much concern about the reasons for running the outlet from the proposed sewage plant to bypass the Conservation Park Save Money the effluent out of the plant is so clean asked one ratepayer then why can we nave the money estimated by letting the pipe dump its contents into the above the Conservation Park We have to have more facts about this before we can make an intelligent decision said ratepayer Ray Ellis one of nine Rockwood and area residents elected to the new ratepayers association at the founding meeting last Wed It is the lack of knowledge that is burning up Eden Mills peoplelike Norm Thomas Chandler They contend it is a matter of pork barrel politics intended to win votes When it hits people s that s when you start to get action noted Ray Ellis Besides we think the people should have a voice In this It la our money they are ding John Clark another township downstream river resident says the group which spearheaded the ratepayers association hos been working quietly for the last 18 months try ng to get information about the proposed plant He said the group has been continually frustrated by the lack of In formation available Sketches and plans for the projects were not available at the township offices as advertised Plan In Eramosa township clerk Lloyd HintQey admitted that he had no plans to show interested ratepayers because they were at the village offices I sent them down there thinking they would be more convenient for those who wanted to sec them he told The Free Press However Mr told the Free Press he asked for another set of plans and sketches from the and expected them to arrive Tuesday They can be inspected at the township offices hen he said Although there are many other reasons for the reluc tance to go ahead with sewers and water cost seems to be the mam objection voiced by residents of especially those who have lived there for years Some residents interviewed by The Free Press said they feared those on fixed Incomes would have difficulty meeting the extra money it would take to hook up and use the waterworks and water pollution control plant They felt however that there was a need for both systems Bypa is unnecessary They were also concerned about the conservation park by pass They felt conservation authorities should bear all or some of the cost of this since taxpayers of the village would not benefit If the water is pure when it is pumped out of the sewage plant said one why t they put it Into the river upstream and save the taxpayers some money The controversy continues making a public hearing before the O imperative Anthony 1 Wallace It It 2 Acton Ken Murray R 1 Acton Rodney Harold Acton Kclsey Sell senior citizen apartments housing Corporation has purchased 17 small senior citizen developments including one in Erin from Twin Pines Apartments Limited of Weston An off shoot of the Ontario cooperative movement Twin Pines enured the limited dividend housing Held In a social service capacity building the senior citizen housing on a profit basis with local groups and the municipalities in which they arc located Rising costs made it difficult to maintain rents at a level tenants could afford to pay and the decision was made to sell to the If C The unit developments which provide for a total of bachelor and one bedroom units in the 17 municipalities were sold for US O If also assumed 1 in mortgages which arc outstanding Guelph not geared for aged Accord ng to an article in newspaper Is a poor city in which to grow old Reasons Because there is not a lot to do when you re retired and over And unless you find your own recreation there are few others who will help There arc two senior citizen clubs in the city but their main con is weekly card sessions musical entertainment with a few thrown in St Joseph Home for the Aged and The Elliott offer various activities for residents but private nursing homes have little to offer In the way of recreation But for those who live in their own homes or in rooms senior citizen units or apartments there is little to do and all kinds of time to do it in For the most part the article comments growing old in Guelph does not offer the opportunity most people believe will come their way when they retire and grow old but for a good cause says Gordon who protests the proposed dumping of effluent Into the River Save my river she pleaded as reporters clamored for interviews Staff Photo