Feature ArticleOctober 17, 2001
LAND O'LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
Central Frontenac Council - October 9, 2001by David BrisonHandicapped parking in Sharbot Lake
At the October 9 council meeting, which was held at Mountain Grove, Joyce Lewis requested that council consider expanding handicapped parking in the village. There is only one place at present in front of Harveys ValuMart. Joyce requested two additional spots which would be located near the bank and post office.
In an interview following the council meeting, Joyce said that she had seen a number of handicapped people walking with difficulty from parking places further away from the bank and post office.
Joyces submission was also supported by a letter from Linda Rush, Director of Adult Services at North Frontenac Community Services. I am aware of the large number of elderly and physically frail or disabled people who come to Sharbot Lake for their shopping and services, Linda wrote. Almost all of the users of these services arrive in vehicles, and must walk from these vehicles to the services they need. This can be quite a distance, and is very difficult to manage for an elderly or disabled person, she continued.
Earlier, I had spoken to a member of the community whose husband (now deceased) was ill for years, and could not walk very far. This was before there was a designated handicapped space in front of Harveys. I never park in empty [non designated spaces] in front of Harveys because of the number of times I had to drop my husband off and drive around the block trying to find a parking space. I try to leave those spaces for handicapped people. In my opinion, more space is needed and I think the situation is worse now than when I was dealing with it.
Nick Whalen, Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, also said that he sees the need for a space in front of the pharmacy. We are planning to make the pharmacy more accessible for handicapped persons including those in wheelchairs, Nick said, and handicapped space would be welcomed.
The News plans to hold a forum on parking in Sharbot Lake and invite merchants, councillors, and interested members of the community.Snow ploughing tenders
In a highly contentious issue, watched closely by many members of the community, council decided in their October 9 meeting to award the tender for Road 38 and another smaller series of roads (which includes the Wagarville road) to Hayes Trucking. This decision had been delayed and carried over from the September 24 meeting of council because of the expressed concern that Hayes trucking might not be able to do the job, and that the contract should be given to the next highest bidder (two contractors were tied at approximately $10.00 per hour higher).
A motion to award both bids to Hayes was first defeated by council. Some members of council wanted to consider the two bids as one (they were included in the same tender) but there was a legal interpretation that said that they had to consider them separately first the Road 38 bid and then the Wagarville (and other roads) bid. The Road 38 contract has roughly three times the dollar value of the Wagarville one.
The issue was further complicated by two other factors: firstly, that Hayes had said that he couldnt handle two contracts (even though he had bid on two); and secondly that there is the possibility that council could be sued if they awarded the contract to a higher bidder although the tender clearly says that the contract does not necessarily have to go to the lowest bidder. If the contract is awarded to the higher bidder, council has to have defensible reasons which can be supported in court.
Council then reconsidered their defeat of the motion. In a complicated parliamentary process, the motion to reconsider had to be moved by a councillor who voted with the majority on the previous motion. Deputy Mayor Jack Nicolson moved to reconsider and this time a motion awarding both contracts to Hayes trucking passed. If Hayes declines to do the work on the Wagarville (and other roads), council will choose between two other contractors (Gemmill and Herns who submitted identical bids) by drawing names from a hat.
A number of local contractors were concerned that council follow normal procedures and award the bid to the lowest bidder. The notion that fair play was followed, and the possible appearance of favouritism avoided, was important to them.The official planThe News erroneously reported in our October 3 issue that the changes to the draft official plan, approved by council in a special meeting on September 24, would be presented to council for adoption at their October 9 meeting. Instead, council had to meet with their planner, Glen Tunnock, who then has to prepare the changes and present them to council again. It is expected that this will be done for the October 23 meeting of council. The final changes will then be considered by council, and if adopted sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for approval.
The minimum lot for shore line property residential use presently being considered by council will be 2.47 acres, and for rural area residential use 1.25 acres.
Lot sizes may be reduced where justified by a hydrogeological study which assesses the impact on ground and surface water quality and quantity. Lots shall be properly proportioned, e.g. have sufficient depth, to accommodate the safe installation of a sewage system.
In the case of shoreline lots, the topography and slope of the lots should be conducive to development. Preference will be given in new lot creation to lands with a slope of 6% or less, and with a soil mantle exceeding 0.5 m (1.64 ft.) or more. Development on lands which are substantially bare bedrock, swampy or low lying will discouraged or prohibited.
Both of the above quotes are taken from documents presented to council by Tunnock and will be incorporated into the changes being prepared by him for consideration by council.
