North Frontenac Council - Sep. 24/12

Jeff Green | Sep 27, 2012

Ompah Library

Marily Seitz presented an update on the Ompah Community Library.

She said the library, which sprung up as a community venture when the Kingston Frontenac Public Library closed the Ompah branch in the spring of 2011, “is alive and thriving and has become a vital community hub.”

There has been no problem stocking the shelves, as donated books, none of them more than five years old, have been plentiful and varied. “We have 25 boxes of books in storage that we plan to use to change the collection on the shelves,” said Seitz.

One of the more popular functions of the library has been the Internet access that it offers its patrons. The location has been designated as a CAP, or Community Access Portal site, but that federal program has now ended. Mazinaw Online will keep the Internet service running until the end of this year, but after that the library will need to find a provider, and pay the cost of the connection.

“To continue with our present service will cost $90 a month, which is more than we can afford, but there are options at about $60 a month, which we might be able to cover,” said Seitz.

The library was very well used by the summer residents this year, Seitz added, a marked increase over last summer when the library was just getting up and running. “People rave about our collection of books,” Marily Seitz said.

Members of Council expressed their support for the library, and Mayor Clayton thanked Marily Seitz for the update. The library is open for two hours, two days a week during the winter, and three days a week in the summer.

Fire Hall Task Force deferred

Councilor John Inglis presented a proposal for the makeup of a task force to work on plans for a new fire hall in Ompah. Mayor Clayton said that now that he has Inglis' “wish list” for members he would like to see what names other members of Council come up with.

Chief Adminisrative Officer Cheryl Robson said that the company contracted to begin a phase 2 assessment of the property the township purchased for the fire hall will begin their work this week.

Asset Management Plan –

For several years North Frontenac Council and staff have been diligent in following provincial initiatives aimed at developing a comprehensive inventory of municipal assets and liabilities. And that effort might pay off for the township in the near future

The provincial government’s latest announcement regarding infrastructure funding for municipalities ties future funding to the development of asset management plans that cover all municipal property: roads, bridges, culverts, offices, halls, garages and road equipment, cemeteries, even lighting fixtures.

The value of each asset, its state of repair, replacement cost, and a financial plan to cover maintenance and replacement costs over time, will all be required before municipalities will be able to apply for future help from provincial and federal funding programs.

Because North Frontenac has taken considerable steps over the past few years to account for its physical assets and their replacement costs, CAO Robson said in a report to council that the township's auditing firm, KPMG, is in a position to complete an asset management plan that conforms to provincial standards, for only $1,500. The only additional costs could be some engineering information that may be required.

Council accepted Robson’s recommendation to engage KPMG. A provincial funding program to help with asset management plans might cover the cost.