Some users of the Ompah Library were shocked to find out that library hours there have been cut back. A recent press release announcing the re-opening of the Plevna branch, which was closed over a year ago due to an insurmountable mold problem, stated that hours at the Plevna branch will increase by two, totaling ten, and those at the Ompah branch will decrease by two, totaling four instead of six. Since there are just two libraries in the north, that news has angered many regular users of the Ompah branch.

Marily Seitz, head of the Ompah Library Expansion Committee, was shocked to read of the cutbacks and immediately contacted Patricia Enright, coordinator for the rural branches of the KFPL, to find out the reasons why. Seitz was informed that the decision to change the hours was made by the library board on the recommendations of the staff. She said, “It seems that the expectation is that library users in Ompah will drive to Plevna if they want more access. What the library board doesn’t understand is that many people in Ompah don’t drive to Plevna. When we go into town it is usually to Perth to get a whole list of tasks accomplished in a single trip. And the library in Perth is not a member of the KFPL branch. “

Seitz pointed out that for her and a number of other Ompah library users, a trip to Plevna can be a 45-minute round trip.

When Enright suggested to Seitz that Ompah users might also consider traveling to the Sharbot Lake branch Seitz explained to her that Ompah users do not usually travel to Perth through Sharbot Lake but via Snow Road Station and McDonalds Corners, neither of which have library branches.

While there has been no recent talk of the Ompah library’s imminent closing Seitz worries that the loss in hours at the Ompah branch might be “a small step ..eventually leading to the library’s closure”.

According to Seitz roughly 10 years ago the KFPL library board hired a consultant to report on all of the KFPL's rural branches and one of their recommendations was the building of a larger branch in Plevna and the closure of the Ompah branch.

Seitz also pointed out that though the Ompah library is a smaller facility compared to Plevna, numbers show that its circulation has always been higher. Seitz stressed, “It seems wrong to penalize the library where most of the readers are.”

Four years ago Seitz and a number of other members of the Ompah Book Club banded together and formed the Ompah Library Expansion Committee. Since then they have been planning to expand the branch, which currently is housed in a tiny 325 square foot space, an addition onto the Ompah Community Centre. When the committee found out about township plans to eventually relocate the fire hall in Ompah, they made plans to move the branch into the fire hall, which would offer roughly seven times more space.

Linda Rush is also a member of the expansion committee and a dedicated user of the Ompah branch. She said, “We are very happy about the opening of the new Plevna branch and are very happy for them to have all of their hours back but Ompah is a very active little library and the committee has been proactive in planning to expand our facility, so the recent decrease in our hours is obviously very upsetting.”

Rush also said that the library board plans to reassess the new hours delegated to the two branches in a year’s time but she worries that fewer available user hours in Ompah will result in a decrease in circulation there and will bring about “the beginning of the end.” She added, "For this reason we want them (the library board) to reassess the new hours sooner.”

Seitz and other members of the Ompah Library Expansion Committee plan to attend the opening of the Plevna’s new branch and raise their concerns with the KFPL Library board members there. "We definitely want to get those hours back and we want them to know that when the Ompah fire hall is eventually moved that we will be asking for a larger facility for Ompah users.”

She added, “ We have also written a letter to the township council and are asking for a resolution from them saying that they also would like to see those hours reinstated.”

Council hears from Frank Roy on 1 Metre Initiative

Frank Roy made a short presentation recapping his One Metre Initiative proposal for the largest telescope in Canada, which he hopes to build under the dark skies of Mallory Hill, on Buckshot Lake Road near the historic village of Vennachar.

Tourism is slated to provide 90% of the revenue needed to build and keep the proposed world-class observatory operating, while use of the digitally controlled telescope from the astronomy programs at the University of Western Ontario, Queen's University, the University of Montreal and others would cover the remaining 10%.

Roy is seeking $5 million in investment, with which he says he can build the one metre telescope, a second 0.7 metre telescope that will also be remotely controlled, and used by amateur astronomers and others, as well as a smaller telescope and observation deck for use by tourists who travel to the site. A visitors’ centre is also planned, which is slated to include material about the telescope, high definition images captured by it, and other programming.

Roy said he only needs about $1.25 in up-front investment, and the rest can be covered off in loans from the Business Development Bank of Canada.

Ken Hook from the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association also attended the presentation at the invitation of Mayor Ron Maguire. “I am a believer that if you build it they will come,” Hook said. “If this gets built it would change the marketing that our association does. Until now we have been focusing on the sporting market - fishing and camping and outdoor recreation, but this would open up our marketing. I think it's a great concept. It’s something we would promote.”

Frank Roy is seeking a contribution from the township towards a $25,000 market feasibility study that needs to be done in order for him to attract investors.

“I'm bullish about this. I think you know that,” Mayor Maguire said to Frank Roy.

Deputy Mayor Jim Beam has expressed concerns about the project. “I don't see this as a public/private partnership. I see this as private investors asking ratepayers to subsidize their project. I fully support this, but I'm not sure where it is going,” Beam said.

“How much money are you putting in?” he asked Roy.

“About $25,000 and a lot of sweat equity,” Roy said.

“How much have you got committed to this from investors?” Beam further asked.

Roy said that the feasibility study was necessary before investors would commit. “But I have been talking to several investors from the United States who are interested, extremely interested,” he said.

Frank Roy said he will send council a copy of the 70-page business plan he has prepared.

“We are just starting our budget deliberations,” said Mayor Ron Maguire. “We might want to make a donation towards a market study. You've acquitted yourself well to the questions we've brought to you.”

COST OF CAMPING PERMITS FROZEN - A routine request by Recreation Co-ordinator Cory Klatt to open up the Frontenac Parklands online reservation system for the season got caught up in the township’s budget debate.

“Given that council agreed to increase wages by 3% this year at our budget meeting, I think we should raise all fees 3%,” said Jim Beam.

“It think that's a wonderful point,” said Cory Klatt. “The only thing is that I think people are just now getting used to paying the fees, and use has been going up. I would be concerned about raising fees at this point. I think we are still in just too delicate a stage to be increasing fees.”

Councilor Lonnie Watkins said, “Let's leave it as is, raise the number of users, and then see what happens in a year or so.”

Councilor Bob Olmstead agreed with Jim Beam's logic.

“If wages are up, service fees should go up,” he said.

In the end the program was renewed with no fee increase.

MAGUIRE OPPOSES LOCAL MONEY FOR PINE MEADOW - Mayor Maguire reported that his motion at Frontenac County Council in favour of a contribution of $25,000 per year for ten years towards upgrades at the Pine Meadow Nursing Home had been defeated.

“Some of the reasons were incredulous to me, but there you have it,” he said. “I was particularly disappointed by the stance taken by Mayor Gutowski this time around, but it's been taffy pull all along at the county anyway.”

Maguire took note of a suggestion that the local municipalities might consider supporting nursing homes. “I hate that,” he said, “Social services are a county responsibility. If we start paying those costs at the township level we would put ourselves into a pretty tight corner. Council might want to act differently, which is fine, but that's my position.”

BEAM WANTS MORE HOURS FOR OMPAH LIBRARY: Deputy Mayor Jim Beam said he had been contacted by people in Ompah who were upset that when the Plevna library re-opens, the hours at the Ompah library will be reduced to four a week, less than the six hours per week it had been open when the Plevna library was last in operation.

“I would like it on record that Ompah should be open for at least six hours a week,” Beam said.

A small but determined group of Ompah residents have been seeking the return of two hours of library service per week to their library.

At the same time they are worried that the board of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library intends to close their library entirely.

It all started when the Plevna library found a new home early this winter. In order to encourage use in the new library, which makes use of a renovated portable classroom, the library board increased the hours that the Plevna library was open by two per week, from eight to 10.

These two hours and previously been provided at the Ompah branch, which is now down to four hours a week, from six.

The rural services sub-committee of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library met in Kingston in April and they considered a request by the Ompah library users to return their two hours of service. They decided to recommend that the branch hours remain as they are.

Janice Arthur, one of the Ompah residents advocating for more hours, attended that meeting.

According to Janice Arthur, not only were the Ompah hours rejected, but the library board chair, Claudette Richardson, indicted that the Library “fully intends to go ahead with the recommendations of the 2004 library services report with respect to Ompah.” The library services report called for the Ompah library to close.

When contacted by the News, Claudette Richardson and Wilma Kenny, the chair of the rural services committee and vice-chair of the library board, both said that no such statement had been made.

Claudette Richardson recalled that the conversation about the library hours ended up delving into a discussion of two issues that could impact rural branch service: accessibility issues as well as new rules that are anticipated regarding safety of library staff in response to a violent attack that took place last year at a library in Ottawa.

“These changes could impact our ability to deliver service at branches such as Ompah, but I certainly did not say there are plans to close the Ompah branch,” Richardson said. “Our recommendation for the rural branches is to leave the hours as they are for this year, and look at them next year.”

In a related development, Marily Seitz and John Inglis appeared before North Frontenac Council on May 13.

They reported that the branch hours at Ompah seem to be stuck at the current four, and expressed their concern that the branch may be facing closure. They also reported that the Frontenac County Council representative to the library board, Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek, had arrived late to the rural services sub-committee meeting, after the Ompah hours issue had been dispensed with.

Marily Seitz asked Council the following question: “What follow-up action will Council take to ensure the return of the two hours of service to the Ompah library?”

Mayor Maguire said, “I am disappointed by this. I will bring it back up at County Council again. It is through the county that we deal with the library board so I have to go that route. But people here know that we have had problems with the county.”

The township plans to build a new fire hall this year and free up space at the existing fire hall, which is housed in the same complex as the current, postage stamp-sized Ompah library.

In light of this, John Inglis asked, “Will Council pass a resolution to agree, in principle, to expand the Ompah library?”

“I’d rather wait until we’ve got the ground turned across the road,” said Mayor Maguire, referring to the location of the new fire hall across Road 509, opposite the current one.

When asked, Claudette Richardson was reluctant to make any commitments towards the Ompah branch should the township come forward with expansion plans. “I can’t say anything about a potential plan. If they bring something forward, we will look at it then. All I can say is that we provide the best library service we can, with limited funds,” she said. 

Paul Tyrrell, Dawn Parks, Joe Doran and Rob Doran rode 97 km in the Ompah volunteer fire fighters annual Spring ATV run on April 24.

The fourth Annual Ompah Volunteer Firefighters’ Spring ATV run took place on April 24. Over 625 participants took part in the 97 km run that took riders through a diverse trail, one of the run’s major draws.

The event attracted riders from all over Ontario and from as far away as Vars, Quebec. It has grown from 70 riders in its first year and its popularity has been spread mainly by word of mouth. The Ompah crew for the first time this year enlisted the help of the volunteer firefighters and FLAG Ladies from Snow Road, who put on the turkey supper which fed upwards of 400 diners; the volunteer firefighters from the Clar-Mill Volunteer Fire Department, who put on the lunch; plus a crew of students and staff from Clarendon Central Public School who ran an ATV bike wash. Between the four groups over $20,000 was raised.

The majority of funds will be put towards the building of the new fire hall in Ompah, which is set to begin in the fall, and towards the purchase of a thermal imaging camera that will allow fire fighters to locate people trapped in buildings.

The event is the single biggest fundraiser for the Ompah firefighters and according to ATV enthusiast Dawn Parks, who took part in the event, it was  “a very organized run with no congestion, great signage and a lot of volunteers who helped make it a really enjoyable ride.”

For those who missed out, the Ompah and area firefighters will be holding another run in the fall, on Saturday Sept. 18.

North Frontenac to embark on Blue Box promotion campaign

North Frontenac Township has received a $5,000 grant from Waste Diversion Ontario for a communication campaign that is aimed at increasing recycling in the township.

The campaign will be targeted at the tourist and seasonal populations as well as permanent residents of the township, and will include a direct mailing campaign in addition to new signage. Highway signs will be posted at entrances to the township proclaiming North Frontenac a “Proud Green Community” and will ask visitors to “help us watch our waste”.

The focus of the campaign is to augment the blue box program in the township. It follows on the heels of other measures that have brought the level of recycling in North Frontenac from 13% of the waste stream to 43% over several years.

A few years ago North Frontenac introduced a $2 garbage fee along with a system whereby a free tag was handed out by waste site attendants for each bag of recycling, and last summer a clear bag system was brought into place

One of the targets of the campaign will be informing residents and tourists what can be recycled in North Frontenac and what the recycling procedure is. For example, the following paper products can be recycled in North Frontenac: newspapers, flyers, magazines, catalogues, envelopes, computer/printer paper, paper cups, paper plates, tissue paper, and greeting cards. But before they can be recycled they must be either placed together in a paper bag or tied together.

Laminated copies of the recycling list and the procedure are available for all tourist operators in an effort to make it easier for them to encourage their clients to follow North Frontenac's aggressive recycling program.

The goal of the promotional campaign is to bring the number up to 60% at the end of the three-year campaign.

A copy of the detailed proposal that township staff prepared in order to secure funding for the new initiative was presented to council at their July 15 meeting. “I'd like to mention that this plan is very well produced, very well written and researched. My compliments to staff for this work,” said Mayor Maguire about the successful funding application.

In addition to the $5000 that has been received from Waste Diversion Ontario, the township has committed $1,700 over three years to the promotional campaign.

OMPAH COMPLEX TASK FORCE – The township formally appointed a number of people from the Ompah area to a task force that will report back to Council in September about the future of the building that currently houses the Ompah fire hall, the Ompah town hall and the Ompah library. The fire hall is scheduled to move to a new building that will be co-located with a new ambulance base.

The task force will be seeking public input about possible uses of the site in the coming weeks, and will then put together a proposal for the township’s consideration. A member of Council will chair the task force, and township staff member Cory Klatt was assigned to the task force as well.

GREEN ROOF GO-AHEAD – Council agreed to look for a suitable building to put solar collectors on to take advantage of the Micro-FIT program, in line with a county-wide initiative.

NO AGENDA, NO ATTENDANCE – Mayor Maguire reported that he has not attended the last two Rural Urban Liaison Committee meetings (RULAC) even though he is a member of the committee. RULAC meetings are monthly sessions with representation from Frontenac County and City of Kingston politicians to talk about common issues. “I did not receive an agenda package in time to read and digest it before the meetings,” he said, “and for the second meeting they didn't send the agenda at all until after the meeting was over. As I told the CAO of the County, ‘no agenda, no attendance',” Maguire said.

Photo: NF mayor Ron Maguire, Lois Hennigar and Betty Hunter cut the ribbon at Ompah's new green space

Dignitaries and close to 60 members of the community gathered at the Ompah Community Centre on August 15 to celebrate the completion of the new Ompah Green Space.

The space includes a gazebo equipped with benches, a permanent BBQ, picnic tables and an expansive grass area

The project came about with the closure of the Ompah Snowmobile Club and their desire to funnel their assets back into the community. The assets were divided up between a number of community groups and organizations. Betty Hunter, who was a member of the municipal recreation committee back when the snowmobile club dissolved roughly six years ago, recalled, “We were asked what we would see like to done with a portion of the money and we suggested developing the green space beside the community centre since the grounds at the club would no longer be available to use for various community events.” The committee received a total of $14,175, which they put towards developing the green space.

Marily Seitz organized Sunday's inauguration ceremony, which was held inside the community centre due to the inclement weather and guests enjoyed cake and live music provided by the Fabulous Frontenac Kings and other local performers, including Dave Young.

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire, former treasurer of the Ompah Snowmobile Club Lois Hennigar and Betty Hunter did the official ribbon cutting. Lois credited Neville Wells, who “initially had the idea for the Ompah Stomp”, a Labour Day weekend jamboree that was held for many years on the snowmobile club grounds.

Mayor Maguire commented on the new space and said, “The community should be really proud and I am always impressed at how tightly knit this community is and how they come together and fight fiercely for things that are important to them.”

Members of the community centre envision the space being used as an outdoor venue for various community events as well for a place for visitors and locals to relax and enjoy a meal. Marily Seitz said, “We hope to have more gazebo-style festivals and readers from the library can also come and read here. With the Stomp grounds closed we are very happy to have an outdoor green space where members of the community can gather.”

Saga of Ompah fire station/ambulance base continues

At their meeting last week, on October 28, North Frontenac Council again addressed the Ompah Fire Hall/ambulance base issue, which has been the subject of a back and forth debate with Frontenac County in recent weeks.

Mayor Maguire described how members of Frontenac County Council had shown support for the county staff's position that the project should be built using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building standards points system, and should make use of a project manager.

County council did not go so far as to make any recommendation about the issue, leaving North Frontenac Township and county staff to continue working on the details.

And the details are daunting.

The township has put $300,000 into a reserve fund for the project, and based on an estimated cost of $80 per square foot they thought they would be able to cover their own share of the project costs.

However Frontenac County staff estimate the project costs at $172 per square foot for construction alone. With extra costs for LEED upgrades and project management, the cost will likely reach $200 per square foot.

This costing, according to Frontenac County Emergency Services Manager Paul Charbonneau, is based on the costs the county is incurring right now as they build an ambulance base in Sydenham.

For the township to do this within the current budget they would have to limit the fire hall portion of the project to 1,500 square feet, roughly 1/3 of the size that the Ompah fire department says they need.

Councilor Wayne Good said, “I now think the only solution for us right now is to consider building the fire hall in stages, so we can limit our costs and raise money to finish the building off in a couple of years when we have the money.”

Fire Chief Steve Riddell was in attendance at the meeting, and he did not express an opinion about Good's multi-stage building proposal. He said it would have to be brought before the Ompah fire crew, and a meeting with the fire crew and the three members of North Frontenac Council who were re-elected, Wayne Good, Fred Perry and Lonnie Watkins, as well as Township Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson, will take place tonight (November 4) in Ompah.

In the meantime the township passed a motion to accept the county’s insistence on LEED standards and project management, and ask the county to keep in place the $300,000 that they have committed to the project, so that the details can be worked out over the winter.

Other items from North Frontenac:

CAMPING FEES TO GO UP – Fees for campsites managed by the township under the Crown Land Stewardship program are going up. Corey Klatt, who manages the program for the township, reported that the Crown Land Stewardship Program “has enjoyed continuous success throughout the past few years and I have been reluctant to suggest any increase in fees, but with the HST we have no choice now.”

Klatt recommended that camping passes go from $20 to $22 a day (for up to six campers), and from $15 to $17 a day for non-profit groups, and from $20 to $22 for a weekly road permit.

“Were the numbers for the program up again this year?” Councilor Perry asked Corey Klatt.

“They were up early in the season but I don't have the final numbers yet,” Klatt said.

The website that books sites and road permits for the program will stay open year round from now on, even though the township renews its land use permit with the province on an annual basis. Further information is available at Northfrontenacparklands.ca

Photo: The Plevna Pioneers Club float into Ompah

Two local Santa Claus parades on Nov. 27, one in Sydenham and one in North Frontenac sparked off the holiday season and both received a pleasant sprinkling of the white stuff thrilling watchers with the first sightings of what hopefully is in store for these holidays.

In Ompah parade-goers sat down to a lunch and treats courtesy of the Ompah community hall ladies, and elfin helpers assisted children with Christmas crafts while a chilly Santa, who lost his hat en route to the hall, handed out gifts to all the girls and boys.

The North Frontenac parade, once known as “the biggest little parade”, was started by Alice Davies. Though the route has since been shortened participants here are some of the toughest float goers you will meet and a brave crew sat and waved for close to an hour and a half as the parade wound its way along the wind-swept roads from the fire hall in Plevna to the Ompah Community Hall.

Sharbot LakeMaggie Sutcliffe of Tichborne led Rudolf the calf in the Sharbot Lake parade.

Harrowsmith December 4th

Above left: The Island of Lost Toys by the 1st Harrowsmith sparks,. Above right: The Kingston Shriners ffloat.

Northbrook

Above left: Land O'Lakes Community Services at the North Pole. Above right: Santa arrives in Northbrook.Ompah - December 5

In Ompah parade-goers sat down to a lunch and treats courtesy of the Ompah community hall ladies, and elfin helpers assisted children with Christmas crafts while a chilly Santa, who lost his hat en route to the hall, handed out gifts to all the girls and boys.

The North Frontenac parade, once known as “the biggest little parade”, was started by Alice Davies. Though the route has since been shortened participants here are some of the toughest float goers you will meet and a brave crew sat and waved for close to an hour and a half as the parade wound its way along the wind-swept roads from the fire hall in Plevna to the Ompah Community Hall.

Parham-Tichborne - December 5

Above left: Shrek the Halls by Olden Rec Committee. Above right: Santa arrives in Northbrook.Sharbot Lake - December 4

Above Left: Sharbot Lake Pharmacy

Above right: Santa

Left: Maggie Sutcliffe of Tichborne led Rudolf the calf in the Sharbot Lake parade

Sydenham - November 27

Above Left: Kimaya and Madeline participated in the Sydenham parde by selling homemade cookies to raise money for the food bank.

Above right: Santa in Sydenham

It was business as usual at a meeting of North Frontenac Council on Monday afternoon, but earlier in the day the accounting firm of KPMG presented a report that put hard numbers to the cost of running the township.

In a presentation about an ongoing services review of township operations, Bruce Peever and Vickie Leakey from KPMG talked about the costs associated with maintaining a roads crew, a municipal office, four municipal halls, four fire halls, and six dump sites/transfer stations in a sparsely populated township.

In a comparison between North Frontenac and other similar sized townships, the expenditures per household on both road maintenance and fire services in North Frontenac are at or near the top.

As well, in canvassing members of council about winter road maintenance, paving programs, waste management and fire services, members of council either said the levels should stay the same or should be decreased. None of them foresee an increase in levels of service in any of the areas.

The services review will carry on in January when council will consider the tax implications of increasing service, maintaining the status quo, or reducing or privatizing services.

Ompah Fire Station Task Force – Councilor Gerry Martin presented the terms of reference for the task force.

The three items on the task force mandate, in chronological order, are: a) to review the needs of the Township of North Frontenac Fire Department and provide options for Council’s consideration, within budget; b) to determine the size of the fire hall with the dollars available; and c) to design and cost out a proposed new Ompah Fire Hall at 3,000 sq. ft.

Councilor Martin made the point that the mandate will proceed in order.

The task force will begin its work in earnest on December 20, when representatives from all the fire stations, as well as the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office will meet at the Ompah Community Centre to outline the functions provided at each station.

On January 17, the task force will meet “To discuss the data collected at the December 2012 meeting, on the present services and level of service provided by the existing North Frontenac Fire Department to determine the actual needs first” in the words of the report. On January 30, George Gorrie, the township's chief building official, will meet with the task force to clarify what a fire station requires under the building and fire codes.

Tentative meetings are scheduled for February 7 and 14 to finalize the report, which is due to be presented to Council on February 25. Task force members include: Councilors Martin (chair – ward 2), Councilor John Inglis (ward 1), and community representatives Russell Gray (ward 1), Carl Tooley (ward 2), Roger Lyons (ward 2), Steve Sunderland (ward 3), and Mike Cleland (ward 3).

Long-term service awards – Presentations were made to a number of staff and volunteer firefighters for long-term service. They included Ken Gould, Ellen Good, Jen Dunham and Cheryl Robson, who all have been with the township for 10 years. Randy Schonauer has been with the township for 20 years. Judy Tooley's service has spanned 3 decades. She started working for Clarendon and Miller Township in 1982 and is still working in the North Frontenac Township office today.

“She started here when she was seven years old,” said Mayor Clayton.

Meeting date change – A council meeting scheduled for February 25 has been changed to February 28, a Thursday, to accommodate councilors Perry and Good’s attendance at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA)/Ontario Good Roads Conference in Toronto.

Schlievert nominated – On the urging of Councilor Martin, Council has nominated Ward 2 resident Ed Schlievert for a provincial award for volunteers in recognition of his years of service to the township.

Council will meet next on January 14, 2013 at 9 am.