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Wednesday, 22 January 2020 13:01

Newest firefighters

Central Frontenac Fire Chief Jamie Riddell welcomed new firefighters Rebecca Vinkle, Taylor Hughes and Paul Gosse to the “family” Tuesday night in Mountain Grove in a special swearing in ceremony. The three are the latest graduates of the Township’s recruitment and training program. On this, the department’s second annual awards night, they also honoured Corey Kemp for dedication and leadership in training and development, Virginia Gray and John Morrow for their work in fire prevention and life safety and Andrew Hole for occupational health and safety. Also honoured was Ryan Conboy, who successfully completed his public information officer certificate from the Office of the Fire Marshall. “We’re a really tight-knit group who have responded to major incidents, some in the past two years,” said Chief Riddell. “It’s an honour of mine to stand with you was we do our duty.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:47

1% stake? Not so fast says CF

Central Frontenac Township deferred making a commitment on regional roads at its regular meeting Tuesday evening in Mountain Grove until it hears back from lawyer Tony Fleming as to what a “1 per cent ownership of regional roads and bridges” means in a proposal drafted up by Frontenac County and presented to the four member townships for ratification.

In a report to Central Frontenac Council, Dep. Clerk Cindy Deachman said: “staff have some reservations about the 1 per cent ownership model and how it would integrate with the jurisdiction sections of the Municipal Act.

Frontenac County currently owns no roads and/or bridges as part of the restructuring order at amalgamation. As such, it is not eligible for some grant money to be applied to roads such as 38 or 509/506. What the townships are concerned about is how much say the County would have in road repairs and how much of any grant money the County would administer.

For example, would a County staff member be the one to decide if a pothole on Road 38 got fixed? Or would the County have the right to hire staff to make such decisions?

North Frontenac Township passed a similar resolution at its meeting Monday in Plevna, wanting to know the same things Central does before making a decision on which of several proposals the County has made to support, if any.

South Frontenac has already endorsed a proposal that grants Frontenac County a 1 per cent ownership interest in agreed-upon regional roads and proposes contracting out for any engineering services required to apply for and/or administer grants.

Mayor Frances Smith said she was concerned that by deferring, they may miss out on some funding.

Hydro for Railway Heritage Park

Central Frontenac Council gave its consent to the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society to have Hydro One install a pole at Railway Heritage Park in order to get power to the tool shed and for things like security cameras and amplifiers/PA for concerts and other events.

Co-chair Gary Giller and Treasurer Wayne Moase told Council that they had the funds to have the services installed but asked for help with the monthly hydro fees.

They also asked if they could be put under the Township’s insurance for liability and damage to assets.

When Dep. Mayor Victor Heese wondered if the Society should become a Committee of Council to accommodate these requests, Mayor Frances Smith pointed out that if they ceased to be a private society, their opportunities for grants would become severely limited.

Council agreed to have staff look into the insurance aspects and also to examine a ‘donation’ to pay hydro and/or insurance as if has done with other groups in the Township.

RKY Hall

Mayor Frances Smith said that RKY Camp on Eagle Lake is building a 150-seat banquet hall that should be finished by 2020 at the latest.

“This will be an asset to the Township to be able to seat 150 people for dinner,” she said. “It could attract a lot of convention type business.”

Swiss Smith

On becoming a Swiss TV star (ie appearing in the Swiss TV show featuring two Frontenac paramedics switching places with two Swiss paramedics), Mayor Frances Smith seemed somewhat underwhelmed.

“Something that takes 20 minutes ended up taking two hours because we had to do it three times,” she said. “I guess that’s television.”

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

The Art Club at Land O’Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove held its annual exhibition last week with a theme of self-portraiture.

And, like all budding artists before them, they displayed an incredible amount of creativity, including playing with what ‘self-portrait’ means.

“Gabe painted Alex, Alex painted Gabe,” said teacher Lee Hull, who oversees the after-school activity. “Bella painted Bella and Izzy painted Bella.

“They got a certain amount of instruction and then we just let them do their thing.”

For example, Bayley Morden painted himself as the Joker.

“Yeah,” he said.

“We’ve done landscapes but it always rains or the leaves fall,” said Hull. “We’ve done mannequins with drapery and still lifes.

“We wanted to do something new this time.”

And they by-product was that the 20 Grade 4-7 students really let their minds loose, creativity-wise.

Keyana Whan incorporated words into her portrait.

“I kinda just wanted people to know what my hobbies were and the stuff I like,” she said.

Emilynn Crawford took a more traditional approach, albeit with a very expressionist mindset.

“I do like the realistic,” she said. “I started off thinking how the painting was going to look.”

“When painting, I’m happy and the love is in the picture even though painting is not really my art.

“I’m more into drawing and blending.”

Rachel Gray’s piece was very illustrative, with just the right touch of emotion.

“I’m just trying to make it look realistic,” she said.

And then there’s Alex Gill of ‘Alex painted Gabe’ fame.

Not only did he do a painting of a buddy, he took great pains to create a mood with setting, which may say more about the artist than the subject, perhaps making it the most creative ‘self-portrait’ of the bunch.

The background of Gill’s painting is of the night sky, compete with a full moon.

“I tried to paint stars, but they’re tough,” he said. “I just thought of it (the moon) after we saw a movie in French class about space.

“I want to be an astronaut when I grow up.”

The paintings were presented nicely in a circle, on easels that were purchased a couple of years ago from a Limestone Learning Foundation grant.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

A broomball tournament Saturday in Mountain Grove raised $350 to go towards a portable pitching mound for the baseball (yes, hardball) team at GREC.

The baseball club isn’t the highest profile squad at the school, in fact they don’t even have a real baseball diamond or pitching mound to practice on and have to play all their games in Kingston.

But what they lack in facilities, they make up for with enthusiasm, said coach Jamie McCullough.

“We’re going into our second year and it’s a co-ed team with 15 players,” he said. “We play in Kingston but our pitching suffers without a real mound to throw off of and so that’s why we’re raising money — to get a portable pitching mound so we don’t have to go to Kingston to practice.”

So, McCullough approached the District 2 Rec Committee and the rink was free last Saturday.

“We have four teams, two from the high school, one team with some staff and one with just parents,” McCullough said. “The final game was staff vs. students.

“Although the students beat the staff team 2-1 during round robin play, the staff played some shutdown broomball beating the students 5-0 in the final game.”

You can support the baseball team by dropping a donation off at GREC and telling the staff it’s for the pitching mound.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Central Frontenac Council and staff met at the Oso Firehall Tuesday to have a second round of budget talks and while Treasurer Michael McGovern estimated they managed to cut about $10,000 out of the 2018 budget, it still looks like the Township plans to spend almost $348,000 more than it did in 2017, an increase of about 4.75 per cent.

On Tuesday, Council looked at the Fire, Public Works and Facilities budgets, with Corporate Services still to come.

There are still cuts likely to be made, for example, $7,500 for heat and $1,500 for electricity for the old library building in Mountain Grove.

In fact, Mayor Frances Smith told staff she wanted to see a report on all of the Township’s buildings within 60 days after Fire Chief Greg Robinson reported that the fire department has three buildings in Mountain Grove “one of which we use and two that we don’t.”

One of those buildings is used by the rec committee at the rink and Robinson said it could be used for fire equipment storage, which would make the old firehall in Parham surplus, meaning that property could be sold.

The former Hinchinbrooke Public School is expected to cost $8,000 but that could be considerably higher if the oil tank has to be removed.

In fact, several staff members suggested there were buildings and facilities that could be liquidated to reduce operating costs.

And there was some suggestion that even halls that are used are costing a lot. For example, Kennebec Hall brings in $3,000 in revenue but costs $20,000 to operate. Mountain Grove Hall costs $19,000 to operate while generating about $1,000 in revenue. Piccadilly Hall brings in $1,250 in revenue but only costs $8,500 to operate. Oso Hall (the busiest hall in the Township) is expected to cost $18,798 but brings in $5,500.

Coun. Phillip Smith cautioned that Council also has to look at ongoing commitments, using the proposed rink project in Sharbot Lake as an example.

“We’re worried about $5,000 for heating a hall but the ongoing costs for a refrigeration unit at a rink would be considerable,” Smith said.

Council instructed staff to go over the changes and recommendations already made and set Feb. 9 at 9:30 a.m. at the Oso Firehall for its next budget deliberations.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Budget deliberations for Central Frontenac Township began in earnest Monday night at the Oso Fire Hall and although it was only the capital budget discussed (the operating budget, which tends to affect the tax levy more than the capital, is still to come), it could be an expensive year.

Granted, the pencils haven’t been sharpened yet to make cuts but out of the gate, capital budget is at $2,779,000 as opposed to last year’s $2,491,111, an increase of $287,889.

“You need to increase capital to provide services or change your service delivery level,” said Clerk Administrator Cathy MacMunn.

Some items aren’t likely to fly such as a $20,000 ask for a wireless microphone system for Council meetings.

Dep. Mayor Tom Dewey argued for the system citing it being easier to set up and take down as well as no cables to trip over or get in the way.

But Coun. Brent Cameron responded “is there $20,000 worth of frustration there?”

There was also a $20,000 request for a new hard-wired generator for the emergency operations centre (aka the Oso firehall).

But Mayor Frances Smith had to ask three times how many generators they already have and it turns out that each firehall already has a large generator and the Arden hall has a smaller one. They just don’t turn on automatically when the lights go out. There’s also a large portable generator which was used when power went out at a Council meeting not too long ago.

Fire and emergency services also has put in for $216,680 for more bunker gear. That spending has already been approved but the reserve fund has to be replenished.

Speaking of reserves, replenishing them is also a priority.

“Does $884,000 sound like a lot?” said Smith.

“It is but it is within ministry guidelines and it eventually gets us to a point where we can loan to ourselves and thus save interest fees,” said Treasurer Michael McGovern. “I’m not in favour of capital loans because of the interest factor.”

And then there was Fire Chief Greg Robinson’s plan to use the former Parham firehall for a storage facility.

But Smith wasn’t on board with that.

“There’s places in that building where you can look through the cracks and see outside,” she said. “I think we have to make a decision that when we shut down a building, we don’t heat it.”

It looked like Public Works Manager Brad Thake’s plan to buy a new grader for about $300,000 might have wings and he made a case for three new ½ ton pickups.

“Right now we’re using big trucks to do jobs ½ tons could do and this would save wear and tear on our larger, more expensive equipment,” he said.

He also said he’s looked at equipment for sidewalks in Sharbot Lake but because they tend to be narrower, it will take specialized snow removal equipment.

“I’d like to address the sidewalks next winter,” he said.

Coun. Jamie Riddell made a plea to finish up the Mountain Grove ballfield.

Smith responded: “That should be your job and Victor’s (Coun. Heese).”

“I’m just here to ask questions and point fingers,” said Riddell.

McGovern wound up the meeting by saying there is a 2.7 per cent increase in assessment this year, which will have a $220,000 impact and that a spending increase of $72,500 would increase taxes by 1 per cent. He also said he’s looking at the end of January to bring in an operating budget.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Central Frontenac Council came out of a closed session at its regular meeting Tuesday in Sharbot Lake and immediately introduced a motion to spend $207,509 “to mitigate legislative health and safety risks.”

It was an unusual outcome given the stated reason for the in camera meeting discuss two instances of “personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees.”

In an interview, Fire Chief Greg Robinson said the $207,509 was mostly for personal protective gear — bunker suits, helmets, gloves and some training for supervisors. He said none of the funding was for breathing apparatus.

The resolution allows for the $207,509 to be taken from reserves suggesting that the equipment is needed immediately.

Mayor Frances Smith said after the meeting that the Township doesn’t have enough gear for its firefighters.

“The legislation says we have to have so many of this and so many of that and we don’t have it,” she said. “In some cases, there’s gear that needs to be replaced.”

She said that they expect there to be some funds left over in this year’s budget but whatever shortfall there is will be made up from reserves and discussed in the 2018 budget deliberations which are scheduled to begin Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. in the District 3 (Oso) Fire Hall.

$200 boot allowance for PW staff

Council agreed to raise the boot allowance for full-time Public Works staff to $200 per employee per year from the current $120 (which was approved in 2015).

“I work in much the same environment they do and $200 doesn’t meet the need for work boots today,” said Coun. Bill MacDonald.

Thake said the anticipated cost of the measure will be $4,400 (an increase of $1,760) and will be included in the 2018 budget.

Elm Tree road construction to begin

Thake also said he expects work on Elm Tree Road culvert to begin shortly. The holdup came when the conservation authority required a larger culvert than what was planned because “Arden is in a low-lying area.” However the larger culvert isn’t a stock size and has to be manufactured individually.

Thake said the asphalt on Elm Tree will be held off until next year to give the gravel bed time to settle.

He said there will likely be traffic disruptions once the actual work begins but school boards (for busing) and emergency services will be notified of such closures, which might be able to be scheduled over the Christmas break.

Accessibility report

Frontenac County Clerk Jannette Amini, who coordinates the County Accessibility Committee, gave Council a progress report.

Specifically in Central Frontenac, in 2017 a seniors housing task force was set up with the direction for allowing seniors who cannot function in their homes to have a place to move that would allow them to stay in Central Frontenac and a fully accessible library was built in Mountain Grove to replace the old inaccessible one.

In 2018, the committee is looking at a crossing on Road 38 at Elizabeth Street, a ramp for the barn at the Parham Fair Grounds, signage for crosswalks, work on the Eagle Lake Dock, designated parking areas at the Parham, Mountain Grove, Piccadilly and Sharbot Lake libraries and community centres and LED stree lights with wifi capability.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 22 November 2017 14:23

LOLPS students visit Sherlock’s Escapes

Last Wednesday, students in Barry Harding’s grade 6-8 class made the trek down to Kingston to be the first class in the Limestone District to problem solve their way out of four Victorian style rooms. The goal of an escape adventure is to work as a team to find clues, answer questions and solve riddles to escape the room in under 60 minutes. Sherlock’s Escapes uses infamous characters such as Jim Moriarty and Irene Adler to help paint a picture of what it must have been like to be Sherlock Holmes.

 

The class was split into two groups. One group at a time would begin in Moriarty’s photo lab, filled with vats of chemicals and photos as clues to help them enter the next room, Irene’s Kitchen and then into a store room. Clues from one room would often transfer to the next room. The rooms have an escape rate of around 20% for adults. And while neither team finished, they were each only one room away.

 

While the other group was waiting for their turn in the rooms, they split into another two groups and created mini treasure hunts for each other. They used cards, a bunch of different kinds of locks the decor of the rooms they helped each other solve the 10 minute mysteries. In one of these puzzles, candy was locked in a box, and the key to the box was placed on a book. To find the book the students had to find hidden letters that led them to a combination lock that led them to a map where the title of the book (China Tides) was marked on a globe.

 

 

Makenzie Drew, Erika Wood, Izzy DeSa, Allison Chacon (above), Bella Uens, Keyana Whan.

 

Erika Wood solving the combination lock.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 09 August 2017 15:24

Mountain Grove Mites win title

Mountain Grove Mites brought home the Frontenac County Minor Softball Association championship trophy on Saturday July 22nd. Coaches: Joe Mallet, Blayne Thompson. L-R: Braedon Scott, Isaac Badour, Nolan Morrow, hunter Mallett, Liam Thompson, Jacob Godfrey, Jackson Mosher, Ella Barr, Parker Thompson, Ryder Mallett. Missing from photo: Maddy Tryon, Isabelle Tryon, Shyann Whan and Alex Gill.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 02 August 2017 14:11

B-Final Champions from Central Frontenac

The St. Lawrence Employment Centre Bantam Girls team from Central Frontenac (which includes Sharbot Lake, Plevna, Mountain Grove and Parham) overcame a first-inning, 6-run deficit to defeat Kingston Kia 12-6 in the B Final the Greater Kingston Softball Association Intercommunity Year-End Tournament in Sydenham Saturday. 

Back row: Nicole, JessieMae, Julia, Tangie, Meg, Autumn, Marcie; middle row: Vanessa, Sidney, Tori, Amber; front row: Michaela, Claudia. Photo/submitted

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
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With the participation of the Government of Canada