“The committee knows we need some form of seniors housing, tell us what . . .” Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith told a gathering last Thursday afternoon at Oso Hall to discuss seniors housing in the Township.

To that end, the committee (Smith, Coun. Bill MacDonald, RFCS director Louise Moody, Pat Fisher and Peggy Hurley) has been asking residents to fill out a survey that asks questions related to people’s thoughts about what seniors housing should look like in the Township. To date, they’ve received about 50 surveys, many of which were filled out by the 45 or so people that came out to the information session. (You can still get a survey at the Township office or fill one out online at the Township website).

“I know there’s a need because I have a couple of rental properties and they’re always full simply from word of mouth,” Smith said. “We know there’s a need for more than just seniors housing — single males for example.

“But the County has given us money to specifically look at seniors housing.”

To that end, the committee hired Ed Starr of SHS Consulting and Ken Foulds of Re/Fact Consulting to produce a report.

“You’re fighting with the economics to make the bricks and mortar work,” said Foulds. “Frontenac Islands took three years to get a building up and South Frontenac is just at the point of marshalling resources.”

“It’s cheaper to build outside the hamlets but people want amenities,” said Starr. “The average building costs are $200 per square foot which means about $200,000 for a small apartment.

“And Central Frontenac is one of the few areas where the population has declined.

“There has been a diaspora out of Toronto where people sell their expensive Toronto properties, come here, pay cash and bank the rest, driving up prices but often health and service needs force them back to the city.”

The consultants summarized their findings as:

• Modest growth over the next 20 years
• Seniors will continue to be a significant age cohort
• Housing choices for seniors will change as they age, hence a need for flexibility/options
• There are limited housing options to suit them and existing stock is aging
• Affordability will continue to be an issue for some, especially renters.

They said the next steps are:

• Complete survey results and analysis
• Develop project concept based on needs
• Explore location/site options
• Determine development parameters
• Test financial feasibility
• Establish governance model and partnerships
• Develop a business plan document

The Township of Central Frontenac, in partnership with the County of Frontenac, is hosting two upcoming Town Hall meetings to explore opportunities for a senior’s housing project in Central Frontenac.

Two sessions will be held. The first will be taking place at Sharbot Lake Soldiers Memorial Hall in Sharbot Lake on February 8th between 2pm and 4pm.. The second will be taking place at the same Hall, same date February 8th between 7pm and 9pm.

“There is a need for more affordable housing options for seniors as well as a need for housing and support service options that will allow seniors to stay in their communities” said Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith. “Town Hall sessions will bring the community together to help identify options that could help solve problems,” Smith said.

The County of Frontenac retained SHS Consulting and Re/fact Consulting, to develop a business plan for seniors housing in each of the County’s member municipalities. A senior’s project has already been completed in the Frontenac Islands and a business plan was recently completed for a project for South Frontenac.

Unable to attend? Share your ideas/feedback by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Survey’s are available on Township website or pick up a paper copy at the Township office

613-279-2935 select “0” for more information.

Central Frontenac Township has scheduled Feb. 8 for a Seniors Forum at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. to get feedback on the need for seniors housing in the Township, Mayor Frances Smith told Council at its regular meeting Tuesday evening in Sharbot Lake.

“The Seniors Housing Committee has come up with a survey we hope many people will fill out so we can determine need and interest,” she said.

Smith said the survey is short and has questions like ‘is there a need for seniors oriented housing in Central Frontenac?’ and ‘if so, where would you be willing to live?’

She said she and committee members Bill MacDonald and Louise Moody have taken sample copies to seniors lunches and Clerk-administrator Cathy MacMunn said they’ve already gotten three completed surveys back.

“There will be computers at the forum and people to assist filling out forms and there are also paper copies available at the Township Office,” Smith said. “Also, if you’re involved with any of the various agencies that assist seniors, they’ll have them as well.

“But we really hope a lot of people come out to the forum so we can hear from you personally.”

Frontenac County has money committed to building seniors facilities for each of its constituent townships. Frontenac Islands completed a residence under the program on Wolfe Island just before Christmas.

North Frontenac will be revisiting how it handles planning following a discussion at its regular meeting last Friday in Ompah.

Currently, planning work (subdivisions, condominiums, severances, minor variances, etc) is handled by Frontenac County on behalf of the Township.

But a recent report from director of planning and economic development Joe Gallivan says that the current workload leads to an unacceptable amount of overtime and therefore justifies the hiring of a junior planner with a salary in the range of $90,000 per year.

Gallivan’s report suggests that salary should come out of the County levy but also acknowledges that that might not be approved by County Council as the services provided would only be applicable to Central Frontenac, North Frontenac and Frontenac Islands. South Frontenac has its own planning department.

Mayor Ron Higgins agreed in a report to Council that the position should be covered by the County levy and also that that might not be approved by County Council.

“For North Frontenac, the priority today is an updated Zoning Bylaw (the current one is from 2004) which we wanted to have completed this past spring,” Higgins said. “I recommend we issue an RFP and hire a consultant to update our Zoning Bylaw to ensure that we have a Zoning Bylaw that meets the Building Code, other legislation and Official Plan requirements by spring 2018.”

“I don’t think a County planner should be making field trips on every application,” said Coun. Gerry Martin. “Our committee of adjustment is quite capable of making site visits.

“The County planner is wasting its resources (and) there’s a real deficit in management.”

“We should have a discussion on whether to stay with County planning or hire a contract planner,” said Higgins.

Central Frontenac Council had a similar discussion at a recent meeting.

• • •

North Frontenac will continue to review its strategic plan in the new year.

“This is a big document and I don’t think we’ve had the time to review it adequately,” said Coun. John Inglis. “I’d like to see it accepted provisionally.”

“We need it for the budget,” said Mayor Ron Higgins.

“I’m glad to see something about seniors housing in there (but) I feel it’s mainly your document,” said Inglis. “We haven’t had much discussion and I have something about the budget I’d like to get in there.”

“The main thing is affordable seniors housing (which was added by amendment),” said Higgins. “We’ll continue to review it in the new year.”

• • •

Following a public meeting on the subject, Council approved changes to the Fees and Charges Bylaw.

The fee for a Private Lane Name Sign increases to $400 from $250.

The Entrance Permit fee changes to $70 from $40.

The Blue Box Recycling Bin fee changes to $10 from $7.

The Composter fee changes to $40 from $30.

Township ball caps are $8.85.

• • •

After Council considered some funding requests, Coun. Gerry Martin wondered aloud: “how come we never see any requests from GREC (Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake that many North Frontenac residents attend)? Are they not aware that we give out grants?”

“They will be as of Thursday,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal, while watching The Frontenac News reporter scribbling down Martin’s words.

Central Frontenac Council came out of a closed session at its regular meeting Tuesday in Sharbot Lake and immediately introduced a motion to spend $207,509 “to mitigate legislative health and safety risks.”

It was an unusual outcome given the stated reason for the in camera meeting discuss two instances of “personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees.”

In an interview, Fire Chief Greg Robinson said the $207,509 was mostly for personal protective gear — bunker suits, helmets, gloves and some training for supervisors. He said none of the funding was for breathing apparatus.

The resolution allows for the $207,509 to be taken from reserves suggesting that the equipment is needed immediately.

Mayor Frances Smith said after the meeting that the Township doesn’t have enough gear for its firefighters.

“The legislation says we have to have so many of this and so many of that and we don’t have it,” she said. “In some cases, there’s gear that needs to be replaced.”

She said that they expect there to be some funds left over in this year’s budget but whatever shortfall there is will be made up from reserves and discussed in the 2018 budget deliberations which are scheduled to begin Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. in the District 3 (Oso) Fire Hall.

$200 boot allowance for PW staff

Council agreed to raise the boot allowance for full-time Public Works staff to $200 per employee per year from the current $120 (which was approved in 2015).

“I work in much the same environment they do and $200 doesn’t meet the need for work boots today,” said Coun. Bill MacDonald.

Thake said the anticipated cost of the measure will be $4,400 (an increase of $1,760) and will be included in the 2018 budget.

Elm Tree road construction to begin

Thake also said he expects work on Elm Tree Road culvert to begin shortly. The holdup came when the conservation authority required a larger culvert than what was planned because “Arden is in a low-lying area.” However the larger culvert isn’t a stock size and has to be manufactured individually.

Thake said the asphalt on Elm Tree will be held off until next year to give the gravel bed time to settle.

He said there will likely be traffic disruptions once the actual work begins but school boards (for busing) and emergency services will be notified of such closures, which might be able to be scheduled over the Christmas break.

Accessibility report

Frontenac County Clerk Jannette Amini, who coordinates the County Accessibility Committee, gave Council a progress report.

Specifically in Central Frontenac, in 2017 a seniors housing task force was set up with the direction for allowing seniors who cannot function in their homes to have a place to move that would allow them to stay in Central Frontenac and a fully accessible library was built in Mountain Grove to replace the old inaccessible one.

In 2018, the committee is looking at a crossing on Road 38 at Elizabeth Street, a ramp for the barn at the Parham Fair Grounds, signage for crosswalks, work on the Eagle Lake Dock, designated parking areas at the Parham, Mountain Grove, Piccadilly and Sharbot Lake libraries and community centres and LED stree lights with wifi capability.

At a special committee of the whole meeting Monday afternoon in Sydenham, South Frontenac Council committed in principle to some form of near-future project for seniors housing.

Just exactly what that project will look like other than 12 units with a price tag of around $1 million has yet to be finalized but CAO Wayne Orr expects to have some form of proposal ready for Council’s Dec. 5 meeting.

The reason for the sense of urgency, Orr explained, is that the City of Kingston has indicated that they have funding to support seniors housing but will need “final approvals by December 2018 and a ‘shovel in the ground’ by March 2019.”

Given that there is a municipal election in 2018 and Council could be faced with a ‘lame duck’ situation, a decision has to be made soon in order to make further decisions on financing before Council might not be allowed to make such decisions until after said election.

From the onset of the meeting, Council seemed quite unified in its belief that there is need for more seniors housing and its desire to proceed with with some form of 12-unit plan.

Several councilors were concerned should this be a repeat of McMullen Manor in Verona whereby units intended for seniors ended up being assigned to non-seniors (with challenged clientele) because of not enough seniors to fill the units.

“There’s such a small number of people from South Frontenac needing this,” said Coun. Ron Sleeth. “Are we going to create seniors housing for people outside of South Frontenac?”

“Do we run the risk of loosing control of this (new) facility like we did with McMullen Manor?” said Orr. “No — that was a provincial decision.”

“Will we be tied to Kingston and their wait lists?” said Coun. Alan Revill.

“No, Kingston will simply manage things as a South Frontenac board dictates,” said Orr. “We won’t be tied to their wait lists.”

So, that essentially left two questions — how this would be financed and where would it be built.

As far as financing, rather than take out a mortgage, Orr suggested the Township could “act as its own banker” by financing the project through reserves.

“But, the reserves would have to be paid back with interest (out of rents, subsidies and grants) similar to what we would get for investing the reserves,” Orr said.

The “where” part drew considerably more debate.

Sydenham and Verona would appear to be the frontrunners for such development given that they have the most amenities such as medical facilities, shopping and social opportunities within potential walking distance, ie ‘walkable communities.’ Also, several councilors pointed out potential sites already owned by the Township and the fact that Sydenham has municipal water, making it the front runner.

Not surprisingly, the two representatives from Storrington District, Sleeth and Dep. Mayor Norm Roberts argued for the ‘Inverary Corridor.’

“I’m going to push the Inverary Corridor,” said Roberts. “There is development coming and as far as water goes, I’ve talked to a home in Gananoque who uses a 10,000-gallon tank from which they draw 3,000 gallons a day.”

There was even a brief consideration of Fermoy Hall.

“We do own the building,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.

“But there’s not much land there,” said Coun. Pat Barr.

Eventually, Vandewal said “we’re not much further along than when we started.”

Orr disagreed.

“We’ve moved from ‘should we do it’ to ‘how do we do it.’” Orr said. “The biggest variable now becomes land.”

Council decided to have Orr return a report with recommendations.

It has certainly been a long haul for Andrew Kovacs, but the results are pretty spectacular.

When he purchased the former Shabot Lake Senior’s Home in November of 2014 it was a building in need of some major improvements. It had served the community well for over 20 years, but needed modernisation and a new business model.

Andrew Kovacs had hoped to have it opened within 6 or 8 months but that did not happen.

A little over 2 years later, with the building basically completed except for the elevator which was being worked on while we were talking in the main lounge overlooking Sharbot Lake, he talked about some of the delays that took place.

“Things took longer to do than I expected and there was more to do once we got into it as well,” he said.

But there were other personal reasons for the delays. After working on the building for a couple of months, during which time he gutted it, Kovacs realised he needed to divest of some other properties he owned. While he was fixing those properties for re-sale, his father took ill and died.

It set him back at least eight months. For the past 14 months, all new electrical, insulation, a new kitchen, upgraded sprinkler systems, new lighting, new windows, two sets of automatic doors, new flooring, complete renovations of rooms, installation of senior friendly showers, and on the list goes of changes that have been made to make the building sparkle.

“What we have now is a clean, inviting space where people can live a hassle free life,” he said.

The monthly fees start at $3,250 for a village facing single room, and $3,500 for a water facing room, and going up to $4,500 for a suite that can accommodate two people.

“Our concept is to include everything in one fee, there are no add-ons except for a phone line, which can’t be included because of CRTC rules,” he said. “we do include all meals and snacks, cable, internet, laundry, a 24 hour Personal Support Worker on site, cleaning, parking for residents with a car. Other residences have hidden fees, ours are all in.”

“When people consider the cost of insurance, maintenance, snow removal, taxes, yard maintenance, food, etc. they will find they may be paying just as much as they would here while spending their time and energy on a home,” he added.

The residence also has access to Sharbot Lake, for fishing, boating, or enjoying from the shore line.

“We want to make this a community, and a part of that is the lounge overlooking the water,” he said.

Pretty soon after buying the building Andrew decided to move the dining area near to the kitchen and turn the dining room into a comfortable lounge, a shared space for all the tenants.

“If residents want to hold Euchres, do crafts, whatever they decide we will help make that happen,” he said. “I think this is a beautiful area, a great place to live.”

The residence is open for viewing now, and the website slrr.ca is up and running.

“It takes people time to deal with making this kind of change, I know that, which is why they can delay moving in for 60-90 days or longer once they pay a deposit on a room,” he said, adding that he is offering the first month free as well for new tenants.”

The home is licensed for 20 occupants but Kovacs is capping it at 18. He can be reached at 613-279-7799 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Central Frontenac Township and the Limestone District School Board have come to terms over the sale of the former Hinchinbrooke School (Parham) and Sharbot Lake Public School properties.

After an in camera session at the end of their regular Council meeting on November 24, Central Frontenac Council passed a motion in public session authorizing the two purchases. The price of the two properties was not included in the motion, and will be released at a later date.

Mayor Frances Smith said the township and the school board have been in negotiations for several months about the township buying the Sharbot Lake School property, and at the last minute the school board brought Hinchinbooke school into the picture.

“When we had just about come to terms over the Sharbot Lake School property, the board asked us if we would consider looking again at the Hinchinrooke School property. When we had looked at it earlier, the board was asking for $220,000 and we were not interested in paying that much. Since that time it had gone onto the open market and the price had dropped. We made them an offer for it, and this time they accepted it,” she said.

In order to buffer the township's budget, the closing date for the Sharbot Lake School was the end of November, 2015, and for Hinchinbrooke it is the end of November, 2016.

“We have unspent money from township projects this year which we can put to the Sharbot Lake School, and we will budget for the Hinchinbrooke sale in 2016. Even though the closing for Hinchinbrooke is set for the end of next year, the School Board has agreed to grant us access to the property before then,” Smith said.

Smith did not rule out the township taking out a loan to pay for the two purchases.

She said that there are no fixed plans for either site, but Council has talked about the potential for senior's housing for the Sharbot Lake site, and a central location for a township garage at the Parham site.

“We will go to the public for ideas about what the best use will be for the two properties,” she said.

The township is not interested in taking on any major ongoing costs for property maintenance, she added, so any proposed use for either property will need a firm business plan before council will seriously consider it.

Frontenac County has a goal of establishing a five unit senior's housing complex in each of the Frontenac Townships, and has some money set aside to facilitate that.

Central Frontenacs currently has two township garages up and running, one at the Olden Waste site on Highway 7 near Mountain Grove, and the other on Road 38, 10 km south of Parham.

Both sites have relatively new salt and sand storage domes.

Central Frontenac Township and the Limestone District School Board have come to terms over the sale of the former Hinchinbrooke School (Parham) and Sharbot Lake Public School properties.

After an in camera session at the end of their regular Council meeting on November 24, Central Frontenac Council passed a motion in public session authorizing the two purchases. The price of the two properties was not included in the motion, and will be released at a later date.

Mayor Frances Smith said the township and the school board have been in negotiations for several months about the township buying the Sharbot Lake School property, and at the last minute the school board brought Hinchinbooke school into the picture.

“When we had just about come to terms over the Sharbot Lake School property, the board asked us if we would consider looking again at the Hinchinrooke School property. When we had looked at it earlier, the board was asking for $220,000 and we were not interested in paying that much. Since that time it had gone onto the open market and the price had dropped. We made them an offer for it, and this time they accepted it,” she said.

In order to buffer the township's budget, the closing date for the Sharbot Lake School was the end of November, 2015, and for Hinchinbrooke it is the end of November, 2016.

“We have unspent money from township projects this year which we can put to the Sharbot Lake School, and we will budget for the Hinchinbrooke sale in 2016. Even though the closing for Hinchinbrooke is set for the end of next year, the School Board has agreed to grant us access to the property before then,” Smith said.

Smith did not rule out the township taking out a loan to pay for the two purchases.

She said that there are no fixed plans for either site, but Council has talked about the potential for senior's housing for the Sharbot Lake site, and a central location for a township garage at the Parham site.

“We will go to the public for ideas about what the best use will be for the two properties,” she said.

The township is not interested in taking on any major ongoing costs for property maintenance, she added, so any proposed use for either property will need a firm business plan before council will seriously consider it.

Frontenac County has a goal of establishing a five unit senior's housing complex in each of the Frontenac Townships, and has some money set aside to facilitate that.

Central Frontenacs currently has two township garages up and running, one at the Olden Waste site on Highway 7 near Mountain Grove, and the other on Road 38, 10 km south of Parham.

Both sites have relatively new salt and sand storage domes.

Funding request is defeated in a 4-3 vote

(Update on this story. Tom Dewey of Central Frontenac has decided not to support the motion. Higgins still against it. The motion being voted on is for $105,750 over 10 years. There are only 6 members of council in attendance. 5 have indicated how they will vote. 3 for and 2 against. The final vote comes down to Natalie Nossal from Frontenac Islands. Recorded vote nossal votes no, motion defeated in a 4-3 vote.)

North Frontenac mayor, Ron Higgins, said he will be voting against a proposed grant of $125,000 for Pine Meadow Nursing Home when it comes up this week at Frontenac County Council.

The home, which is located in Northbrook, has asked the County for money in the past to help with capital projects. They asked for support on a yearly basis in the run-up to the rebuild of Pine Meadow, which was completed last year, but Councilors representing South Frontenac and Frontenac Islands have always voted as a bloc against the funding, ensuring that it has never happened.

When the matter came up last week at a meeting of the Committee of the Whole of Frontenac County Council, this time to pay for replacement bay windows in the older part of Pine Meadow, Councillor John McDougall from South Frontenac indicated he would be supporting the motion. This would give the elusive fifth vote needed for a majority in the nine-vote council (there are eight members of Frontenac County Council, and Ron Vandewal has two votes by virtue of being Mayor of South Frontenac).

But then Ron Higgins spoke.

“I struggled with this myself, but I can't see that the County of Frontenac should start supporting other homes. Based on the budget restrictions that we have in pace, I can't vote in favour, just from the fiscal responsibility perspective. I know I will hear about this,” he said.

Deputy Warden Frances Smith and Councillor Tom Dewey, both from Central Frontenac, as well as North Frontenac Councillor John Inglis, along with John McDougall, all indicated they would support the request. Ron Vandewal said that since he was already set to vote against the proposed 2016 Frontenac County budget because it includes a 2.5% increase, “so I can't support this because it will add even more to the budget.”

Warden Dennis Doyle and Councillor Natalie Nossal, both from Frontenac Islands, did not speak to the motion.

Frontenac County is the owner and operator of the Fairmount Home, which is located adjacent to the county offices. As a municipally run home, the 128-bed Fairmount Home receives $2.7 million from municipal taxation in addition to provincial funding and resident fees towards its $12 million annual operating budget. City of Kingston ratepayers contribute about $1.8 million and Frontenac County ratepayers will pay $908,920 towards the home's operating expenses in 2016.

By contrast, the 60-bed Pine Meadow Home receives only the provincial funding and resident fees with which to finance its operations.

Betty Hunter, a member of the Pine Meadow Management Committee, made the pitch for funding at the regular monthly meeting of Frontenac County Council on October 21.

“We are looking for only capital support,” she said at the time, “not operating funding, but this is a matter of some urgency for us. Pine Meadow is not located within Frontenac County, but neither is Fairmount Home. Pine Meadow serves a high percentage of residents from North and Central Frontenac.”

Pine Meadow received $250,000 over 10 years from the County of Lennox and Addington towards its rebuild and expansion project, which was completed a year ago. Like Frontenac County, Lennox and Addington also operates its own municipal home in Napanee, the John Parrot Centre.

In his report regarding the application for funding, Frontenac County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender expressed the concern that supporting “a long-term care facility outside of our geographic boundaries will open the door for other facilities in neighbouring communities that routinely receive County of Frontenac residents.”

He also said that he was concerned about the “ability to pay” argument, which could surface in contract negotiations with unions and arbitrators representing Fairmount Home staff.

“If we can afford to financially support long-term care outside of our jurisdiction, the argument that we can only keep salary increases to the cost of living for our own employees would be weakened,” he said.

Pender also told the Committee of the Whole last week that he had requested financial statements from Pine Meadow after receiving the funding request in October, but had just received them and had not had a chance to look at them.

Ron Higgins then proposed a deferral of the motion to support Pine Meadow pending a review of the finances, and the matter was deferred until a meeting this week,

Since last week's meeting, the funding request has been clarified by Pine Meadow. The request is now $105,750. Pine Meadow administrator Margaret Palimaka said the Home would be happy to receive the money over five or even ten years.

“We would be happy to receive anything,” she said.

The proposal is included in the agenda for the county meeting that is set for Wednesday, November 18.

(This story will be updated at Frontenacnews.ca to reflect the results of that meeting)

A delegation from Frontenac County, including Pender, Fairmount Home interim administrator Steve Silver, and North Frontenac councilor, John Inglis, paid a visit to Pine Meadow in late October to meet with staff and administration.