South Frontenac Council –
Oct 20,
2009
By Jeff Green
Smooth Sailing for for Barrett Xplore
Barrett Xplore’s
service roll out in South Frontenac has been considerably smoother
than their aborted efforts in Central Frontenac.
South Frontenac Council
received two emailed letters of concern about one of the nine tower
locations that will provide high-speed internet service to residents
of South Frontenac who have been relegated to dial up service thus
far.
The concerns were about a
tower that is to be located within view of Devil Lake on the Perth
Road south of Westport, and the concerns mirrored those that helped
convince Barrett to back out of a planned tower in Arden earlier this
summer. The letters talked about the towers altering the
well-established natural character of the lakeside.
However, whereas a public
meeting in Central Frontenac was filled with members of the Big Clear
Lake Association, most of whom opposed the tower installation, at a
public meeting in Sydenham on Tuesday night, October 20, not a single
member of the public voiced concerns about the towers that are
popping up this fall in South Frontenac.
Members of council asked
questions about the towers, but were assured by Bob Davie of Barrett
that the towers, at 45m in height, will not resemble the much higher
cell phone towers that now dot the rural landscape, and “will not
be lit.”
The Barrett presentation
included a map, which predicts that most of South Frontenac will be
covered by already existing service and new service provided by the
towers, but that there would still be significant gaps, particularly
in the regions around Frontenac Park to the east of Verona and north
of Sydenham.
Barrett Xplore will be
offering free installation with a three-year service contract until
the end of 2009. Residential service packages range from $30 to $60
per month in addition to a $50 activation fee. For business
customers, the price ranges from $60 to $100 per month.
South
Frontenac building activity down in '09
Compared
to a solid 2008, and a booming 2007, which included the controversial
Sydenham water plant, 2009 is shaping up as a bit of down year for
building in South Frontenac.
As
of the end of September 2009, building permits for $17.25 million had
been taken out, as compared to $18.5 million in 2008, and about $25
million in 2007 for the same time period.
By
the end of 2007, permits for over $29 million in construction were
purchased, and in 2008 the total was $23.2 million.
While
2009 will likely be the lowest year of the last three, it will still
be higher than the total for 2006, which was $18.6 million for the
entire year. The township is still poised to see over $20 million in
construction in 2009.
The
building slump in South Frontenac will not be long-lasting, however,
as several larger commercial and institutional projects are expected
in 2010.
With
commercial construction projects in Inverary, at the corner of
Sydenham Road and Rutledge Road, and just south of Harrowsmith all
working their way through the planning department, as well as the
library building/township office renovation project in Sydenham, also
slated to start next year, healthy construction numbers for 2010 are
anticipated.
by Wilma Kenny
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES:
Township residents attending council
meetings have sometimes expressed frustration that they have not had
access to the background information packages provided to council
members and the press: the only printed material available to them
has been the two-page agenda. Now, the entire information package,
which can be more than 100 pages long, is posted prior to the meeting
on the township’s website. As well, discussion of zoning issues is
now accompanied by projected aerial photos of the property in
question. These improvements not only save a lot of trees, but also
make it much easier for observers to follow the discussion.
PUBLIC MEETING:
A public information meeting concerning
a proposed plan of subdivision and zone change that would permit an
industrial park on the southern edge of Inverary along Perth Road,
drew comments from several residents. Concerns were mainly around the
perceived loss of the rural nature of the area, and fears of
increased traffic, noise, and vandalism. Councilors Ron Vandewal and
Del Stowe both pointed out that light industrial and commercial use
on the property would have less impact on water and sewage than a
housing development of 35 or more houses, and might well generate
less traffic. Residents were encouraged to send letters listing their
concerns to Lindsay Mills, Township planner. These will be passed
along to council for their consideration.
TRUCK PURCHASE:
Two 3/4 ton extended cab trucks were
budgeted and tendered in July, but at the time the successful
tenderer was unable to meet the required delivery date. The trucks
were re-tendered, and Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth reported
there had been two bids, only one of which met the specifications and
provided a delivery date. Council agreed with his recommendation that
Edwards Ford’s bid of $87,200 be accepted. The trucks will be
Oregon Orange, in keeping with township policy.
SYDENHAM WATER ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
Council accepted the minutes of the
water committee’s October 7 meeting. At that meeting, Cameron Smith
of XCG Consultants reported that they now have nine months of water
testing data measuring water temperature, dissolved organic compounds
(DOCs) and Trihalomethanes (THMs). He noted that in spite of seasonal
temperature fluctuations, the levels of DOCs had remained consistent,
which should make it somewhat easier to design the corrections to the
plant. Smith agreed to have his first technical memo complete and
ready for peer review by October 20, following which it will come to
Council, then will be communicated to the public.
SYDENHAM LIBRARY
There was good attendance at last
week’s public open house to view and comment upon the architect’s
draft drawings of the new library. A list of comments and suggestions
from both the open house and the library committee following their
recent library tour have been forwarded to architects Shoalts and
Zabak, who plan to produce updated design drawings before the end of
October.
