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Feature Article - April 26, 2007

South Frontenac on theGrid:a trade-off?

byWilmaKenny

In a presentation to Council’s Committee of the Whole, John Bowen of Hydro One expressed concern that if Hydro were not allowed to use herbicides in South Frontenac, the cost of keeping hydro right-of-ways clear of brush would become very high. He explained that trees and brush had to be controlled to ensure reliability of service and minimize power restoration costs. They use an ‘integrated approach’: a combination of manual and mechanical brush cutting, and herbicides. The main goal is to develop a thick growth of low plants such as sumac, dogwood, currents, berry bushes, roses, etc, which they term ‘compatibles’. These plants don’t interfere with the power lines, and help shade out the trees that are a problem. Because hand-cut tree stumps tend to put out brushy second growth, these stumps are treated with herbicide. The chemical used is Garlon 4, a 30% solution of triclopyr ester in mineral oil. This is applied by hand-spraying stumps and trunks close to the ground. The effect is to stimulate such rapid growth that the plant cells rupture and the plant dies. By avoiding widespread spraying, and spraying in cool weather, Bowen said there was no drift. He emphasized that Garlon 4 does not move into the water table, as it binds to soil particles, where it is broken down by fungi, bacteria and sunlight (average half-life is 30-46 days). It is considered harmless to humans, animals and insects, but is not approved for application to water, so Hydro maintains provincially mandated buffer zones near lakes and streams. Bowen said all landowners are contacted prior to hydro entering their land, and individual wishes to avoid herbicides are respected.WASTE MASTER PLAN

CEO Burns stated that the question of the township commissioning a waste master plan had been bounced back and forth between Council and the Sustainability Committee without resolution, and it was time to make a decision. His recommendation was that a waste master plan would provide useful information for Council. Councillor Hahn asked Guy LaPorte, of Totten, Sims & Hubicki, who was present, to briefly describe such a plan. LaPorte said it would examine waste management from beginning to end, including generation rates, collection, recycling and disposal procedures. It would examine issues such as hazardous household waste and the status of waste disposal sites. The goals would be to find ways to improve service, reduce cost and preserve the environment. A straw vote showed only the Portland councilors opposed: the issue will come before a regular council meeting for a formal decision.

LANDFILL SITE ANNUAL REVIEW, or where is Portland getting all that garbage?

LaPorte reminded council that since 1985, every landfill certificate of approval has required monitoring of surface water and groundwater, and a report to the MOE and council. The Loughborough landfill, which had had very few years left, now should be good for another 15 years at the present rate of fill. This reflects a change of approved footprint, not capacity. (Each landfill site when approved is assigned a specific capacity and that figure, combined with the rate of use, determines the projected life of the site.) The change at Loughborough resulted from a combination of firmer packing, and the discovery that a large portion of the used section was several feet shallower than allowable. This permitted another area of the site to be approved for use.

Portland landfill on the other hand, although it has a large capacity which was assigned based on total acreage, is rapidly running out of useable space, because much of the property is under water. This is further complicated by the somewhat puzzling fact that usage for the past two years has been twice as high as the projected estimate, which is based upon historical use. While Loughborough produced 1.2kg of waste/person/day, Portland had almost 7kg/person/day.

Councillor Robinson suggested that residents did "a lot of clean-out" before the dump rates went up. LaPorte noted that bag tags had had a huge effect on Amherst Island, reducing their rate to 0.7kg, and user fees lowered Ernestown/Bath to 0.6kg.

Bedford, on the other hand, showed a net increase of capacity in the Massassaga site: "Suppose we’ve been sneaking loads down to Portland?" asked Councillor Stowe. LaPorte suggested the increase may have been due to more aggressive grading and packing. The Fish Creek and Crow Lake sites, though closed, are still being monitored, and LaPorte noted that the Bradshaw site was "very well situated", and might eventually be able to be expanded.

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Feature Article - August 16, 2007

Parish of Loughborough 170 years old

The Anglican parish of Loughborough is 170 years old. To celebrate this event a special service will be held on Sunday, 9 September at 10 a.m.

Soon after settlers moved into the Sydenham Lake area in the 1830s, the people organized a time for church services. St. Paul's was built in the 1850s, near where the cemetery is today. That building was moved limestone by limestone to the present location on Mill Street in Sydenham. Here, the church has remained as a symbol of faith witnessing to an ever-changing community.

The parish of Loughborough has been providing services and pastoral care for the people of South and Central Frontenac. Until 2005 there were two other churches located in Harrowsmith and in Verona. Anglican services were held in Harrowsmith as early as 1870 at the school house. St. Peter's Church was built and consecrated by 1903. St. Martins-in-the-Fields was consecrated in 1960 in Verona but Anglican worship had been carried out in the village from about 1929. The three congregations were consolidated in 2005 with the place of worship designated to be St. Paul's in Sydenham.

This year St. Paul's has been undergoing repairs, refurbishing and updating. An access ramp has been built to make it easier for elders and handicapped persons to attend worship. The interior has been repaired and painted, this work being mainly done by Dan Bryant of Ryan's Dry Wall Contractor. Dan lives in Godfrey. New carpets are installed and the chancel (east end) window has been restored. During the next three years further work will be carried out to enhance this fine old building.

Church buildings are loved by their faithful members. The facilities are used for major needs by many in the surrounding community at times of marriage and death. At Christmas and Easter the church buildings are filled to capacity. It is interesting that in our secular world, the majority of citizens in the area do not see the church presence as being of any significance. This secular apathy isresponsible for the closure ofmany church buildings, which are thensold to be made into residential homes or artists’ studios. The few remaining church buildings that are used for Christian worship and services need to be maintained. When these symbols of culture fall into disuse, society will be spiritually impoverished. St. Paul's and the parish of Loughborough intend to be present for a long time providing a spiritual presence to the people of the Frontenacs.

The Bishop of Ontario Diocese, The Right Reverend George Bruce, will be present on Sunday, September 9 at 10 a.m. to celebrate with the people the presence of St. Paul's as a continuing spiritual home.

Come and share in this special service

Sept 25/08 - SF Council

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Feature Article - September 25, 2008 South Frontenac Council –Sept. 23/08 By Jeff Green

South Frontenac will decide when to set the clock on October 7

South Frontenac Council continued to grind away at their Official Plan Review at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday night, but the end is in sight.

Two issues remain. One is the so-called clock re-starting issue. When the township’s Official Plan was approved in 2001, it included a provision whereby any single property in the township can only be divided into three building lots without the owner undertaking an expensive plan of subdivision process.

Now, some councillors want the clock to be set back, so three lots can be created on any property as of the passing of the Official Plan review, effectively re-setting the clock to January of 2009.

The issue has been batted around for months and was discussed again this week. It will be bought to a final vote at the next regular council meeting on October 7.

The other issue on the table were land designations, specifically prime agricultural and protected wetland designations which are being applied to certain lands, sometimes without the knowledge of the affected landowner.

As was pointed out by Storrington Councillor John Fillion, the map marking these lands is fraught with errors. In one case, an active quarry that is registered as such with the province is designated as a protected wetland.

“How can a quarry be a wetland?” Fillion asked.

Township planner Lindsay Mills explained that the provincial ministries will not correct the maps until the Official Plan is submitted to them.

Council decided to contact all those affected, and submit the maps with detailed notes about errors, and then hope they are fixed when they come back from the province.

“If they don’t catch everything, we’ll send them back,” said Clerk Gord Burns.

Over the next month, the township will attempt to contact all those involved and put together a comprehensive list of errors before finalising the Official Plan review on October 21.

Construction cost over-runs: Public works Manager Mark Segsworth had good news and bad news for Council concerning road construction in 2008. The good is news is that “We have, through a combination of in-house and contracted resources, delivered on an ambitious program of road work without sacrificing the quality of the work.”

The bad news is that in three of the four districts, the cost of the construction exceeded the budget. Partially due to a rise in the cost of pavement, (an oil-based product), construction in Bedford was $232,000 over budget, in Portland it was $189,000 over, and in Storrington it was $233,000. By contrast, in Loughborough it was $27,000 under budget, and on arterial roads such as Road 38 and bridges that are owned by the township itself, it was $285,000 under budget.

Overall the construction cost $400,000 more than the $4.7 million budget.

Council decided to fund the cost overruns using infrastructure grant money from the province and will work out a formula to compensate Loughborough district.

Segsworth said he would make sure to inform Council of any overruns as they occur in future years so Council can decide whether to delay projects for future years or fund them out of reserves.

Sept 4, 2008 - SF Waste Management

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Feature Article - September 4, 2008 Waste Management to be debated in South FrontenacBy Jeff Green

Of all the issues to be sorted out in South Frontenac over the next few months: finalizing the official plan, putting the Sydenham water issue to bed once and for all (which happened this week), and changing the way waste is collected, the last is the one that people throughout the township will notice most.

The reason for this is that the way garbage is collected will change: change in the way it is picked up, where we have to take it, and how much and in what way we will pay for it to be disposed of.

Waste management is also one of the last bastions of the area rating system that has been a feature of municipal life in South Frontenac since the township came into existence some 10 years ago.

As of now, the situation varies widely from district to district. In Bedford district, ratepayers deliver their garbage to several small dump sites, most of which are nearly full.

In all three other districts there is garbage and recycling pickup, and the township provides enough bag tags for two bags of garbage each week, but the similarities in service mask stark differences in what happens to the waste stream after the garbage is picked up.

Portland district is home to the largest site in the township, with a potential ability to handle Portland’s waste for another 30 years. The Loughborough dump has limited life left in it, and in Storrington the waste is transported out of the township and is dumped at a commercial site, for a fee.

Residents in Loughborough, Portland, and Storrington pay about $125 each year in waste management fees as part of their tax bill, while in Bedford the fee is $25. Residents receive 100 bag tags each year, and additional tags cost $3 each.

The Waste Management Plan that was approved by the township’s sustainability committee in draft form was presented to the public in Bedford District recently and will be the subject of meetings in the other three districts over the next two weeks (see ad on page 13). It envisions a basic change in the way waste is managed in South Frontenac. In practical terms the changes for ratepayers would be greatest in Bedford District, where curbside pickup is proposed on township roads.

The other major impact noticed by the public would be how the system is funded. Instead of annual fees, the report proposes establishing a standardized user-pay bag tag system in the township.

This proposal is outlined on page 35 of the report.

“13.1 – The Township of South Frontenac should continue to require bag tags on all garbage bags. The Township should move towards a standard bag tag that can be used by all residents.

13. – The Township should consider changes to its bag tag system with the objective to encourage more recycling and diversion. Consideration should be given to full user pay.”

The report goes on to say that the township “should determine what system best serves its long term needs and then prepare a transition plan to implement the final system.”

In terms of the backbone of the system, the report calls for sweeping changes. It recommends that all the township’s garbage be kept within the township, and that dump sites be considered as a township resource for use by the entire township.

This would mean that the garbage from Storrington district would end up in South Frontenac landfill sites instead of being exported. Some sites, particularly those that are nearing capacity, would likely be filled up first, and sites might be temporarily closed as other sites are used up. This promises to be the most controversial aspect of the report.

Under this scenario the township would be out of dumping capacity by 2024, based on current practices and dumping volumes. If the districts kept their garbage to themselves, however, Loughborough would run out of space in 2021, Bedford in 2025, and Portland in 2046, with Storrington continuing to dump outside of the township.

However, mainly through the use of increased compaction, increasing recycling and other diversion practices, the report says the township should be able to continue dumping until 2039 without having to look at establishing new sites or expanding its Salem site in Bedford or its Portland site.

Currently, South Frontenac diverts about 20% of its waste, and the goal is to increase that to 50% in the coming years through increased recycling, e-waste diversion, and establishing a collective composting program.

The complete report is available on the township’s website (township.southfrontenac.on.ca). Click on “General Info” in the menu on the left side of the page, then on “dump/landfill/recycling information”, then on “waste management plan report.”

Nov 6/08 - GALS Conference

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Feature Article - November 6, 2008 G.A.L.S. Conference receives provincial health & physical education award 2007 GALS organizing committee from Loughborough PS

The GALS (Girls Active Living and Sport) Conference - the Limestone District School Board’s one-day conference organized by girls, for girls - has been recognized by a provincial health and physical education association as an exemplary program. Recently, the Ontario Physical Health Education Association (OPHEA), honoured Loughborough Public School with the 2008 School Community Award, one of five awards handed out annually to deserving individuals and schools.

OPHEA presented its School Community Award to the young girls of Loughborough Public School for their demonstrated leadership and excellence in successfully bringing together all members of their community to enhance active, healthy living opportunities for children and youth.

The GALS conference was created by students from Loughborough Public School who wanted to address the growing concern of decreased involvement among girls in physical activity and sports at their school, and in their community. Led by two teachers, Erik Vreeken and Mark Sonneman, the one-day interactive conference was developed five years ago to reach, educate and motivate, young girls from across the Limestone District School Board. Since its inaugural conference, more than 2,000 young girls in grades 6 - 8 have participated in this one-day symposium. OPHEA states that the recipient of this award “...has utilized the strengths and resources of their community to successfully create an environment that encourages and supports active, healthy living for children and youth within the school community.”

Dec 4/08 - Sydenham Santa Claus Parade

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Feature Article - December 4, 2008 Saturday in Sydenham: snacks, shopping & SantaBy Julie Druker

Sydenham High School students in the Sydenham Santa Claus parade on Saturday.

Saturday November 28 was a busy day in Sydenham. The annual Santa Claus Parade sponsored by the Loughborough Firefighters Association started right on time on a beautiful sunny morning.

The parade was a hit as usual, due to individuals and community groups who gave it their all with their costumes and floats, a festive feast for the eyes that leisurely looped its way through Sydenham's downtown core.

Santa off course was the grand finale, last in line, but as always well worth the wait.

Loughborough PS student and budding entrepreneur Amy Walton set up her hot chocolate/snack booth stand right in front of her house on the parade route for her 4th year in a row and it was her best year yet.

After the parade many people headed up the street for a tasty bite of lunch put on by Jean Stott and the Anglican Church Women (ACW) at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. For a mere $50 customers chose from a menu that included a wide range of homemade soups, sandwiches, squares and cookies. Orders were taken and served by three enthusiastic young waitresses, all students at Loughborough Public School.

Photo: students from Loughborough Public School serve lunch at St. Paul's Aglican Church. Ainslie Beattie, Lyndsey Paquin and Lauren Keyes

After lunch many of us headed up the hill to Loughborough Public School for their 11th Annual Craft Fair to do a bit of seasonal shopping. Retired grade 3 teacher Ursula Barbier, with the help of many students at the school, organized the canteen and the 40 craft vendors who lined the school's halls and filled its gym.

On offer to shoppers were a wide variety of crafts that included jewelry, greeting cards, knit wear, wooden games, photography, preserves, bead work, and an array of festive seasonal ornaments.

Barbier was pleased with how the show ran and received numerous compliments from vendors about how helpful all of the student volunteers were.

All in all, it was a great day in Sydenham, a chance to celebrate the season, eat good food and support local crafters. What more could anyone want on a sunny Saturday in Sydenham with Christmas just a few short weeks away?

Back to HomeFeature Article - October 1, 2009 Fundraiser for multi-sensory room at LoughboroughBy Jeff Green

Photo: Lisa Fenwick with donated Ssensory board.

It's not often that students and staff in the Limestone District School Board talk about how much better the facilities and range of programming are in the northern schools, but when it comes to special education, North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne has something that Loughborough Public School in Sydenham desperately wants.

And if Lisa Fenwick can do anything about it, it is something they will be getting over the next year or so.

Fenwick has worked as an educational assistant at both Prince Charles Public School in Verona and at Loughborough. She is on leave this year in order to complete her undergraduate degree at Queen's, after which she intends go to teachers’ college to become a special education teacher.

In the meantime she is volunteering and orchestrating a $40,000 fundraising campaign to equip a multi-sensory room at Loughborough Public School.

The project was kick-started last winter when the school administration was able to free up a room for multi-sensory equipment, and by April the first $10,000 had already been raised.

This Saturday afternoon there will be a community event in the parking lot at Loughborough Public School to raise money for the room.

Many events are planned, including performances by the Sydenham High School band Island View, and Bauder Road. There will also be children’s events, with face painting, a crafts corner and climbing equipment. The fire department will be there with a display, as will the people from the Pampered Chef. There will be a strong man demonstration featuring a bus pull, and the OPP will be on hand with a radar gun to measure baseball throws. Food will be available at the canteen and there will also be a BBQ between 4:30 and 6:00 pm.

The silent auction includes one very timely item: 2.5 cubic cords of wood (delivered) courtesy of Bill Holland and son; a weekend getaway to a resort in Barry’s Bay; an introductory parachuting flight; and 2 tickets to a Sens game (on the 200 level), along with numerous other items. Three bicycles will be raffled off as well.

“Multi-sensory rooms are such a benefit to students with a variety of different challenges, that I think people who support this will find their money will have impacts for many years,” said Lisa Fenwick early this week.

Students with physical and developmental disabilities are the primary beneficiaries of multi-sensory rooms, which feature visual, audio and tactile apparatus, all designed to fit the room and the needs of the children who will be using the room.

The five school to community students at Loughborough as well as the school to community class at Sydenham High School will be using the room, and it will also be available to students from Prince Charles, Elginburg, Perth Road and Harrowsmith public schools.

“I think the rooms are absolutely wonderful. For some children I've worked with, including autistic and physically disabled students, multi-sensory rooms make a huge difference.”

In addition to special needs students, students with behavioural issues, family issues, and others may find it to be a safe haven at times.

“Of the 540 students at Loughborough, about 70 could make use of the room,” said Lisa Fenwick.

Fenwick said she hasn't made plans for further fundraisers after this Saturday, but she is determined to complete the fundraising project before the end of the school year. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - April 9, 2009 South Frontenac Council, Apr 7/09By Wilma Kenny

Area rating ends quickly, after 11 years 

In a 5-4 vote Tuesday night, the Council of South Frontenac agreed to eliminate area rating effective January 1, 2010.

Councilors Fillion, Hicks, Robinson and York voted against the motion, but Deputy Mayor York stood and said that although he had "fought long and hard for Storrington", now that council had decided, "Let’s work together for the betterment of our township."

Bill Robinson agreed: "I don’t like it, but I will work for it...just stay away from my dump!"

The Mayor countered: "I think you’re chasing a ghost that’s not out there: I don’t see the dump trucks lining up."

Later in the meeting, Council approved purchase of property adjoining Loughborough waste site for $112,500. This opens up the potential for Loughborough landfill to greatly increase its capacity.

No new building official: Alan Revill, Chief Building Official, had asked permission to fill a vacant position for a building inspector, and at the Committee of the Whole, Council had recommended that the position be cut back to part-time, in anticipation of a slower development rate this year. However, Council voted 5/4 to not hire even a part-time building inspector this year. Mayor Davison reminded them that the position is revenue neutral, as it is paid for out of building fees.

Contract extended: Utilities Kingston’s three-year agreement for operating the Sydenham water treatment plant expired March 31: council agreed to extend it on a monthly basis, pending resolution of the current outstanding issues with regard to THM levels. Then, a new contract will be negotiated.

No special parking privileges: Councilor Fillion made a motion to amend the road by-law to allow parking for water skipping and bass fishing adjacent to Loughborough Lake bridge. Council defeated it, on the grounds that parking between the present lot and the bridge itself presented a hazard, and the shoulder of the road south of the parking lot had been widened to allow off-road parking. Mayor Davison noted that if a car parked with its tires on the road, it would be in violation of the Highways Act, and would become a matter for the OPP.

Back to HomeFeature Article - March 12, 2009 Water SkippingBy Jeff Green

Fancy skipping of Louborough Lake. This rider eventually went into the lake. Photo Kelly Calthorpe

The OPP don’t like it; township councils don’t like it; but snowmobile “water skipping” is a tradition that has endured on Loughborough Lake since the 1970s.

Last weekend hundreds of people turned out at Loughborough Lake bridge south of Rutledge Road on Division Street, to watch young and not so young men, and one woman, speed their snowmobiles off the ice onto open water and try to “skip” their machines over the open water to the ice shelf further up the lake.

Most of the machines made the crossing intact, but some fell in, and the riders had to struggle to get them out of the water, to the delight of the attentive audience.

“It is not illegal to do it,” said Frontenac OPP Officer Natalie McDowell, “but we don’t recommend it because safety is our number one priority and it is a dangerous practice.”

OPP officers from the detachment were on hand on Sunday, and while they couldn’t stop the “skippers” they did enforce snowmobile regulations.

Three tickets were issued for no helmets, one for careless operation, one for failing to produce insurance and eight for violations under the Liquor Licence Act.

“Police want to remind the public that safety is a priority. Police will continue to be proactive and enforce any violations they see,” said a press release from the detachment that was released on March 10.

Officer McDowell also said that police were concerned about the number of vehicles and people that congregated on Division Street, which is an 80 km/hour arterial road between the City of Kingston and Westport.

“There were close to 500 people watching, many along the roadway. There is a danger there,” said McDowell.

The local township Council is also concerned.

At a Council meeting this past Tuesday, South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison said that as a result of complaints about crowds gathering on the bridge, the decision has been made to enforce the existing by-law, which prohibits roadside parking for some distance each side of the bridge.

“Signs will be put up, and the OPP have agreed to provide enforcement,” Davison told Council.

He also expressed concerns about snowmobiles going into the open water under the bridge, spilling quantities of fuel into the lake, which is rated as a sensitive trout lake on the townships Official Plan. The Ministry of the Environment is being consulted.

Back to HomeEditorial - March 12, 2009 Bedford District: from poor cousin to cash cowEditorial by Jeff Green

Back in the mid-1990s, when amalgamation was forced on Ontario municipalities by the Ontario government, there was a real question in Frontenac County about where Bedford Township should go.

A good chunk of its population work, shop, and send their kids to school in Westport, but Westport is in Leeds Grenville County so that was off. Bedford borders both Hinchinbrooke and Oso, which joined Central Frontenac, and in some ways it resembled the townships that became Central Frontenac. It is dominated by lakes, including the massive “dammed lakes” (Bobs and Crow) and its population is mixed between farming and seasonal waterfront dwellers. But, If Bedford had joined Central Frontenac, it would have made for a huge township with five large under-populated districts, extending from the edge of Division Street north of Kingston almost all the way to Highway 41, 60 kilometres north of Napanee.

The third option, and the one that was ultimately chosen, was to join South Frontenac. This made sense because Bedford borders both Loughborough and Portland.

But the politicians that negotiated amalgamation in South Frontenac did not want to take on the liabilities of their soon-to-be amalgamation partners, and they were particularly wary of Bedford. While the three other townships that became South Frontenac, Storrington, Portland, and Loughborough, all bordered Kingston and contained suburban-style subdivisions and medium-sized villages with schools and businesses, along with their farming and seasonal populations, Bedford is mostly made up of seasonal residents with some farmers. It has few paved roads, and no garbage pickup. Politicians from the other districts did not want their residents to pay for bringing Bedford’s services up to their standards, which is what full amalgamation would have entailed.

This was one of the factors that led to the area rating system in South Frontenac. While policing, central administration and other costs were paid out of South Frontenac taxes, each district paid for their own roads, waste management, recreation, and fire services.

But, over time things have been changing in South Frontenac. Fire services were fully amalgamated several years ago. While budgeting for services has remained area-rated, the services are mostly run centrally.

At the same time, Bedford has become the source of a lot of revenue for the South Frontenac. The new property assessment regime taxes waterfront properties heavily, and there has been a building boom in Bedford over the last 10 years as seasonal properties have been converted to year-round homes. Bobs Lake in particular has become a highly prized location and nowadays, more money flows from Bedford to the township office in Sydenham than flows the other way.

The poor cousin has become a cash cow.

Bedford District’s riches are also tied in with plans to build a new library in Sydenham. The township would like to revamp its existing offices in Sydenham, and take over the space currently occupied by the library. This would allow all departments to be based in one building. The plan to do this is tied to a plan to build a brand-new, larger library on the same site.

All of this costs money. Bedford District has been accumulating money for years through the sale of road allowances. This is an offshoot of all the building that has been going on. By provincial regulation, this money can only be spend on “Parks and Recreation”, which Bedford has little of, and there is little demand from the Bedford population for new facilities. Putting the money towards building a new library would be an acceptable use, but as long as recreation is area-rated, Bedford money cannot go to a library in Loughborough District where Sydenham is located. However, under amalgamation the money could be used anywhere in South Frontenac.

Bedford District councilors are supportive of a five-year roads improvement plan that was brought forward by the public works manager. Among other things, it would see a major paving program in Bedford and an increase in taxation for Bedford residents, all with a view towards amalgamating the roads budgets in the township as a whole by 2010. With Bedford recreation money helping to pay for Sydenham library and a new township office, the other districts are less likely to object to some of their ratepayers’ money helping to pave roads in Bedford.

Last month, CAO Gord Burns presented Council with a draft proposal to amalgamate recreation and roads. The proposal was defeated, but at the end of the meeting one of the councilors who voted against it, Ron Vandewal from Loughborough said, “I would support amalgamation if it was proposed, but nothing else”.

Two weeks later, amalgamation was brought forward at a Committee of the Whole meeting, and Vandewal said he supported it. He is, in effect, the deciding voter, because Mayor Davison and Councilors Hahn and Stowe from Bedford, as well as the other Loughborough councilor, Alan McPhail, are all onside.

At this point, it looks like it might be done against the will of the councilors from Storrington and Portland districts, which presents a real problem since they represent 50% of the residents in the township

The objections from councilors in both Portland and Storrington are partly philosophical, but they are also focused on waste management, with Portland councilors in particular wanting to protect one of their major assets, the Portland dump.

There are a series of other complications as well, particularly in relation to reserve funds that the districts currently control, but if there is not yet a green light, there is at least a yellow, proceed with caution, light glowing for amalgamation in South Frontenac. It was the subject of a debate this week at a Committee of the Whole meeting on March 10. (see Wilma Kenny’s article)

With 18 months to go before the next municipal election and the current mayor having made a commitment to doing this during the previous election, and with CAO Burns slated to retire in a few months, there is a bit of a legacy question for both of them.

If the political decision to amalgamate services in South Frontenac is not made within the next four months, it will be put off for at least four years.