Concerns raised over proposed mandatory insurance coverage for all hall rentals in CF

Numerous councilors raised concerns over Treasurer Michael McGovern's recommendation that the township begin charging insurance for all hall rentals in the township effective March 1, 2016. Presently the township hall renters pay additional insurance only for events where alcohol is served and all other renters have their insurance covered by the township.

Frank Cowan, the township's insurance company, changed the township policy to a user fee-based program for hall rentals. The change will result in all renters, excluding recreation committees, being required to pay an insurance fee that will be determined based on the type of event, its duration and the number of people in attendance.

McGovern said the change is necessary to address “an important risk management step that will ensure that third parties (hall renters) have their own insurance when using our facilities, therefore protecting both the renter and the municipality from any possible lawsuits by creating the arm's length needed.”

McGovern suggested two possible options. Either the renter can acquire their own insurance or the township can charge the renter the insurance fee as part of the rental agreement based on the schedules from the Frank Crown Company that were included in the report. The schedules proposed rates based either on liability of $2 million or $5 million. The hourly rates charged could range anywhere from $2.50/ an hour for a non-alcohol, non-sporting event for one to 50 people, to $30/hour for a gathering of 100 to 200 people where alcohol is served, depending on which liability level is chosen.

Councilor Bill MacDonald wondered if increasing costs to the taxpayers is wise and if it might prevent rentals in the future. He asked, "Just what are we trying to prevent here since I do not know of any lawsuits in the past?”

Debra Murphy, regional manager of the Frank Cowan Insurance Company, was in attendance for the report. “This is a one-stop shopping arrangement where staff know what exactly is happening at the event and the renter can pay the insurance fee upfront, and where both the township and the renter know that they are covered. If something were to happen - let's say that a hot coffee pot were to tip over and burn someone, both the renter and the township would be covered,” she said.

Councilor Jamie Riddell was hesitant to support the request.

“We already have a policy in place where renters for events serving alcohol are covered and I think we need more time to think this over,” he said.

“Every year we look at the budget and ask ourselves why more people don't use these halls. Putting more insurance on top of the rental fee will not improve the situation,” said Councillor Phil Smith

Councilor Heese suggested reducing the rental fees so that these extra costs could be made more affordable for the renters.

Councilor MacDonald and Councilor Tom Dewey were concerned about the impact on seniors' groups, who are often not associated with rec committees and how this might affect their regular meetings and events.

“Basically the decision we need to make comes down to a budget decision and we have to decide if we want to pay the extra insurance fees as we have in the past or if we want to pass along that charge to the users,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

In the end Councilor Dewey moved to table the motion until after a budget meeting, which will take place at Oso Hall this Friday, January 29 beginning at 9 am.

Council supports application by CF Recreation and Cultural Centre

In a delegation, Sue Leslie and Bob Teal asked if council would support an application they plan to make to the Community Foundation of Greater Kingston for a feasibility study looking into the viability of turning the former Hinchinbrooke public school in Parham into a recreation and cultural center.

Leslie thanked council for “having the vision to make the purchase of the school”, which her group hopes to see turned into a center that artists, youth, seniors and other members of the community will be able to use.

Leslie said her committee had met with the township's chief building officer, Jeremy Neven, who reported that the building is structurally sound, but would have to be brought up to code and would have to have certain substances remediated. The feasibility study is priced at $10,000 and Leslie asked council if they would pay 20% of that cost, with the committee group hoping to raise the remainder. Council agreed and many members thanked Leslie and her group for taking the lead on looking into the viability of the site.

Councilor MacDonald said, “The ground work that you are doing needs to be done and the fact that you are looking into accessing funds puts me in support of this request”.

Mayor Francis Smith said “If $2,000 can get you $10,000, those are pretty good odds.”

Councilor Tom Dewey also supported the request, as did Councilor Brent Cameron, who said “ If there is an opportunity to breathe new life into that building and into the community, I support that.”

Council supported the motion and agreed to the $2,000 contribution for the application.

Plans for CF Re-Use Centre on hold re: permits

Councilor Victor Heese, who is heading up the committee looking into creating a re-use center in Central Frontenac, said that the committee had its first meeting and the minutes from the meeting highlighted the fact that a re-use centre, located at a township waste site, “requires a permit from the Ministry of Environment at a cost of $1400 and a wait time of between six and 18 months”. Due to the fact that these applications can be complicated, it was also suggested at the meeting that the committee hire waste management consultants retained by the township to write the application. The minutes from the meeting were received for information.

Council accepts Giroux's resignation with regret and heartfelt thanks

In a letter, Marcel Giroux announced his resignation as chair and member of the CF economic development committee. In the letter Giroux said, “I finally have to admit that I am growing old and no longer have the levels of energy, stamina and patience to give this good work its due.” At the committee's next meeting Giroux said that he will ask committee member Karen McGregor to take on the role as chair.

Mayor Smith said that she will be writing a letter to Mr. Giroux accepting his resignation.

Concussion policy and strategy adopted

Clerk Cathy MacMunn presented the issue of putting a township policy and strategy in place regarding concussions. The issue was brought forth in a letter to staff by Leslie Merrigan on behalf of the township's recreation committees, who are hoping to benefit from a $25,000 grant to create a lending library of sports equipment for residents.

The grant requires that such a policy be in place.

Deputy Mayor Sutherland chaired the meeting: Mayor Vandewal and Councillor McDougall were both absent.

Delegations to Council

North Frontenac Community Services

Louise Moody, of NFCS briefly described her agency’s services to children and families: daycare in Sharbot Lake, early years playgroups throughout the County, youth programming, family counselling and Frontenac Transportation services. She thanked Council for their $16,000 financial support this year, which goes to programs for youth such as “Kids Fit”, which introduces lacrosse and snowshoeing, after-school programs, and the Red Cross babysitter-training program.

Habitat for Humanity

Dave McGraff and Ron Darling introduced the Habitat for Humanity program, which helps local people build their own houses. (One was completed recently in Tichborne.) McGraff says they are on the lookout for affordable properties in South Frontenac that would be appropriate to build on, ie, close to settlement areas, where there is access to resources.

Harrowsmith Zoning Issue

Pat Lalonde, a Harrowsmith resident, expressed her concern about an application to rezone a small lot as 'Industrial Commercial', without knowing beforehand exactly which of the listed possible uses for which it may be developed. The lot in question is intended as a lot addition to a much larger Industrial Commercial property which is the site of a number of long-term storage units.

Hartington Subdivision Proposal

Councillor Sleeth asked what was the next step in this process: CAO Orr said that Public Works has met with the township consultant and the MOE, and once they have more information (related, presumably, to the ‘new information’ that stalled further discussion at the last Council meeting,) the issue will come back to Council.

Process Map for Subdivision/Condo Development

In an attempt to achieve clarity, CAO Orr presented a three-page, six-column flow chart to help define roles and set out timelines in the process of moving from initial proposal to final development of a subdivision. Orr agreed that it is not a simple one-line process, for there are many players involved. Deputy Mayor Sutherland asked for more evidence of community involvement. “My eyes glaze over,” said Councillor Revill. Orr said this was a work in progress: he was presenting it for information, and would be looking at best practices before bringing the flow chart back.

The massive rainstorm that took place earlier this month caused the overflow of a drainage pipe that runs next to the Anderson Road, which joins Bradshaw Road in South Frontenac with Crow Lake Road in Central Frontenac. Cottage properties on Crow Lake are accessed by Anderson Road, as well as year-round homes.

“The washout came about because of high water in a pond next to the road, which was too much for a pipe that was running parallel to the road near where the CP Rail line crosses,” said Mark Segsworth, Public Works Manager of South Frontenac Township.

The pipe was in place because at that point in the road the township did not have the normal amount of roadside property, as it was a forced road, so instead of proper ditching a pipe was put in place.

“We have not had any problems there, until now, under South Frontenac, but apparently something happened about 20 years ago there,” said Mark Segsworth.

There is very little traffic on the road in the winter months, and property owners are able to access their properties from either end, so the washout has not resulted in a major inconvenience for ratepayers in either township; at least none have been reported to the South Frontenac Public Works department.

“We have contracted McNichols Construction to rebuild the missing lane and provide for ditching, which should take about two weeks [the work started on January 19], depending of course on the weather. We'll look at a more permanent solution in the spring, which might involve acquiring some property,” he said.

The rainstorm that precipitated the washout was not only a heavy storm - up to 5 cm of rain came down in certain locations - it also took place after the ground was frozen so the water stayed on the surface.

“I suspect it was just too much water for the pipe, and the next thing you know 300 feet of road were washed out.”

Road crews from South Frontenac provide winter maintenance on the entire Anderson Road, under an arrangement between Central and South Frontenac Townships. The South Frontenac crews normally travel up the road from Bradshaw and return the same way. Currently they are doing the bottom half, and returning, and then travelling up Road 38 and along Crow Lake road to access the top part.

Ompah Fire Hall In Need Of Repair

Jeremy Neven, the Chief Building Official, did an inspection of the Ompah Fire Hall in early December 2015 and pointed out 13 violations of the Ontario Building Code that need to be addressed.

The issues range from caulking the shower stall, moving pressure valves, electrical outlets, and water lines, to venting laundry traps and insulating the floor.

“I just can't believe this,” Councillor Wayne Good said. “On a brand new rebuild of a building...This is just ridiculous.”

“Council made a decision not to go ahead with a professional project manager and to use a volunteer instead,” Mayor Higgins said. “The Township itself is ultimately responsible for this as we never followed up on inspections.”

“Our existing building inspector pretty much refused to do interim inspections,” Councillor Gerry Martin said.

“The biggest and most major issue is the fact that the floor was improperly installed,” Councillor Bedard said. “We spent a pile of money on a concrete floor with the chances now of it heaving and destroying the in-floor heating system.”

“We were not willing to spend the money on a contractor to come in and do the whole thing,” Councillor Inglis said. “We went with this process because it was going to save us money.”

“The cost of fixing this, compared to the (quoted) cost of that building,” Inglis said. “We still have a 100% success rate with this.”

“For all this is going to cost us it's nothing compared to what it would've been with a major contractor,” Councillor Good said.

Bathroom Built Without Permit Causing Grief For Cottagers

Joe Gallivan, from the County planning department, made a presentation to Council on Monday morning regarding the request for a by-law amendment, made by Beth and Bo Mocherniak, cottagers on Lake Kashawakamak, to allow them to keep the bathroom they built in their garage.

The Mocherniaks built a two-storey garage on their property in 2014 and added a bathroom to the structure in 2015. The project, excluding the bathroom, was constructed with a building permit, allowing them to build a garage with sleeping quarters upstairs. The bathroom was built in 2015, without a building permit, and was tied into the existing septic system of the original cottage.

The Mocherniaks purchased their cottage approximately 12 years ago although Beth has been cottaging in the area since the 1960's. When they first purchased the cottage their family was 5 people. It's now 9 people and soon to be 10.

“We've been cottaging here for a number of years and we've continued to support the local economy and use local builders and suppliers,” Mr. Mocherniak said.

The Mocherniaks made a plea to Council to allow them to keep the bathroom. They suggested that it wasn't practical to expand the current single bathroom in their cottage as it would mean possibly eliminating one of their bedrooms. They also said that the original cottage bathroom setup made it difficult to bath a child in, a concern of theirs since they've now got grandchildren. The new bathroom in the garage includes a bathtub to alleviate this problem.

“It is almost impossible to bath a child in a shower stall,” Mr. Mocherniak added.

The garage is considered an accessory structure and therefore isn't allowed to have a sanitary, or cooking, area in it, under the local zoning regulations.

“We didn't realize we needed a separate permit for it,” Bo Mocherniak said regarding adding the bathroom to the garage. “Our contractor didn't mention it to us.”

“I would say the majority of the area is habitable and insulated,” Gallivan said. “There is no kitchen but there is the tub and the shower and running water in the summer time.”

“I would argue that 'majority' is not correct,” Bo Mocherniak said. “It is a garage. We store stuff there. Maybe a significant portion (is livable)”

Brad Taylor, a neighbour to the Mocherniaks, raised concerns during the meeting.

“What it comes down to is the building code and the by-law,” Taylor said. “If you do allow special exemptions to one person then you're opening the door to everyone else.”

“If we allow this to go through we might as well scrap the zoning by-law,” Councillor John Inglis said. “The word 'shall' would be replaced by the word 'should'.”

“The washroom addition doesn't impact the environment. The septic system can handle it,” Councillor Dennis Bedard said. “Why wouldn't our by-laws change to accommodate situations like this?”

“That's something to consider, changing the by-law,” Mayor Ron Higgins said. “That would include the planning department and the building inspector but the point is we have an existing by-law we need to go by right now.”

“We just built a cottage next store. It's 1300 square feet,” said Louis Armstrong, a neighbour of the Mocherniaks. “They just built a garage that's 1344 square feet. I'm thinking I'm going to pay high taxes on my brand new cottage and they're going to pay taxes on a garage that's bigger than my new cottage. I just don't find it's fair to skirt around the rules.

The by-law amendment request for the Mocherniaks was voted on by Council and defeated 5-1.

Plugging In

The Ministry of Transportation is investing $20 million into installing public electric vehicle charging stations throughout Ontario through their Electric Vehicle Chargers Ontario program (EVCO).

The program is a one-time, competitive, application-based grant program designed to cover the costs of purchasing and installing a public charging station and is accepting applications up until February 12th 2016.

“The Economic Development Task Force (EDTF) recommended that the Township actually apply for the grant,” Councillor Inglis said. “If we get a grant to do something than we'll scramble to find a private partner. I'd like permission for the Township to pursue the application and that we deal with the question of ownership if we get the grant.”

“Our choice was Cloyne,” Councillor Inglis said regarding a potential location for one of the charging stations. “We'd be lucky to get one here.”

The Township could apply for 100% of the costs to cover the project through the EVCO and there is no limit to how many chargers they can apply for.

These charging stations allow an electric vehicle to reach 80% charged in 20-30 minutes.

Potential Ompah Picnic Area

Councillor Bedard met with members of the Ottawa ATV group last week to discuss the idea about developing a trailhead and picnic area with a washroom in the Ompah area.

“The Ottawa ATV group officially committed a minimum of $2500 towards the project,” Bedard said, “I also have a meeting with the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance on Thursday and will be discussing it more formally with them to see if they're interested in participating.”

“It might be an opportunity to combine all these partners and put this together,” Bedard said.

“It's not intended to be used just by that group (ATV's),” Bedard said. “A picnic area and washrooms would allow people coming into the community to stop and maybe look at a map, use the washroom. The biggest structure would be similar to the pavilion at the park in Plevna.”

“We don't have to do anymore than the Malcolm Lake boat landing,” Councillor Gerry Martin pointed out. “That's being used all the time. Families are using the picnic tables, the washrooms. They stop there.”

The project has been budgeted to cost between $13,000-$14,000.

Hartington Subdivision: Still Holding…

A full room of Hartington residents, many of them carrying protest placards, were in attendance expecting council to make a final decision on a draft plan of subdivision in the hamlet of Hartington. This proposal has been revised from the original 47-unit one which would have run from Boyce Road south to the Petworth Road. It now comprises 13 lots, all in the hamlet of Hartington itself.

However, Mayor Vandewal opened the meeting by advising them that new information had arrived a few hours earlier and as a result, there would be no discussion or vote until all interested parties have a full opportunity to review this information and consider its relevance to the proposal. (He hinted later that the new information might relate to property in the hamlet recently acquired by the Township.) Accordingly, this item has been moved to next week’s Committee of the Whole meeting for discussion.

Vandewal assured all present that they should feel free to leave the meeting, promising there would be no further discussion or vote. However, everyone stayed.

Larcon Settlement Deferred

A proposed settlement of the Larcon request for industrial zoning of a small Harrowsmith property came before Council for approval in the hopes of avoiding a full blown OMB hearing on the matter. Basically, it tightly limits the particular uses that would be permitted if this lot is rezoned ‘Special Urban Industrial’. However, Mayor Vandewal said that a Hartington resident had requested this be deferred, to give time to fully discuss the terms of the settlement with some of the concerned residents. Council deferred it.

Changes to Secondary Dwelling Rules

Until recently, township policy allowed only one dwelling per lot, with the exception of temporary ‘granny suites’. Now, Council has approved the development of a secondary suite in Storrington District (Ormsbee Road) which demonstrates a new approach supported by both provincial policy and the revised Township Official Plan. In brief, a secondary suite or dwelling may be considered, subject to meeting minimum parking standards, septic capacity and building code requirements. This opens opportunities for developing affordable housing as well as additional accommodation for relatives or others who may require special care.

Committee of Adjustment

The 2016 council appointees to this committee will be: Robinson, Revill, Schjerning, and Sleeth. Four-year community appointees are: David Hahn, John Sherbino, Larry Redden and Ken Gee.

Playground Equipment Replacement Policy

Council voted to spend $38,000, which was included in the 2016 budget, for Bowes Park playground equipment replacement, and referred the 2012 playground replacement policy to South Frontenac Recreation Committee for review.

Rideau Corridor 2017 Celebrations

The question of how South Frontenac might contribute to these events was also referred to SFRC.

Chief Building Official Resigns

CAO Orr announced that Brian Gass was leaving at the end of this month, to move to Carleton Place: Orr will bring a report on finding a replacement, to the Feb 2 Council meeting.

Organizational Review to Start Soon

Orr announced that the RFP from Strategy Corporation, of Toronto and Ottawa, has been chosen from a shortlist of three candidates to do the Township’s organizational review: they will be ‘working on a tight timeline’. (There were ten bids for this job).

After reading the CF agenda and your follow up (Central Frontenac to Demolish Sharbot Lake Public School, Jan 7/16)  to their actions, I feel by their action they do not have any idea how to control their spending habits. It is our tax dollars being spent on unplanned or non-mandated issues. What about old aged public works equipment? Or are they waiting for it to break down and use that as an excuse to use emergency funds?? Let’s make our staff, mayor and councillors accountable and responsible for all decisions made. Stop assigning the blame to someone else for wasteful spending.

Township Offered Historic Mill on Napanee River

In considering Chris Kerr’s application to sever two residential lots on the Napanee River at Petworth, the Committee of Adjustment suggested Council might wish to consider asking for parkland instead of cash-in-lieu in order to acquire the remains of the Petworth Mill building for preservation and possible future renovation. Councillor McDougall spoke of this as “a wonderful opportunity” and said that building inspector Gas had described the stonework as “an outstanding example of old world craftsmanship”, noting the masonry and design of the lower waterflow arches was “a phenomenal piece of work”. (see note, below.) Most of Council was interested in the idea of acquiring the mill, but Mayor Vandewal expressed strong opposition because of liability issues, and the cost of restoration if the site should become designated as historical. McDougall said the Township had no historical architecture committee, it could not be declared historical in the way buildings in Kingston are designated. Planner Mills reminded Council that the southern wall of the structure could be said to already belong to the township, in that it is on the road allowance. He also said that the Official Plan placed a heavy emphasis on “maintaining cultural heritage”. CAO Orr agreed to do a legal enquiry about liability, and a risk analysis.

Note: McDougall gave a brief history of the Petworth Mill, the second oldest in Portland: it was built as a grist mill in 1845, and for most of the 1800’s it processed large amounts of grain, helping make Petworth a thriving little town. Some time prior to WW1, the mill stopped production. By 1919, upstream Verona was experiencing problems with the water level of the Cameron Swamp, so local farmers took six cases of dynamite down to Petworth, where they blew the dam and ‘improved the swamp drainage a bit.’

CRCA Response re Applewood Docks

Two representatives of the Cataraqui Conservation Authority, A.Schmidt and T. Beaubiah, came as a delegation to discuss their inspection of a recently-built dock at the Applewood subdivision site (Loughborough Lake). This was in response to a letter of concern from local resident Matt Rennie.

They found the dock in question to be 28 feet longer than the approved 120 feet, and the water depth in and around the dock was less than specified in the permit. However, Schmidt said that these differences did not affect the control of flooding or erosion, nor interfere with the natural features of the wetland or the lake bottom. Therefore, the dock structure was acceptable as it still met the intent of their regulations and policies.

He said that when the original permit had been issued in 2011, the CRCA had an agreement with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to “review proposals in consideration of the fish habitat provisions under Section 35 of the Fisheries Act” (which includes destruction/alteration of fish habitat). Now, due to recent changes to the fisheries Act, the CRCA no longer has an agreement with the DFO, so all future concerns relating to fish habitat should be directed to the DFO.

Fitzgerald Quarry

Planner Mills brought an information report on the proposal to permit deeper extraction of the Bedford site. In response to concerns expressed by neighbouring property owner Stephan Duerst, a hydrogeological report states that the activity “is not expected to impact the wells (in the area) nor is it anticipated to affect the creeks observed on the site,” as it will not be removing water, or “dewatering”. Also the operation is not proposed to be expanded, only continued.

Road Closure

Public Works Manager Segsworth announced that Anderson Road in Bedford was damaged Sunday by water from a collapsed beaver dam, and will remain closed for an indeterminate time.

“We always said that county staff wanted to close the Denbigh base, and now we have proof,” said Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg at a meeting of AH council on Monday night, January 11.

His comments referred to a report that he received last Thursday from Lennox and Addington County staff in preparation for a working meeting of Lennox and Addington Council this week.

Hogg, along with Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch, sit on L&A Council along with two members each from Loyalist and Stone Mills townships and the City of Napanee.

The proposal in the report to L&A Council from Chief of Emergency Services Mark Schjerning calls for the transfer of the remaining 12-hour day shift at the Denbigh base to a new 12-hour night shift at a base in Loyalist Township. It also calls for the establishment of a new service based in Centreville, in Stone Mills Township, noting that average response times in Stone Mills are higher than anywhere else in the township. The report also notes that average response times were up by 12 seconds county-wide in 2014 as compared to 2013.

One of the arguments against the continuing existence of the Denbigh base is the calculation of the price per service call. Since staffing costs per shift are the same no matter how many times the ambulance is called out, the busiest station, in Napanee, has a cost of $743 per call, while the Denbigh base, with only 190 calls per year, has a cost of almost $4,200 per call.

To make the finances even worse, a high percentage of Denbigh calls, 44% (84) are cross-border calls, mostly to Renfrew and Frontenac County, and the compensation paid by neighbouring municipalities for cross-border calls is low, only $350 per call. Ultimately the result is that 44% of the calls to the Denbigh Ambulance generate only 3.5% of the $800,000 cost of operating the base, of which the provincial government provides just under half of the money. L&A ratepayers pay the rest.

“The problem with the way ambulance service is delivered is that dispatch is done on a seamless basis, but there are boundaries where funding is concerned,” said Councilor Tony Fritsch, who added that he has contacted local community activists in Denbigh to let them know that the closing of the Denbigh base is back in front of L&A Council.

When the fate of the Denbigh base hung in the balance in 2012, politicians from Addington Highland were joined by their compatriots from Renfrew County in an attempt to find a regional solution, because the removal of the Denbigh service would create a geographical gap. It presently fills the gap between the Renfrew base to the north-east, the Bancroft base to the west, and the Northbrook base to the south. Nothing came of those efforts, and the base was downgraded from a 24-hour a day operation to a 12-hour a day operation at that time.

“County staff wanted to close the Denbigh base in 2012, and it was all we could do to convince them to keep the base open at all. So it does not surprise me that they are trying again, not at all. They pointed to a study by the IBI group back in 2012,and said they were only following the study's recommendations. There has been no new study so we know that this is something that the staff want,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

In the report, staff list four options for enhancement to ambulance service in the county. The options are listed in order of priority. Number 1 is to increase the Loyalist coverage to a 24/7 service; number 2 is to establish a 12/7 daytime service in Stone Mills; number 3 is to increase coverage in Napanee by adding a second night shift; and the 4th option is to increase Stone Mills' coverage to 24 hours a day.

The report says, “Staff believes that these enhancements are a higher priority than maintaining coverage at the Denbigh base.”

It also says that staff are not seeking “a final determination of a plan for the ambulance service” but rather a “direction regarding the allocation of funding” for the 2016 budget.

(adendum - The staff report was tabled at a meeting of Lennox and Addington County Council on Wednesday, January 13. After a lengthy discussion, the Warden and Chief Administrative Officer were tasked with contacting their counterparts in Frontenac, Renfrew and Hastings Counties to seek regional funding support to keep the Denbugh base up and running.

"The politicains on County Council do not want to close the Denbigh base, at least as far as I can tell, but the other counties's did not come through the last time they were asked, so I don't hold out that much hope they will now," said Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg in a telephone interview with The Frontenac News on January 14th.)

Central Frontenac Council has received a letter from Kingston Frontenac Library Board Chair Claudette Richardson, which sets out the way the library sees the future of the Parham branch. The letter was based on a meeting held between Mayor Frances Smith and library staff and Board members on December 11.

Not only does the letter outline who will pay for what as the branch is set up in an extra room that was built into the new Parham fire hall, it also makes it clear that the branch will only stay open if it meets “performance benchmarks” set by the library board.

The township needs to provide not only the space but all furnishings and equipment as well, and will also be responsible for facility costs such as utilities, snow clearing and insurance.

The library will supply all computer equipment and related costs, and will cover the costs of Internet and phone service, library materials and staffing for six hours a week.

Richardson said that not only will the board set benchmarks that need to be met by Parham branch users, they will also set out a timeline for those benchmarks to be met. She said they would close the branch and transfer the hours to a new branch in Mountain Grove if those benchmarks are not met. The fact that a new branch in Mountain Grove has not yet been approved in any Central Frontenac budget is also referred to in the letter.

“If the Mountain Grove branch is not built within the time frame specified, the Library Board will work with the township to determine the next steps,” Richardson wrote.

Finally, the letter gives the library board an option to remove service from Parham, perhaps even if the usage benchmarks are met.

“The continued operation of the Parham branch will depend on the availability of resources and funding within the budget targets imposed by our funders,” said Richardson

At a meeting of Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday (January 12) Mayor Frances Smith said that the shelving that needs to be put in place will cost about $28,000 and that a drop box will cost another $3,000.

She said that the meeting that took place in December had been a good one, and that “the library board is really trying to establish a reasonable target for usage given the size of the community and other factors. We will be able to engage with them on the benchmark and our two county representatives on their board, John Purdon and Annie Peace-Fast, will play a role in monitoring how the library handles the matter.”

She added that it is a “beautiful space” that has been created for the library at the back of the new Parham fire hall.

“I'm not convinced they haven't already made up their mind and are just stringing us along,” said Councilor Philip Smith.

Councilor Bill MacDonald said that in his recollection it was the Library that provided shelving when the branch in Sharbot Lake was upgraded in the 1990s.

When the Frontenac Public Library was originally established, each of the Frontenac townships committed to establishing a branch, and when four townships (Olden, Oso, Hinchinbrooke and Kennebec) amalgamated to form Central Frontenac, the new township inherited four branches.

The Kingston Frontenac Public Library, which was created after municipal amalgamation in 1998, has continued to provide staffing and library materials to the four branches, but in a report tabled in 2006, it was proposed that one larger branch in Sharbot Lake be built to replace all four existing branches.

Since then the Arden branch has been upgraded and is included in the long term plans of the library, and the existing Sharbot Lake branch has remained busy, but the status of the Parham and Mountain Grove branches has been precarious.

While the letter from board chair Richardson creates doubt about the continued viability of the Parham branch, the reference to supporting a “new facility in Mountain Grove” is the first sign of a long-term commitment to a third branch in Central Frontenac.

Mayor Smith said that if the Parham branch is forced to close, the new shelving can be used for an upgraded Mountain Grove facility.

The commitment to a branch in every former Frontenac Township was broken by the KFPL Board when they closed the Ompah branch in the former Palmerston - Canonto township five years ago.

A community group has established an independent library where the KFPL branch used to be located.

Brown and Martin appeal to CF council for Pine Meadow funding

In separate delegations to Council, Rev. Jean Brown and Brenda Martin made a request to put aside $50,000 in their 2016 budget to help cover the estimated $112,000 cost of replacing 11 windows at Pine Meadow Nursing Home (PMNH) in Northbrook.

Their request came about because Frontenac County Council turned down a request to fund the $112,00 project back in November of last year. North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins and Central Frontenac Councilor Tom Dewey both voted no to the request, as did the representatives from Frontenac Islands. At a later meeting of North Frontenac Council, $25,000 was allocated to help fund the project, after being proposed by Mayor Higgins. Brown and Martin are both hoping that that Central Frontenac Council will follow suit.

“North Frontenac Council has voted to fix their mistake and we are here requesting that Central Frontenac Council do the same”, Brown said, adding that “Central Frontenac has given nothing to the PMNH and it's time that we get started here.”

Brown said that 50% of residents of the home come from North and Central Frontenac.

She further asked the council to “examine their budget with regards to nursing homes that are supported” and to publish the report in the Frontenac News. Lastly, she asked Council to encourage County Council to re-table their no vote on the issue. Prior to the meeting Brown had sent 600 letters out to local residents of Central Frontenac outlining the issue and inviting readers to write letters to CF council members asking for their support in the matter.

Brenda Martin, chair of the family council at the PMNH, then addressed Council. She said, “The decision at the county table has spurred the family council to take action as well”. Martin said the request to the county represented “a very reasonable 0.014% of their 2016 budget”.

Councilor Tom Dewey said he had not supported the project at the county level “for fear of setting a precedent”.

After the presentations were complete, Dewey put forth a motion to support the project as a one-time expense and to consider the request at Council's upcoming 2016 budget deliberations. Councilor Bill MacDonald agreed. Councilor Victor Heese said that senior care is the responsibility of the county and not of the lower tier councils.

“My concern is that if we support this, which is not in our mandate, we will get similar requests all of the time”, he said.

Reverend Brown replied, “We are asking for this as a way to fix a mistake made at the county level”.

Mayor Frances Smith said that although she agreed with Heese that seniors' care is the responsibility of the county, “municipalities do have the ability to make a grant to anybody, anywhere for anything.”

Mayor Smith closed the discussion by requesting that Brown and Martin make their presentation to South Frontenac and the Islands and make a presentation as well to County Council again in the new year.

In a motion following the delegation, Council agreed to consider the $50,000 request in their 2016 budget deliberations.

Proposals for Tipping Fees on Hard Plastics

Public Works Manager John Badgely recommended that Council consider introducing tipping fees for hard plastics at the township waste sites. Hard plastics would include lawn furniture, toys, laundry baskets and more. Currently there are no tipping fees required for these items. Badgley said there has been a build up of them at local waste sites as the result of a weakened market in hard plastics because low oil prices are making these items cheaper to make new than to recycle.

“Tipping fees would allow us to look into options like grinding these items down and making more room in our landfills,” Badgley said.

Councilor Dewey wondered how the fees would be charged and Badgely suggested making one fee across the board, which would “make things simple and avoid arguments”. Bagdley said that because a grinder could be costly (Dewey estimated anywhere from $50,000 - $80,000), he would look into meeting with public works managers in North and South Frontenac to see if they would be interested in sharing the costs of one.

Council passed a motion requesting that the waste management committee bring more information on the matter back to Council.

Badgley proposes ending the Amnesty Load Program

In his report regarding the 2015 amnesty load program, Public Works Manager John Badgley recommended that Council reconsider a decision they passed last March that will see the program extended until November 2019. He reported that there were 800 amnesty loads in 2015, representing $20,000 in wasted revenue and a shortened life for local landfill sites. Badgley said his aim in ending the program is to extend the life of the township's waste sites by either diverting or charging for these materials.

“The fact is that many residents here, many of whom are summer residents, are using the program to clean up their homes and yards, so really what is happening is that we are taking Toronto's garbage, Ottawa's garbage and everyone else's garbage in our sites.”

Councillor Bill MacDonald said he is on side for canceling the program “I have never used the program and I know what it costs to close a landfill and how difficult it is to open a new one. I also know that once these sites are full we may have no choice but to pay to ship our waste elsewhere.”

Councilor Dewey said he supports the program. “I am not buying the fact that summer residents are taking advantage of this. I know of summer residents who bring their garbage back to the city with them and I also think that the taxes they pay easily balance out the cost of running this program.”

Badgley's recommendation was received for information.

Ad Hoc committee formed for 150th Anniversary

A motion was passed to create a committee to get plans started for a Canada 150 celebration in the township.

“If we are going to do something for this we need to start planning now”, said Mayor Smith. Councilor Victor Heese volunteered to sit on the committee and a second member will be appointed once plans are under way.