the HERALD Home Newspaper of Halton Hills Established 1 866 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1984 Musical legend Ralph chosen top citizen By CHRIS AAGAAJID Herald Staff Writer The man behind many of George town a best musical memories has been named the 1983 Citizen of the Year by the community s Lions Club i Ralph nominees for I the honor will be at a dinner dance Feb Selection committee Ron said Mr was nominated in two letters received by the Lions Club after it advertised for top citizen suggestions Dec Sixty nine people endorsed Mr nomination as a candidate Tor I of Year A native of Stonewall Manitoba about 32 kilometers northwest or Winnipeg Mr came to George lown via Toronto In The minstrel ventures were Uriel for fun Mr Ursel recalled one of the shows was performed with a cast of 60 to an audience of 12 On another occasion a member of the Scarborough Optimists invited the cast to a small parly following a show We pulled up in a large Bums transport truck and GO people on a small bungalow In Scar borough he said 1 never forget the look on the hosts laces MINSTREL SHOWS The minstrel shows were followed I by a series of Pantomimes which were performed annually from 1964 to 1966 and the first Globe Productions also evolved at about the tame lime produc ng hits as Rainbow and My Pair Lady Sprinkled liberally in between Staff report on Stevens property eI li familiar face to those Involved I was always interested In the piano the 64year old Citizen or the Year told The Herald but Thursday I started when I was seven and then like many kids I quit when I was If I never really touched It until I came to Georgetown CREDITS Stretching almost 30 years his list of musical accomplishments and con tribu lions In the community to almost Hess While more recent residents to Georgetown may be familiar with his work in Georgetown and District High School musicals and the new Globe Production Anything Goes production of 1981 long time residents recall Mr Ursel as man behind the Ivories In the old Globe a series of pantomimes in the late 1960s and the Rotary Club minstrel shows a few earlier He helped launch the new George town Choral Society in and joined John Roe In to get a local arts council off the ground Mr was Instrumental excuse the pun In bringing musical productions back to Georgetown High In the early 1970s He would sometimes Juggle as many as three productions a year For many residents In Brampton and Georgetown Rehearsal With was a catch phrase which helped them plan their week MUSICAL TOWN Georgetown has always been very musical Mr said We Enid children Lee and came here when the town was starting to grow There were a lot of new people looking for something to do for an outlet to be like stage music A Rotary Club member since Mr of the memorable minstrel shows the dub used to perform locally and on the road in the early sixties these accomplishments which found him spending hours behind the piano or writing and adapting scores are productions with the Brampton Music Society the Kodak Theatre Group and rollicking musical Interlude called Operations with the Georgetown and District Memorial Hospital in For years Mr Ursel commuted back and forth between Toronto and Georgetown as a chemist with CIL In he joined the staff of Georgetown High While he is largely involved with the schools music program with muslcianemeritusHerry Hamilton he continues to teach the odd science program High school musicals returned In with GDHSs production of Anything Goes COACHED He has musically directed prodd and encouraged students through others The Boyfriend Godspell Little Mary Sunshine L Abncr How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Bye Bye Birdie Oliver My Fair Lady Anne of Green Gables and most recently Grease In the late 1970s Mr was involved with Ihe Arts Plus committee and later a building advisory commit tee an advisory body to Ihe building committee which planned the library cultural centre in Georgetown It opened In the fall 1931 There are special rewards in seeing the participants of those productions involved in larger more ambitious projects Mr said recalling the contributions of former students Archer and Jack Tickets for Lions Club tribute to Mr are per person Ticket Inquiries can be made by calling or The Citizen of Year dinner dance will be held Feb at the Lions Hall behind Georgetown Memorial Arena Pope ignored debate Sheldon says Nothing has chang Sheldon said referring to the pro vince stance on aggre gates The town general committee Monday agreed to have the aggregates task force and staff review the policies which a de signed to ensure that the province has a consist supply of grave for future conatructlon need Last year councillors argued that previous policies would restrict land uses In many areas of region because of the need for unhamper access to gravel aggregates Issue was a hotly debated item when natural resources minister Alan Pope visited Acton In April They came to Acton listened and then simply Ignored everything Ibat said Coun Shclii on commented A letter from the Foundation for Aggre gate Studies watch dog agency which has focused on demand for grovel says the new policies continue to put dial concerns ahead of those or individual municipalities The policies the Foundation maintains In a Jon letter fall Continued on page A3 Refutes citizens group lion of Stevens properly purchase The town general com ml I lot endorsed the staff committee report Mr Elliott said he was naturally that will ahead with the lund pure has e The Maple Avenue site was chosen over several others during act search which stretched over year and a hair In a presentation last September then mayor Peter Pomcro explain ed that while town hopes to build a town hall on thL property in the future the excess land could bo sold off for development purposes Revenues from Ihe sale would be used to offset the cost of the centre The staffcommittee report countered sever comments made In the citizens group sub mission The report says that council was aware of the properly search process either through members of the building committee or Council has not committed itself to the development of the report stresses nor has it committed Itself to vicing Ihe land with sewer That a reg responsibility the report comments and would have to be appro by regional council It also said that lot Icvic may be used to pay for larger projects beyond the essential services required for new residential commercial and atrial development CUIUS Herald Stuff Writer A town general committee response to a report submitted by the Slovens property group nnintalns the town done noth wrong in purchas inf the acre site off Georgetown Maple Avtnue by withdrawing from the agreement now Hit town risks cosily legal lions the report pre Rented to Monday night general commit tee report concludes In a Jan tion the citizens group delivered a detailed report on the process which led council to buy the land for last fall The report suggested that in buying the land for development pur poses the town was acting outside the accorded to It under the province Municipal Act On that basis the report recommended that the town repeal the bylaw which led to the property purchase under on agreement which closes at the end of March Citizens group chair man Norm Elliott said following the re port he wasn surprised with the town s conclusions OPTIONS We re pleased to get wrltlen response to our submission Mr Elliott old reporters during a recess Monday night The group will meet shortly to decide where we go from here Ho dec nod to say what options group has to its Ambulances collide while responding to car crash Two ambulances responding to an accident on Trafalgar Road near Sideroad 15 Saturday at 15 p collided with each other and another vehicle with four passengers There were no serious injuries although ambulance driver Brian May of Hillsburgh suffered minimal injuries The first ambulance was southbound on Trafalgar Road and attempting to slow down struck the rear of the second ambulance which was moved off the road The first ambulance then struck the rear left of a 1960 Chevrolet being driven by a 29year old Georgetown woman No charges were laid by regional police It was snowing and road conditions were slushy police reported The original accident to which the were responding involved a 1977 and 1977 which collided just seven minutes earlier causing minor Injuries to Wilfred of Hamilton and belle Pugh also of Hamilton Both were taken to hospital by ambulance where they were treated and released The first vehicle was northbound on Trafalgar Road Beginning to slow down Tor traffic ahead the driver slid Into an oncoming vehicle In the southbound lane There was damage No charges were laid Sports editor wins best column award Herald sports editor Gerry Timbers was honored by Ontario Community Newspaper Association last week In the premier awards category ills sports column were to be best out of all the submissions Tor Mr Timbers has been with The Herald since 1j Before coming to George town he worked as a reporter with now defunct Milton Trl and the Brampton Dally Times Mr Timbers was judged on three columns a minor hockey dispute luvolv lug young bay play Ingaway from home The vis concerned thai the consultant the relied on for much of its land search A alto turned up as the for the Slovens estate in the properly sale with the town But the town says council aware f Mr mvot the Stevens s w sought appraisal i pert 6 y 1 1 town addition pro I worth in Janua and bad the terms of reference the wn not the property agent the report While the citizens group argues that may have paid too much for the property the report snj the town paid a fair price for the A number of points remain to be looked at by council in the future the report says If decides to use the land for an administrative property it will have to determine how to dis pose of he rest of the property how It will rjise money for the and how to lime the project An Alliston driver was unhurt Thursday after and truck slipped backwards across noon when the gravel truck he was driving went southbound lane went through the guardrail and through a guardrail on 17 east of the rolled down a steep Incline on the other side The dam The as bound truck was climbing truck was carrying a load of travel he steep hill beyond dam he air breaks filled Herald photo Plummets down Glen hill driver unhurt A 196a dump truck its side and while gome II being driven by a man The year old driver began to change gears from Thursday of the truck t The truck slowed down at had trouble injured was nd the air brakes gave with the uphill grade on estimated out nj the vehicle River Drive at Maple regional police to roll backwards onto Avenue and ended up the driver was east he southbound should the river resting on bound on River Drive the westbound line thr the guard nil and down a If til it f to rest on There wjs damage to the broken guardrail No charges were laid Mobile home destroyed family escapes blaze A six month old baby and its young awakened in lime to escape serious injury In the fire hat destroyed their mobile home Feb Shawn Mark wife Mary and child Kris i were taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released for smoke inhalation Their home owned by s Wilfred e suffered damage the fire deportment Materials and boxes piled too able heater in the baby room Ignited early In the morning Mrs Markwokeupat a and thought there was a light on in the baby a room When she saw the smoke she It a fire the fire department said INSIDE Victimized driver helps with arrest A uyear old min was charged with Impaired driving driving with over BO milligrams of alcohol in the blood failure to remain and was Saturday night The man had been Involved In an accident on S 10 and Ninth Line having rearended a The driver followed him and when he went out of control and into a ditch at Sidcroad5 called police who subsequently arrested Features trench Week In Hills Page are worried over coyotes and hat lack their llveitoek Page A2 Sports Six local figure skaters captured gold medals he Peel InterClub finals on Sunday See Sports Page Family In a special section starling on Page you find community news along with stories on drug awareness adult education and our BIG business series Entertainment TIMBERS former Haider hockey legend Kent Robins on and the financing requl red to support a Senior A hockey rranchiie Ho will be presented with a trophy March In Toronto at a special dinner for award winners Open House Gel ready putting on a show Feb the Holy Cross School The Community Open House goes on all day from 10 a to 4 p m and features displays and exhibits demonstrations of sports arts crafts and pony rides Admission Is free and there lots to share with the entire family New playground Students at SI Josephs Roman Catholic School in Acton will be clambering all over a new creative playground by the end of May Similar to the playground at the Robert Little Public School the creative playground will be open for the use of all Acton children Parents at St Joseph shave raised 3000 of a total goal Total cost of the playground is III 362 Including installation costs The town will he responsible for maintaining the playground Historical Society meet Feb Is the annual meeting for the Historical Society Election of Direct org will take place at 7 at Knox Presbyterian Speaker for the even Is Richard who is with Murphy and Eston Ontario Land Surveyors He will speak on original survey of the Village of which took place in the 1850s Nor was intended to be a much larger town than we sec it today rivaling Georgetown in The survey was completed by a Mr not ithout a great deal of disagreement between the parlies involved Fortunately Mr kept diaries and Mr has access to these II should prove to be a very interesting evening Building picture bright The building picture In town Is off lo a bright start Seventeen permits or new construction worth were Issued in January twice as much the same period last year The most expensive single construction projects are in the ul I nd government seel Ion Officials brace for trash site selection Officially Halton site has had hide say However Coun Dave about Ihe ongoing study Whiting said that the the region Is financing region is still far from to a new landfill site making a choice in an for Hnlton garbage expensive tlmeconsu But town councillors mlng process for which he fully blamed the their pencils and brae political ambitions of Ing for yet another In provincial govern series of reports from menl the region this time made its pointing to a number of choice a long time ago possible sites where he said referring lo a can be buried it one corner of reporl Is expected Milton and at end of month Roads inter Coun lam section expressed concern During the 19B1 pro- Monday night general vlnclal election then committee meeting environment minister that old quarries in Harry scuttled Hills might bo the regions hopes by among candidates ordering more for the region landfill Continued on Page AT