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There seems to be plenty of interest in the Sharbot Lake Downtown Reconstruction project, judging by the number of people who showed up at an Open House to ask questions and get a look at the plans last Wednesday evening at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

The $3.2 million project is almost entirely funded by federal and provincial grants earmarked for the project with the federal government paying 60 per cent and the provincial government adding 33.3 per cent.

“The only part the municipality is paying for is the underground infrastructure, which absolutely needs to be replaced,” said Central Frontenac Public Works Manager Tyson Myers.

“It’s a big project,” said Project Engineer Dan Fencott of Jewell Engineering. “Especially from the Township’s perspective.

“And it’s long overdue.”

Fencott said this is a reconstruction project, not a beautification project, which could come later as part of a county-funded initiative.

“We’re looking at doing the full depth of roads, sidewalks and sewers,” he said. “This has been 10 years in the works.”

In addition to Elizabeth Street, Robert and Garrett Streets will also receive extensive work.

Much of the work won’t commence until after Labour Day, Fencott said.

“We’re trying to avoid working on the main core in summer,” he said. “So our tentative start date is after Labour Day 2020.

“We hope to finish up in the fall of 2021.”

As of Tuesday, Myers said they’re still ramped up for the project to go ahead as scheduled, and all the current cancellations and social distancing measures shouldn’t affect the project.

“We’re looking at getting the contract out the door in April,” he said. “Unless things change, it’s not affecting us at all.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

“Go ahead and start the projects,” Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith told staff at the end of the Township’s final budget meeting for 2020.

The bottom line now is a 3.5 per cent increase in the tax rate (or 8.23 per cent on the levy) which is a far cry from the 14.8 (24) per cent numbers presented at the Jan. 24 meeting.

This means the Township will be asking its ratepayers for $8,896,524 in 2020, up from $8,219,860 in 2019. That represents $48 more per $100,000 of assessment for taxpayers, or a $96 increase for the average household.

“We’ve brought it down $1,151,000 overall,” said Smith.

While there were cuts and savings to all departments, the biggest cut came from the Public Works Department, where the fog-sealing treatment for surface-treated roads was put off for at least a year, netting a $200,000 savings.

“As long as we get to it before the road deteriorates,” said Public Works Manager Tyson Myers.

Most of the other savings were realized by transferring funds from reserves or not making as large a contribution to reserves.

Treasurer Michael McGovern said pulling from reserves was preferable to taking out loans but expressed concern at the level reserves are getting to.

“We are the lowest per person per household in terms of reserves,” he said.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

The Oso waste site will continue on as a transfer station when it reaches capacity as a landfill sometime in the next five or so years, Central Frontenac Council decided at its regular meeting Tuesday afternoon at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

Public Works Manager Tyson Myers had recommended against the conversion to a transfer station but told Council his plan was based purely on operations and cost. He freely admitted he was leaving any and all political considerations to Council and invited Cambium project manager Stephanie Reeder to answer any questions Council might have.

Coun. Victor Heese began the discussion pointing out the cost to set up a transfer station had been listed at $100,000 initially and $40,000 per year after that. Heese calculated that for the vast majority of Central Frontenac residents, a transfer station at Oso would save them five minutes a trip, at best. He did concede that it would somewhat alleviate the obvious inconvenience for Crow Lake area residents but asked “do we want to spend $100,000 plus $40,000 per year to save people five minutes?”

Coun. Bill MacDonald said that he didn’t remember setting up the Hinchinbrooke transfer site being near that expensive.

Reeder responded that the big costs are in site preparation and bins.

“There’s going to be some tree falling necessary and a lot of flattening to make the site sufficient for the transportation involved,” she said.

MacDonald asked if there were some way they could mitigate costs — even now — such as reducing hours.

“Instead of 30 hours a week, could we reduce it to 15 — and I want you to know right now I won’t be running in the next election,” MacDonald said.

“If you live in the very south end of the Township, you’re looking at a very long drive ahead of you regardless,” said Coun. Brent Cameron. “But I think Bill’s idea would be something people in the south would be very interested in.”

Reeder said that regardless of what the Township does, with the Olden site, it still has about 40 years of capacity left.

“The Province considers that a lot,” she said. “But that $40,000 per year budget could be changed depending on what you accept at the site. Hinchinbrooke hours could be changed too.”

“We could look at fewer hours for Olden as well,” said Dep. Mayor Tom Dewey.

“There’s efficiencies to be had in hours,” said Myers.

“So, when it closes, it will be a transfer station, whether that happens before that will be to be determined,” said Cameron.

 

• • •

Coun. Bill MacDonald asked Public Works Manager Tyson Myers if there could possibly be some room for members of the public in the safety classes he’s scheduling for his public works crews.

“I know there are some small businesses out there that would like to get the training for their people but can’t afford it on their own,” he said.

Myers said that he’d put together a list of the courses offered and “look into it.”

 

• • •

Mayor Frances Smith said they decided to keep a $1,000 grant to SA.L.T. in the budget even though the Seniors and Law Enforcement Together has received a provincial grant.

“It’ll be there in case they need it,” Smith said. “It doesn’t really change anything in the budget and we want them to know how much we value them in the community and that they can come to us each year if they need to.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 05 February 2020 13:32

Sharbot Lake Village reconstruction project

Back in September of 2019, Central Frontenac Township received confirmation that under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), the Province of Ontario will provide $1.06 million and the federal government another $1.9 million, towards a $3.2 million project to reconstruct Elizabeth Street in Sharbot Lake.

On October 9th, the newly hired township public works manager, Tyson Myers, told Council that he had already begun work on the project, and reported that in addition to Elizabeth Street, work will be done on two adjacent streets, Robert and Garrett.

He also said that the business community and the public at large will be consulted in the run up to the project. At the time, construction was slated for the summer of 2020.

Since then, Myers has been working to get the plans for the project ready. Jewell Engineering has been working with the township on what is now being called the Sharbot Lake Village Reconstruction project, and while the project is still in the planning stages, he said that the schedule is going to start moving along quite quickly in the coming weeks.

“Jewell Engineering is working hard to complete the plan and profile drawings for the township’s review. Residents may have seen surveyors on the streets and in their yards collecting data and property boundaries to provide to the engineering team.  I am working with the home and business owners, the economic development committee, the Sharbot Lake business group, the accessibility committee and many others to gather as much local input that I can, to bring forth to the engineers to try to incorporate in the initial design,” Myers wrote, as part of an email interview this week.

He said that he expects to have a set of “plans and profile drawings that are detailed enough to show the public” within the next couple of weeks.

In addition to new asphalt, the “reconstruction to the village will provide upgraded underground infrastructure, additional areas of curb and sidewalk, with a focus on the downtown core.”

The infrastructure project will also provide an opportunity for a downtown revitalisation project that people from Frontenac County and OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) have been working on and have already presented to the Central Frontenac economic development committee.

“The program would capture market information and opportunities for economic development that relate to the work being done on Elizabeth Street,” he said.

Updates will be brought to Council and posted on the township website in short order and Myers said that input from an upcoming public information session will be incorporated into the final plans.

At this time, the expectation is that construction will get underway in the late summer, which is at least partial relief for the local business community, which is dependent on summer tourist traffic.

“This is a very exciting time for Central Frontenac residents as I think our investment in the core of the community will have a ripple effect on the rest of the township that will bring growth and opportunity,” he wrote.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

Like most of you, my wife and I pay more in municipal taxes for our home than we would like. The municipal tax system is based on property values, and as property values increase so does the amount we pay. It is like a pre-tax on the eventual sale of our homes, be that day five years, ten years, or fifty years down the road. In some rural jurisdictions, like ours, the tax rate is double that of the City of Toronto.

Because their homes are valued at 4 or 5 times the value of our homes, most Toronto ratepayers pay much more than we do. But at the end of the day they have that stronger asset, which will make them millionaires some time in the future and gives them equity right now.

Also in Toronto, a huge range of services are provided by the city, including sewers, swimming pools, parks, comprehensive social services, waste pickup, public transportation, even thousands of multi-coloured stop-lights.

It is a classic economy of scale issue. And road maintenance is as graphic an illustration of that as anything else. There are so many more ratepayers to tap into, in order to maintain a single kilometre of road in Toronto, as compared to Frontenac County.

In the wintertime, however, this population density can be a problem, as anyone who travels to a residential neighbourhood in a big city, a week after a snow storm, can tell you. Around here, within a matter of hours, crews have knocked the snow to the side and covered the road with a layer of sand and salt, but in the city, parked cars are in the way, and there is no where to push the snow. If there are consecutive weather events, it can be weeks until everything settles down, and most of the work ends up being done by the cars themselves, packing snow down into brown clumps of urban dirt.

Even with the rural advantage as far as snow and ice removal are concerned, I have to say that the service from road crews in Frontenac County, in particular in Central Frontenac, which I see the most because it is where I live, have been impressive in recent years, and this year even more so.

The legal requirement on many of our roads is for them to be cleared if there is an accumulation of more than 15 centimetres of snow on the ground, but our municipalities know that mobility is essential for most of us, and crews are out whenever the roads can be improved by plowing, sanding, or both. On statutory holidays and weekends over Christmas and New Years, crews were working day and night to deal with changes in road conditions because of the “wintry” mix we have been facing.

And this weekend, in spite of all the weather, the roads remained passable, even if it was not advisable to use them. If someone really had to get out, or emergency personnel had to get in, just about all township roads, even the back roads, were passable throughout the weekend, as long as the drivers took proper precautions and were driving suitable vehicles.

And over the years, the service has, if anything, become more reliable.

I’ll try to remember that when the first 2020 tax bill arrives later this month.

Published in Editorials

In response to last week’s delegation of residents and several other requests Council passed a by-law extending the 2018 parking restrictions on both sides of the Devil Lake culvert, to be effective as soon as the signs are posted. This is intended to reduce the hazard to traffic and pedestrians along that stretch of road.

Councillor Ruttan asked what further measures Council could take to address residents’ concerns. Public Works Director Mark Segsworth said that any changes such as prohibiting fishing from the sides of the culvert or night fishing, would have to be consistent with other similar areas in the Township. Segsworth said the MNR was aware of the concerns around commercial night fishing; “We need to further explore (what the MNR can do). We don’t want to create unenforceable by-laws, and we aren’t the only area with these problems.” As for trespassing, it is up to the residents to clearly sign their property, and phone the police immediately if there are violations. Mayor Vandewal suggested it might be best to begin with the parking restrictions, which should make that stretch of road less dangerous, and see if the overall situation improves next spring when fishing season begins again.

Fire and Rescue

During Fire Prevention Week in early October, South Frontenac Fire and Rescue (SFFR) was very active in the Township, holding open houses at 5 of the 8 firehalls, visiting all six elementary schools in the Township, and through the media (Frontenac News, the Township’s website, Twitter, Facebook, and local radio stations.) Throughout, their message addressed smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and the importance of having a well thought-out and rehearsed home fire escape plan. They reported a lot of community interest and positive feedback.

Promotion of Frontenac County’s Bike trails

Council passed a motion to fund the Ontario by Bike 2020 publication to “promote the great trails throughout Frontenac County that currently are not identified as part of the Eastern Ontario bike trails.” Councillor Sutherland had brought this motion in response to a presentation and request made last week by Robert Charest and Bob Clinton.

Municipal Office Christmas Hours and January Meeting Schedule

The South Frontenac Municipal offices will close at noon Tuesday Dec 24, and reopen on Thursday Jan 2, 2020.

Council will meet January 14 and 28, and COW will be January 14.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

After emerging from a closed session in which one of the listed items was “advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege . . . more specifically an update with respect to road maintenance,” Council rose and reported to pass the following resolution:

“Based on financial impact and potential other requests, Council denies the request for a grant for Norcan Lake Lane winter maintenance services in 2019/2020.

“And that Council approve providing winter maintenance services in the future years commencing Nov. 15, 2020, subject to the Township being able to find a qualified service provider.

“And that the Mayor approach the Mayor of Greater Madawaska about providing winter road maintenance.”

The measure passed 5-2 in a recorded vote with Coun. Vernon Hermer and Wayne Good voting against. Last Friday’s regular North Frontenac Township Council meeting in Plevna was a busy one, to say the least.

Zoning bylaw amendmend for boat storage site

Council looked at a proposal to rezone a property on Skootamatta Lake Road to rezone the lands from Rural to Commercial Exception Zone that would allow Smart’s Marina to store boats on the property.

In a planning report, Megan Rueckwald, manager of community planning, County of Frontenac, recommended “defer passing an amending bylaw for the subject property until the comments received to date have been addressed by a qualified professional to the satisfaction of the township including the completion of a stormwater management brief and drainage plan.”

In the conclusion/recommendation section of the planning report, she said: “Planning staff and Township staff met with the property owners Nov. 6 to evaluate the site and provide an overview of the comments received to date.

“At the meeting, planning staff advised the applicants that planning staff cannot advocate on their behalf (and) also spoke about the recommendation to Council that a stormwater brief be prepared by a qualified professional and reiterated that this is a decision of Council. Due to the volume of comments (65) received and complexity of the application, the applicants were advised that there are private planning consultants who may be able to assist the applicants in this process.”

Steve Smart asked if an engineering report would really be necessary given it would cost $5,000-$10,000 and suggested they could work with municipal staff on drainage.

However, Public Works Manager Darwyn Sproule said he felt strongly that any such report would have to be done by a professional engineer for liability reasons.

Mayor Ron Higgins said that the issue under discussion this day was “simply a request to make a Zoning Bylaw amendment.

“From a Council standpoint, I see no risk.”

Higgins recommended any studies come at the site plan stage.

“We make someone who tries to do everything right jump through hoops,” he said.

“This is a generationally successful business wanting to expand,” said Coun. Vernon Hermer. “I know of no reason (why they shouldn’t).”

Council passed a resolution approving a bylaw amendment.

Kaladar-Barrie Fire department beig reconsidered?

A report from The Loomis Group on the level of Fire Service in Ward 1 compared to Wards 2 and 3 recommended that North Frontenac Council review and consider different service level options.

Currently, Wards 2 and 3 receive fire services from North Frontenac while Ward 1 receives services from the joint Kaladar/Barrie department which is run by a committee made up of officials from both North Frontenac and Addington Highlands Townships.

The report, written by consultant Terry Gervais, concluded that the level of service being provided is similar in the way they respond, the training standards established, the challenges of recruitment and retention, infrastructure, and daily operations.

The difference, the report said, is in how the departments and processes are being managed as well as differences in public education, fire prevention and inspections.

The report presented five service level options for Council to consider.

• Remain status quo
• Ward 1 fire protection managed solely by North Frontenac
• Purchase fire protection from Addington Highlands for Ward 1
• Kaladar-Barrie fire department manages only emergency responses
• Amalgamated fire department.

“I like the status quo,” said Dep. Mayor Fred Perry. “I think we’re working well together and I don’t think we have a building to house our share of the equipment.

“They may need a few more resources.”

“You have your opinion and I have a different opinion,” said Mayor Ron Higgins.

Council passed a resolution to meet with Addington Highlands Council to decide how to proceed.

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC

Central Frontenac Council received and adopted a business case study for seniors housing on the site of the former Sharbot Lake Public School at its regular meeting Tuesday evening at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

Ken Foulds of SHS Consulting and Re/ Fact Consulting presented Council with a report that would pave the way for 10 units of seniors housing, all on a single floor with larger halls and doorways, that would come in at a capital cost of about $2.8 million with annual operating costs of about $89,000 per year.

The 10 units would be set up as two fiveunit pods to take advantage of regulations that require additional septic and/or well requirements for buildings of six units or more.

Each unit would contain one two-bedroom unit and four one-bedroom units. Foulds said that reflects the feedback of 118 online surveys received.

“The concept is viable,” he said. “The site is obviously larger than what would be needed for those two pods and there is existing septic and well that may be useable.”

He said half of the one-bedroom units would be at Acceptable Market Rate (AMR, currently $832/month) and half at 80 per cent of AMR (currently $665/month). Two bedroom units would be at the AMR of $1,144).

Several assumptions were made in the study such as a property value of $250,000 (after the existing school building is demolished), funding from the Ontario Investment in Affordable Housing program at $150,000 per unit for 50 per cent of the units, a waiver of municipal development fees ($27,800) and a County equity infusion of $330,000 plus $100,000 from the Township.

“Operations would be managed by an experienced local housing provider (Central Frontenac Housing Corporation, which manages the existing senior’s housing units on Clement Road),” he said.

He said the next steps include making the actual decision to move forward, confirming governance/oversight/management, determining usability of existing site services, securing initial funding commitments and beginning pre-development project planning activities.

“We have our starting point,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Report on Thomson’s Cut

Multi-Use Cultural Centre Steering Committee Chair Gary Giller gave Council a presentation on the completion of Thomson Cut improvements completed this summer including a pedestrian walkway and nine streetlights.

“It’s an important greenbelt between Railway Heritage Park and Oso Beach,” Giller said.

Giller said it’s also important to maintain the greenbelt in the event that an actual railway station come to Sharbot Lake in the future.

“That’s a discussion for another day,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Elizabeth Street Project

Council authorized staff to undertake a review of Elizabeth Street titles before the anticipated renovations planned for 2020.

“The immediate concern is understanding the extent/location of our road allowance and confirming we have clear title to those sections where we need to undertake rehabilitation,” Public Works Manager Tyson Myers said in his report. “Part of Elizabeth Street is shown in the 1894 village plan, however the northern section has not been surveyed.

“We are in the process of reviewing existing R-plans of neighbouring properties so that boundaries can be located on the ground.

“Furthermore, it would appear that Elizabeth Street has been realigned over the last century and it is unclear if legal titles were updated to reflect what is now on the ground.”

Myers said that while there will be some surveying done as part of the consultant work, it won’t be for legal title. Any title surveying won’t be part of the grant program and therefore the Township will be responsible for costs.

“And it needs to be done sooner rather than later,” he said.

Alton Road

‘Alton Road,’ as the road allowance between Concession 5 and 6 in Hinchinbrooke is commonly known, has had the common law right of of passage restricted on it due to a bridge on it needing repair.

It is not a road within the Township’s current road network and is not recognized in the Township Road Naming Bylaw, Public Works Manager Tyson Myers told Council.

Coun. Victor Heese asked if the bridge should be removed to reduce Township liability but Myers replied: “In the short term, we’ve put up ‘use at your own risk’ but if somebody wants to go back there, they’ll find a way, even if it’s putting up their own bridge.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

South Frontenac Council met last week in committee of the whole to pour over the draft 2020 township budget.

The base budget that they received from the treasury department called for an increase in local taxation of just over $500,000, 2.54%.

That increase is not arbitrary. South Frontenac Council set a target of a 2% increase in what the township treasurer Louise Fragnito calls the “taxpayer impact” of the budget.

Fragnito looks at the total value of property assessment in the township when setting her budget target.

She considers two kinds of assessment growth, one that is based on inflationary increases in property and an another that is due to new construction (new homes and renovations to existing homes). The added revenue that the township receives as the result of new construction is considered an increase due to growth and it is used to help calculate the “taxpayer impact” of the budget.

When the increase due to growth is taken into account, the impact of the 2020 budget is a 2% increase in taxation on the average valued house in the township.

The average valued house in South Frontenac will have an assessed value of $272,538 in 2020. Township taxes on the average property will increase by $40 if the draft budget were accepted by council with nothing was added to it.

Before looking in detail at the budget, council heard brief outlines from Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Neil Carbone and the department heads overseeing four services areas (Corporate, Public Works, Development, and Fire and Emergency) about their plans for the coming year or two.

It is the first budget since Carbone came to the township this past summer.

He described the budget process as the most important strategic planning tool and policy document for the township. He said that the 2020 budget process has been focused on maintaining “council’s tax target rate and long-term financial plan while addressing emerging challenges and opportunities”.

Starting next year, the strategic plan the township is working on as well as a recreation master plan, a fire station location study, a service delivery review and a climate change adaption and mitigation plan, will all have an impact on the budgeting exercise.

Manager for Public Works, Mark Segsworth said that the township continues to grow and there are increased expectations on the part of the public, which, “for the most part, we have managed to keep up with.”

Councilor Ray Leonard said that the “expectations of people who move into the township are sometimes out of line with what we can, or should be, providing. We need to be wary of that.”

Recreation facilities and programming are also a growth area for the township, Segsworth added.

Fire Chief Darcy Knott said that the “cultural shift” in the fire department, from four semi-autonomous fire crews into a single service, is a work in progress that is proceeding well. The department completed a successful recruitment drive this year and 25 new recruits have been trained and are ready to join the department.

He also said, in terms of capital expenses, the department is looking at acquiring first response vehicles, 4-wheel drive pickup trucks, to respond to medical calls, which are the most common call-outs for the department.

“Pumper trucks are expensive and can remain in service for 25 years but the cost of maintenance to keep them that long increases over time,” he said. I myself if we need to use a $750,000 pumper for a medical call. We could purchase a whole fleet of heavy-duty pickup trucks for the cost of a single pumper.”

Director of Planning Services Claire Dodds talked about the challenge her department is facing to respond to new tighter timelines for planning approvals that the provincial government has mandated in an effort to bring more housing on stram more quickly. She said that better use of technology could free up planning staff to make better use of their skills, and also talked about more integration between the planning and building departments. She will also be working on a comprehensive growth plan for the township with a 20-year window.

In discussing the budget, a number of items caught the attention of council.

There was concern expressed about the unanswered questions regarding a proposal to build a Stock-sport court/multi use pad at Harrowsmith Centennial Park, but since funding for the project would come from reserves the money was left in the budget. The project was not approved by Council by at this time, but neither was it halted in its tracks.

New hires in the planning, public works and recreation departments are included as add-ons to the budget, and will require further discussion before getting final approval.

One member of council questioned the necessity of developing a South Frontenac brand, when there is already a county brand.

“The branding initiative is fundamental to all of the other initiatives we are undertaking. Staff feel strongly about this,” said Carbone.

The budget allocates $45,000, taken from reserve funds for the branding initative.

A number of alterations were made to some of the budget numbers as well as clarifications about how some spending will roll out.

In the end, Treasurer Fragnito said she will act on council’s direction, and will also wait to receive some further information about funding from provincial sources before bringing a final budget forward in December, at which time council will have a final opportunity to make changes.

The township budget makes up only part of the municipal tax bill that ratepayers receive. Education taxes and Frontenac County taxes are also included. The education rate for 2020 is still pending as is the county rate, although the Frontenac County Council is slated to include a 5% tax increase after discussions in October. Like South Frontenac, the county budget will not be finalized until December.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Monday, 18 November 2019 11:49

South Frontenac Committee of the Whole

Problems at Devil Lake Culvert
Several local residents spoke of the continuing problem with nighttime commercial fishing at the culvert on Perth Road a couple of kilometres north of the Devil Lake boat launch site. They listed trespassing, dangerous and illegal roadside parking, large quantities of fish being taken, sometimes out of season, lights and noise all night, garbage, excrement and often defiance and rudeness. “I can’t rent one of my cottages because of the noise and lights all night, so it’s available to any member of Council who’d like a free weekend next summer on Devil Lake, just to see what we’re talking about” offered Roger Brice. Roger Jones said he has watched a steady decline in fish in recent years. They cited similar problems in Port Hope, Peterborough, and Westport. Mark Segsworth, Director of Public Works, said there was a plan to add more ‘No Parking’ signs to the area, and after some discussion, Mayor Vandewal indicated that Council would reach out to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the OPP to see how enforcement of trespassing and overfishing could be increased, particularly at night.

CRCA Draft Budget
Katrina Furlanetto, incoming General Manager, Cataraqui Conservation Authority, began with a brief outline of the agency and its roles.

The CRCA is responsible for management of 11 watersheds over 11 municipalities, an area stretching along the St Lawrence from Napanee to Brockville, and north through much of South Frontenac. The agency protects drinking water sources, manages flooding and erosion hazards, provides education and outdoor recreation areas for all ages, and has planted over 1.5 million trees over the past ten years. It’s a reliable source of information and technical advice.

In the face of two Provincial government directives in late August, which forbade any increases to fees or levies “while legislation and regulations are put in place, unless they are supported by your partner municipalities for 2020 and beyond,” the CRCA has been forced to make some major adjustments. They have cut back on programs (eg, they will no longer rent canoes and kayaks at the Outer Division Street property), reduced staff by five, and hope to soon move their headquarter offices to leased space at Fairmount, Frontenac County. It is anticipated that sharing some office resources would provide savings for both agencies.

The current draft budget would result in 0.9% increase in the levy for South Frontenac, or $1.215.35 over last year, for a total of $144,823.

RFP for Garbage and Recycling
Mark Segsworth said the initial RFP for collection of household garbage and recycling was issued in 2010, and has been renewed since then, pending anticipated provincial changes in how the Blue Box would be funded. However “based on recent provincial announcements about the timelines of that rollout, staff feels the Township can move ahead with a new tender now.”

The last renewal of the current contract will end on August 31, so Segsworth is bringing proposed changes and additions to specifications for discussion by the Committee of the Whole. These include: pickup for the whole township, except for what is collected by township staff; four day a week pickup, with same day garbage and recycling for all; payment to be based on number of households, rather than weight; a five-year contract plus a two-year renewal option; no more private lane collection; collection on both sides of road; recyclables in recycle bins only.

Councillor Sutherland addressed the concern that putting the whole township out as a unit might be more likely to attract an outside provider from a big company. Segsworth replied that the sprawling, rural nature of South Frontenac was unlikely to attract outsiders, who are looking for the best return on their time. Mayor Vandewal added that a local contractor would have the advantage of knowing the area and its requirements better than anyone else. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor Sutherland, all expressed concern about ending private lane pickup.

When asked for his opinion, the current contractor Snider said he recommended the township be divided into three pickup areas, rather than four, in order to provide enough work hours for the contractor’s employees.

Segsworth thanked Council for its comments, and said he would return in the New Year with an outline of various RFP options.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
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With the participation of the Government of Canada