North Frontenac Council - Jul 20/15

Jonas Bonnetta | Jul 22, 2015

Mayor Higgins encouraging early talk with solar company

Mayor Higgins has been in discussion with U.S solar company SunEdison regarding the possibility of installing solar farms in North Frontenac.

“They are very interested in coming to North Frontenac,” Higgins said.

A representative from SunEdison explained to the Mayor that there is another Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) that will be up for grabs next year and the company is interested in visiting the area to do an assessment of the feasibility of such a project in North Frontenac.

Council voted to invite the representative from the solar company to make a presentation to council at the next meeting.

“I'm interested because it's another alternative green energy [to] the wind turbines,” Higgins said. “And it would show that we're not against them, at the provincial level, and that we may accept other options for green energy.”

“We have lots of Crown Land here that we can hide these things on...it wouldn't be an impact to lakes people,” the mayor said, “and it would allow us to get a vibrancy fund.”

The mayor hoped that they could do a lot of the groundwork before the LRP even comes out so that they are prepared for next year's bid.

Recently, SunEdison decided to pull two of their three proposed solar farms out of South Frontenac due to local resistance and a concern by residents that there would be stray voltage from the lines.

Councilor Inglis was concerned about forests being cleared for solar farms. “I'd have problems accepting it,” Inglis said. “I'd find it more acceptable to put it on land that was formerly cleared or land that is not suitable for agriculture.”

Higgins pointed out that they could possibly be installed on old decommissioned landfill sites or gravel pits.

Amendment to the Official Plan

A by-law was passed during Monday's council meeting to amend North Frontenac's Official Plan (OP) incorporating updates to their Community Improvement Plan (CIP).

Peter Young and Anne Marie Young, from the offices of the County of Frontenac, made a presentation at the meeting on Monday regarding the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and what is required by the Township to activate their CIP.

If the amendment is approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) then Council can implement their CIP. This proposed amendment adds an incentive program offering grants to new and existing local businesses for facade improvement, commercial space funding, accessibility enhancements for people with disabilities, and to help subsidize municipal fees such as building permits and site plan approvals.

Up to $2500 is available per business, per property, for facade improvements, commercial space funding, and accessibility upgrades, and an extra $2000 is available in funding to help minimize municipal fees.

North Frontenac currently has $70,000 in their budget for this program, once it's approved by the MMAH. Any remaining monies, if not used by local businesses, could be used by the township to make improvements as well.

There will be an opportunity for the public to review the plan and consult council before the CIP is implemented.

150th Anniversary Celebration set for County of Frontenac

The 150th anniversary celebration for the County of Frontenac is set for August 28-30th 2015 at the Harrowsmith Centennial Park and will feature live music, BBQ, midway rides, fireworks, and a group of actors performing historical re-enactments involving an antique cannon.

The opening ceremony begins at 5:30pm on Friday night and the first day of the celebration will conclude that night with a large fireworks display. Saturday morning begins with a parade at 10am followed by a plowing match on a neighbouring field. As well, there will be a play area for kids featuring train rides, bouncy castles, and mini-putt.

After The News, Abby Stewart, and Rob Carnegie are just a few of the musical acts set to play throughout the festival.

There will be a beer tent on site for the entire weekend as well as a canteen and BBQ and the County expects to see upwards of 10,000 people over the course of the festival weekend.

The main event is a heritage costume ball which is happening on the Saturday night at the Golden Links Hall from 9pm-1am. Attendees are encouraged to arrive in period costume (1850-present) and the band Soul Survivors will be providing live music. There will also be a late night buffet and prizes. Tickets are available for $20. For more information you can visit www.frontenaccounty.ca