Central Frontenac Council - Sep. 25/12

Jeff Green | Sep 27, 2012

Fish, fish, she got her wish

On Sept. 25, Central Frontenac Council opened their nets wide for LOLTA (Land O' Lakes Tourist Association) general manager Rachelle Hardesty's presentation and all councilors agreed to give her the $5,000 in Fish TV funding that she was looking for. “It's not all about fishing,” she said. “The main objective here is to bring people to the Land O'Lakes area to support our existing businesses and to help attract new businesses to the area.”

If her numbers are right, over 2.5 million viewers of Fish TV will watch each of the four Fish TV shows that will be filmed in North, South, and Central Frontenac.

Winter Snow Plowing:

Public Works Manager Mike Richardson reported that in an effort to save the township money, township staff will be maintaining the municipality’s section of Road 38 this winter instead of contracting out the work. A number of councilors were concerned about a possible increase in wait times for ploughs and a decrease in winter upkeep as a result. Richardson responded by assuring council that routes may get juggled around a bit but no plowing time will be lost and savings for the township will result.

Waste Management: 

In his waste management report to council, Waste Coordina-tor Kyle Labbett recommended that coun-cil adopt the Town of Gananoque's illegal dumping by-law, which would give By-law Enforcement Officer Ken Gilpin the ability to write tickets for illegal dumping without having to take the violator to court. Instead Gilpin would be able to issue a fine immediately to the perpetrator. After much discussion about the current by-law and wondering whether or not to take this punitive route, the resolution was deferred until more information about the amount of illegal dumping occurring in the township could be gleaned.

Labbett's second request was for council to propose a resolution expressing an interest to the City of Kingston to enter into a recycling contract. Currently the township has a contract with HGC Management in Belleville. Labbett said the benefits of a contract with the City of Kingston would be three-fold: 1) unifying recycling practices throughout the county, 2) including styrofoam and plastic bags in recycling and 3) making available any possible financial advantages. Council passed the resolution for staff to investigate the City of Kingston as a possible option. 

Xplornet Tower a go in Hinchinbrooke

Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the plans outlined for the building of a 45 meter tall Xplornet tower on private property off of Buchans Ridge near Dwyer Lane, enabling subscribers to access quality high speed internet.

New Property Standards/Safe Property By-Law:

CAO Shawn Trépanier, who was not in attendance at the meeting, submitted a report to Council with a recommendation that they "draft a new by-law related to the safety and maintenance of properties for Central Frontenac in time for the next council meeting”. Trépanier reported that after numerous meetings with council, staff, the township's solicitor and the public on the subject of property standards, it was determined that “enhancing the current safe property by-law would be in the best interest of the Town-ship”. Suggested items to be included in the new by-law include defining the complaint procedure and process, rewording existing sections to clarify and include safety and aesthetic issues, including a trees section, including the structural and exterior integrity of buildings, and an enforcement procedure of the by-law.

Planning Services decision still up in the air:

In a report to council, Trépanier recommended that council direct staff to is-sue an RFP for planning services to include the presence of a planner to be available at the municipal office one day per week. After much discussion Council deferred the reso-lution until more information about comparative costs between outside contractors vs. Frontenac County staff planners could be made available.

School bus loading zone:

Heather Highet, Principal of Sharbot Lake High School, and Steve Wowk, Manager of Tri-Board Transportation Services, appeared before council seeking the temporary designation of a 180-foot stretch of Dixon Crescent in Sharbot Lake as a school bus loading zone. Council approved the designation.