THE
SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY NEWS Volume 48 Issue 37
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 1.99% 3 Year GIC - 2.21% 5 Year GIC - 2.30% Daily Interest 1.00%
638-3328
Friday, September 11, 2015
www.jackfinancial.ca
Mapleton reverts to automated phone system due to caller ‘irritation’ by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Turns out not everyone prefers a personal touch, at least over the phone. A recent move to have all calls to the Mapleton administration centre answered live by an employee has been abandoned after staff reported many people, particularly frequent callers, found the process frustrating. However, a revamped automated answering system will give callers a chance to opt very quickly to speak to a live voice. The township implemented a live-answer system in February, after Mayor Neil Driscoll made a key promise during the 2014 election campaign to switch from the automated answering system that had been in place for several years. “I want a person answering the phone,� Driscoll said at an all candidates meeting in Alma on Oct. 9 last year. “That answering service is going,� he stated in response to a question about candidates’ top priority for their first six months in office. However, at the Aug. 23 council meeting, a staff report from public works director and acting CAO Brad Roberts
recommended adding a “backdoor� phone numbering system to the current system. The system would allow staff to provide a back door number and appropriate extension to allow frequent contacts to reach them directly. “Staff has agreed that the majority of calls for the building department know the extension or person to whom they wish to speak, and/or are calling to book an inspection,� McRoberts stated in a written report. “Many builders and farmers indirectly express their irritation with having to go through a live person, explain their request, and then be subsequently transferred to the building department; their sighs, tone of voice, and impatience is evident to administrative staff.� The report also notes “at least 50 per cent� of calls directed to public works are from engineering firms and contractors “that have no need to speak with reception and would rather dial directly into the correct extension. This is often apparent when multiple calls from the same person occur during one day, regarding time-sensitive issues or Continued on page 5
Time capsule survives tornado; returned to Teviotdale resident by Caroline Sealey TEVIOTDALE - Twelve years ago, during the construction of his family’s new home and business, a Teviotdale youth was inspired to add something unusual to the build. After hearing about friends finding coins from the late 1800s during home renovations, Tyler Redpath thought a time capsule containing coins would be an interesting way to capture the year his family’s home was built. In April of 2003, the then 12-year-old compiled the contents of a time capsule in hope that sometime in the future the house would be under renovations and the owner would enjoy a flash back in time. Inside a Mason jar Redpath included the front pages of the April 18, 2003 editions of
The Wellington Advertiser and The Community News, various coins, his Grade 6 school picture, photos of the house under construction, an 2002 aerial photograph of Teviotdale and a letter addressed to the person who finds the capsule. “The letter contained information about my family, our interests, where family members are buried in the Harriston and Listowel cemeteries, the family business (motorcycle and archery shop) and the businesses in Teviotdale,� Redpath explained. “At that time there were 10 houses, the truck stop/restaurant, butcher shop, farm equipment dealer and outdoor furniture sales centre. I asked whoever found the letter to try and find my descendants or me Continued on page 2
Main St. W. Palmerston
The Norgan is currently shut down and will resume our regular shows Sept 18th. SPECIAL EVENT DURING OUR SHUTDOWN: Incredibrent! Tickets: Friday, September 11th at 7PM. Only $10. Check out our website for more details!
For more info call 519-343-3640 or visit www.norgantheatre.com
Community effort - Rothsay residents, along with Mapleton councillors and employees, gathered on Aug. 31 to enjoy the barbecue and to test out the newly-installed playground equipment at Rothsay Park. Mapleton Township partnered with Rothsay Darling Ingredients Inc. (RDII) and the Drayton Kinsmen Club through the municipality’s 50/50 funding program to install the new equipment. The park was closed in the past due to unsafe playground equipment. More coverage on page 8. photos by Caroline Sealey
Local man to set sail to Africa on Mercy Ship
by Patrick Raftis DRAYTON - A Mapleton man is about to set sail on the adventure of his lifetime. Tobias Grigat, a 39-yearold carpenter from just outside Drayton, has signed up to volunteer aboard the world’s largest charity hospital ship, Africa Mercy, from October to June. He will be using his skills to help bring “transformational health care� to thousands of people, trip organizers state. Grigat is a general carpenter and a crew foreman whose duties aboard the Africa Mercy will include general repairs of the vessel’s accommodations, including carpentry, flooring and furnishings work. Though Grigat is not working in a medical capacity, Mercy Ships officials say “he is helping change the lives of the hundreds of patients who step on board.� As ship carpenter, Grigat said he will be doing “anything from fixing bed frames to fixing porthole windows on the ship. They also have projects on land – but I don’t know whether I’ll be involved in them in any way,� he added. “Last year I would never have expected to volunteer on board a hospital ship, but when the opportunity came up, it seemed like the perfect fit. I’m excited about it,� said Grigat.
TOBIAS GRIGAT
He explained he will pay his own way to live and work among 450 international volunteers, including surgeons, nurses, teachers, cooks, engineers, agriculturalists and more. He is raising funds to help play for his expenses. Donors can contribute at http://mercyships.donorpages.com/MERCYGIFTS/TobyGrigat. Grigat learned of the opportunity from his boss’ son, Brandon Martin of Elmira, who recently went on a five-month trip with a hospital ship accompanied by his wife, a registered nurse. Noting he will be gone for eight months, Grigat said his
Weekly Wag
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employers at Way-Mar Inc. in Hawkesville have been very supportive. “I have great bosses, they support all kinds of volunteer work,� he told the Community News in a telephone interview. Grigat, who has never even set foot on a ship, sets sail on Oct. 26. But first he will attend a week of Maritime Safety Training in Texas, a requirement for anyone living onboard a ship. The Africa Mercy specializes in treating diseases and illnesses due to poverty and war, such as massive facial tumours. It also aims to help develop sustainable health care in Africa by helping to train African
surgeons and medical professionals. Each year the ship visits a different African country at the invitation of the host nation’s government, and spends approximately 10 months docked in the main port. During the Africa Mercy’s 2015-16 stay in the port of Toamasina, Madagascar, Mercy Ships plans to provide over 2,200 surgeries for adult and child patients onboard, to treat over 10,000 at a land-based dental clinic, and provide holistic health care education to Malagasy health care professionals. “The Africa Mercy would not be able to deliver health care services without its crew of exemplary volunteers like Grigat,� states a press release from Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships history An international faith-based charity, Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free health care services, capacity building and sustainable development in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $1 billion, with more than 2.35 million direct beneficiaries. For more information click on www.mercyships.ca.
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