Jonas Bonnetta | Sep 03, 2015


Township to assume maintenance of Norcan Lake Lanejon

Council approved, in principle, a request made to Council to assume three-season maintenance on Norcan Lake Lane

Norcan Lake Lane is a municipally-owned, privately maintained three-season road and the residents submitted a petition to request that North Frontenac assume the maintenance.

“It's being used by more than the residents,” Councilor Dennis Bedard said. “It's being used by a large number of the public who access our services. Why should we be asking the residents to pay the cost of maintenance when it's our public people using the facilities?”

Councilors Hermer, Inglis, and Bedard argued in support of the idea of assuming the maintenance.

“The landowners have been very co-operative,” Councilor Inglis said. “They've answered all the detailed requirements about why we would assume a road. One thing I don't know and I think we should find out is what the cost to the township will be. We should support this and begin maintenance on a 3-season basis.”

“I disagree. I won't back it,” Councilor Good said. “We've got too many rough roads to maintain and we're having a hard enough time doing that as it is with our budget…I think the previous council made a mistake doing one; I disagreed with that and that was on a sneaky basis that the previous council did that.”

Council debated whether or not the road needed to have a new engineering study before they could assume the responsibility on it.

“If they're going to do an engineering study they might as well start with a lot of the roads we have now that we do maintain,” Councilor Bedard joked.

In this case a new study was not ordered as the township already recognizes Norcan Lake Lane as a 3-season road.

Councilor Wayne Good requested a recorded vote on the motion. Councilor Good and Deputy Mayor Perry both voted against assuming the maintenance on the road but were defeated 5-2. The 3-season maintenance would be assumed at the beginning of 2016 if the road meets all the requirements of the public works manager.

A request was also made to assume the road maintenance on Norcan Lake Lane for four seasons. The residents that made the proposal would need to do an independent engineering study, paid for by the residents and approved by the public works manager, before the township could look at approving the request.

NF Council says no to paying for Big Gull Lake boat ramp upgrades

Council voted against supporting the new construction of two boat ramps on Big Gull Lake. The Township of Central Frontenac asked that North Frontenac cover 50% of the expenses associated with the construction of two new pre-cast concrete boat launches on Big Gull Lake to be located in the Township of Central Frontenac.

Council denied the request for their 2016 budget deliberations on the basis that they already have boat launches on the lake and that they should be investing in infrastructure upgrades in North Frontenac and not Central Frontenac.

“I'd rather see us put money into our own boat launches than into somebody else's,” Councilor Wayne Good said.

“I'm in favour of what Councilor Good says,” Mayor Ron Higgins said. “We're going to have our own fiscal challenges this budget...”

Township looking at purchasing speed spy

Council discussed the idea of purchasing a Speed Spy to use in the Township. A Speed Spy is a portable, data-collecting box that can monitor traffic speeds and times of traffic peaks.

“The OPP suggested we buy one of these to prove we have a speeding problem in our hamlets,” Councilor Martin said.

“I don't believe we should spend taxpayers’ money buying equipment to aid police enforcement,” Councilor Hermer said. “We already pay them enough money now. We contract them to make sure people are safe.”

Councilor Martin asked Jim Phillips if the Speed Spy could be of use to the public works manager.

“It gives you the speed, the number of cars, and the time they went through,” Councilor Martin said.

“It is for traffic volumes,” Phillips said. “That would be useful.”

“We can monitor the number of visitors in the seasons,” Mayor Higgins said. “There's a bunch of different things we can use this for.”

Public Works Manager Jim Phillips is going to do some research into the device and report back to Council.

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