Erin mourns the loss of a coach and friend

As published in The Erin Advocate

Patrick Suessmuth, a coach who inspired a generation of Erin kids to have fun, push their limits and believe in themselves, has passed away at the age of 75.

As the director of Erin Hoops and Main Place, Pat was a volunteer who devoted his time and money to provide low-cost recreation programs. He brought together a team of adult and youth helpers, creating an environment that built up friendships, skills and confidence.

“He was wonderfully cantankerous – a force of nature,” said Tania Crook, a Main Place board member who had helped him set up a recycling project, the Erin Freecycle website.

Visitation will be tonight (Wednesday), 7-9 pm, at the Butcher Family Funeral Home, 5399 Main St. S. in Erin. The memorial service will be at the same location on Thursday at 2 pm., followed by burial at Erin Union Cemetery next to his wife Marigold, and a reception at the Legion.

Pat died peacefully of natural causes at his farm on the Fourth Line. He had been sitting in his kitchen reading a book said friend Peter Smith, who went to check at the house last Wednesday, May 14 after Pat did not show up at Main Place on Monday and Tuesday.
“He was in good spirits on Saturday, up dancing to ABBA,” said Smith.

Pat got involved in local basketball in the mid-1990s helping Coach Brian Bissell at Erin District High School (EDHS) with the Senior Boys team. Steve Bergwerff, a player at that time and a now a Main Place board member, spoke with Pat about noon on Monday last week. Pat had phoned to thank him for helping promote an upcoming garage sale.

“He was always very appreciative of small things that others might take for granted,” said Bergwerff. “The community maybe did not fully appreciate all the things he was doing. It was never for profit. For him it was all about community. That’s what he lived and died for.”

An outpouring of commentary, including photos and video, can be accessed on various Facebook pages, including: In Memory of Coach Pat, Erin Events, Patrick Suessmuth and Remembering Coach Pat. Kids and adults gathered at an informal event last Friday night to share memories of him. He coached several EDHS teams, including the Junior Girls who won the 1998 CWOSSA championship.

Pat was also a member of the Town’s Recreation and Culture Committee, the Community Oriented Policing (COP) Committee and the Business Improvement Area (BIA). He was a leader in the Concerned Erin Citizens (CEC) group, a strong supporter of the Skate Park Fundraising Committee and an organizer of All-Candidates Nights during elections. His work was recognized with awards from Basketball Ontario and the Town of Erin, and a Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Foundation.

Erin Hoops and Main Place, registered as an Optimist Club, provided a small gym and games room. With the help of local service clubs, businesses, private donors and volunteers, it has delivered a variety of activities after school, on March Breaks and PA Days and on weekend afternoons, plus dances, movie and bingo nights.

More than 60 week-long summer camps are planned, on everything from archery and unicycling to drama and video production. There are basketball programs for young people and for adults (the pick-up Chump League), and a wooden skateboard ramp that doubles as a display of spray paint art. Information on the history of the group and current activity is at www.erinhoops.ca.

The future of Erin Hoops / Main Place is now uncertain, though many supporters have expressed an interest in keeping it going in some form. Erin Hoops originally operated at local schools, but later found a home at the old Erin Public School building.

Intended for redevelopment, it is owned by builder Gary Langen, who has allowed the group to use the site at a low rent. It is in now in poor condition, with a leaky roof, a mould problem and no running water.

Pat developed his basketball skills as a player at the University of Guelph. Later, living in Toronto, he ran a successful company, Cantra Training Ltd., and eventually published a series of books on industrial training methods.

“He was an avid reader and researcher,” said his cousin Yvonne who worked with him, travelling across Canada and the US running management training courses.

Pat and his wife Marigold moved to a farm on the Fourth Line of Erin Township in 1978 – she  loved horses and always dreamed of living in the country. Unfortunately, she died in a car accident later that year.

Pat carried on as a trainer, but also as a farmer, raising livestock, selling eggs, keeping bees and growing vegetables organically. In 1982, he published a magazine article about crossing the threshold from being a “consumer” to being a “conservator”. Eventually, Erin Hoops provided a chance to combine his love of basketball and his experience as a trainer.

“He really had a huge family in Erin that kept him going,” said Marigold’s cousin Denise, who worked with him on the farm.

Another of Marigold’s cousins, Christine, said Erin was “lucky to have Pat donate such energy, enthusiasm and time to your teams. But he in turn needed you all, to enjoy his passions and make his life work meaningful. Thank you all for giving this to him, respecting his contribution, making him so happy and proud of the work he did.”

Patrick Suessmuth's 75th Birthday

This article appeared in the Erin Advocate on September 25, 2013, as Patrick celebrated his 75th birthday. May he rest in peace.

Photos from Main Place

Here are some photos from the front of Main Place, where Patrick Suessmuth ran programs for Erin kids.

Blended tax hike comes in at 1.01%

As published in The Erin Advocate

The overall property tax increase for Erin property owners will be just 1.01%, thanks partly to a decrease in education taxes, according to Town Finance Director Sharon Marshall. For an average home assessed at $387,750, the increase is $44 per year.

Also helping homeowners is a revision in policy by Wellington County to change tax ratios, providing a slight reduction to the tax burden borne by residential ratepayers.

The County tax increase was to have been 2.2% but it is now 1.89%. The Town increase was originally calculated at 3.03%, but now is 2.97%. And the amount for schools, as set by the Ministry of Education, has declined by 4.24%.

The figures are in Marshall’s report to council, which was expected to approve the 2014 Tax Rate Bylaw on Tuesday night (after this week’s Advocate went to press).

Overall, the Town will collect $22.6 million, including $5.5 million for Town purposes (24.4% of the total), $12.5 million for County purposes (55.2%) and $4.6 million for Education purposes – all boards (20.4%).

For each $100,000 of residential assessment, owners will pay an additional $8.33 to the Town of Erin, an additional $12.14 to Wellington County, and a decrease of $9.00 for Education purposes. The total change compared to 2013 is an additional $11.47 per $100,000 of assessment.

The 2014 final tax bills will be mailed out to all Erin ratepayers, along with an explanatory pamphlet, during the last week of July.

Looking Back

As published in The Erin Advocate

From the Advocate – 100 years ago (1914)

The Advocate published photos of His Serene Highness Prince Alexander of Teck, brother-in-law of King George, with his wife Princess Alice of Albany, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. He will soon succeed the Duke of Connaught as Governor General of Canada.

From the Advocate – 45 years ago (1969)

A fire in the second floor auditorium of the Hillsburgh Community Centre caused $20,000 in damage. The building was opened in 1963, including the arena, a boardroom, the fire hall and the upstairs recreation hall. Fireman Desmond Hunter was first on the scene, crawling on his hands and knees to open the hall doors, due to dense smoke.

Four members of the All Saints Anglican Church Altar Guild, Mrs. M. Ellerby, president, Mrs. P. Covert, Mrs. W. Longstreet and Mrs. C. Hull, attended the meeting of the Niagara Diocese Altar Guild in Milton.

Several Guides and Brownies from the 1^st Erin Pack were awarded their cook badges: Diane Saul, Patty McPherson, Lori Gregson and Linda Cook.

A $1 billion futuristic satellite city of 47,000 next to Norval was proposed at a Chinguacousy council meeting. Schools would be next to a greenbelt, so no student would have to cross a highway. Developers would eliminate cars from the central radial core of the community, with a system of electric golf cart type vehicles covered by plastic bubbles, or commuter vehicles like those at the CNE.

From the Advocate – 35 years ago (1979)

The Hillsburgh Lions Club extended thanks to the Guides who helped with the park clean-up, Janell Hurlbutt, Joanna Lewis, Colleen Yates and Wendy Wagenaar, as well as Brownies Debbie Hurlbutt, Jennifer Yates, Estelle Rulton, Lee Rulton and Robyn Gordon.

Erin village homeowners will pay about 15% more in property taxes this year. An average house assessed at $15,000 will pay $532. The increase was offset by residential growth, and two new major industries, Greening Donald and Graham Fiberglass.

Ian McGibbon, Chair of the All Saints Church Building Committee, received village approval for an expansion, including a two-storey parish hall and Sunday school. The parish dates back to 1853, when it was part of a Milton-based missionary circuit. Land for the church was bought in 1867 for five shillings.

From the Advocate – 25 years ago (1989)

Township Council received an 800-name petition from Pat Nijhuis, representing the Mimosa Women’s Institute, demanding reconstruction and warning signs at the unsafe intersection of County Road 22 and Second Line. Reeve Duncan Armstrong said he would suggest that the county study the site.

The Erin 4H Goat Club had its first meeting of the year under the leadership of President Sarah Nijhuis, VP Coralee Clark, Secretary Becky Fife, Treasurer Murray Fife and Press Reporter Steven Prokopowich.

Sir Edmund Hillary visited Brisbane Public School to tell of his 1953 ascent of Mount Everest with Tenzing Norkay. Carol Davison and the Brisbane Red Cross Club donated $200 from the sale of apple and oranges to help with Hillary’s campaign to improve health care in the mountain areas of Nepal.

Crews have finished ripping out the CPR railway tracks from the main road crossings in Hillsburgh and Erin village.

Reserves help Town save for major upgrades

As published in The Erin Advocate

It may not come as a shock that the Town’s property tax increase has been held to a modest 3% during a municipal election year, even while capital spending is up by 30% – an extra $1 million compared to last year.

A municipal budget is a complex puzzle, including money held in reserve for major projects. Residents may be unhappy about which projects get top priority, but the debates and decisions about spending are at least done with public scrutiny.

 Yes, taxes are high, but that is primarily the price of living in a small Town with a very small industrial and commercial tax base. And yes, the Town could find ways to be more efficient, but that would not solve the main problem: not enough income to satisfy the demands of the provincial government and of residents.

It doesn’t really matter if improvements occur in an election year, as long as they get done. If voters want to toss out the current councillors, it’s going to happen whether or not any given road is paved. New councillors will have the same money to work with, and will discover that slashing spending is easier said than done.

The use of reserves is a tool that enables the Town to save up so that major jobs can be done with less borrowing. There are formal Reserve Funds in separate accounts, many of which are required by the province, such as Development Charges, Cash in Lieu of Parkland and the Federal Gas Tax Reserve Fund. Other informal Reserves remain within the general funds, but are still earmarked by council for specific purposes.

The Town started the year with about $5.4 million in Reserves and Reserve Funds. The 2014 budget will draw out $2.1 million for capital and operational uses, but transfer in close to a million, leaving a balance of $4.2 million. Finance Director Sharon Marshall estimates that an additional $200,000 to $300,000 will flow into Reserve Funds this year due to new houses being built, and lots being created.

The depletion of savings has enabled the Town to keep the tax hike to 3%, or $33 on an average home assessed at $387,750. If they had done the same spending without using reserves, that average tax hike would have been $262, an increase of 24%, Marshall said. Each 1% tax rate increase only raises about $50,000 for the Town.

Reserved money can be for projects considered too expensive to be funded in one year. It can also be money planned to be spent one year, but not actually spent, so it is carried forward for the same project. For example, $181,516 of unused 17 Sideroad reconstruction money was put into the Roads Capital Reserves in 2013, to be withdrawn to help pay for work in 2014.

“Much of the money used in 2014 from Reserves and reserve Funds was originally added to those funds for specific purposes,” said Marshall. Of the $2.1 million to be withdrawn in 2014, $1.5 million was for previously planned projects.

Staff presented a Five-Year Capital Plan last January. While Council did not formally adopt the plan, it did play a role in budget deliberations. Council did approve an Asset Management Plan (AMP) last December (as required by the province for grant applications), with recommendations on funding capital projects.

An article on the AMP is available at www.erininsight.blogspot.ca, and the document is available on the Town website, www.erin.ca. Capital Plans and Asset Management Plans do not bind the Town to projected spending – those final decisions are made in each annual budget.

Legion pays tribute to Afghanistan veterans

As published in The Erin Advocate

The young cadets saluted as O Canada was sung; heads were bowed in silent respect and divine blessing was humbly requested.

A wreath and a Canadian flag were placed by the grave of a fallen soldier at Erin Union Cemetery as Legion Branch 442 joined in the National Day of Honour for Afghanistan Veterans on May 9.

Lieutenant William Turner is buried with his father and grandparents, just across from the former family farm on the Ninth Line.

He had worked as a research assistant at the University of Guelph, as forensic lab technician in Hamilton and as a teacher and letter carrier in Alberta. An avid cyclist and a Canadian Forces Reserve Officer in Guelph and Edmonton, he accepted a position with the Civilian Military Cooperation unit, providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Afghanistan.

Turner died on April 22, 2006 at the age of 45 with three other members of the Canadian Forces after a roadside bomb destroyed their armoured vehicle: Corporal Matthew David James Dinning, 23, of Richmond Hill, Bombardier Myles Stanley John Mansell, 25, of Victoria and Corporal Randy Payne, 32 of Gananoque.

Joining the service last week were Turner’s uncles, Dennis Turner of Milton and Jim Smith of Ballinafad, and his cousin Gary Wallace of Port Credit.

Turner was one of the 158 Canadian soldiers who died in the Afghanistan mission, among the 40,000 who served over 12 years.

At the service, the wreath was placed by Ken and Carol Paisley, the Act of Remembrance said by Legion President Rose Ostrander, and the Legion Memorial Marker and Canadian Flag placed by Service Officer Doug Kirkwood.

“We take time to remember our continuing obligation to support those who returned home and continue to suffer the effects of war,” said Legion Chaplain, Rev. Deacon Irene Walback.

She urged people to support programs including Leave the Streets Behind for homeless or near-homeless veterans, and to “encourage those who govern our great country to relieve the pain of our service men and women who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

We seem to be a distracted society. Many people were so engrossed in their personal business that they didn’t truly appreciate that the nation was at war. How many are even aware of the veterans who have taken their own lives as a result of the trauma?

We say we are proud to be Canadians, but how many are willing to even cast a ballot? We say we are glad to live in a democracy, but how many are prepared to die for it? How many would sacrifice themselves for the benefit of people on the other side of the planet?

It is a unique moment of history, in which we enjoy the right to scrutinize the decisions of our government, as it plays its small part upon the world stage.

Sacrifices on the battlefield, however, quite properly transcend political debate. Laying down one’s life for others, and for cherished ideals, is always worthy of respect. Here is a portion of the final prayer by Rev. Walback:

“O God, we remember before you those Canadian men and women who laid down their lives for the people of Afghanistan during the fight for truth and freedom.

“We commend their souls into your gracious keeping and pray that we may be worthy of their sacrifice. Help us to be faithful and true to those ideals for which they fought and died, and for which the living continue to suffer.

“May we continue to perpetuate the memory of our departed comrades by service to our country Canada, to world peace and the care of all your Creation.”

Erin seeks Halton funding for Source Water

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin councillors are concerned about the costs of a new system to protect municipal wells, especially in sections of Erin that feed groundwater to Halton wells.

Council had a presentation on May 6 by Kyle Davis, the Risk Management Official hired by Wellington County to serve the needs of Erin and other local municipalities.

He will be meeting soon with Halton officials to discuss two wellhead protection areas along the Halton-Erin Road near Third Line and near Fourth Line.

Property owners in the relatively small “red zones” close to the wells will face restrictions on the uses of their land, to protect against contamination, and the cost of mandatory septic system inspections. Less restrictive yellow zones have also been mapped.

The new protection is part of the Clean Water Act, resulting from the inquiry into fatal well contamination in Walkerton in 2000. Red and yellow zones are also mapped near Town of Erin municipal wells. There are two Hillsburgh wells, one northwest of the village on Trafalgar Road, the other near Victoria Park. Erin village has two active wells near 17 Sideroad and Eighth Line.

Also included is the Bel-Erin well, just south of County Road 124 on the Ninth Line. It is not currently in use, but it has the largest red zone, encompassing more than 100 homes to the south. Residents of 366 properties in the affected zones have been asked to fill out non-mandatory surveys about their lands, but only 16% have responded.

Davis said there are an estimated 288 threats to the water supply, but that number is expected to drop as they are checked. The new regulations could come into effect next year, with municipalities facing the cost of administering inspection, remedial plans and enforcement.

Threats can include fuel and pesticide storage, and the spreading of manure on small farms that have not been required to adopt a Nutrient Management Plan.

Mayor Lou Maieron is concerned that some of the red zones affect rural residents who do not get the benefit of a municipal water supply.

“They would have costs to protect water that they do not use,” he said. “That seems unfair. There has to be a balance.”

Councillor Deb Callaghan is concerned about potential dumping of contaminated fill, saying fill should be prohibited in source protection areas.

Councillor Barb Tocher said it will be important to ensure that any new municipal wells are not sited in areas with existing contamination threats.

Councillor John Brennan said preparation of educational material for the public should start now, while there is some funding help in place.

Davis said the Clean Water Act promotes preventative measures. In cases of verified threats, there will be opportunities to negotiate with property owners about risk management plans and remedial action before any charges would be laid.

More information on the new drinking water protection system is available at www.ctcswp.ca and at the Erin library.

Council passes budget, starts spending it

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin Town Council passed its budget bylaw with no discussion last week, and then approved a series of spending proposals totalling $629,439.

All of the final changes to the $13.35 million budget were debated at the previous council meeting, so the bylaw was a quick formality with no members voting against it.

While spending is expected to increase by $6.1% this year, the amount to be raised through property taxes, $5.53 million, will be up by only 3.03%. The average property tax bill, for a property assessed at $387,750, will increase by $34 for Town purposes.

The Town only gets 24.4% of the local tax revenue, while the county gets 55.2% and school boards 20.4%.

Erin’s operating costs for 2014 are estimated at $8.77 million, down just slightly from last year, while capital expenditures will rise by just over $1 million to $4.37 million.

“The Town continues to commit to the renewal and improvements of our municipal assets and infrastructure,” said Finance Director Sharon Marshall.

Approval was done in a series of staggered resolutions, to enable Councillor Deb Callaghan to vote on the majority of the budget, but to step away from the council table and declare a conflict of interest on matters pertaining to the Fire Department and Operational Review, since her husband is Fire Chief Dan Callaghan.

The bylaw was passed early in the meeting, so council could deal with some tender approvals for budgeted items, all of which passed without opposition.

• $319,010 for replacement of the 1999 road grader,

• $29,877 for an autogreaser and an extended warranty on the grader,

• $40,943 for a one ton cab and chassis (Ford F450),

• $17,814 for an aluminum dump box,

• $83,909 for road dust suppressant,

• $85,819 for road surface treatment,

• $27,075 for a GMC Sierra Pickup, and

• $24,990 for a Development Charges Background Study.

Marshall also highlighted a number of other elements in the budget:

• $45,010 in grants to community groups,

• $64,245 for an Economic Development Officer,

• $602,683 to continue reconstruction of 17 Sideroad, from Trafalgar Road to the Second Line,

• Rehabilitation of Erin village streets, particularly Water Street and Waterford Drive, including catch basins, curbs, gutters and final restoration,

• Road surface treatment of the First Line to Lot 3, as well as Hilltop Road, Roman Blvd., Jane Street, Market Street, Wellington Street and Elizabeth Street in Hillsburgh,

• $190,000 for an Environmental Assessment on the Station Street Bridge and Dam,

• $52,800 to replace the ice plant condenser at the Erin Arena,

• $19,500 for partial replacement of the Centre 2000 HVAC equipment,

• Completion of major studies, including the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP), an Operational Review, a Strategic Plan, a Green Energy Conservation Plan and a Water Supply & Distribution Report,

• $240,000 to replace 32 sets of Fire Department breathing apparatus to meet new standards,

• $501,213 to finish off the Hillsburgh Fire Hall, and

• $15,000 to restore the turf on Barbour soccer field #1.

Council defers Angelstone zoning decision

As published in The Erin Advocate

A decision on whether to allow Angelstone Tournaments to proceed with its international show jumping tournaments, including evening entertainment, has been delayed by Town Council until May 20.

Local residents concerned about noise and traffic are urging the Town of Erin to impose tight restrictions during the five major event weekends planned for this summer on County Road 50.

Angelstone has grown quickly in recent years, becoming a high-level equestrian competition venue, offering more than $1 million in prize money, and staging events that attract up to 400 competitors, 700 horses and 3,000 spectators on peak days. Admission is free.

It does not have the proper zoning for some of its activities, however, including the sale of merchandise, food and alcohol, and evening musical entertainment. It has promised action to deal with residents’ complaints, but has asked the Town for a temporary use bylaw to allow the season to start at the beginning of June.

Resident Dave Jenner urged council to “strike an appropriate balance”, complaining that the scale of events is “incongruent with Erin’s rural tone.”

Town Planner Sally Stull had written a report for councillors, saying she could not support the application since, as of May 1, Angelstone had not supplied any of the required information.

Planning Consultant John Cox appeared on behalf of Angelstone, and council agreed to his request for a deferral of a decision until Stull has had time to review new material submitted a few days earlier.

Completed are a traffic impact study, a planning impact study, a map of the site showing activities in each area and an emergency evacuation plan. All are available at www.erin.ca in the May 6 agenda.

Angelstone has said it will use a new system of small speakers to significantly reduce the noise for neighbours, but the study to determine its effectiveness can only be conducted while an event is in progress. Cox said this is why temporary permission has been requested.

Most neighbours do not object to Angelstone’s equestrian activities, but strongly object to the music and nightclub atmosphere on event weekends. Angelstone says these activities make their events unique, and are essential to their business.

Jenner asked council for assurances that residents “will not be subject to large-scale equestrian-entertainment combined events that will encroach on our investment in the community, and particularly on our summer evening hours.”

“We’ve heard your complaints,” said Angelstone PR Director Lianne Selke, while appearing before council. “As we approach the 2014 season, and before the next meeting on the 20^th, we want to have a meeting with each of the neighbours, individually or together, in order to figure out the best way to mitigate these issues.

“We apologize for the mistakes the team has made, and going forward, we want to create realistic goals that we can accomplish together. We understand that the talk has been cheap, and now is the time for action. I would ask that all of you keep an open mind, and that we can work together to solve the problems. By the 20^th, we hope to have concrete action plans.”

Mayor Lou Maieron said councillors had met with their lawyer in preparation for making a decision, but warned that whatever council decides is not likely to completely satisfy either side. He urged them to work things out between themselves, but Jenner called this response “disheartening”, since he hoped the Town would act as a facilitator and be a “source of leadership”.

Council made no commitment regarding Jenners requests for a limit on total events in the area, for a ban on overnight camping, for reasonable “all quiet” and “all exit” times, and limiting loudspeakers to the need for competitors and spectators to hear instructions.

The Angelstone website says: “Expanding our services this year will also mean the introduction of all new stabling for 1000 horses, as well as the Angelstone Village and Millar Way (August 2014), a new campground for those competitors with trailers who prefer to live on-site during the Tournament.”