Pickleball Community Will Have To Wait A Month For Potential Township Commitment

Craig Bakay | Jan 18, 2023

The Central Frontenac Pickleball Committee was at Central Frontenac Council’s regular meeting Jan. 10 in Sharbot Lake looking for a commitment that they can use the court at the old Sharbot Lake Public School for at least five years. They’re still waiting.

Council deferred a decision until the Jan. 24 meeting to give staff time to consult with a lawyer as to what the Township can and cannot do legally.

“Can it be here? That’s the question we need answered,” said Rhonda Kimberley-Young, representing the committee along with Sandy Robertson and Coun. Nicki Gowdy.

Kimberley-Young said the group needs a time commitment in order to pursue monetary grants from Pickleball organizations but they’re not comfortable pursuing things without said commitment.

Part of the holdup has been a tentative recreational needs study the Township wants to conduct but no date has been set for said study as yet.

“We feel like we’re chasing a moving target,” Kimberley-Young said. “We turned a 35-year eyesore into a community hub and a real boon.”

The old school site has been slated for a new seniors housing project. Along the way, the size and layout of the project has evolved.

“When it was five or 10 units, the pickleball court could have stayed,” Kimberley-Young said. “Then it was a 45 unit building on the hill and the space could have stayed as a recreational court.”

But then there was a proposal for a 35-unit building along with a 15-unit building, in which case the pickleball court would have to be removed.

“After the first reports were made public, our thinking was we were past that hurdle,” Kimberley-Young said. “But now we’re subject to a study being done by an independent third party.

“We have four recreation committees and a slew of volunteers who know what their needs are and what they’d like to see in their communities.

“I’m not sure of the value of having an outsider come in and tell us what they think we think we want when the people who live in this community actually know what we need and want.”

“I don’t know why we’re tying it to a recreation needs study when it’s already established,” said Dep. Mayor Phillip Smith.

“I’m all for giving you the commitment but I’m just afraid we’ll have to break it,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

In the end, Council passed a resolution removing the connection to the recreation needs study and asking staff to consult with a lawyer as to whether the Township can issue a commitment it may have to break. The matter will come back to Council Jan. 24.

Building Report

Chief Building Official Andy Dillon reported that building permit fees in 2022 were down slightly to $225,746 from $244,800 in 2021 accounting for $15,642,895 in construction value ($17,691,551 in 2021).

St. James Memorial

Council approved Mark Howes’ request to use a piece of Township property to place a memorial sign and bell to remember the Parham St. James Anglican Church which had stood in Parham for 133 years before it burned down 2 ½ years ago.

“I’d like to request a cement pad for posts,” he said. “We’ve had people come forward with donations (and) I would like to see it not forgotten.”

He said the memorial will be adjacent to the post office because the archdiocese owns the land where the church stood and they wouldn’t take responsibility for it.

Public Works Manager Tyson Myers said they do put snow there occasionally but “we’ll make it work.”

Youth Program

Rural Frontenac Community Services Youth Program manager Sarah McCullough was at Council making an annual program funding request.

She said that the ask has increased to $17,300 this year from $15,500 last year because of rising inflation costs.

She said that last year, 261 unique individuals received programming last year.

The matter was referred to budget deliberations.

County Planner Requests Funds

Frontenac County Manager of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan was at Council asking for $25,000 as the Township’s contribution for a new community planning permit tool which he said will save staff about 200 hours per year.

He said each township is being asked for the same amount.

He said that this will have the added benefit of greater protection of waterbodies and shorelines when applied to waterfront properties.