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Brenda Young, the organiser of Sydenham Artfest, held her first show at her home in Sydenham last fall. She wanted to give her sister Wanda, a jeweller, an opportunity to share her work with the local community, and decided to invite a few other of her artisan friends as well. And it turned into a pretty successful day.

That was where the idea of a larger show came from, and Brenda thought the Sydenham Legion would be a primes spot to hold one.

After booking the Legion hall for the 18th of May, she hand picked the vendors for a number of spots and then put the word out for a few moew.. The hall has room for 21 tables, so that became the limit.

A wide range of items from jewellery to wood work, glass blowing, fabric and more, including some local food producers.

“It was important to me that everything in the show is hand made by the vendors,” said Brenda of how she chose the artisans.

Participating vendors include: Judys Jams, Wooden Art by JM Doiron, Jeni Juranics from Hawk Moon Healing Arts, Oh Baby Bowtique, Janice's Folk Art, Knowlton Lake Cakes, The Glass Shack, Beach Pebble Tales, Hanna’s Meat Pies, Old Country Bath and Body, Mermaid Molly Seaglass, Barb’s Handmade Pierogis, Emily Hawkins Designs, Knot your Nature, Countryside Treasures, The Knutty Knitter, T&A Condiment Co, Knotty by Nature, Wood and Water Jewelry and Kelly Whan creations.

Admission is free, and there will be food available to eat in or take home. The show runs from 9am to 4pm.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Brenda Crawford and Pam Redden came to Council on behalf of the Harrowsmith Beautification Committee with a proposal for improving the landscape of the new village traffic light section, along with other community upgrades. Crawford assured Council that none of the additions, and the list is impressive, would cost the Township money. The Public Works and Building departments will, however, have to review and approve the projects, which include a (fully accessible) gazebo with a cement base, placement of stones and possibly a fence, several benches, installation of recently-commissioned metal poppies and removal of dead tree and brush. She also listed a bench for the children's play area at Centennial park, and a flagpole on Road 38 near Alton Road, in memory of Roy Leonard. All the work and materials for the items and improvements have been donated by individuals and businesses in the community. All donations will be recognized by (locally designed and also donated) plaques.

Mayor Vandewal asked that the flagpole be located where a local resident could take responsibility for raising and lowering it as appropriate, and complimented Crawford for her energy and considerable skill at fundraising. Council unanimously agreed. Crawford noted that the Beautification Committee and Harrowsmith S&A were looking toward working in cooperation to continue making Harrowsmith an attractive and comfortable community in which to live.

Staff Changes and Additions
Council formalized Christopher Beeg’s appointment as Building Inspector: Beeg is an experienced carpenter, has worked in the building supply area, and as a site supervisor for Guildcrest Homes overseeing construction of new factory built homes.

Interviews for the position of Township CAO are slated to take place within a week.

Strategic Planning
Faced with competing demands to: enhance services, reduce costs and protect the environment, Council plans to seek public input to help with choosing priorities. CAO Orr brought the chosen timeline and a proposal for an online survey to be used as a framework for discussion at open houses in each of the districts later this summer. Councillor Ruttan expressed concern that there needed to be more focus on values, rather than a list of concrete actions. Mayor Vandewal noted that this was not meant to replace the updating of the Official Plan, which would be a major part of Council’s task in the coming year, and would include an in-depth review of the Township’s goals and values, again with public input. This StratPlan is to more to guide the Township’s current day-to-day work, within the budget that has been set out for 2019.

Dates for the district Open Houses (at which the new CAO will be introduced to the public) are: Thursday August 01 Bedford; Wednesday Aug 7 - Storrington; Tuesday Aug 13 - Portland, and Tuesday Aug 20 - Loughborough.

Women’s Institute Week Proclaimed
Council proclaimed the week of June 17 to June 22 to be Women’s Institute Week in South Frontenac. This year is the Sydenham Women’s Institute’s centennial: there will be a special celebration on Saturday June 22, at Grace Hall. Over the past hundred years, this group has made important and lasting contributions to Sydenham and its surrounding community. More info on this later!

Regional Roads
Council reviewed proposals by the County for finding a way to access funding through the County for regional Roads, particularly the former Provincial Highway 38, which was downloaded to the individual Townships at the time of amalgamation. At that time, the County had dissolved into a management committee, so there was no way, once the County re-formed, for it to access any funding support for the shared highway, now known as Road 38. Currently, South Frontenac’s road system is in good condition, but the other three Townships have smaller populations, and need more money than they have been able to raise for road maintenance and repair.

Of the five proposed options, South Frontenac Council cautiously preferred the third: to take a regional approach, with contracted engineering, and limited County involvement. They voted to endorse it, on the condition that any business plan for this option would require unanimous consent from all four Townships.

Waste Management in Frontenac County: Options
In response to a county report of waste management, Councilor Sutherland noted that while recycling depends heavily on provincial policy, diversion of organic waste from our landfill sites lies well within South Frontenac’s reach. Because half of the current Township waste stream is composed of organics, diversion could considerably extend the life of our landfill sites. As well as composting, either locally or centrally, Sutherland listed other creative approaches: the upcoming Repair Cafes (May 26 in Bellrock, June in Perth Road); roadside or landfill swaps, etc.)

The report was referred to the Public Services Committee for recommendations.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Nona Mariotti started up the South Frontenac Garden Tour last year as a kind of experiment.

Would gardeners be willing to open up their gardens for people to come and see? Would people want to come out to see the beautiful gardens.

The answer to all those questions was a resounding yes, and so the second annual garden tour is now in the planning stages. 7 gardens are already lined up for this year, including some new ones, and Nona is looking for four or five more to make the tour bigger than the one last year.

“People aren’t going to visit 12 gardens in one day, but they do like variety and they also like to explore different geography,” Nona said.

She is particularly interested in attracting some gardens in the Perth Road and Buck Lake regions to add a different dimension to the tour.

“We have some wonderful places in the North Kingston – Inverary areas, one in Battersea, and over in Sydenham and up towards Frontenac Park, and we are still looking for more in those regions, but we would like to go further north on Perth Road as well,” she said.

The tour is scheduled for July 7 from 9m to 3pm and it is only the grounds of properties that are part of the tour, not the houses themselves.

“Last year it was a great experience for the visitors and hosts alike, a chance to share information and the joy of gardens. We keep the price to the public low, only $10, and all of the proceeds go to Southern Frontenac Community Services,” she said.

If you have a garden to share, contact Nona at 613- 893-2015

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Where could you find a scale model of the CN Tower, complete with elevator, a 3D modelling of your school and a working trebuchet?

That would be the Loughborough Public School Maker Faire, which was on display to the public last Thursday afternoon in Sydenham.

Teacher Alan MacDonald, who was one of the organizers of the event, said this was the third time they’ve done this and this time, it involved the entire student body — from kindergarten to Grade 8.

“This isn’t a science fair, where getting help from parents and neighbours is illegal,” he said. “Here, it’s encouraged.

“The idea is to make something you’re interested in. The spelling of ‘Faire’ is french for ‘to do’ or ‘to make.’”

MacDonald said another way this differs from a science fair is that it’s non-competitive.

“If it were competitive, kids might be more apt to make something they already know how to do,” he said. “In this, kids are much more apt to take risks.”

He said another inspiring attraction for students is that there is lots of choice in what they make.

“There’s really only one rule,” he said. “You can’t do something you already know how to do.

“Oh, and other than the odd mediaeval weapon of mass destruction, it must be school appropriate.”

The mediaeval weapon MacDonald referred to came from Grade 8er Lucas Steele, who along with fellow student Jack MacInnis, built a working scale model trebuchet, which is capable of launching a basketball 50 feet.

“A couple of weeks ago, we were studying levers and mechanical advantage in physics and math class,” Steele said. “Jack looked up plans online and drew up a schematic.

“We built it at my grandparents’ house.”

Edie Hillman and Caitlyn Ball turned their love of all things Harry Potter into their project — butter beer.

“We had butter beer at the Universal theme park,” said Hillman. “We found a recipe online and changed it around a little bit.”

The projects on display ran quite the gamut.

There were plenty of dioramas, but also a Nimbus 2000 (Harry Potter again, it’s a broom favoured by quidditch players), horse treats, homemade cleaning products, a refracting telescope, bath bombs, jams, cookies, homemade essential oils, maracas, a catapult, a guitar and stomp rockets.

One of the more fascinating projects came from Keagan Leonard, who got dad Wade to fly the family drone around the school and then took the data collected to map the entire school yard, complete with elevation and vegetation components.

He then printed out a 3D version of the school.

“The idea just came to me,” he said. “I asked the principal if it was OK to use 3D printers and he said sure.”

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 01 May 2019 11:25

What’s Happening at New Leaf Link?

On February 5, New Leaf Link (NeLL), with the support of a United Way grant, started delivering Tuesday programming on “Adapted Diabetes Awareness, Prevention and Management” to our (dis)abled adult participants. The endless Snow Days in February resulted in cancelling some program days, but we persevered and have successfully delivered a diverse range of program activities on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church. Every day is an adventure! In addition to learning about diabetes, we are experimenting with healthy food choices and have added new exercises to our program. Our amazing Program Facilitator, Chris Boal, has developed a Healthy Snack Series, where everyone participates in cooking and taste-testing. So far this term we have made guacamole, hummus, and egg muffins. We practice karate with Marty Tucker from the Sydenham Academy of Martial Arts. Deb Donaldson, a certified diabetes educator, dance teacher, and fitness & nutrition specialist brings joy and laughter to each session she teaches. Sara McHattie visits regularly from the YMCA as an adapted fitness instructor.

Our Adapted Technology Instructor, Linda Alford, helps us do online research on diabetes related topics. Shen Xiao Bing from Long Road Ecological Farm did a Chinese dumpling demo & tasting with us. Tom Jack taught us about raising backyard chickens, and volunteer Bonnie MacNeil presented on sewing period clothing.

We’re doing soap-making with Ryan Donovan. Christine Harvey, the Drama Queen, Sid Anjilvel, Gabriel Deerman & Gary Rasberry fill our Wednesdays with drama, art and music.

We have had visits from many community members, organizations and local businesses, including OPP Community Service Officer Curtis Dick. He was a big hit at NeLL. He answered questions, told us about local policing & online safety. Participants got to sit in the cruiser with the lights flashing.

On March 16, our St. Paddy’s Day Dance/Fundraiser at the Sydenham Legion was sold out. Greg Simpson and Pat Lalonde organized a spectacular and unforgettable evening.

Carol Sparling, Heather Gillespie, & Christine Kennedy from the Sydenham and District Lion’s Club did an informative Diabetes talk with the NeLL group. The St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dogs were a big hit. One therapy dog that lives in Harrowsmith may visit regularly during the summer program. We have gone on outings to Annie Milne’s Puppet Studio and the Seniors’ Centre on Francis Street.

New Leaf Link will be adding a summer program starting in July. We are always looking for instructors, guest speakers and volunteers. If you have an idea for fun activities or topics that would be of interest to our community, please look us up on Facebook or on our website. We would love to hear from you! Community members are invited to attend our upcoming Donor Appreciation/Open House on Thursday, May 16 from 11 – 2. Check out the poster in your Frontenac News!

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 16:37

South Frontenac fire ban lifted

Fire Chief Darcy Knott has announced that the Level One burning ban in effect across the Township of South Frontenac has been lifted as of April 23.

“Residents are reminded of the importance of complying with the burning bylaw 2012-68 which is available on the Township website www.southfrontenac.net or at the Township office at 4432 George St. in Sydenham.

This current status will remain in force until otherwise notified.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

The Annual “Dump Report”
Stephanie Reeder, of Cambium Consulting and Engineering presented the annual update on the township’s waste disposal sites. Currently, South Frontenac has five active sites: Portland, Loughborough, Bradshaw, Salem and Green Bay. All were found to be operating in compliance with the Province’s environmental requirements. Due to operational improvements over the past five years, the overall estimated life (capacity) of the municipality’s active landfill sites has increased by six years over the estimate last year. It now sits at 26 years.. Four of the five closed sites are still being monitored for groundwater and surface water quality, erosion, seeps, litter and vermin, but none have shown problems.

Reeder indicated that although diversion of organics would certainly reduce waste volume, it would not make much difference to the problem of contaminants, for organics produce virtually no contaminants.

Mayor Vandewal asked whether a pollinator-friendly seed mix was being used when reseeding capped-over sections of the landfills.

Verona Cenotaph Improvements Proposed
Wayne Conway, Chair of the Verona Community Association, outlined community plans to make the Cenotaph more accessible and attractive by adding concrete walkways, more benches, a flowerbed and a 30’ flagpole - possibly a small roofed shelter or gazebo in the future. The cenotaph is located in McMullen Park beside road 38. McMullen Park belongs to the Township. The Verona community is supporting the project by fundraising; Council relaxed visibly when Conway said they were not asking for money - only permission to proceed with the work on Township property. Led by Councillors Morey and Leonard, full approval was granted for the project; “Keep up the good work,” said Vandewal.

Development Charges Presentation
The Township’s current Development Charges by-law expires this September, and as part of the by-law updating process, Claire Dodds, Director of Development Services, presented an overview of the issues and timeline. Development charges are levied to recover the capital costs associated with both residential and non-residential growth within a municipality, and are in addition to the costs that would normally be incurred by the developer as part of a subdivision/condominium, etc.

(However, some services cannot be included under this act, including arts, culture, museums and entertainment facilities, tourism facilities, hospitals, and parkland acquisition.) A consulting firm, Wilson and Associates, has been engaged to draft an updated by-law: their background study will be released by the end of May, an Information Open House is planned for June 19, and the public meeting for the revised Development Charges By-law will be held July 2.

“You’ve asked for detailed information reports,” Vandewal said to Council, “and now you’re getting them.”

Six-unit Rental Building Planned for Sydenham
Council agreed to pass a by-law to enter into a site plan agreement with RKR Landholdings Corp. (Rob Morgan) for his proposed six-unit residential building in the Valleyview Subdivision, which lies south of Rutledge Road in Sydenham. The property’s zoning permits a residential multiple dwelling unit, but requires a site plan control agreement which specifies the location of all buildings and structures, septic system, lighting, garbage areas, landscaped buffers, parking and entrances. Council’s only concern was the location of the garbage enclosure; it was agreed that if at all possible the garbage bin should be moved to the back of the building, not installed at the front. Vandewal questioned the need for a separate garbage bin for six units. Sutherland and Ruttan asked for the motion to be deferred to give the current residents time to comment on the site plan, but their amendment to defer was rejected.

Quarterly Report: Fire and Rescue
As requested by Council, Chief Darcy Knott presented a seven-page first-quarter 2019 Operational Review. In the first three months of 2019, the medical response level has remained high, and there has been a rise in the number of fires: nine in total, five of which have resulted in major property damage. Knott outlined a number of organizational accomplishments, chief of which has been a very successful media drive to recruit volunteer firefighters. From the initial 100 attendees at the information sessions, there were 78 applicants: the final 25 will be selected and begin their in-depth training on May 8, which will continue until the end of October.

Council complimented Knott on the breadth and quality of his report, and on his management of the department.

“Touch a Truck”
Watch for more information on this Public Education Event which will be held at Keeley Road on May 9, in the evening, from 5:00-8:00.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 10 April 2019 13:12

Almost Home Café opens in Harrowmsith

Mayor Ron Vandewal will cut the ribbon this Saturday morning at 10 am to officially open the Almost Home Cafe, Harrowsmith’s newest business establishment. It’s on Road 38, just opposite the road to Sydenham, with a side entrance off the parking lot. (Look for the balloons).

Owner/operator Cindy Murphy prepares all food on the premises; the menu includes macaroni and cheese, chili, nachos and a daily special, as well as a variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps and soups. There are all-day breakfasts (beginning at 6:00 am weekdays), homemade sweet treats, and jars of old-fashioned candies. Cindy’s taco salad is already winning praise from those who’ve tasted it!

Currently, the cafe is take-out only, but the Wolsey family has donated a bench for outside, and a there will soon be a picnic table.

“At last, Harrowsmith folks can get an ice cream cone within walking distance!” says one local resident.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

At their meeting in Sydenham on Tuesday Night (April 2) South Frontenac Council released the funds that were on hold in the 2019 budget for the Gilmour Point washroom/change house/shelter.

The cost estimate for the project by Hughes Downey Architects is $225,00 to $250,000 plus HST and includes mechanical/ electrical, ventilation, lighting, power and building.

The estimated does not include septic, well and pump system or electrical services but these costs will fall within the overall budget for the project, for which $450,000 has been budgeted all told

The 2017 and 2018 approved capital budgets included amounts of $20,000 and $150,000 respectively for the project. An additional amount of $280,000 was included in the 2019 capital budget submission.

“We had a meeting with the rec committee and they were quite pleased with the changes,” said Dep. Mayor Ron Sleeth.

Public Works Manager Marks Segsworth said the architect’s fees would be “in the neighbourhood of $20,000.”

Council rejects motion to oppose development service charge changes
A motion brought forth by Coun. Ross Sutherland opposing changes to development services charges was defeated at South Frontenac’s regular Council meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

Sutherland’s motion stemmed from a similar motion in Peel Region, which is concerned that provincial government changes to development charges legislation may eliminate the charges altogether. Peel is concerned that without development charges, water bills will rise to pay for water and wastewater to new houses.

The South Frontenac motion read in part: “Moved that the Township of South Frontenac believes that growth should pay for itself through development charges and that development services charges are critical to help South Frontenac pay for needed new infrastructure to accommodate growth, roads and fire halls and

“Further, that any changes to development fees that would move new development water servicing costs to water rates would have significant negative effect on water system users, particularly those on small water systems like in South Frontenac, and also adding a significant block to further development in our hamlets . . .”

The motion further requested that letters be sent to the Premier, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Leader of the Opposition, AMO and other Ontario municipalities.

“I won’t be supporting this,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal. “Development services said it would be handled through them.”

“If we’re going through a process of review, aren’t we putting the cart before the horse?” said Dep. Mayor Ron Sleeth.

“I do support this, we need to be proactive,” said Coun. Randy Ruttan.

$20 per diem
Council approved a $20 per diem for public committee of adjustment members to attend site visits outside of their district.

Generally, both public and Council committee members visit sites within their district and are compensated at $50 per meeting and $0.55 per kilometer to attend site visits and meetings.

The out of district site visits would be done at the request of the director of development services (Claire Dodds).

“I think this is getting to a slippery slope,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal, but if it’s done at the request of the planner, I can support it.”

Hazardous waste
Council has directed staff to develop an arrangement whereby Central Frontenac residents will be able to make use of the South Frontenac Hazardous Waste site on Keeley Road, provided that all costs incurred by extending use of the site will be 100% recovered.

Central Frontenac staff approached South Frontenac to see if it is possible, and the contractor who handles the waste, Brendar, said there is extra capacity to handle more volume.

Details regarding how billing will be handled has been left to staff to work out.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

One thing about the Sydenham High School senior girls volleyball team is that they think of themselves as a team. Just ask them, they’ll tell you.

“We all work so well together,” said left-side striker Robin Melnick. “We have a positive atmosphere here and all our parts work together.

“If somebody gets down, we’re all supportive.”

“We have a lot of individual strengths but we work together as a team,” said setter Jocelyn Farmer. “At the beginning we weren’t as much but at the end, our biggest strength is when we’re combined.”

“We always have each other’s backs,” said middle striker Tess Fraser. “Under (coach Bryan) English’s leadership. “He knows every decision to be made.”

In fact, they’re all only too happy to give the coach credit for the team’s success.

“He’s never super high or super low,” said Fraser.

“Like a rock,” said Melnick. “English always stresses ‘play like you can.’”

“Great guy,” said Farmer.

But they also see the strengths in each other.

Melnick on Fraser: “Tess is super calm. She’s really a team player and a big blocker.”

Fraser on Farmer: “She involves everyone and . . . she knows when we really have to get a point.”

Farmer on Melnick: “I don’t know where to start. She’s an amazing player, a leader, and what athleticism.

“She has an amazing vertical.”

And, they have fun with each other, such as Melnick’s little idiosyncrasies and superstitions.

“I am superstitious,” Melnick admitted. “Little things like changing my hair, tying my shoelaces.”

And her service routine, the others remind her.

“Well, I have to walk across the line left foot first,” she said, demonstrating. “Then it’s spin, bounce, deep breath and serve.

“We all have them (but) our biggest success is that everybody puts in the effort so we don’t have to rely on one person.”

Fraser, Farmer and Melnick are three of seven seniors on this squad so they know this is the time if they’re going to be successful in Streetsville.

“This is the last big hurrah for the seniors,” said Melnick.

“We’re a unit,” said Fraser.

“Just better the ball in front of you,” said Farmer.

It has all worked very well for the Golden Eagles all year. They were 10-0 in league play at the Kingston Area Secondary School Association (KASSAA) play and won the playoffs to take the League Championship 3-2 over Regiopolis. They moved on the Eastern Ontario Secondary Schools Association AA tournament, which they also won.

But they have been in tough this week at the Ontario Federation of Secondary Schools Association AA finals in Streetsville.

Sydenham is the 16th seed of 20 schools in the tournament. They lost their first two games in straight sets on March 5 to Lockerby SS and Nelson , before winning their first game on March 6 over Westgate and then losing to the tournament host, Streetsville in their final pool game. This relegated them to the consolation tier, but they rallied after losing the first set bya score of 25-20 in a best of five contest with 9th seeded Mclaughlin, taking the next three sets, 25-21, 25-21, and 25-9. The Golden Eagles went on to play the consolation semi-final against 10th seeded St. David on Wednesday morning, which they lost in straight sets. St, David then went on to win the Consolation final. St.Mary, the 2nd seed, won the gold medal final.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
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