Barring any last-minute political intervention, a project manager will be hired early this winter to work out the construction details for a 1,500 square foot ambulance post and a 2,750 square foot fire hall in a single building to be located in Ompah.

The project has been mired in political and administrative wrangling for 19 months. The fire hall portion of the project is the responsibility of North Frontenac Township and the ambulance base portion is the responsibility of Frontenac County, and it has been difficult for the two parties to come to a cost-sharing agreement for the construction.

It took nine months for the two parties to agree that a project manager should be hired to oversee all the construction, and that the construction standards need to conform to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

By that time, a municipal election had taken place and new councils were in place at both levels of municipal government.

The two parties have been at odds for the past year over who will pay what share of the construction costs. The county had been insisting that since it will be using about 1/3 of the space, it should pay 1/3 of construction costs. The township, arguing that since the fire hall portion will consist mainly of a heated garage, while the ambulance base will be a finished space, a 50/50 cost split is fair.

In July, County Council instructed its staff to consider alternative cost-sharing possibilities with North Frontenac staff, and two tele-conferences took place in October.

After the second tele-conference, an agreement had been reached.

Servicing costs, i.e. well, septic, hydro, will be shared on a 50/50 basis (North Frontenac had previously offered to pay 100% of those costs).

Land purchase costs ($29,000), as well as the cost of basic construction, including the foundation, framing, roofing, exterior and interior doors, windows, exterior finishes, all interior walls finished, electrical, heating, and plumbing, will be shared according to the relative size of the “areas set aside for the exclusive use of each party” in the words of Paul Charbonneau, Frontenac County Chief of Paramedic Services.

The breakthrough in negotiations came when the parties agreed that they would each pay 100% of the cost of any interior finishing they choose to undertake, such as flooring, cupboards, kitchen counters, appliances, etc. in their own sections of the building.

With a staff agreement in place, North Frontenac Council gave its approval on Monday for a Request for Proposal to be set out for a project manager to prepare a final costing for a 4,250 square foot building in Ompah to house the two services.

North Frontenac Township Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson prepared a detailed nine-page report for Council, and recommended that council approve issuing a joint request for proposal (RFP) with the county for a project manager.

“Are you comfortable with the agreement you have reached with county staff?” Councilor John Inglis asked Robson.

“Very,” she said.

Inglis wondered why county staff will issue the RFP on behalf of itself and North Frontenac.

“I thought this project was to be an equal partnership,” he said.

“Someone has to take the lead,” replied Mayor Bud Clayton.

“George Gorrie [Chief Building Official for North Frontenac] will be involved and nothing will proceed until it is brought back to our council,” said Robson.

North Frontenac has $291,000 set aside for the fire hall and the Ompah firefighters have said they will contribute $50,000 in fundraised dollars. The township has another $58,000 in a capital reserve fund that can be used. Although the final cost of the project has not been determined, Cheryl Robson's report says that up to another $150,000 may be required to cover the township’s portion of costs.

Councilor Wayne Good, who has taken a hard line in the past that no extra money should be put into the fire hall project, was not at Monday's meeting.

Frontenac County Council also meets this week.

They will be considering a motion to accept the cost sharing agreement in principle and have their staff bring the matter back for final resolution “as soon as the Township of North Frontenac has confirmed its final support of these cost sharing matters and confirmed all other details required for the project to proceed.”

Editorial by Jeff Green

The Parham ambulance base will have to close after the Ompah base opens

Barring anything unforeseen, Frontenac County will be building an ambulance post in Ompah next year.

Four members of county council already support going ahead with the project. Two months ago Frontenac County Warden Gary Davison said he would support the Ompah project, tipping the balance in its favour, once county and township staff work out a cost sharing agreement and the construction standards are assured.

With that agreement now in place the project will proceed, with county approval coming this week or next month at the latest.

While those advocating for the Ompah base, particularly North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton, have downplayed the connection between building the Ompah base and the eventual closing of the Parham base in favour of a new base in Sharbot Lake, that move will have to take place once the Ompah base is built.

Research done by the IBI group in 2008, and further verified by Frontenac Paramedic Service data that has been collected since then, demonstrates that putting a 12-hour a day base in Ompah creates a service gap in the centre of the County, which can only be covered by moving the Parham base north to Hwy. 7.

For that reason, the original council resolution calling for the Ompah base to be built also called for the Parham base to be moved. That resolution is still on the books.

Undoubtedly the construction of a new ambulance base on or near Hwy. 7 will be brought forward to County Council in 2013 or 2014 at the latest.

Frontenac County Council would be ill-advised to waver on this matter. There are winners and losers any time an ambulance base is moved, and being a winner or a loser can sometimes have life and death consequences. A council charged with this kind of responsibility needs to act based on the data that is provided to it by its staff and the consultants it hires to provide information. Otherwise it is exposing its citizens to increased risks and itself to potential liability.

Council members can argue all they want about whether they agree with the information that is presented to them, but with nothing else to go on but dots on a map marking where ambulance calls actually have actually come from, they will really have no choice.

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski, who also sat on Frontenac County Council back in February of 2010, opposed building the Ompah base at that time precisely because it meant that the Parham base would have to move to Sharbot Lake, and nothing has changed.

The Parham base has served the northern half of the county and the surrounding region well since it was built over 40 years ago, and closing it will be a blow to a community that is also losing its local school.

Overall, this is really a good news story, however.

Not that long ago the Parham service was the only one in Frontenac County north of the Kingston City limits. With 24-hour a day ambulances stationed in Sydenham and Sharbot Lake and a 12-hour post in Ompah, response times on a county-wide basis will be vastly better in the coming years than they were in the past and the net result of that will be lives saved and hospital stays shortened.

Still, Parham residents will be left with a bitter taste in their mouths because Ompah's gain will ultimately be their loss, particularly in light of the fact that the consultant's report that started off this entire process did not recommend the Ompah build.

It said that the best, and cheapest option would be to build a new base at Hwy. 509 and Ardoch Road, and that the Parham base should remain open. 

North Frontenac property tax increase settles at 7%

11.3% local increase offset by lower Education and County rates

“I apologize for bringing this up so late in the process,” said Councilor John Inglis during a public meeting about the 2012 North Frontenac budget, “but I can't live with a 14.2% increase in local taxes.”

With that, Inglis proposed a cut of $150,000 from the budget, which leaves North Frontenac ratepayers on the hook for $4.7 million for local services in 2012, an increase of $450,000 (11.3%) over last year.

When combined with a provincially mandated education level that is up by $54,000 (3.5%) and a decrease of $15,000 (-1%) in the Frontenac County levy, North Frontenac ratepayers will collectively pay $7.58 million in municipal taxes this year, up $488,000 from 2011.

In percentage terms the total increase is 6.9%.

The $150,000 cut to the budget came from a one time levy to cover projected costs for the Ompah fire hall project.

If the $150,000 is required to complete the fire hall this year, the money will have to be borrowed and paid back over time.

“I think it is alright to borrow money for the fire hall if we have to, because it will be an asset that we have for 25 years,” said Councilor Lonnie Watkins. “Besides, we don't know how much it will cost in the end anyway.”

The township already has $350,000 in reserve for the building project, and a commitment of $50,000 from the fundraising efforts of the Ompah firefighters. The fire hall project is a joint effort with Frontenac County, which is planning to establish an ambulance post in the same building. North Frontenac has made a commitment to the county to pay up to $550,000 for their share of the project's costs.

Township Treasurer Angela Millar did not expect to be making changes to the budget at the last minute, and she had to scramble to prepare a revised budget documents and a revised bylaw so the 2012 budget could be passed at the meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, she outlined some of the decisions council made during five budget deliberations sessions over the last two months.

“The budget includes $150,000 in new spending to establish an Infrastructure Sustainability Reserve, and $5,000 for the development of concept drawings and a survey for a new cenotaph,” Millar said.

In terms of road work, the 2012 budget bumps up the spending road construction to $470,000 (up from $164,000 in 2011.

Construction projects include: 1km of single surface paving on Gull Lake Road, 3 km of paving as well as other work on Myers Cave Road, crack sealing and pavement resurfacing on Harlowe Road, 3 km of single surface repaving plus 1 km of double surface paving on Ardoch Road, 1km double surface and 1 km single surface paving on the Elphin-Maberly Road, and approximately 10 km of single surface paving on Roads 506/509.

Among other smaller items in the budget, the township is setting $32,000 aside towards a proposed new addition to the municipal office in the future.

$1175 for new fire department crests – Council approved the purchase of 500 newly designed crests for the fire department. The crests were designed by Michelle Ross, who won a contest that was sponsored by the township's fire department associations. She received a large screen television, which was paid for by the associations, as a prize for winning the contest. The cost that will be incurred by the township is for the crests and for sewing them on the uniforms of current department members.

Rebates for recycling – The township will be receiving about $60,000 from Waste Diversion Ontario as a rebate for the recycling of 10 different categories of materials in 2011. As well the township recycled 13.25 tons of hazardous waste in 2011, down from 15.58 tons in 2010.

Council rejects levy for private road maintenance. The East Marble Lake Cottage Association sent a letter making an unusual request of the township. They asked if the township would consider charging a special tax to their members, above and beyond the normal taxation of their properties, to cover the cost of maintaining the private lane the association members use to access their properties. On the recommendation of the roads department and township solicitor, council opted not to take the Marble Lake cottagers up on the offer. Among concerns mentioned were the fact that the township has a policy of not taking on any maintenance on private lanes.

Dimestore fisherman is back - Council agreed to partner with the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association in seeking a $20,000 grant from the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP) to compensate the producers of an independent TV program called the Dimestore Fisherman for the cost of filming an episode of the program in North and Central Frontenac.

Included in the sample agenda for filming are a visit to Frontenac Shores, lunch at North of 7, filming at Fernleigh Lodge, a visit to the Ompah fish hatchery, and an ATV ride on the trails near Ompah. The itinerary is tentative because none of the operators who would be hosting the Dimestore crew have been notified of the project thus far. Filming would take place over the Canada Day weekend.

If the grant application is successful, the township will only pay a nominal fee, just over $100, to cover some HST costs.

Ompah fire hall costs – For the purposes of hiring a project manager for building the Ompah fire hall/ambulance base the township needed to put a dollar figure on the project. A price of $550,000 was recommended, a total that is higher than council expects the project to cost, but an amount that has been mentioned before, which could be covered with existing reserve funds and monies earmarked by the Ompah fire crew from fund raised dollars.

Councilor Wayne Good, who has made his views known on the issue in the past, did not argue about the cost, instead he merely asked for a recorded vote to have his no vote on the motion entered into the public record.

Mayor Bud Clayton said Council should not worry about the $550,000 commitment, which is only a maximum figure.

“That price will certainly come down,” he said.

The vote passed 5-1. (Councilor Gerry Martin was not at the meeting)

No news is not necessarily bad news on ambulance base front

By Jeff Green

When the agenda came out for the Frontenac County Council meeting this week, it did not include any reference to the proposed joint ambulance base/fire station in Ompah.

A motion proposed by North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton at a county meeting in August was deferred until September for county staff to consider its implications after meeting with North Frontenac township staff.

That meeting did not take place before the September County Council meeting. Since the matter was still not on the October agenda, the News contacted North Frontenac Township Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson to find out whether the meeting had taken place.

Robson said that a tele-conference took place last week, and progress was made.

Paul Charbonneau, the Chief of Paramedic Services for Frontenac County, will prepare an administrative report based on what was discussed at the meeting.

The report will go to the North Frontenac Council meeting on November 14 and the Frontenac County Council meeting on November 17.

“If everything works out, there is plenty of time to hire a project manager and put everything in place for construction next spring,” said Robson.

A motion was passed by Frontenac County Council in February of 2009, directing staff to develop plans for a joint fire-hall ambulance base in Ompah.

The project has been delayed ever since, as the county and the township have not been able to agree on a cost-sharing agreement for the construction and ongoing maintenance of a jointly owned, dual-purpose building.

(Frontenac County Council met on Wednesday, October 19, too late for a report to be included in this week’s Frontenac News.)

Storage shed in dire need of repairs.

Maybe it's something about the weather in North Frontenac. Once again the township is facing the cost of repairing a salt/sand storage dome, this time the one serving the former township of Clarendon/Miller, which is in need of major repairs.

A couple of years ago the township spent some money shoring up the shed serving the Ompah area, a shed that started showing signs of wear soon after being built. Council set aside $12,000 this year to repair the Clar-Mill shed, but when their engineering consultant took a look at it they said the repairs could not be done for that price.

With winter coming on, township CAO Cheryl Robson asked council to approve going over the $12,000 limit for the repair.

“I think we should put an upper limit on how much can be spent without coming back to us, say $50,000,” said Councilor John Inglis.

“They said it would be more than $12,000, but I don't think they meant that much more,” said Robson.

Council approved the spending, with a $50,000 limit.

Ompah ambulance base still in limbo

At the most recent meeting of Frontenac County Council, a proposal from North Frontenac that would have initiated the ambulance base/fire hall in Ompah was deferred in order for staff from the county and the township to communicate and come up with concrete figures about costs and specifications for the new building so that county council can finally decide whether to go ahead with the project or abandon it altogether.

However, Cheryl Robson said she only returned to work from her summer vacation on the morning of the council meeting.

“I put in a call to Liz this morning, and hopefully we can set something up for later this week,” Robson said.

At their latest meeting, County Warden Gary Davison said he wanted some assurances that North Frontenac will be building their portion of the building to an acceptable standard. The other issue that has been holding up the project is the way construction and maintenance costs for the building are to be split among the county and the township.

Disaster Relief – Council committed $100 to the town of Goderich to help with disaster relief after a tornado decimated the town in August.

Apology and talk of amalgamation – Councilor Wayne Good said that he has apologized informally to Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg for North Frontenac unilaterally cancelling a joint fire board committee meeting last month. Good particularly felt an apology was needed because Henry Hogg chairs the committee. Addington Highlands proposed October 27 as an alternative date, which North Frontenac has accepted.

The joint fire board oversees the Barrie/Kaladar fire service, and Mayor Bud Clayton said it is time the old names are replaced by the names of the amalgamated townships.

“There no longer is a Barrie or a Kaladar township. We should be talking about a North Frontenac/Addington Highlands Fire Service. It's the same with our Clar-Mill or Snow Road service. We've had a lot of conversations about amalgamation not working; part of it is that we continue talking about the old names, not North Frontenac. There is a lot more than that, but that's one of those items.”

“What about the cost of changing names? It would mean all new signs,” said Wayne Good.

“We'll have to look at that as part of next year's budget,” said Clayton.

Speaking of signs – A couple of months ago the township heard from Edith Beaulieu, who said that she has been waiting for a road sign for almost 20 years. The sign has subsequently been ordered, but when Mayor Clayton asked Edith, who was in attendance at the meeting, if the sign had come, she said, “Not yet. I guess it will be another 9 or 12 or 18 years.”

Decision on Ompah ambulance base delayed again

A motion that would have kick-started the long-delayed Ompah ambulance base/fire hall project was deferred by Frontenac County Council last Wednesday, August 17.

The motion, which was proposed by North Frontenac township county representative John Inglis, included a significant amount of detail about how the cost sharing for the project between Frontenac County and North Frontenac Council would roll out. Central to the proposal is a 50/50 cost sharing split between the township and the county, which differs from the 60/40 split that had been on the table previously.

“The 50/50 split is justified by the fact that even though the fire hall is to be 2,500 square feet and the ambulance base 1,500, the fire hall is basically a shell and the ambulance base will be fully finished,” said John Inglis.

The detailed division of costs in the proposal for items such as water, hydro and repairs caused at least one county council member a lot of concern.

“I'm an elected representative,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski, “and this reads like a contract. I’m uncomfortable even calling for a vote on this motion without directing staff to review the terms and conditions in this. I move we defer this.”

Warden Gary Davison said he is still concerned about what he called a “build it as you go” attitude he attributes to North Frontenac.

“If Paul [Chief of the Frontenac Paramedic Services, Paul Charbonneau] said he was ordering an ambulance, I would expect he had done his research and was ordering a vehicle that lived up to all the specs that we require. I'm nervous about this, I don't know where it is going to go. Honestly, what kind of product are we talking about?” Davison said.

“We are talking about a design-build project that will have to meet post-disaster standards, not some tin shack attached to an ambulance base,” said North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton. “We are here today to ask for an ambulance base in the North. Not only to ask but to plead and beg you. The population demands we do something about this, so we need to put a service in place. The key word is ‘service’.”

Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle said, “This certainly isn't a straightforward initiative. I've driven that area and the Ompah location is only 6-7 minutes from where the ambulance is located right now, sitting in a parking lot. I want to talk to the fact that the previous county council made the decision to proceed with this location, and it's a slippery slope if a new council starts to second guess every decision that a previous council has made. I think the people up there expect and deserve an ambulance service. If it costs $300,000 each for the County and the township, it looks pretty reasonable to me. I don't think we need to defer this. Let's put it to a vote now. Are we going to build this facility or not?”

Janet Gutowski weighed in one more time.

“Earlier I restricted my comments to why the motion should be deferred but if everyone is talking about the project itself, I must point out that I'm not in favour of an Ompah base, if that is what we are talking about. The numbers don't support it,” she said.

John Purdon, councilor from Central Frontenac, said he was in favour of an Ompah base and said he thinks it makes sense to combine the base with a fire hall because it will save money.

“But I have a problem with going forward without joint agreement on costs, and we need more information from staff before we can come to an agreement,” he said.

“The sticking point for me is the perception that the Parham base would move to Sharbot Lake. I believe this is a life or death matter for people in the Portland, Hinchinbrooke and Bedford Districts,” said Councilor John McDougall from South Frontenac. “I cannot support moving this ambulance base to the North.”

The original motion about the location of a northern ambulance base, which was passed by county council in February of 2010, called for a base in Ompah to be built as soon as possible, and for the closing of the Parham base and relocation of that service to a location in the Sharbot Lake area within 5 years.

The present motion to defer the proposal from John Inglis until the September 2011 council meeting was passed in a 5-4 recorded vote.

Warden Garry Davison, who carries two votes as mayor of South Frontenac, said that before casting his votes in favour of deferral, he “would like to see what the building will look like”.

“I'm a bit optimistic,” said North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton after the meeting, “I think the concept of a 50/50 cost split, with the county spending no more than $300,000, did not get rejected. That to me was the key sticking point. We are already looking at next spring now, but I think it can happen.”

Indeed when looking at the voting patterns in the various votes on the ambulance base issue that have taken place this year, it is clear there is a meeting of the minds on the ambulance base between North Frontenac and Frontenac Islands. While there are two council members, Janet Gutowski and John McDougall who oppose the plan, Warden Davison and Councilor John Purdon have both expressed support, although they are waiting for assurances that have not yet been forthcoming.

If either one of them can achieve a comfort level with the project, a Request For Proposal for a design-build ambulance base/fire hall in Ompah for $600,000 could be forthcoming as early as next month.

It still remains to be seen, however, if such a building, constructed to ambulance base and post disaster, fire hall standards, can really be built for $600,000.

Frontenac County Official Plan

At the August 17 Frontenac County Council meeting, Michael Elms from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) gave a presentation that outlined some of the advantages to the county that would come from adopting a county-wide Official Plan in addition to the Official Plans that each of the townships already has in place.

The county plan would have to be broad enough so that the variations in the township plans could be accommodated, and would have to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, which underpins all municipal rules and regulations. However, once a county plan is in place, planning decisions on a local level would only need to be confirmed by County Council, and would not need to be considered by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Only changes and updates to the county plan would require approval by the ministry. This would eliminate some delays and could also give the townships greater freedom to make decisions based on their own goals.

Elms showed a map of Eastern Ontario, which showed that most counties in the region either have a plan in place or are working on one. In one case, Peterborough County, an Official Plan has been in place for 15 years and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is on the point of pulling right out of the planning process,

Even changes to the Peterborough County Official Plan will now be done without requiring approval by MMAH.

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski said she would like the county to move forward with a plan in the near future.

“I think the way it is now is certainly challenging for economic opportunities because of the time frames that come from waiting for ministry approval. If we have an Official Plan it will be county council driving the bus - that’s us, all politicians elected in our own townships. I think it would be county council in control, not ‘the county’ as some kind of bureaucratic entity.”

North Frontenac zoning bylaw battle looms

Different players are taking different positions on issues related to a new comprehensive zoning bylaw in North Frontenac Township.

At a council meeting this week, the township heard from Ron Higgins and Jim Holton, representing the North Frontenac Lake Association Alliance.

They urged the township to go along with a recommended limited new lot size of 2.5 acres and minimum water frontage of 300 feet (the current standard is 0.9 acres and 150 feet). They also supported the idea of a 100 foot vegetative buffer between any construction and the shoreline.

These are the standards being urged on the township by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and they have been adopted in Central and South Frontenac, but some, including members of the North Frontenac Committee of Adjustment, are urging council to resist.

The township also received a report from their Chief Building Official, George Gorrie.

Gorrie's report is not concerned with the creation of new lots, and focuses instead on the ability of existing waterfront property owners to upgrade their cottages/homes.

The way Gorrie interprets the wording proposed for the bylaw by the township's planning consultant Glenn Tunnock, fully half of the building projects competed in the township last year, for a total construction value of $1.37 million, would not have been approved under the proposed new zoning bylaw.

One of the main sticking points would be in the ability of cottage owners to demolish existing old cottages and build new ones on the same footprint.

When those cottages were built the rules were less stringent, and until now it has been possible to rebuild on the same location provided the cottages are not increasing in size.

The new wording would only permit this if the old cottage has burned down “unintentionally”, and not if it is demolished.

“A significant number of cottage renovations, additions, and the building of new cottages would be prohibited under these new regulations. These projects would add assessment value, require the installation of new septic systems, employ local builders, labourers, plumbers, insulators and electricians and create a demand for products from local building supply stores,” Gorrie said at the end of his report.

Council has requested that Glenn Tunnock respond to Gorrie's report and has asked that a representative from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing attend a strategic planning session of Council on October 28.

North Frontenac supports outdoor centre 

There was a great deal of housekeeping-type business for North Frontenac Council to deal with at their only meeting this month, which was held at the Barrie Hall in Cloyne on Monday night, and the meeting was extended well beyond the normal three-hour maximum length.

Council wasted little time finding $2,000 for a municipal contribution to the proposed Outdoor Centre at the North Addington Education Centre. In late June, two teachers from the school made a presentation to council about the centre, which will make better use of the 88-acre site on which the school is located. North Frontenac will also provide free camping for school wilderness trips to the Frontenac Parklands network of lakes and camping sites.

Library gets support, no money needed: Last month, members of the Ompah Library Users Group came to Council asking for support, and some money, to help them set up a local library now that the Kingston Frontenac Public Library has pulled services from Ompah.

In the interim a partnership has been struck between the library group and Mazinaw Online, which will lead to the provision of public Internet service during branch hours on two new computers, and at others time via wifi.

All that the library group was asking for at this time was permission to install new tiles on the floor of the branch, and that a number of people be added to the volunteer list at the branch.

The written submission to Council from the library group included a new assertion: “The library volunteers plan to continue the Ompah Community Library for the long term”.

The volunteers did ask Council for permission to make a submission to the Kingston Frontenac Library Board in the fall seeking some sort of resumption of service now that the resilience and commitment of the Ompah users has been demonstrated.

Council passed a motion of support.

Ragged Chutes Road/Lane gets gravel

Ever since 2002 or 2003, the township has not performed any maintenance on a 0.8 kilometre stretch of the road between the property owned by the Sproule family and a property that Murray and Beverley Elliott purchased a couple of years later. Although the township put up a sign after the Sproule property re-naming the road Ragged Chutes Lane, it is still a township-owned road, not a private lane.

For five years, the Elliotts have been requesting a resumption of minimum maintenance on the 0.8 kilometre stretch that the township had ceased to work on, but Council has resisted, for fear that other people living on roads that that the township classes as “unmaintained township roads” would expect their roads to receive some attention as well.

On the urging of Mayor Clayton, and Councilor Lonnie Watkins, Council decided to provide one or two loads of gravel on the 0.8 kilometre stretch, to be spread with a backhoe and rake. No township grader will be used for fear of causing damage, and the entire effort is not to cost more than $1,000. The signage will be altered to indicate that the Elliotts live on Ragged Chutes Road, not Lane.

In a recorded vote, Councilor Wayne Good and Deputy Mayor Fred Perry voted against the proposal.

Halls for Sale? - In response to a number of informal queries to Council members from individuals about the potential for community groups to purchase one or more of the five township-owned community halls, staff made enquiries to the township solicitor.

The solicitor pointed out a few issues that would have to be overcome. The first was that if a hall were sold at less than market value to a community group, the township would need some assurance that it could not be re-sold at a profit. Secondly, if sold, the halls would be subject to property tax, which would add to the already significant expenses involved in the ownership of community halls.

The township set up a task force in 2008 to consider the viability of the halls, which are a major expense in terms of operating cost and major maintenance items.

“Until now, no one has approached the township directly about buying one of the halls,” said Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson, “but we should be prepared to provide all the detailed information about what they are taking on should one come forward.”

Clar-Mill Hall repairs – A repair job for the Clarendon and Mller Hall in Plevna has been awarded to Jim Boles Maintenance for $8,475. Boles' bid was not the lowest; Skelly General Contracting came in at $6,667, but the Boles bid won out because it “was the most detailed and provided favourable solutions when compared to the other proposal”. The Chief Building Officer recommended it be accepted and Council concurred.

Other tenders – The road surface treatment tender was awarded to Smith's Construction for $306,000. The job includes paving 1 kilometre of Canonto and Buckshot Lake Roads, 9 kilometres on 506/509 and 0.5 kilometres on Lodge Road. Additionally, about 1000 square metres will be paved in the works yard where the Barrie salt shed is located.

The 2011 gravel crushing contract was awarded to the lowest bidder, Gemmill Construction, for $66,105. Robert E. Young Construction came in at $69,495 and Danford Aggregates at $76,049.

The winter sand contract was also awarded to Gemmill's, for $52,756, which was better than the $61,020 bid submitted by Crains' Construction.

The bids were opened for the provision of a cab and chassis for a tandem truck. Pending consideration of the specifics of the bids by the Public Works Foreman Gregg Wise and CAO Cheryl Robson, the bid by Oakes Truck Sales of $120,820 was accepted.

Waste site fined – The township has received a small fine from Ministry of the Environment ($365) because of a missing well cap at the Fernleigh waste site. Township staff will be inspecting the test wells at all the sites, and replacing any missing caps they find. A new cap has been installed on the Fernleigh site test well.

Ompah fire hall/ambulance – A North Frontenac proposal for a 50/50 cost split with Frontenac County for the construction costs of a joint ambulance/fire hall is slated to be considered when Frontenac County meets on August 18.

Councilor John Inglis (who is a township representative to the County) suggested that North Frontenac needs a back up plan should the proposal be rejected at that meeting.

“I think there is one swing vote that will determine it and I don't know which way it will go,” said Inglis. “I do know that if the County waits until Lennox and Addington makes a decision about Denbigh and Northbrook we could be held up for two years, which is unacceptable. ”

Council is meeting on August 15, at which time Inglis and Mayor Clayton (the other township rep to the County) can take direction from Council about what they can do should the 50/50 cost sharing vote be lost.

Photo by Michelle Ross

While politicians debate and debate some more about the location of a new fire hall and/or ambulance station the volunteers continue to serve the community.

On July 5 the Ompah firefighters and EFR team staged a pretend jet ski accident on Canonto Lake to practice water rescue and emergency care procedures. After arrival at the shore access point, suiting up, and preparing equipment to access the injured person in the water rescuers paddled out to the inured person in a special rescue boat. After returning to shore rescuers lifted the collared patient to a backboard for transportation in a rescue trailer via ATV to the waiting (pretend) air ambulance.

On July 9, 20 firefighters from Plevna, Ompah, and Snow Road stations participated in a wild fire fighting training exercise. Following Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines and overseen by Carl Hertendy, the firefighters practiced wild fire fighting procedures in a 5 acre area of the gravel pit located in Robertsville. A team of firefighters from Denbigh was also on hand to help out and advise.

Many thanks to these dedicated volunteers who commit their time to insure they are fully prepared for emergency events.

Visit from Librarian

Deborah Defoe, the Chief Librarian/CEO of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, outlined some of the issues and history behind the library board’s decision to close the Ompah branch of the library, which was one of 10 branches located in Frontenac County.

After going over the results of a branch studies report from 2004, a branch master plan from 2010, and a public survey from 2010, and some of the circumstances surrounding the Ompah branch in particular, Defoe described her visit as “step 1 of a consultation process with county council.”

County Councillor John Inglis from North Frontenac asked, “Don't you think step 1 of the consultation process should have come before one of the branches was closed?”

Councilor John Purdon, from Central Frontenac, is also the County representative to the library board, said that he has been pushing the library board to consult more directly with the county. He also asked about the future prospects for library branches in Central Frontenac, since the same library branch study from 2004 that called for the closure of the Ompah branch also called for the closure of the Arden, Mountain Grove, and Parham branches.

“It really is circulation that drives a lot of our decision-making,” said Defoe.

She then pointed out that the Arden branch has had an increase in circulation and is in line for improvements, not closure.

“The Parham branch, which is located in a portable classroom next to the school, will lose its space when the school closes,” she said, “so you, as a township, will have to decide what you are going to do about that. The school closing will also cause circulation in that branch to plummet.”

Defoe also said that the Mountain Grove branch is facing a mould issue, which must be addressed.

She did not comment directly when asked if the board would consider re-opening the Ompah branch now that a community group has re-opened the library as a stand-alone community-based service.

County Official Plan – A report from sustainability planner Joe Gallivan outlined the benefits of developing a County Official Plan.

The report pointed out the Ministry of Municipal Affairs recommends that such a plan be developed, and says that planning matters dealt with by the local municipalities in the county will be easier and quicker to approve if the county has an Official Plan. Currently, any time one of the Frontenac townships needs to amend their own plan to allow for a building project to go forward, that amendment goes to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, causing delays and complications. If a county-wide Official Plan were in place, that would no longer be necessary. The county, which includes representatives from the local municipalities, would be able to do the final approvals.

Council received Gallivan's report for information. There will be more on this in the coming months.

Netbooks for Council members - David Millard, Information Technologist for the county, talked about the netbook computers that members of council will be receiving this month. The computers will be the property of the county, and only the IT department will be able to load software on them. They will be subject to the county computer use policy that applies to county staff, and any personal use is prohibited, including loading photos or videos. The county chose an ACER model, at a cost of just under $300 per unit. The projected lifespan of the computers is two to three years.

Clean Audit – Vicky Leakey from KPMG presented the county’s 2010 audit results. The report concludes that the county’s “operations and cash flows for the year [are] in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards,” which is audit-speak for ‘everything seems to be on the up and up’.