Feature Article May 29, 2002
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
NF council deals with varied agendaby Will CybulskiAt its regular meeting held on May 13 in Cloyne, North Frontenac Council opened three tenders for gravel crushing and stacking in Wards 1 and 2. The call was for 10,000 tons of material, with bids coming from Robert Young Construction in the amount of $2.16 a ton, Danford Construction at $2.35, and R. Clouthier at $2.39. Each of the bids was submitted as plus GST.
In the end, Youngs lowest tender at a total of $23,000 won out over Danfords and Clouthiers.
In other dealings, council is still trying to come to an amicable mutual agreement with the Municipality of Greater Madawaska to provide road and fire services in the Norcan Lake area at the northeast end of our municipality. Mayor Johnston reported that he thought an agreement had been reached, but there are still a few snags that need to be worked out.
Cheryl Robson has been hired as the new Treasurer and Deputy Clerk for North Frontenac, and she will commence her duties on June 10. I hope to feature Cheryl in an introductory article once she is in place at the municipal office.
Council has completed its municipal road tour, and the results of that will be helpful during upcoming budget considerations. In the words of our mayor regarding roads upgrades, he said, we cant do it all, but we are on track to keep promises that we made.
In telling the audience that budget deliberations were coming along well, Mayor Johnston gave a guarded estimate that those would be completed by the end of May. The municipality anticipates that when this years tax bills are sent out, it will be able to include pertinent information that will explain to ratepayers where our tax dollars are being allocated.
Some difficulties are being experienced with the approval processes for sand filter type septic systems, in that there have been demands that the sand be tested for approval by authorities in Kingston. The issue was that our local inspectors expertise was being bypassed, and for what appeared to be no plausible reason, this was adding significant time delays and costs to installations. Information was that there had been some failures to the south of here where systems were laid in clay soil. Local contractors have voiced their concerns that during an installation, they have to leave the systems open for 3 to 4 days awaiting inspections.
Representatives of our council will be joining their counterparts from South and Central Frontenac for a closed meeting at Sharbot Lake in early June regarding Algonquin Nation land claims discussions. Councils dont know what has been going on with these claims, but when they are apprised, they can then inform the public.
Council received a letter from MPP Leona Dombrowsky expressing concern that Bon Echo Provincial Park was not being opened in time for the May long weekend. In recognition of how the non-event would impact on our local economy, the municipality opted to fax a letter to the MNR to that effect.
While this article will hit the press too late to give notice of councils meeting of May 27 at the Municipal Building on Road 506, we can tell you that its meeting of June 10 will be held at 7 p.m. at Ompah Community Hall. By taking its meetings out to the wards, council has provided an opportunity for all its constituents to see how our municipality is governed; so we hope to see you there.
