| Nov 25, 2010


Photo: Front row: Brenda and Mayor Ron Maguire. Back Row: Lonnie Watkins, Bob Olmstead, Elaine Gunsinger, Wayne Good and Fred Perry.

After losing out in last month’s municipal election, Councilors Bob Olmstead and Elaine Gunsinger participated in their final council meetings on Nov. 18, while Deputy Mayor Jim Beam, who lost out to Bud Clayton in the race for mayor, was absent.

But the major event of the meeting came when the outgoing mayor, Ron Maguire, said goodbye to council and township staff after seven years as the head of council.

“I have had several careers in my life. I am now embarking on the next one,” Maguire said, “and I want to wish you all the best. I would like to mention, in particular, Cheryl Robson and Brenda Defosse, who have been very professional and helpful to me over the years, and have fostered a team relationship between council and township staff.”

At the end of the meeting, a stone bench was presented to Maguire and his wife Brenda. The bench will be placed on the rustic golf course he has built at their Mountain Road property.

Before all of the presentations and thanks were expressed, a business meeting of council took place.

WASTE SERVICES TO NORCAN LAKE.

North Frontenac received a letter from the Township of Greater Madawaska giving 60 days notice that the Black Donald Waste site will no longer be available to residents of North Frontenac. A number of North Frontenac residents, who reside in a subdivision in the vicinity of Norcan Lake, use that waste site. They access their properties from the north, and are over an hour’s drive away from any North Frontenac site. As was pointed out in an administrative report to council, Norcan residents will either have to drive to a site in North Frontenac, or take their garbage home – that is, if they have another home to take it to. The state of fire service in the region is also an issue of concern and the NF Fire Department has been trying to contact the Greater Madawaska department.

“I voted against extending that subdivision, for these reasons,” said Councilor Wayne Good. “I don’t think we should allow any further growth up there until this is resolved.”

“That doesn’t matter,” said Councilor Lonnie Watkins. “We need to provide services for the people living there, no matter what we think.”

The issues will go to the new council for consideration.

REPLACEMENT ON COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT – With Committee of Adjustment member Gerry Martin’s election to council, the alternate member of the committee, Frank McEvoy, will replace Martin as a permanent member of the committee, and the township will advertise for a new alternate member.

DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF RESIGNS – Steve Dunham, the Deputy Fire Chief in Ompah, will be resigning his position on January 1, but will be remaining as a member of the department.

When contacted by the News, Dunham said that his decision to resign as deputy chief was taken over the summer and had nothing to do with the ongoing issue of the new fire hall/ambulance base at Ompah.

“I am resigning as deputy chief because of the amount of paperwork required on the job in a time when I have to deal with increased pressures from my own bussing business,” he said.

Dunham said that the township had an excellent meeting with members of the fire department about the Ompah fire hall project a couple of weeks ago, and the firefighters are committed to working with council to find a solution to the issues that have been raised.

BUILDING NUMBERS UP BY OVER $1 MILLION

A report by Chief Building Officer George Gorrie showed that as of the end of September, $7.2 million in new construction had been commenced in the township this year, up from $6.1 million at the same time last year, and $124,000 in permits had been sold, as compared to $102,000 at the same time last year.

The inaugural meeting of the new North Frontenac Council will take place on December 9 at the Plevna Fire Hall.

 

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