North Frontenac Council - Aug 10/15

Jonas Bonnetta | Aug 12, 2015

NF Council looking to update offices and public works building

At Monday's meeting, Council reviewed and discussed Councillor Denis Bedard's recent report regarding the options available to update their ageing municipal buildings.

A building assessment report from Greer Galloway in 2014 noted that the North Frontenac municipal office and public works buildings were in rough shape. The report showed that the current buildings lack potable water, accessible bathrooms, accessible council chambers, and that the building requires better insulation and ventilation.

“In terms of health and safety, the interior of the building has experienced moisture infiltration which has created frost, moisture, and mould in sections of the building,” the report stated.

Councillor Bedard, in his report, presented some of the different options North Frontenac has moving forward. These include renovations to insulate and combat the moisture issue as well as elaborate plans to demolish the current buildings and construct new offices and a new public works garage. Of the six plans that Bedard presented Council whittled them down to three ideas that they want to start discussing more thoroughly.

The three options they are looking at are:

1. To renovate the existing building. This would entail removal and replacement of the insulation and vapour barrier in the ceiling and walls as well as the replacement of doors and windows, at an estimated cost of $511,250.

2. To renovate the existing building, same as above, and also add another 1,500 square feet of office space at an estimated cost of $900,000.

3. To renovate the current office building to better suit the public works department and to construct a new building for the municipal offices at an estimated cost of $1,627,500. The former Ministry of Natural Resources building on Buckshot Lake Road was mentioned in the report as a possible location to build the new facility.

Council will be holding a public meeting on August 29 at 10am in the Clar-Mill Fire Hall in Plevna to present and discuss these ideas and to create a dialogue with the community to incorporate into their building plans.

Low-interest loans available to North Frontenac

Robert Keene, a representative from Infrastructure Ontario (IO), made a presentation to Council on Monday morning regarding the different type of loans that could be available to North Frontenac through their loan program.

Infrastructure Ontario is an agency of the provincial government and provides short-term and long-term financing solutions to municipalities at low-interest rates. These loans can be used for most capital expenditures, including new construction or renovations, emergency vehicle purchasing, waste management, and road improvement.

The funding the IO is offering is available to a variety of groups such as municipalities, Aboriginal health centres, long-term care facilities, and housing providers.

IO is offering two different types of loans. One is a “serial” loan where interest is paid out more at the beginning of the loan and then decreases as the term goes on. The other is an “amortizer” loan, which functions much like a mortgage payment. Keene explained that the “amortizer” loan is the one most municipalities use in their programs.

The current interest rate for a five-year loan is 1.43% and 3.12% on a 25-year term. These loans are available through the IO for terms up to 30 years.