Re – Raised Eyebrows

Robert Fish | Nov 30, 2016

In printing by letter – Rasied Eybrows on November 10, your editing changed the intent. My concern was to suggest the trail head in Verona be named for Anne Marie Young, because of the waste of money spent on a trail from Kingston City limits to Sharbot Lake to connect with the Trans Canada Trail.

The city section of the trail is non-motorises so how do people travel from the Trans Canada Trail to Kingston? They would need to park at Orser Road and walk the rest of the way, or maybe call a taxi.

As for Verona being a trail-head, it is not the beginning of the trail, and land would need to be purchased for this with money they don;t have (unless they raid another reserve fund.)

Several years ago a trail-head was suggested for Harowsmith on land belonging to the former railway and ownd by the county, but was not well received by local residents.

Several thousand dollars were spent on a trail-ghead plan, which now appears to be more wastes money. Anne Marie Young made the state several years ago that she wasn't going to retire until the trail was completed. She is leaving now at the end of 2016 with an uncompleted trail, and trail of questionable finances.

My point is – let her take the credit for this nightmare with a Trail-head in Verona named for her efforts, the Anne Marie Young money pit, a real crowning gem.

(editors note – We did indeed edit out the proposal to name the Verona Trail-head after Anne Marie Young in Mr. Fish's first letter. It was a single line in that letter. It was cut because as a matter of policy we do not like to single out employees from township's or counties' when they are not the ones who determine policy. Whether the Trans Canada Trail is a good idea or a bad one, a waste of money or something that has gotten out of hand, are all valid questions. But it is the council of the day who determine how much to spend on these things and how much staff time should be devoted to them. If the trail build has been mismanaged, it is the council that that bears the ultimate responsibility, shred perhaps with the two Chief Administrative Officers (Liz Savill and Kelly Pender) who have been responsible for all county operations since Mr. Young started working for Frontenac County in 2008.. Since Mr. Fish was adamant about Anne Marie Young role we have published this follow up letter, but have included this comment, an unusual step for us, to clarify our decision to withold reference to her in the first letter.)