Feature Article October 7, 2004
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
South Frontenac Council has a long, busy night ATV decision on hold for six months; trailer bylaw passesby Wilma Kenny
The debate about ATVs on South Frotnenac roads has been put off, but it will return before the winter snow melts next Spring.
The discussion at Council began when By-law officer Ken Gilpin appeared as a delegate speaking favour of ATV use of township roads. gilpin referred to user fees and permits as found money.
Later in the evening, Council began to discuss a by-law which would permit ATVs to drive on all roads in the township, with a one-year sunset clause. Councillor Hahn spoke out strongly against it, saying that South Frontenac was a very densely populated rural township, one where concern about highway safety had already led to numerous requests for lowered speed limits.
He spoke of liability issues, and moved that Council defer the motion for a year, in the hope that the province would, by then, have established a province-wide set of road standards for ATV use. Councillor Barr countered with an amendment that the deferral be for six months, rather than one year.
After some confusion about voting procedure, council passed Barrs amendment, then voted on Hahns (amended) motion to defer. This passed by one vote: Hahn, Roos, Smith, Stowe and Vandewal were in favour, Barr, Davison, Robinson and Lake were opposed. Mayor Lake reminded Council that the by-law would be back before them on April 5/05.
Trailer By-law
Judy Reynolds spoke in favour of trailers being allowed as seasonal residences. She reminded Council that several years ago, the by-law officer had verified that their trailer was set back 100 feet from the water, still on wheels, was not enclosed or added to, and was used only seasonally. She said that she wouldnt mind paying a small fee toward taxes, but felt it was unfair if she were forced to remove her trailer. She pointed out that it would be much more expensive to build a cottage to township specifications, and moving to a trailer park would take away the privacy she values as a landowner.
Randy Hillier, a member of the Lanark Landowners, although not on the agenda, addressed Council in Ms Reynolds support, saying that the role of Government was not just to levy taxes, but also to protect property, privacy, and individual interests. He and several others wore shirts and carried signs with the slogan: "This land is our land. Back off, government."
It was pointed out that the purpose of the trailer by-law was to license legally established trailers, ie those established before the listed dates when trailers were forbidden in each of the former townships. Mayor Lake disputed the date when trailers were outlawed in Storrington, but finally agreed on 1987. (Portland,1978; Bedford, 1983; Loughborough, 1982.) Councillor Barr said he wanted a clause that would permit visiting trailers and RVs at special events and peoples homes. Councillor Del Stowe pointed out that this was a separate issue, one that could only be dealt with through a revision to the official plan and zoning by-law. Deputy Mayor Bill Robinson said it was unfair to make people remove trailers that had been set up in good faith many years ago, and Councillor Don Smith countered that it was unfair that cottagers paid full taxes, while trailer residents paid taxes only on the raw land.
The by-law passed, with Robinson, Vandewal, Lake and Barr opposed.
Fire Department
Council approved the purchase of pumper trucks for Bedford and Loughborough districts, along with necessary firefighting equipment.
Councillor Hahn proposed a resolution requesting the Clerk and Treasurer prepare a report for Council on financing of the local (ie non provincial, non federal) share of the Sydenham Water Project costs. Hahn said these costs may present significant hardships to many villagers, especially single parents or seniors on limited or fixed incomes, and expects this report will "list and evaluate the options to allocate portions of the local costs to other payers than just the village residents,...eg costs of future growth capacity may be allocated to future residents and financed by the Township until the growth occurs." It would also list possible alternative sources for long term financing of the local share, such as financing from township reserves, or accessing new provincial capital funds, or attaching the costs to the property rather than the current homeowner. The resolution passed, with Barr, Robinson and Lake opposed.
Traffic and Speeding in Sydenham
Speeding on Sydenham streets has been a concern for some time. A report submitted to Council by Public Works Manager Steve Archibald confirms that speeding in some parts of the village is an issue that needs to be addressed. Other problems include the high volume of through traffic on some residential streets, and several areas of congestion. Council accepted his recommendation that this report be reviewed in detail at a Committee of the Whole meeting. Archibald further recommended that the traffic information in the report be provided to the OPP so that they could consider the development of a speed control program in the interim.
