Behind the scenes, an innovative, co-operative based economic development initiative in North Frontenac has been gathering momentum. The project, or what is really a set of projects, was made public over a year ago. It was originally known as the One Small Town initiative. It incorporated the efforts of the Talking Trees project which intends to build a community of Earthships (environmentally sustainable dwellings made of used tires, concrete and other materials), as well as Contribute and Thrive, a series of commercial enterprises to be run on a contribution model rather than traditional business owner/employee model. In an update about the projects that was released at the end of March, North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins, who is acting as a facilitator, described how the various…

CMCA is preparing for their annual historic event on Sat. May 5th (noon- 4 p.m.) at Clar-Mill Hall, Plevna. CMCA aims to make archival materials available to the entire community. Our event encourages community pride and history. If you enjoyed the Store and Lodge events, plan to join us for our “Mystery History Tour” based on our latest book Historic Tours of North Frontenac. This book was made possible with a grant from the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area and a sponsorship by North Frontenac Township. In response to public feedback there is not a “scheduled” program, so people will have more time to browse the exhibits. Admission is FREE. You will receive a K&P ticket at the door that will serve as your…

The turnout for open houses on things like Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw changes historically isn’t high but North Frontenac Township bucked that trend somewhat last Saturday with a steady stream of visitors coming to view proposals for a new Zoning Bylaw. The impetus for a new document, last updated in 2004, was the updating of the Official Plan which was approved by Frontenac County last May. “It’s high time this happened,” said Coun. John Inglis. “I think it’s a bit of a shame we had to pay for it (Frontenac County had been doing all of North’s planning but independent planners Zanderplan was hired for this job) but I’m not blaming anybody. “The County would have done it but not on our timeline and…

North Frontenac Council’s regular meeting in Plevna last Thursday was a relatively quiet affair but a presentation from John Price of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority on the Shabomeka Lake dam has the potential to be an ongoing story. The dam was built in the 1950s with rehabilitation works done in 1988 to reduce seepage. However, Ontario Hydro determined that these works were temporary as the structure did not meet the stability requirements for overturning/sliding conditions. In 2016, an assessment was performed and recommended reconstruction of the embankment including raising the embankment and road elevation; rebuilding the control structure; adding gravel or a drainage blanket on the downstream slope; adding emergency discharge capacity. The conservation authority is looking at three alternatives: do nothing; complete embankment…