South Frontenac Council – Dec. 14/10

Jeff Green | Dec 16, 2010

Photo right: Newly appointed members of South Frontenac Council

Berm to building accepted, in principle

A proposal by Scott Asselstine, who runs a car wash and solar installation on Road 38 just south of Hartington, to change the terms of a site plan agreement he has with the township, was brought forward by Planner Lindsay Mills. The existing site plan agreement calls for a berm to be built and trees to be planted at the south end of the property, and for other plantings as well. This agreement, which has been in place for four years, has not been fully complied with and the township has notified Scott Asselstine that the work must now be done.

Instead, Asselstine sent a proposal to the planning department to change the site plan agreement so that instead of a berm, an office and storage building could be constructed at the same location.

In his report to council, Lindsay Mills said that the building would provide at least as good a buffer as the berm would. “What the applicant is proposing here is to provide some visual screening. I think we can support this change and not require the berm,” he said.

The new plan also includes a planting of ten trees behind the building.

Noting that the original site plan agreement has not been adhered to, Mills recommended that if the new plan is acceptable to council, it should include a provision for an advance payment to the township by Asselstine, which they will hold as a surety until the building is substantially complete.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we need to have some kind of surety to make sure the office building is indeed completed,” said Councilor Del Stowe, “I think we need to take into account that he did not do what he said he would do the last time around. When someone makes a commitment to do something I’d like to see them come through. My concern lies with the credibility of council to enter into these kinds of agreements.”

“I think there needs to be some definite timelines” said Councilor Ron Vandewal.

Mayor Gary Davison then addressed Scott Asselstine directly. “What’s your time frame for building this?” he asked.

“The first step was to come here. There was no point designing and costing it until I knew if I could build it.” Scott Asselstine responded.

“Can you do it in one year?” Davison asked.

“The problem is going to be finding a contractor. I can get it designed and plans drawn up, but contractors are booked a long time in advance,” Asselstine said.

“I’m sure you can find a contractor to build it in 2011,” Davison said. He then asked if the councilors would give approval in principle to the change, which would then be brought back to council in detailed form for approval, and they agreed.

Southern Frontenac Community Services – David Townsend, Executive Director, and Joan Cameron, Board Chair, from Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCSC), brought an update to council.

David Townsend said that SFCSC has developed a strategic plan this year, and has decided to focus on helping seniors accomplish the goal of ‘aging at home’ as long as they can by providing a number of services. The second focus is on delivering family services for vulnerable families facing homelessness and other poverty-related issues.

“I would like to thank Mayor Davison and council for your support in getting the City of Kingston to take on the funding of our family services co-ordinator until the end of 2011,” Townsend said.

Until then some of the funding for those services had been coming from the agency itself, which ran substantial deficits in 2008 and 2009. SFCSC runs a food bank, a rent bank and a heat and utilities fund, and has a focus on housing the 22 identified homeless families in the township (of which seven have now been housed).

The other project that David Townsend talked about is the plan to consolidate the agency’s operations in the former Grace United Church in Sydenham. He also reported that as of March 31, the agency would no longer be operating its licensed home daycare program, which will be taken over by a Kingston-based daycare service.

“We are not asking for anything from council at this time. We may or may not come back for help with the Grace United Church building, but for now I just wanted to provide an update on our activities for council,” David Townsend said.

Budget process – CAO Wayne Orr apprised council of the budget deliberation schedule he has worked out. It called for a preliminary presentation on the finances from this year and a discussion of the status of the five-year roads plan on January 18, and for three working meetings for council to go over the budget, coinciding with scheduled Committee of the Whole meetings in March, with approval of the budget being scheduled for April 19.

Mayor Davison said he wanted the process speeded up, and Wayne Orr said he would try to get everything wrapped up by the beginning of April instead of late April.

Committees, committees, committees – Council spent well over an hour deliberating over the need for and makeup of a number of township committees.

Determining the appointments to conservation authorities was easy. Councilors Ron Vandewal and Allan McPhail will sit on the Cataraqui Conservation Authority; Bill Robinson will sit on Quinte Conservation, and Mayor Davison will sit on the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. Del Stowe and Larry York will sit on the Cataraqui Trail Committee.

A debate over the makeup of the Committee of Adjustment, which currently includes four members of council and four members of the public, centred on whether four councilors are necessary. In the end the advice of the Mayor, “It ain’t broke; we shouldn’t fix it”, carried the day. Councilors Robinson, York, Vandewal and Deputy Mayor Mark Tinlin will be the council appointees and they will choose the public representatives from the people who responded to the advertisements that have been placed.

Mark Tinlin will be the council rep to the Police Services Board.

Council spent time discussing amalgamating or eliminating a number of their committees and came up with a plan to establish a public works committee to look at waste management, roads and bridges and the Sydenham water plant. Councilors Cam Naish, John McDougall, and Allan McPhail were tentatively appointed to this committee.

The Central Recreation Committee will oversee all four district recreation committees and a number of specialized groups such as the Battersea Pumpkin Festival, the Verona Community Association and the Portland and Bedford Historical Societies. Del Stowe, Cam Naish, John McDougall and Ron Vandewal were appointed to the Central Recreation Committee.

Del Stowe was appointed to the Natural Environment Committee, and John McDougall to the Verona District Medical Services Committee.

McPhail made an impassioned plea for a planning committee to look at future growth issues and more. The proposal was sent to staff for comment.

All the appointments are tentative pending approval by resolution at a council meeting. Also, the opinion of staff will be sought before the public works committee is established.