North Frontenac Council and the Township Committee of Adjustment went through its proposed new Zoning Bylaw page by page last Friday at a special meeting that lasted well into the afternoon. “I think it’s good to get these things cleared up,” said Coun. Gerry Martin after the meeting. “We’re dealing with a lot of history here and many of the items go back a long time.” Essentially, Council was pleased with the document enough to schedule an open house for the public to review changes and provide a final round of feedback on Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. Then, there will be a public meeting Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. (following the regular Council meeting) to finalize passage of the document. Council did pass a…

After hearing from a delegation concerning the infestation of Eurasian milfoil on Malcolm Lake, North Frontenac Council passed a number of bylaws and resolutions at its regular meeting last Friday in Plevna. First up was changes to its Fees and Charges Bylaw and Building Bylaw to reflect a new fee structure recommended by the building department. The new fees are intended to recognize different types of construction including unique projects and the conjecture is that more than 50 per cent of new permits will feature lower costs and thus encourage reporting of smaller projects. The new bylaws also include provisions to allow residents to protest their fees and request an audit of costs involved when there is a disagreement. Council also passed changes to speed…

Since all of the positions for North Frontenac Council (Mayor Ron Higgins, Coun. Fred Perry, Wayne Good, Gerry Martin, Vernon Hermer, John Inglis and Fred Fowler) have been acclaimed, as well as Limestone District School Board trustee Karen McGregor and French Language Public School Board (Le Conseil des Ecoles Publiques de L’Est de L’Ontario) trustee Rachel Laforest, you might think there’s no election coming to North Frontenac Township this October. Not so fast. In the Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, Leslie Ford is challenging incumbent Wendy Procter and, in Le Conseil des Ecoles Catholiques de Langue Francaise du Centre-Est, Michel Charron is challenging incumbent Diane Burns. What that means is Clerk/Planning Manager Tara Mieske still has to go through the election planning exercise,…

Fiddlers and Friends return for their yearly concert in Ompah on Thursday, August 9. The band loves to share their joy of music and zany sense of fun. They play a cheerful set of old-time fiddle tunes that has the audience clapping, toe-tapping and singing along. The fiddlers are accompanied by friends playing keyboard, bass, viola, cello, guitar, etc. Lois Webster is an unforgettable crowd favourite with her many homemade instruments and wacky costumes; one never quite knows what she will do next, and even keeps the band guessing. Fiddlers and Friends are delighted to entertain the Ompah audiences, who readily join in to become a real part of the concert. Folks often comment that it is such a fun concert that it feels like…

The Ompah Community Association is in good shape financially, even after buying liability insurance and paying $5,000 to the Township for renovations to the kitchen, the Association heard at its Annual General Meeting Saturday morning in Ompah. The cash balance as of July 21, 2018 is $8,127.76 “We decided not to incorporate because that only protects the membership, not the executive,” said President Rob Harris. “So we’re an unregistered association. “But we needed the insurance, which includes some legal advice because all it takes is for someone to trip over a loose cord for us to get sued.” He said recent projects of the association have been a move-in package for new residents, addressing the “noticeable decline in attendance” at events (a recent dance was…