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Good news for alumni and/or anyone who’d like a keepsake of the old Sharbot Lake Public School.

Andy Dillon, manager of development services/CBO, told Central Frontenac Council at its regular meeting Tuesday evening at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake that he’s having a number of bricks delivered to the Township offices which will be made available to the public at no cost.

“We don’t want people going on-site to pick up a souvenir as it could be dangerous,” he said. “But it will be one (brick) to a customer.

“That’s so they don’t think they can come and get a bunch of bricks to build something,” he said with a grin.

Dillon said that while there have been some trucks and equipment on-site, the work being done is all on the inside.

“We don’t expect the actual demolition of the building to begin until sometime in January,” he said.

Coun. Bill MacDonald asked where the material that’s being demolished was going, wondering if it would be added to the Oso or Olden sites.

“I don’t really know,” Dillon said. “But it’s somewhere out of Central Frontenac.”

Building values up.

Coun. Bill MacDonald was also curious as to the increase in construction value being more than a million dollars more in 2019 than 2018 ($10,965,340 vs $9,561,283) despite there being one less building permit issued (seven vs eight).

“That would probably be because the average value of homes being built is about $350,000,” said Andy Dillon, CBO.

“That’s good for taxes,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Dewey elected Deputy Mayor for 2020

Council elected District 1 Coun. Tom Dewey as Deputy Mayor for 2020, replacing Coun. Victor Heese.

Tanker pulled off the road

With tanker 441 out of Station 4 Parham in such bad shape and due to be replaced in 2020, Fire Chief Jamie Riddell told Council he is taking it out of service as of Dec. 4.

“To go a number of months without a tanker in Parham does not sit well with me,” said Coun. Nicki Gowdy.

Riddell said that tankers from Mountain Grove and Sharbot Lake will respond to all fire calls in the 400 and 600 Zones and a tanker from South Frontenac’s Verona station will respond to all confirmed fires in Zone CF6-601.

“I’ve spoken with the the fire chief in South Frontenac and they’re willing to extend the mutual aid agreement in this way until our new tanker arrives,” Riddell said.

“The fire hall in Verona is closer to Piccadilly than Parham is anyway,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Frontenac Community Arena Receives an Ontario150 Community Capital Program Grant

The Frontenac Community Arena (FCA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $30,000 Ontario150 Community Capital Program grant. These funds will help fund the capital costs of replacing the Arena’s 30-year-old dehumidification system with a new, more energy-efficient Desiccant system.

“Our community arenas act as a hub where people come together to share and grow; the Ontario150 Community Capital Program grant is providing for improvements at Frontenac Community Arena will help secure the continued enjoyment and enhance the benefits of this much-loved facility,” said Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.

Administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, these grants will help non-profit organizations, municipalities and Indigenous communities to renovate, repair and retrofit existing community and cultural infrastructure. The one-time, Ontario150 Community Capital Program has been designed to help honour Ontario’s past, showcase the present and inspire future generations.

“We are very pleased to be a recipient of a Ontario150 Community Capital Program grant. It will support the replacement of aging equipment vital to ice making process,” said Sherry Whan, Central Frontenac Township Councillor and Arena Board Chair.

“This important Capital project along with work completed over the past two years is vital to the Frontenac Community Arena operations,” said Tim Laprade, Arena Manager. “This work reflects the Arena Boards continued commitment to investing in infrastructure that will reduce our energy consumption and support ice activities,” added Laprade.

The Ontario150 Community Capital Program is administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s largest granting foundations.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Wednesday, 17 February 2016 16:02

Family Day in the Frontenacs

The annual Family Day in the Frontenacs event, which was held at the Frontenac Community Arena in Piccadilly on February 15, had added support this year thanks in part to a $1,125,000 grant to the City of Kingston. The grant will support 45 area municipalities as part of the Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Region's Healthy Kids Community Challenge.

The program, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and part of Ontario's three-year Healthy Kids Strategy, aims to support local communities in the KFL&A region by promoting physical activity and healthy eating for children 12 years of age and younger and their families.

It was launched most recently in the Township of South Frontenac as part of Monday's Family Day event, which in past years has been funded and organized by the South Frontenac Recreation Committee.

Monday’s activities included free public skating indoors at the arena, while outdoors there was snow shoeing, an obstacle course, horse-drawn wagon rides, numerous games, a free BBQ lunch and more.

Mayor of South Frontenac, Ron Vandewal, was present as was County Warden and Mayor of Central Frontenac, Frances Smith, who attended the event as the acting champion of the program for Frontenac County. Warden Smith said she is thrilled with the program, which “helps to get young kids away from their electronic gadgets and screens and outside playing in the snow and getting physically active.”

She said that hosting the event at the local community arena also makes youngsters and their families “aware of the arena and the various activities that happen here on a regular basis.”

Tim Laprade, the arena and recreation supervisor with the Township of South Frontenac, said that he is also very pleased with the program and that the funding for the program is “very timely and gives kids from across the county an opportunity to enjoy healthy outdoor activities.”

The first stage of the program, titled “Run. Jump. Play. Every Day.”, focuses on exercise and physical activity. Its next stage will focus more on healthy eating.

Numerous volunteers, including those from Northern Frontenac Community Services, the South Frontenac Recreation Committee, Kingston Gets Active and the Frontenac Minor Hockey Association, were also in attendance to help run the events. By 11am the parking lot at the arena was quickly filling up and organizers were expecting to see at least 1500 people at the event.

 

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Buoyed by a strong response to their campaign, Frontenac Community Arena volunteers are hopeful about their Kraft Hockeyville bid.

In order for the Frontenac arena to progress to the final stage of the contest, it will need to beat a few other contenders. The top 10 bids, in a field of 3190, will be informed that they are moving on in early March, and those 10 will then have to mobilize support for an all-out one-week sprint to the finish line.

Al Pixley, the president of the Frontenac Minor Hockey League, said that whether the Frontenac Arena's bid gets to the finals or not, the amount of support and interest that was generated over the weekend on both Twitter and Facebook have buoyed the arena executive's spirits considerably.

“Win or lose, it has brought a lot of awareness about the arena and the amount of work that needs to be done. There are a lot of positives,” he said.

Pixley added that in order to be considered for the top 10, the arena's campaign needed 250 social media posts. “We haven't calculated the final number, but we are somewhere in the range of 25,000. Things really did take off over the weekend.”

As word got out about the campaign, hockey families from the past joined with the current arena users “and it all sort of snowballed from Thursday on, all the way to Sunday,” Pixley said.

The number of supporters for the campaign is one of several factors that are considered when determining the 10 finalists, each of whom will receive $25,000 towards arena upgrades.

“I think it is worth 30% and then they look at our application, what we want to do with the money, and other factors,” Pixley said.

This leaves the committee unsure about what their chances are. “But we will make sure that when the names are announced we are ready to promote our nominations right away, because we won't have much time at all,” he said.

Central Frontenac councilor, Brent Cameron, is the chair of the arena's management board for 2016. He is one of four municipal council members, two from South Frontenac and two from Central Frontenac, who make up the board.

“We already have plans in place to upgrade a lot of the equipment in the arena and to improve the lighting and heating, but if the Hockeyville money comes through it will allow us to do a project that has been on our radar for a long time,” he said.

That project involves putting in an entirely new canteen/hall at the rear of the building on the second floor, and an elevator for access.

“The existing canteen can only be reached through the stairs, and the idea of a public part of our arena not being accessible is something we would like to address, for one thing. It would create a space that would enhance community uses of the arena on a year-round basis. There is also the idea of turning the existing canteen into a fitness room for the public,” he said.

Cameron added that these kinds of projects require a lot of public participation and fundraising, and that he has been impressed by the efforts of the hockey league.

“I have to hand it to Al Pixley, the league executive, and all the parents and volunteers. They have taken on this Hockeyville initiative and run with it. As a board, we are supportive of anything that will improve the arena, and the timing is right for something to happen, as it's our 40th anniversary this year,” he said.

Cameron added that working with his fellow Central Frontenac councilor, Sherry Whan, and with councilors Al Revill and Norm Roberts from South Frontenac, has been a good experience.

“We all bring something to the table. Al has a keen eye about building operations; Norm has a history as a hockey coach and in minor hockey; and Sherry and I both grew up at the rink.”

Cameron added that the Frontenac Community Arena, which is still referred to locally as the Picadilly or Pic Arena, has had a storied history for a small rural rink. It has produced three NHL draft picks over its 40 years. One is Trevor Steinberg, who is the coach of the St. Mary's University Huskies in Halifax, one of the top university teams in Canada. Another is Marty Abrams, who was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals and is now a coach with the Wellington Dukes, a Junior A team. The third is a certain goalie from Verona, Mike Smith of the Arizona Coyotes, who was on the Canadian Olympic team in 2014.

“Everyone loves this rink. It is not an urban multiplex and never will be. It always will have the feel of a rural rink but we want to make sure it has the best ice and the best facilities for the community,” he said.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Elected officials from the Township of South Frontenac and Frontenac County Council along with members of the County's 150th Anniversary committee helped celebrate the 5th annual Family Day at the Frontenac Arena in Piccadilly. The celebrations included giving out 150 free barbequed sausages courtesy of Gilmour's on 38 in Harrowsmith.

Though the temperature was chillier than normal, many families came out to celebrate with their young ones in tow and enjoyed outdoor games, snow shoeing, a free skate, a fireside marshmallow roast, horse-drawn wagon rides and more, with organizers expecting 800-900 visitors throughout the day.

The event was catered by Jeanette and Carl Pixley of Pine Ridge Catering in Yarker. It also included a draw celebrating community volunteers in South Frontenac, who were recognized by fellow residents for the important work they do in the community. A total of 20 winners took home a number of locally donated prizes.

Dan Bell and Pam Morey organized the Family Day event along with the help of a number of community volunteers. Both Bell and Morey are long-time volunteers in South Frontenac, both with the Portland District and South Frontenac recreation committees and the S &A Club, and together they are coordinating the 150th Anniversary celebrations for the county.

The two decided that Family Day would be a great way to spark off the celebrations. This is just the start of the fun and the official three-day anniversary party is scheduled to take place at Centennial Park in Harrowsmith on August 28, 29 and 30. This free summer event will include opening and closing ceremonies, an anniversary parade, fireworks, the Frontenac County Plowing Match, a Strong man competition, a dazzling line up of live musical guests, a vendors' market, a BBQ lunch and a beer tent.

Other attractions will include a wide variety of fun family activities, a wide range of heritage and community displays, and a special Heritage Ball that will be held at the Golden Links hall in Harrowsmith. Organizers hope that people will mark the date now on their calendars and bring along family and friends for what is sure to be a fun-filled weekend.

A detailed program of all of the events will be posted on the County's website come April. Alison Vandervelde, communications officer with the County, said that she is very excited about the plans for the County celebrations. “This summer's 150th anniversary showcase will be a fantastic event and we are hoping that residents bring along their friends and family here to the Frontenacs in August to help us celebrate.”

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