South Frontenac Council - August 5

Jeff Green | Aug 07, 2014

Norman Lane
Ron Kramer, representing the Norman Lane Association, appeared before Council to deliver a petition asking for help for winter road maintenance for members of the association. Norman Lane is located off Perth Road north of Perth Road Village. It leads to a number of smaller lanes that provide access to homes and cottages on Buck Lake.
Kramer said that the township has provided one or two truckloads of salt and sand each winter to the association, which the association applied themselves to their roads. They jointly pay to keep the roads graded and cleared of snow in the winter. According to Kramer the salt/sand has been delivered each year for at least the past 10 years.
This year when Kramer called Deputy Mayor Ron Vandewal about getting the loads delivered, Vandewal reportedly said he would arrange it, but that it would be the last delivery. From then on the residents would be on their own.
“We want salt and sand again and we also want the township to push the snow off the side of roads a few times each winter, because although we can plow, the road starts to get more narrow when the snow keeps coming,” Kramer said as he handed in the petition.
Mayor Davison said that the Public Works department is conducting a study of private lanes and what kind of support the township can offer the associations that maintain them.
“We are conducting a study,” said Segsworth, “but not on lanes that are located on private property like that one.”
“Our lane, at least the part we want help with, is located on township property, an old road allowance,” said Ron Kramer.
Mark Segsworth said he would look into the ownership of the road and consider adding Norman Lane to the others that are being looked at.
“We pay a lot of tax on that road,” said Kramer, not content to be added to the study, “and we want at least to get what we have been getting.”

LED lighting
Real Term Energy has made a proposal to the township that all 448 street lamps be changed over to LED lights. Although there would be an upfront cost to doing this, the energy and maintenance savings are significant. The average annual energy and maintenance costs are currently $177 per fixture per year and the cost with the LED lights would be about $50.
The township could spend $260,000 for the installation, and expect that money to be paid back in energy savings over 4.4 years, after which the savings would continue over the 10-year life of the fixtures.
The other option would be for Real Term to finance the project, which would mean no up front cost to the township. In that case the savings would be split; the township would receive 16% and Real Term 84%.
Mark Segsworth recommended considering the report at the Public Works Committee and returning to council in September.
A number of councillors said they preferred the option of paying $260,000 up front and realising all of the savings. The only question was why they were sending it to the committee instead of jumping in to the project right away.
“What exactly are we waiting for?" asked Councilor Bill Robinson.
“We could find the $260,000 somewhere and get on with this,” said Councilor Cam Naish.
Nonetheless the report was referred to the committee.

Development charges going up, but over time
A consultant's report has recommended that development charges, which are added to new construction costs to cover for future costs associated with increased infrastructure costs, should go up significantly.
The fee for new private dwellings, currently $4,000, would rise to $6,575, and the fee for commercial properties would rise from $4.26 per square foot to $5.22 per square foot.
As instructed by Council, Planner Lindsay Mills has prepared a phase in schedule for the new charges. They will rise gradually over 5 years, only coming into effect fully in 2018.
Council approved the proposal.

Rutledge road project increased in scope
Council also approved spending an extra $100,000, which will be taken from the public works projects reserve fund, on the Rutledge Road construction. $25,000 will go to putting patterned concrete in to mark the well used crosswalk from Sydenham High School to the parking lot across the road. The other $75,000 will go to new retaining walls on Mill street.