Central Frontenac Council - Apr 10/12

Apr 12, 2012

Good bye pot holes, hello blue bins!

In his activity report Public Works Manager Mike Richardson reported that all of the gravel roads in the township have now been graded. He also said that the purchase of an asphalt hot box last year improved the road crew's ability to patch roads in adverse weather conditions with better results.

An occupational hygienist from the Ministry of Labour who visited the Hinchinbrooke garage saw no immediate concern regarding mold and asbestos issues but recommended that a mold/asbestos specialist come in prior to a wall panel being removed to fix a window leak.

Kyle Labbett reported that over 70 blue recycling bins have been sold at the three waste sites and the township office.

Due to the early thaw on county roads this year Richardson recommended that a motion be passed to remove load restrictions earlier than usual, and council agreed. Load restrictions have been removed as of April 11.

Township cemeteries report

CAO Shawn Trépanier presented a report to council regarding the state of the 11 cemeteries in the township. Ten of the cemeteries have grounds in pristine condition. Some of those require minor maintenance to signs, gates and fencing.

Some older tombstones are in states of disrepair and staff wants to look into alternative options to repair them. Of the 11 cemeteries only four have empty plots available, with a total combined number of 539 plots available for purchase.

Several of those plots, however, are either reserved or are located in difficult spots for burial. At the average rate of 5-10 burials a month, the cemeteries would have to close in roughly 5-7 years if no cemetery planning takes place.

With that in mind council directed staff to prepare more plots at the Oconto cemetery. The report ultimately recommended that council direct staff to initiate a cost analysis for the completion of surveying all the cemeteries, completing the repairs to the cemeteries, and creating a master list for all the plots therein.

Oliver Scott Memorial Ball Field repairs

In response to a letter from the CF Minor Ball Association to council concerning the dismal state of washroom and canteen facilities at the Sharbot Lake ball field, CAO Shawn Trépanier presented a report to council recommending that staff be directed to repair the current facilities at an expected cost of $1,000-$1,500 rather than furnishing the site with port-a-potties for this coming season at a cost of over $2,000. The issue of vandalism was raised. Councilor Wayne Millar wondered why the known vandals are not billed for the costs of the repairs. Mayor Gutowski supported repairing the field for the time being and for council to consider in the future giving youth more opportunities to take ownership of their community in order to curb vandalism.

Township exception from CETA? Not at this time.

Craig Pittman of Sharbot Lake appeared as a delegate asking that council pass a resolution exempting themselves from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in order to “protect the powers of municipalities hospitals, school boards, utilities, universities and other sub-federal agencies .”

CETA just went through its 11th round of in camera negotiations in Belgium. Pittman said “I am here to encourage you to learn more about CETA and I strongly feel that municipalities should have more say in the CETA negotiations, especially today when municipal governments are increasingly important to the Canadian economy, the delivery of services, and the quality of life in our communities.”

Mayor Gutowski and Councilor Purdon expressed interest in the issue but both felt they needed to study it further and therefore could not support the resolution at this time.

First Annual Frontenac Activity Festival

In an effort to promote physical activity in the community, four student occupational therapists at Queens University currently working with the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team came before council. They outlined the plans for an event that will take place on Saturday April 21 beginning at 10AM. The students along with the Family Health Team, are partnering with the Sharbot Lake Lions, NFCS, Tri Rudy, Northern Connections, SLHS, the CF Township to organize the event. The festival will take place at the Sharbot Lake High School and will include demonstrations in Tai Chi, Yoga, line dancing, Karate, Qi Gong and more.

There will also be numerous educational display booths, along with other physical activities including tug of war, an obstacle course and a walk/run through the village that visitors can participate in. The organizers are hoping the festival becomes an annual event and are currently looking for volunteers to help. For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613-483-4146