| Oct 26, 2016


The old Train Whistle Blues haunt Central Frontenac Council

“In my 30 years on council, this is the first time anyone has brought the train whistle at Crow Lake to the township's attention,” said Mayor Frances Smith in the face of a request by Cecilia and Donald Lafleur of Anderson Road that the township explore the possibility of requesting CP Rail to stop its trains from whistling as they cross Crow Lake Road near Crow Lake Village.

Lafleur sent the township a copy of the petition he has been circulating among neighbours, along with a document that outlines the procedure that a municipality can follow for “eliminating whistling at public grade crossings”.

The document says that a municipal council can issue a public notice of its intention and then consult with the railroad operator to determine if a “cessation of whistling” can be accomplished within the regulations that govern safety at rail crossings. If that can be done, the township can pass a resolution banning the whistle, and the railroad would then have 30 days to provide for alternate safety measures, such as lights, bells and/or gates. Then the whistling would stop.

Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald said the “first question here is, do we agree that the whistling should stop, and I don't agree that the whistling should stop.”

Other members of council were worried about the potential liability that could accrue to the township if there were an accident at the crossing after whistling had ceased.

“I wouldn't want to do anything that can create even the impression that safety was compromised,” said Councilor Jamie Riddell.

“The process is laid out in the document,” said Councilor Sherry Whan. “It really wouldn't be up to us.”

“The train has been whistling at that crossing for a long time,” said Councilor Brent Cameron.

Mayor Smith said that she did not know how often the train passes through the crossing and speculated that a staff member might be given the task of monitoring the crossing over a 36-hour period.

But it did not come to that, as Council, having exhausted the topic, voted to simply receive the correspondence from the Lafleurs without taking any action.

Icarus Power turned away

Perhaps it was an omen that the Oso hall, where Tuesday afternoon's Central Frontenac Council meeting took place, had lost power due to an isolated outage that hit only one block in Sharbot Lake.

Representatives from Icarus Power intended to ask for municipal support for five Micro-Fit solar projects in Hinchinbrooke District. However, since they were not listed as a delegation on the agenda for the meeting, Council had the option of hearing them or not. A vote to accept a delegation on the spot required a 2/3 majority vote.

Mayor Smith was about to call a vote on the matter, when Councilor Victor Heese interjected.

“I don't see how we can act on whatever they are going to request of us without a staff report,” he said. “I suggest they go to staff first and then we can hear the presentation once.”

A discussion ensued and eventually the vote to accept the delegation was defeated.

As they left the building, the representatives from Icarus said they were disappointed because the window for provincial approval for these small hydro generation projects opens on October 31, and the first projects that are submitted have an advantage over those that are submitted afterwards.

“Municipal support is very important,” one of them said, adding that although Icarus was late in approaching the township they did contact staff a week before the meeting. He said they had met with all the neighbours, who had signed petitions supporting the projects as well.

A number of Micro-Fit projects, proposed by Abundant Solar, were supported by motions of Council earlier this month.

“Cautiously optimistic” says McGovern about 'budget to actuals' for 2016

Treasurer Michael McGovern said that even though a lot of information is still coming in, he is optimistic that township spending in 2016 will fit within the confines of the township's budget for the year.

Treasure Trunk moving; asks township to place bin in parking lot.

The Treasure Trunk will be moving its not-for-profit used clothing, household items and furniture store out of Sharbot Lake to a new, larger location on Road 38 south of Sharbot Lake in late November. Janet Barr, the store manager, requested that the township allow a bin to be placed at the corner of its parking lot to hold donations. She said that the bin would be emptied on a daily basis.

The township approved the request and Mayor Smith said staff from the township and Community Living, the agency that runs the store, will work to make sure the location of the bin is appropriate.

Accessibility Advisory Committee

Janette Amini, the clerk and manager of Legislative Services for Frontenac County, made a presentation to Council about the activities of the Accessibility Advisory Committee of Frontenac County in 2016.

The committee, which includes Kurt Halliday as a citizen representative from Central Frontenac, along with Councilor Tom Dewey, has been involved in a county effort to obtain a grant for the development of an Age-Friendly Community Action Plan this year. They also provided input regarding changes to the county policy on customer service and other legislated requirements; and provided input and recommendations on public parks, chip trucks, accessible parking and boat ramps.

In Central Frontenac, the staff co-ordinator for accessibility, Donna Longmire, reported that accessibility played a role in the development of the library and fire hall in Parham, which was constructed level with the ground; in the installation of accessible playground equipment at the Parham fair grounds; and in the plans, as yet not acted upon, for an accessibility upgrade to the township office.

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