Feature Article October 9, 2002
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SF Recreation programs inventory under fireby Jeff Green Councillor Bill Robinson, who represents the District of Portland on the South Frontenac Council, has made no secret of his opposition to the Central Recreation Committee of the Township.
At last weeks council meeting he made his opinion more clear than ever in responding to a report on the progress made and problems facing the Recreation Programs Inventory that the Central Recreation Committee has undertaken.
I want to have a written statement that tells what theyve accomplished to date. I dont like this. I was against this a year ago and Im more strongly against this now.
Robinsons strong views are of particular importance at this point. The programs inventory the rec committee is in the midst of has run into a financial problem because a $4,000 grant it had been seeking from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Tourism and Recreation has been turned down.
According to Ralph Boston, chair of the committee, the grant application seems to have been caught in a budgetary squeeze at the ministry. Boston says that the minister has been changed twice since the application went in, the ministry has been re-organized and there is a new premier. In the end, there was no explanation from the Ministry as to why our grant proposal was refused, but I think it was for budgetary reasons.
Whatever the reason, it leaves a potential shortfall in the budget for the inventory, which will have to be made up somehow in order for the inventory to be completed.
Any extra money will have to come from the budgets of the four District Rec Committees in South Frontenac, and here is where Bill Robinsons strong opposition comes to the fore. Bedford and Portland Districts gathered the information for the inventory project through volunteers and did not commit any cash to the project. Storrington and Loughborough Districts opted to contract out the work and committed $2,200 each.
Vic Pobran, councillor from Loughborough district and a member of the Central Recreational Committee says the study will be completed and if any extra money is needed it will have to come from the District Recreation budgets.
The Central Recreation Committee was given the job of coming up with a master plan for recreation within the township by the end of this council next year, he told The News, and in order to do that we have to do this study. There are too many things going on in the township that we dont know about, and we need to know in order to complete the master plan.
One of the proposals in the financial update that Ralph Boston sent to council envisioned Bedford and Portland District Recreation Committees paying a total of $2,100 between them, with the cost being shared on a per capita basis (which would mean Portland would be levied with the lions share).
Vic Pobran did not think this would be the case, however. He said that Portland and Bedford should only be levied what it will cost for data entry of the information they have already produced, and that will cost hundreds rather than thousands.
Dont worry about it, well find the money. There are always surpluses in certain areas from District budgets. Council will have to make some decisions if there are some districts that dont want to pay, he concluded.
From what he said at council last week, its clear Bill Roinson will oppose any expenditure from Portland District. He says, What power does Central Rec have? It will make a plan that will go on a shelf. Thats the problem with our civilization, were full of studies. Theyre going to have a book this thick that will never do anyone any good.
The report that came to council last week was only an information report, so no motion was made at the time for council to consider. In a subsequent meeting this matter will come up and there is sure to be some fiery debate."Watch for children sign" rejected by South Frontenac Councilby Jeff Green A request from a concerned citizen came before South Frontenac Council last week, and on the advice of Public Works Manager Gary Stefan, it was refused.
The request came from a resident of Round Lake Road, who wanted a Children at Play, or Watch for Children sign posted.
In a report to council on the matter, Gary Stefan pointed out that the Highway Traffic Act did not include any kind of regulatory sign concerning children, as this would be redundant. It would be similar to a sign warning Obey the Traffic Highway Act.
Stefan then wrote that council had two options: stick with the Highway Act, in which case no sign would be erected on Round Lake Road, or erect a Watch for Children sign which, he wrote would have no regulatory effect and may create a false sense of security among parents.
Stefan recommended the first option be taken.
In debate at the council table, Councillor David Hahn concurred with Stefans opinion, saying the only standard we have to go on is the Highway Safety Act. If we dont use that as a standard, then we will have no standard, and we will then have no criteria to put signs up or not?
There was some question as to whether refusing to put up a new sign implied that all Watch for Children had to be removed throughout the township.
Does this mean we are committing to removing all Children at Play signs that are already up? Councillor Jack Barr asked, but township clerk Gord Burns said No, it just says that no new signs will be put up.
