Addington Highlands Council -
Dec. 2/08
By Jule Koch Brison
Don’t shoot the
snowplow driver
“We need to remind
people that the snow’s got to go where the snow’s got to go,”
Addington Highlands Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath told council at
the Dec. 2 meeting in Flinton. He was referring to phone calls
complaining that the snowplow had deposited snow in driveways. “We
don’t intentionally set out to block people’s driveways” he
said, “but we have to clear the snow”.
He asked council to come
up with a policy, and place an ad or create a form letter. The
councilors could not immediately come up with an appropriate wording,
but agreed to implement Rosenblath’s request.
OPP Report: OPP Detachment
Commander Pat Finnegan and Det. Sgt. Wayne Allen of the Criminal
Investigation Unit presented a report to council. Inspector Finnegan
said that overall, calls for service in the detachment are down.
He addressed two issues
that had been brought up during his September 2 visit to council. At
that time Councilor Janice Kerr told the officers about “serious
incidents” in Denbigh, which had not been responded to by police.
Since then the OPP has
held a town hall meeting in Denbigh and Finnegan called the breakdown
in service a “shared responsibility”. He said that calls could
have been responded to better but that they weren’t always made in
a way that communicated how serious they were.
He said it “basically
came down to two individuals terrorizing a small community”. They
have since been arrested.
He said it had been a
problem trying to convince people to stand together - calls were
anonymous or people were unwilling to provide statements, but, “When
we stepped up the community stepped up. We need the help and support
of the citizens .. It’s been a learning experience for everyone
involved”.
Another issue was
problems with ATVs; however, Finnegan said that in consultations with
the community, people did not feel that ATVs were a problem and did
not want trail patrols.
The OPP have also
investigated complaints that a school bus had repeatedly encountered
problems with speeding vehicles on Hwy 41. Inspector Finnegan
reported that police had patrolled the specific area several times,
“We’ve made a concerted effort to address the complaint but have
not observed an excessive amount of speeding”.
However, there is a
certain curve on Hwy 41, where it is difficult to see a stopped
school bus in good time. The Ministry of Transportation has put up a
sign, which Finnegan said should help. They will also look into
changing the location of the stop.
Royce Rosenblath raised
another issue with the officers. He said he has received dozens of
calls from the OPP Communications Centre about problems outside of
Addington Highlands. “One night I received a call about an icy road
on County Road 11 in Selby…where would they get the idea that was
in Addington Highlands?” he asked.
Finnegan replied, “Nobody
would argue that local dispatching is better – central dispatching
is a problem”. He said police are often frustrated by the problems
caused by central dispatching but “it all comes down to money –
the government has made those decisions”.
Rosenblath seemed
frustrated himself – “But how do we fix the problem?” he asked.
Finnegan said he would
consult with the commander of the communications centre in Smiths
Falls. Det. Sgt. Allen added that the communications centre jobs are
high stress and have a fairly high turnover.
AFAR Radio: Hali Foster of the
AFAR (Addington Frontenac Area Radio) committee, brought
incorporation documents for council to approve. She pointed out that
if AFAR were to dissolve, its assets would revert to the township.
Presently anyone donating to AFAR is able to receive a tax receipt
from the township, but that would change after AFAR incorporates as
it does not have charitable status yet. She also asked if the
township could continue to cover the board of directors through its
insurance.
Township Clerk Jack Pauhl
said they would have to consult with the township’s solicitor, but
he didn’t think the township could insure the board. “When you
incorporate you become self-sufficient; the umbilical cord is cut”,
he said.
Council approved the
documents.
The Skootamatta
District Ratepayers Association (SDRA) asked council to investigate
their concerns about the Cloyne waste site hours being reduced on
Sundays by North Frontenac Council. Royce Rosenblath said he
believed that North Frontenac had a report that Sunday visits to the
waste site had dropped. AH will investigate before responding.
The SDRA also
asked council to plow the Skootmatta Lake landing parking lot.
Rosenblath said that plowing the lot was not a problem if it is
empty, but if cars “plug up the lot” it can’t be plowed.
Council will communicate this to the SDRA.
Jack Pauhl informed
council that municipalities are encountering problems with
recyclables since the prices have dropped because of the economic
situation. For example, newspaper has dropped from $50/ton to
$10/ton.
