Victor Hesse is a frustrated municipal politician. He served, as the sole council rep, on the septic re-assessment committee for Central Frontenac Council for three years. After submitting a draft plan, then holding public meetings, the committee brought their plan to council for approval in October. And the plan was rejected. Two weeks later, Councillor Tom Dewey brought in an alternate proposal that set out a phased-in approach to the assessments, delaying implementation for off-water residents for an extra 5 years, and cut the septic pumpers out of the loop as far as conducing assessments is concerned. The Dewey proposal, which was adopted by Council, enlists Chief Building Official (CBO) Shawn Merriman to design a program and bring it back for consideration. During the debate…

Santa and Mrs. Claus came to Sydenham on Saturday the 25th of November. The little bit of rain sure didn’t dampen the spirits of those who lined the streets to see them arrive. The floats were fantastic, lots of smiles and laughter to be had and many memories made. Thanks to all those participants who helped to make the parade a success. Parades this coming weekendThe parade season hits high gearthis weekend. There are paradeson tap in Harrowsmith, SharbotLake, and Northbrook at 10am onSaturday, December 2; in Denbigh at6pm on December 2; and in Parham/Tichborne at 1pm on December 3rd.For a complete list of events thisweekend, visit the event listings on our sister site: Frontenac Live.

OK, it may be time to re-think the name for it, but there’s no disputing the popularity of the 101 Nativities display at Cole Lake Free Methodist Church on Road 38 south of Parham. Now in its seventh year, 101 Nativities no longer seems appropriate because the final count this year was well over 300 nativities, albeit some of that count includes tapestries and pins. “Nativities Unlimited?” suggested Jean Freeman, who started the event with Kris Caird. “We started a little earlier this year,” said Caird. “And different people brought in their collections, some with more than 30 nativity scenes.” The event ran Friday night, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Sunday has historically been the busiest day and this year was no exception with a full…

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…

Central Frontenac Council voted 8-1 to have staff prepare a plan for septic re-inspection at its regular meeting Tuesday. A plan for septic re-inspection presented at the Oct. 24 Council meeting had been defeated. This time, Councillor Tom Dewey presented a plan using a two-part, 10-year phase-in. Under Dewey’s plan, all RW (waterfront) properties must be inspected by an approved inspector, authorized by the municipality, within five years of implementation. Phase 2 will include all other properties, which must be inspected within 10 years of the implementation date. All properties will require a 10-year cyclical inspection after that. Furthermore, staff is directed to develop a list of referred agencies that are available to help with funding for failed systems, which is to be regularly maintained…