Back to HomeFeature Article - October 29, 2009 Trillium Reps at Denbigh Ribbon CuttingBy Christi Schroeder-Laundrie

Representatives from the Ontario Trillium Foundation traveled to Denbigh on Saturday, October 24 to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Denbigh recreation facilities. An $82,000 grant from the foundation had provided funds for a much needed facelift to the rink/ball field building and outdoor facilities.

The major work involved upgrades to the recreation building itself, including a kitchen renovation, a new septic system, two handicapped accessible washrooms, a handicapped accessible entrance and new siding. In addition, improvements were made to the picnic shelter, children's playground, additional bleachers and safety fencing.

The OTF reps had a tour of the upgraded facilities at 1:00 pm, then they, and the members of the Recreation committee proceeded to the Denbigh Community Hall where they were officially welcomed by Janice Kerr, the Recreation Club Chair. Kerr introduced Ontario Trillium Foundation representative Mimi Clancy, and after Mimi delivered a short speech, Janice Kerr accepted a plaque from the foundation on behalf of the recreation club.

Over 1300 volunteer hours went into the project, and in their speeches, both Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg and Janice Kerr recognized and thanked the volunteers for all their work.

The official ribbon cutting ceremony followed, after which attendees partook of a light and refreshing luncheon.

As well as serving as a change room for skating and ball games, the new facilities will be used extensively for the community activities that the Rec Club arranges, such as snowmobile poker runs, Winterfest, children's Easter parties, Canada Day celebrations, community lawnmower pulls, Countryfest, community dinners and dances, children's Halloween parties, the Santa Clause parades, and much more.

Denbigh is situated along Highway 41,at almost equal distance from Renfrew, Bancroft, and Napanee. To access any avenue of recreation, residents would have to travel an hour to any of the three ports. With Denbigh’s own recreation facility now modernized, it can offer a very wide range of activities close to home, accessible to everyone in the Denbigh area. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - June 4, 2009 Addington Highlands CouncilBy Jeff Green

Derelict schoolhouse sparks concern in Flinton

Driving into Flinton from the east on County Road 29, the unmistakable shape of a 1950s era school house appears on the left. But the reality that the former Flinton schoolhouse is in terrible shape is almost immediately apparent.

Boards cover the doors, windows are smashed, and the grass has not been cut this year. On closer inspection it is clear that the building is completely derelict; the roof is gone in places, as are the floors, and there are signs that animals have moved in.

It is the sad end of a building that once was alive with the sounds of grade school children. When the school closed in 1972, it was sold to the Reverends Elgin and Beula Fisher from Sharbot Lake, who had the intention of opening a Christian school for handicapped children at the site.

The Flinton Christian Academy was a project that never really took off, and while Beula and Elgin Fisher tried to keep the building from falling into disrepair, vandalism became common at the site. As the couple aged it became more and more difficult to keep the building from falling apart completely.

Elgin died in 2005 at the age of 87, and Beula now resides at the Sharbot Lake Seniors' home.

Meanwhile the building has become a safety concern as well as a political issue.

Carolyn Hasler and Robert Wood, from the Flinton Community Policing Association, appeared before Addington Highlands Council this week to talk about their concerns about the property.

Among other things they told council that the liaison officer to their association became concerned about the schoolhouse, and paid a visit. He heard noises and found a man using the building as a convenient place to take drugs. An arrest was made.

“Our concerns are not just that the building is an eyesore but that it is not safe. If people wander in there they could be in danger,” said Carolyn Hasler.

The township’s building inspector and bylaw officer Eric Sheppey agreed with what Hasler had said.

He reported that he has tried to approach Mrs. Fisher about the state of the building but a registered letter that he sent was returned unopened.

Sheppey went to visit Mrs. Fisher but reported that she “could not adhere to what I was saying.”

Sheppey then tried to communicate with Mrs. Fisher through Susan Irwin, the Executive Director of Rural Legal Services in Sharbot Lake, but Irwin told him “she was not able to converse with Mrs. Fisher.”

Sheppey said he has been getting prices on “securing the old school”, at which time the township’s lawyer will be contacted on the “proper procedures re: costs being placed on the tax bill.”

Over the past few years there has been interest in the property from several directions. In addition to the building, there is a fair bit of acreage at the back, and the property abuts the township-owned recreation centre property.

The proprietors of the Through the Roof Ministries, located next door, had reportedly expressed interest in the property, as has the Flinton Recreation Committee.

The building however, remains the responsibility of Mrs. Fisher at this time.

There is no doubt that the image of Flinton would be enhanced if the building were demolished and the property redeveloped.

Other former school buildings in Addington Highlands have escaped the fate of the Flinton schoolhouse.

The Kaladar Community Centre and the Northbrook Lions’ Hall are both located in former schools, according to Carolyn Hasler, and the Land O' Lakes Inn in Cloyne, which is now for sale, is also located in a former school.

The issue of the Flinton school is surfacing just as the Limestone Board prepares to sell off the Denbigh School. 

Swim club donation on hold – Addington Highlands Council, June 1, 2009

The Mazinaw Lake swim program sent in a request for a cash donation towards swimming lessons this year. The cost of the program, $65 for four weeks, does not cover the cost to deliver the program to area children, and while fundraising covers some of the extra costs, a donation from the township would help the program make ends meet.

“There are many children in your area that would greatly benefit from a donation by your organisation,” said a letter to council from Chelsea Dacuk, the swim program supervisor.

In considering the proposal, the fact that the program is not offered in the Denbigh area was raised. Council decided to contact Chelsea Dacuk to see why swimming classes are not offered in the North, which would save the need for bussing, before coming to a decision regarding funding.

ROAD PAVING TENDER

Addington Highlands will continue the established practice of accepting road paving tenders prepared for the entire County of Lennox and Addington.

“Greenwood Paving has agreed to keep to the same price as last year,” said Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath. The township will spend $60,000 on paving this year, which is on par with budget estimates. The Weslemkoon and Jacques Bay roads, and the portion of Granny’s Lane that the township owns will be re-paved this year. The township has a 10-year road paving schedule to cover all the township's paved roads, and this year’s roads fit into that plan.

GRADER TENDER ACCEPTED

The township will be purchasing a new John Deere grader in the coming weeks, as per the 2009 budget. The tender price came in on budget.

DENBIGH SCHOOLHOUSE – Taking note that the Limestone District School Board has called a public meeting on June 15 in Denbigh to discuss the formal closing of the Denbigh school, Reeve Hogg asked council if he should attend to make a presentation from the township.

The school ceased operations several years ago as bussing children to North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne gained popularity and enrolment slipped below 10 students.

Now the school board will be considering whether to close the school and sell the building.

Henry Hogg said he intends to argue that the township should have the right of first refusal should the building be sold because it has made investments in the school over the years.

The public meeting coincides with the next scheduled Addington Highlands Council meeting, which had been scheduled for 7:00 pm on June 15 at the Denbigh Hall. The council meeting will be put off until 8:00 p.m. to allow Hogg and other members of council to attend the public meeting.

E-WASTE DEPOTS – E-waste recycling has been approved for the Kaladar waste site, and an approval for the Vennachar site is pending. However, at the Mackavoy site there has been a delay due to the wording of the certificate of approval for that site from the Ministry of the Environment, which might take some time to clear up.

CONSTRUCTION STYROFOAM REJECTED BY RECYCLER – A load of waste styrofoam from a construction project using an alternative building system has been rejected by the township’s recycler. The adhesive used on the styrofoam makes recycling impossible. The township will begin charging tipping fees for the material.

Back to HomeFeature Article - June 11, 2009 Denbigh residents want to keep their schoolBy Jule Koch Brison

At a public meeting on June 15, Denbigh residents let representatives of the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) know in no uncertain terms that their connection to their school has not diminished in the two years since it was closed.

The present school was built in 1960, after the previous school burnt down. In the 1980s the community undertook extensive fundraising to add a gymnasium to the school. They raised Aproximately $37000. and were also able to secure an $80,000 Wintario grant. The gym was built in 1989. Together, the two wings total 981 m² of space, giving the school a capacity of 112 students.

According to one of the school’s former principals, Bill Snider, who spoke at the meeting, a school has stood on the present site since 1850. Mr. Snider was the principal for 17 years prior to the mid-80s, and he said that the high point of the school’s enrollment during his tenure was “over the 150 mark”. That number included students from the Renfrew Board.

Since amalgamation, the highest enrollment at Denbigh PS was 44 in the 2000/2001 school year. The school was closed in June 2006, after registrations for the following year dropped to seven students and the board decided to transfer those students to North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) in Cloyne.

LDSB Superintendent Roger Richard presented a staff report at the meeting detailing the recent history of the school. It notes that presently there are 21 JK to grade 6 students from the former Denbigh catchment area who currently attend NAEC.

The public meeting was called to comply with the report’s recommendation that the LDSB inform the community of its intention to close and dispose of the school in order to receive input from the public before a final decision is made.

Richard said that the board had been approached by at least two individuals interested in acquiring the site, but they did not reveal what their intentions were.

Denbigh resident Paul Isaacs said that the northern ward contributes $300,000 in school taxes every year. According to his calculations, that provides $120,000 for Denbigh PS. He said, “We can educate seven students with that amount of money – the only thing stopping us is you.”

Henry Hogg, Reeve of Addington Highlands Township, spoke on behalf of the residents and stressed that the community should have the opportunity to take over ownership of school, especially considering the amount of money they contributed to its construction.

Steve Giles, a retired police officer and community member, asked if the board had considered approaching community colleges and other organizations to see if they would be interested in using the school to offer courses and other educational activities for the whole community.

In reply, Superintendent Richard detailed the process that the board would have to follow if it made the final decision to dispose of the school. He said that the Education Act would kick in, which mandates that formal letters be sent to 12 “preferred agencies”. These include the Catholic school boards, community colleges, and Addington Highlands Township itself. Those agencies have a full 90 days to indicate whether or not they are interested in acquiring the school, and only if they all decline would the property be put up for public tender.

Reeve Hogg, speaking on behalf of council, then asked if the board would apply the funds that were raised by the community towards the possible purchase of the school by the township.

Richard replied that the act specifies that the school be sold for its “market value”, but he said the board would consider the community’s contribution.

Several community members voiced the opinion that bigger schools do not necessarily provide a better educational experience for students than small schools, leading Director of Education Betty Hunter to point out that the drop in enrolment came about because parents were increasingly choosing to transfer their children to NAEC.

Former principal Snider said that the grade 7s & 8s were transferred to NAEC during his tenure because NAEC had been “overbuilt” and needed students. He said he was not going to go into all the decisions that were made over the years, some by the Renfrew Board and some by the Lennox & Addington Board, but he spoke of his memories of the “school fairs and agricultural fairs when everybody would come, when the school was filled with youngsters playing hockey and broomball.”

He later also commended the board’s facilities manager Glen Carson for the excellent shape in which the school has been kept since its closure. “It’s ready to use today, and I would like to see it used,” he said, repeating a sentiment that was expressed by all those who spoke at the meeting.

One of the ideas put forward was for the building to be used as a seniors’ home.

The question of the school’s “fair market value” was raised several times, with resident Dave Savigny, who was a real estate agent and appraiser for many years, almost having the last word on the subject. Savigny said that market value is determined by the income that the “highest and best use of the building” would produce. He said that because of the school’s location, no one was going to carry on a commercial operation on the site; therefore its highest and best use would be as a community building, which would produce an income of $0. “Therefore” he said, “its market value is $0.”

“Thank you for that input,” replied LDSB Chair Ann Goodfellow. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - March 26, 2009 Ambulance review calls for new base in South FrontenacBy Jeff Green

A review of the rural ambulance service in Frontenac County by the IBI Consulting Group has recommended that a new base housing a 24-hour ambulance be built in a central location of South Frontenac Township.

The review also recommends that the ambulance now located at the township garage on Hwy. 509 between Ompah and Plevna in North Frontenac, which is a 12-hour a day ambulance service (7:30 am to 7:30 pm) either be moved to a location in the vicinity of Ardoch at the junction of Hwys. 506 and 509, or have a new garage built at its current location. Currently the ambulance is exposed to the elements throughout the 12-hour shift and must be kept running all day in the winter time so the equipment will not freeze.

Jim Beam, the deputy mayor of North Frontenac, favoured building the new garage, and said, “I can't see how service to the east end of the township can be maintained if the base is moved to Ardoch”.

The IBI report said that the 24-hour ambulance located at the Parham station in Central Frontenac should be maintained.

Currently, calls generated from South Frontenac, almost 1,000 per year, are answered either by ambulances based in the City of Kingston (57%) or Parham (32%). The IBI report estimated that once a base in South Frontenac is up and running, approximately 65% of those calls would be answered by the South Frontenac base. This would speed up response times throughout the county because the Parham and North Frontenac-based ambulances would not have to be redirected to cover South Frontenac nearly as often.

According to Marvin Rubinstein, the IBI consultant who presented the report, the North Frontenac ambulance is relocated to the south for standby approximately once a day to cover for the Parham ambulance when it is sent on a call. A new base in South Frontenac would decrease the necessity for relocations.

The projected cost of the new base in South Frontenac is $750,000 and the cost of running a 24-hour ambulance is pegged at about $1 million annually. The building/renovation costs in North Frontenac are estimated at $750,000.

In the review of service in the north end of the county, consideration was given to moving the station to Cloyne, so more patients in the most populous region in North Frontenac would be served by Frontenac ambulances rather than cross-border service from the Northbrook and Denbigh stations.

“While that would lead to more local calls in that region, it would not speed up response times, and it would make response times slower in other parts of North Frontenac,” Marvin Rubinstein said, when presenting the report to a meeting of Frontenac County Council last week.

Rubinstein, who completed an extensive review for L&A County last year, pointed out that these projections in the western part of North Frontenac are based on the assumption that the Northbrook and Denbigh services would remain as they are after the L&A report is implemented, which may or may not be the case.

The L&A report presented several options for the northern bases, presenting an analysis of the cost per call for the low-call-volume base at Denbigh of almost $1,500. Cross-border billing rates were set by the Eastern Ontario County Treasurers at $170 in 2006, so the L&A report says there should be a cost-sharing scheme worked out with Frontenac County in order to keep the 12-hour Denbigh and the 24-hour Flinton ambulances in place.

A staff report in L&A in response to the IBI report is being presented to their county council this month.

Acknowledging that the shape of Frontenac County’s northern service is tied into what L&A does with their Flinton and Denbigh bases, Frontenac County Manager of Emergency Services, Paul Charbonneau said, “This report is just the beginning of that process. We have a long way to go”.

Land ambulance service operations in Ontario are funded on a 50-50 basis by the municipalities and the province. Capital costs, such as new bases and ambulances, are funded entirely on the municipal level. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - January 22, 2009 Community ambulance committee responds to L&A ambulance review

by Jeff Green

The Community Ambulance Committee of Denbigh has released a detailed position paper in response to the Lennox and Addington (L&A) ambulance review that was completed in September of 2008.

The paper concludes “that the Denbigh Ambulance Base is in a critical geographic location and that it cannot be moved without severely impacting the health of the people that it currently serves.”

Almost a year ago, in light of the announcement of an organizational review of ambulance service in Lennox and Addington County, a community ambulance committee was formed to deal specifically with concerns about the northern service area in the County, specifically the Denbigh ambulance base.

Paul Isaacs, the chair of the committee, told the News last week that the ambulance committee was “quietly requested to stay on the sidelines until the service review was out. We felt we had to put something on paper after that.”

The service review, which was conducted by the IBI group, discussed the high cost of the maintaining the Denbigh and Northbrook bases in relation to call volumes. It also contained significant detail about the number of calls to both stations that come from outside of the borders of L&A (into Frontenac, Renfrew, and Hastings Counties)

The report outlined four options regarding service to the north end of the County. Of these the most expensive option would be to maintain the bases at Northbrook and Denbigh. Others include repositioning both bases, cutting back service in the Denbigh base, or closing both bases and opening one somewhere in between the other two.

In order to maintain the Denbigh base at its current location, with 24 hours of service, the IBI group report implies that a cost-sharing agreement with neighbouring municipalities, “splitting the cost of the two northern bases in proportion to the volume of calls these bases attend within their respective jurisdictions”, would be necessary.

In their response, the Community Ambulance Committee decided not to enter into the debate about how much neighbouring municipalities are willing to pay for cross borders services in rural and remote areas. Instead, it argues that the province needs to step in.

It says, “The provincial government made a serious error in ‘downloading’ land ambulance service to upper-tier municipalities. Ambulance service is a time-critical service that had no regard for jurisdictional boundaries.”

Among the 22 points in the summary supporting the conclusion that the ambulance service should be preserved as is at Denbigh, the ambulance committee made the point that, with the exception of a twice weekly clinic conducted by Doctor Tobia from Northbrook, there are no other medical services available for Denbigh residents, and that very few County services, save ambulance service, have an impact in the northern end of the County. It also says, “The geography of the County dictates that adequate ambulance service for the County can not be provided without an ambulance base in Denbigh.”

It suggested that, given the lack of other medical services in Denbigh, an alternate use of ambulance personnel may be considered. “Denbigh would be better served if the ambulance service provided non-emergency medical services in addition to ambulance emergency service,” it says.

The position paper has been submitted to L&A County, and Addington Highlands Township.

“We will see what response we will get,” said Paul Isaac, “we felt that we had an obligation to put out our position so that whenever things do happen we will have made our case in a strong and logical manner.” 

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy reported that no tenders were received for repairing the roofs of the Northbrook and Denbigh fire halls. The request for tenders closed on May 13. Cuddy said he received some phone calls, and at least one person said they would submit a tender, but none were received. He, and other members of council, speculated that perhaps contractors found the job to be too small. However, Casey Cuddy also pointed out that a contractor must have proper insurance and WSIB coverage.

He asked Councilor Tony Fritsch if any of the contractors who are presently working on the Addington Highlands Community Centre (AHCC) in Denbigh would qualify, and Fritsch replied that several would.

Council decided to solicit quotes for the tender.

Casey Cuddy also reported that the department has received a JEPP (Joint Emergency Preparedness Program) grant for the re-wiring of a cable to the Denbigh fire hall. The grant covers 55% of the costs.

Deputy Reeve Bill Cox questioned a bill from Ronfeld Electric for work that was done at the Northbrook Family Health Team (FHT). He asked if anyone on council had authorized the work and was told that it was probably requested by the FHT.

Cox replied, “That’s fine, but they’re sending us the bill.” He then said that the township needs a facilities manager.

Reeve Henry Hogg said that Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath acts as the township’s facilities manager, but Cox replied that the township has so many buildings that the job is too big for the staff to handle.

Henry Hogg said that to pay Rosenblath to do extra work would cost $5,000 to $6,000 a year, as opposed to $60,000 a year to hire someone for a new position.

Cox reiterated that the township needs to have a separate facilities manager, as Rosenblath already has a full-time position.

Councilor Tony Fritsch commented that council needs to discuss the structure of the township, and council agreed.

Council approved an expenditure of $600 for design drawings for the relocation of the Denbigh library to the AHCC. The township will apply for a Trillium grant for the renovations to move the library, and also to create an accessible entrance and washrooms, and the drawings are needed to prepare estimates for the grant application.

Councilor Fritsch also reported on the progress of the work on the AHCC. The demolition and in-ground plumbing work has been satisfactorily completed and several tenders were received for the Architectural, Plumbing, Electrical and HVAC work, which will be opened on Friday. The Denbigh Rec Committee hosted a cleanup day on May 10

A presentation to council about a draft plan for affordable housing in the county has been tentatively scheduled for the July council meeting in Flinton. The presentation will be given by Prince Edward – Lennox & Addington Social Services (PELASS).

Council passed a motion to adopt the budget.

 

 

 

Addington Highlands seeks provincial relief for ice storm

At Monday night’s council meeting, Stephen Seller and Warren Sleeth from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (OMMAH) discussed the possibility of the township applying to the ministry for financial relief in coping with the aftermath of an ice storm that hit the region on Boxing Day.

The storm caused power outages that lasted for several days in some parts of the township, but it is tree damage and the need to clear roads that is costing the township heavily.

Last week, Stephen Seller and Warren Sleeth toured the roads with Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath to assess the damage and advise the township whether it might qualify for funding under the Ontario Disaster Relief and Assistance Program. One way of applying is to ask the minister (who because of Monday’s cabinet shuffle is a new minister, Jim Bradley) to declare the area a disaster zone – the request would have had to be made by Monday, the day of the meeting. The other way, which does not have a specific deadline, is to write to the minister asking for funding. Seller said that the ministry uses the minimum figure of 4% of a municipality’s revenue in determining whether it needs assistance. The expenses incurred from the disaster have to be higher than 4%, which in Addington Highlands’ case, would be around $66,670.

When asked by Reeve Henry Hogg whether he thought Addington Highlands would qualify, Seller gave the opinion that based on what he had seen and the fact that one of the roads they looked at was a county road, the municipality would not need to spend more than $66,670 on the cleanup and so would not qualify. He said that some of the trees that have to be cut are not an immediate safety hazard, but fall more in the category of maintenance. He stressed, however, that the final decision would rest with the minister. He also said that OMMAH could call on other ministries such as the Ministry of Natural resources (MNR) for expert opinion in assessing the damage.

Council voted to send a letter immediately to the minister, notifying him that Addington Highlands would be applying for funding in a few weeks, when it has a better assessment of the costs.

Before Stephen Seller and Warren Sleeth left the meeting, Royce Rosenblath asked them if they could get the MNR to come in right away to assess the damage, before the cleanup is done and “there’s nothing left to see”. They agreed to the request and left.

Later on in the meeting, Rosenblath disagreed with Seller, and told council that, excluding the county road and the seasonal roads, 25 to 35 km. of full-time roads still need brushing and it’s costing around $8,000 per kilometre, so the township would easily surpass the $66,670 minimum. He said that it was impossible to say that it’s only maintenance to cut down a tree that’s further from the road but leaning on a tree that’s an immediate hazard, because it will simply fall on the road when the “hazard” tree is removed.

Council voted to donate $100 to Doctors Without Borders for Haitian earthquake relief.

The township estimates that it will cost $400,000 to repair the sidewalks and sewers in the village of Denbigh and is applying for a grant to the Community Adjustment Fund, which would fund 90% of the project.

Rumblings last year from the KFL&A Public Health Unit that it would soon cease doing septic inspections have caused major concern in local municipalities. AH’s Chief Building Inspector attended a meeting with the health unit last week, on January 13, and it now seems that the health unit will wait until next year to withdraw the service because the local building inspectors do not all have the training to take over septic inspections.

Council debated whether to adopt a 1-800 number plan for the phone at the Denbigh Hall. Currently the phone is only equipped for outgoing calls, which Denbigh Recreation Chair Janice Kerr says is a safety issue. She says the hall is used between five and six times a month and people need to be able to contact family members when they are at the hall. Council deferred a decision until they could ascertain the costs more exactly.

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy has prepared a draft by-law for a Joint Operation & Management Agreement with North Frontenac Township to establish the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department. Reeve Hogg expressed some frustration with North Frontenac Township, saying that NF was insisting that the two townships spend $6000 to have a lawyer prepare the agreement, but Addington Highlands feels that the draft by-law covers all the issues and “we’ve dug in our heels.” He said, “The other side [North Frontenac Township] is not grasping it; they seem to think it is a glorified committee.”

The draft by-law will be discussed at a joint council meeting with North Frontenac next week.

Province says no to emergency funding request - 

Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg said it came as no surprise when the township’s request for provincial funding to cover some of the costs of clearing trees from roads after the Boxing Day ice storm was rejected. “I didn’t appreciate when they told us that we should have cut our trees in the first place,” Hogg said.

Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath agreed with Hogg’s assessment, adding, “It’s like telling someone that if you kept your house sandbagged all the time you wouldn’t be flooded. You can’t really protect yourself against mother nature.”

Rosenblath also pointed out that the Ministry of Natural Resources would find that a lot of work will be required to open up their forestry roads in the spring as the result of the storm.

The township has been able to keep a crew on the brushing job throughout the last month or so because of the easy winter.

Denbigh waste site – A design and operation plan has been completed for an expanded Denbigh waste site and an application for a certificate of approval is ready to go in to the Ministry of the Environment.

The only outstanding issue is a piece of land that the township is considering for purchase, which was discussed at an in-camera session following the public council meeting.

“But whether it is resolved or not the application can still go in,” said Reeve Hogg.

The Denbigh site will remain closed until the ministry can consider the application. In the meantime, Denbigh residents will keep using the Vennachar waste site.

Funding for Canada Day – The township agreed to support an application for $1,400 for the Denbigh Recreation Committee to support Canada Day fireworks and other costs.

Fire prevention pamphlet – Council approved putting a fire prevention pamphlet in with the interim tax bills that will be going out shortly. 

 

Werner and Martha Lips in 2008 when Werner received the Addington Highlands Community Builder Award.

Werner and Martha Lips were living in Montreal some 40 years ago, when they received information from the Apostolic Church of Canada that the rector’s position was available in a little place called Denbigh, Ontario.

Somehow, Werner talked Martha into making the move to the little village, and off they went. If that didn’t seem like enough of a leap, the Apostolic Church does not pay a wage to their rectors, so not only were the Lips coming in to minister to a new community, they were also faced with making a living in an area that is not known for its economic prosperity.

It turned out that economic prosperity and community development were Werner Lips’ passions, and he became an untiring advocate for the Denbigh area and the Land O’Lakes region for decades.

After he tried a few different occupations, including running a taxi service, a local restaurant and motel called the Dutch Inn became available for purchase. Werner and Martha bought it and changed the name to the Swiss Inn because that’s where Werner came from.

It turned out that the Lips had a knack for the restaurant and motel business. They knew that it would be a mistake to ignore the local community and serve food that was only intended for the tourist trade, so they served a mixed menu, with Canadian family fare as well as the more exotic Swiss cuisine.

Over time the customers demanded more and more Swiss dishes, and the reputation of the restaurant as a regional destination grew. The motel rooms that the Lips inherited from the previous owners were in pretty bad repair, so they built an eight-unit motel in the front of the building, which remains busy to this day.

Werner also had an interest in working with neighbouring businesses to build up the tourism potential of the region. This drew him to the Land O’Lakes Tourist Association.

Janice Kerr, an Addington Highlands councilor and a former long-time employee of the Swiss Inn, said that Werner was always a great person to work for. “He was someone who never looked at competition as a bad thing. He once told me he was always very happy to see new businesses come into our area. He never thought of a new business as a threat; he thought it could only help his business if there was more available. He just thought it was good for the community.”

The Swiss Inn has also had a community role over the years, providing meals for the meals on wheels program and facilities for a satellite health clinic for Doctor Tobia of Northbrook.

Werner Lips was also associated with a group of contemporaries who were committed to improving the business climate along the Highway 41 Corridor. David Harcourt remembers Werner as a very good friend. “Along with Ted Cannon, who owned a resort on Mississagagon Lake, and Andy Anderson of the Kaladar Hotel, he was one of the founding members of the Land O'Lakes Chamber of Commerce, and he served as president on two occasions.”

Werner was also the president of the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association in 1981 and '82, and between 2002 and 2007. Other organizations he was involved with were the Highway 7 Community Development Corporation and the Addington Highlands Economic Development Committee.

Werner Lips was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Lennox and Addington County Council in 2002 and he was named Community Builder Of The Year in Addington Highlands in 2008.

Although he was able to work well with lots of different people over the years, Werner was not afraid to express his opinion when circumstances warranted it, as we learned here at the News back in 2002. Our then reporter Will Cybulski wrote an article about a provincial economic development “jump team” that had been sent into the area. In the article Cybulski said, “There is no suitable year-round accommodation, particularly of the high end calibre, in the region.”

Werner Lips wrote back in a letter to the editor: “... Please note that we have operated the Swiss Inn Motel and Restaurant for more than 30 years on an all year round basis. I feel that our motel rooms, as well as the restaurant are ‘suitable year-round’ accommodation.”

Werner Lips died on Saturday, March 6 of pancreatic cancer. His funeral will take place at the Apostolic Church in Denbigh on Saturday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m., reception to follow at the Denbigh Hall. 

In January, the township applied to the province for financial assistance to help with clearing roads after an ice storm hit the township on Boxing Day. Also in January, Stephen Seller and Warren Sleeth from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (OMMAH) came out to tour the roads and assess the situation, but indicated at that time that in their opinion the township would not qualify for assistance. However, recently they have asked the township for the final cost of the brushing, so some money may be forthcoming from OMMAH after all.

The township has been accepted into the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Program and is currently accepting, free of charge, items such as televisions, computers, monitors, fax machines, printers, etc. For a full list visit www.addingtonhighlands.ca/WEEE2.pdf

The township will apply for funding to the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Bear Wise program, which gives financial assistance for prevention projects to reduce human-bear conflicts. Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath told council that bear problems have already started at the Vennachar waste site.

Council voted to go ahead in complying with a requirement from the KFL&A Health Unit that extra sinks be installed at the Denbigh hall. Councilor Janice Kerr of the Denbigh Rec. Committee, said that the committee had hoped to defer the requirement until after they heard what is going to happen with the Denbigh Public School. The township wants to prepare an offer to purchase the school from the Limestone District School Board, in order to use it as a satellite clinic for the Lakelands Family Health Team, but has not yet heard back from the board.

In the meantime, the Health Unit’s deadline for installing the new sinks is May 26, and Kerr said the timelines were too tight to wait.

Reeve Henry Hogg attended a recent meeting of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, at which they discussed a number of their aging dams that will need replacing. Hogg told council that this would likely mean a major increase in the MVCA’s budget.