Feature article, May 19, 2005

Feature article May 19, 2005

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Unusual Illegal dumping charge laid against Rick Steele

by Jeff Green

Impatience might cost Rick Steele dearly.

Through a series of circumstances and misunderstandings, he finds himself charged with illegal dumping after attempting to do bit of clean up on the Bell Line road near his home.

It all started back on April 6. Steele says he got ambitious and decided to pick up some items off the side of the road and bring them to the dump. He pulled up a truck bench, three car tires and a small truck tire and some other items off the side of the road.

He then went to the Olden dump site to dispose of the garbage. Thats where his problems started. He shovelled loose garbage out of the back of his truck. Then, according to Rick Steele, the attendant told me I had to pay $5 for each tire and for the bench

Angie Neuman told the News that she told Rick Steele it would cost $5 in bag tags for each tire and for the bench, and that he had to go to the township office to get them.

When Rick Steele told her that the tires werent his, so he wasnt going to pay, Neuman says I told him he had to go to the township office to sign a form.

As Neuman recalls, Steele then said that if he dumped the stuff at the township office, the township would have to take care of it.

At that point I said, go ahead, do what you got to do, and away he went, Neuman recalls.

Rick Steeles recollection of the events at the dump are somewhat different.

He said that after he was told he couldnt dump the items without bag tags, he said, What am I supposed to do now? Take it to the township? He did not recall, when interviewed by the News, that he was told he could sign a form at the township office.

Steele then proceeded to the township office and took the tires and the bench off his truck and placed them on the ground. I probably shouldnt have done that, he said in retrospect.

He then entered the office and talked to the lady behind the desk. I asked her if one of the township guys could take the stuff away. She said yes, probably; Ive got to go talk to Heather. She went into the office, and nobody came back. I waited for a while, at least five minutes, and then I left.

According to Central Frontenac Chief Administrative Officer Heather Fox, Nancy from the front desk did indeed come into her office. We talked for a minute, and I talked to Sandra Clow, who had received a call from Angie informing her that Rick Steele was coming over to dump garbage at the office. I got a form out and brought it to the front desk, but the man was gone.

Heather Fox does not think the entire process took more than three minutes. She then phoned the townships bylaw officer Ken Gilpin and informed him that Rick Steele had dumped garbage illegally at the township office.

Ken Gilpin recalls that he phoned Rick Steele to inform him that charges were going to be laid.

Steele says, By the time I got home, and I drove straight home from the township office, there was a message on the phone from Ken Gilpin asking me to call him. He told me I was gong to be charged and that I could be fined $500. Then I heard nothing until April 28, when I got a summons

Ken Gilpin said that the time lag between informing people that charges are pending and the actual laying of them can be weeks, or even months.

We lay about 15-20 charges each year in Central Frontenac for illegal dumping, he said, adding that the fine can be up to $5,000. Normally the fines are $350 and up.

Even though the process had been underway from April 6, the township could have had Gilpin drop the charges at any time, and still can right up until the case goes to trial.

Rick Steele says he was waiting to hear from the township throughout the month of April to see how the matter could be resolved. Meanwhile the staff at the township office say they were waiting to hear from Rick Steele.

Township staff removed the tires and the bench about a week after they were left at the township office.

Heather Fox said the township encourages people to help clean up the township through their Adopt-A-Road program, and We have a policy in place for people who decide to pick up litter to come to the township office and get a letter that says what they have picked up at the side of the road so the dump attendant can let them dump the garbage. The letter then comes back to the office. For obvious reasons we cant allow people to go directly to the dumps and dump garbage without bag tags.

The case against Rick Steele came to Kingston Provincial Court in the first week of May. It was adjourned until June 2. Tony Cuthbertson from Rural Legal Services is handling the case for Rick Steele.

I cant afford a $500 fine, Steele says.

Feature article, July 14, 2005

Feature article July 14, 2005

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Dump closures loom in Central, North Frontenac

by Jeff Green

At a meeting of Central Frontenac Council this week, Public Works Manager Bill Nicol requested direction from Council in regards to their intentions for two dumps that must be closed in the next couple of years. The Elbow Lake dump, located on Road 38 south of Parham, and the Arden dump, are almost full.

Bill Nicol wanted to know if Council was planning to turn them into transfer stations or was planning to close them altogether. He needs to know soon, because if the transfer station option is chosen, the dumps will have to be closed sooner in order to prepare the sites for a station. Otherwise, they can be filled completely, covered, and closed.

Nicols report briefly outlined two possible transfer station set-ups. In the first case, a transfer station set up, including bins and a concrete pad could be established according to Ministry of Environment regulations, at an estimated cost of $50,000 per location, and with an added weekly cost of $550 to transfer the garbage to the Olden and Crow Lake sites.

The second option is for the township to purchase a used garbage truck and have our own staff transfer waste daily to the other sites. This proposal has a higher capital cost of $75,000, but the weekly operation cost should be less than half of what a contractor would charge for transferring waste, Nicol said in his report.

A savings of $275 per week translates into a savings of $14,300 per year in operating costs at each site.

I need direction from Council soon, Nicol said. If Council decides to go for a transfer, I need to know about it in time to make it happen, Nicol said

Council seemed surprised at having to face the stark reality of pending dump closures.

Its a very expensive item, without very much lead time, said Councillor Janet Gutowski. I think we need to set up a committee to study this. Im not prepared to make a decision based on a three line report.

I think its important, especially since the Wilkinson dump was closed, that a transfer station be set up at least at Elbow Lake, said Councillor Bill Snyder.

Some councillors were not as convinced about the case for a transfer station at Arden, since the Olden dump is not that far away. This opinion did not extend to councillors from the immediate region around Arden, including Jack Nicolson, Logan Murray, and Deputy Mayor Faye Putnam.

Olden Councillor Bill Guigue, however, said, I think we should close the Arden dump and I dont think we should have a transfer station.

Bill Guigue also had a more sweeping proposal.

I think we should turn all of our landfill sites over to private interests. They would have a good reason to separate out metals and other re-saleable items and that would extend the lives of the landfills.

Deputy Mayor Putnam asked about the effect of the Arden material at the Olden site.

It will divide the expected life, which was 91 years in 2001, in half, said Bill Nicol.

The Crow Lake site has a much shorter expected life span, so within a relatively short period of time Olden may indeed be the only active dump in the township.

We need to start enforcing recycling, said Councillor Frances Smith.

Council decided to strike a committee to look at the transfer station issue. It will be made up of Bill Snyder, Logan Murray, Janet Gutowski and Mayor MacDonald.

In North Frontenac, plans are being finalised for the closing of the Cloyne dump in the fall of 2006. While the township is working towards developing a thermal solution to its Waste Management, it will be several years, if ever, before anything comes of that.

In the meantime, there are no plans to turn the Cloyne site into a transfer station. Residents will use the site on road 506 once the Cloyne dump closes.

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Feature Article

August 11, 2005

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Ompah residents face dump closure

by Jeff Green

Mayor Ron Maguire and the entire North Frontenac Council faced a group of unhappy Ompah residents last week to confirm that the Ompah dump would be closing after Labour Day.

Guy Laporte, a senior engineer with Tottenham Sims Hubicki, made a presentation to the 40 or so residents in attendance.

“There are three options, really,” he said. “The dump can be closed, and the gates locked; the dump can be closed, and kept as a waste transfer station; or the township could apply for an expansion.”

Since there is a watercourse that flows through the foot of the dump site, Laporte said the Ompah site is not a good candidate for an expansion.

Councillor Bud Clayton chairs the Waste Management Committee of Council. He said that nobody should be surprised that this dump closing is happening.

“In 1993, the Palmerston/Canonto Council applied for the Mississippi site with the understanding that Ompah would be closed in 2004. The government has been asking us what we are doing with Ompah for 18 months now,” he said.

With the fate of the Ompah dump sealed, questions from the audience centred on the possibility of setting up a transfer station instead of closing the dump altogether.

“We considered a transfer station at the committee, and we don’t think it would work,’ was Bud Clayton’s first response.

“I was just wondering if you have taken into consideration people who can’t drive?” asked former municipal politician Barb Sproule.

Guy Laporte was asked what kind of approvals are needed for a transfer station.

He said that he knew of some transfer stations that were entirely portable. Something as small as a cube van hauling some recycling bins can be used as a transfer station. “At the end of the day, the contents are simply driven to the dump and unloaded,” Laporte said. “In those cases, no approvals are required, as far as I know.”

The question of a transfer station will likely come down to cost. There would be increased capital costs for a truck, perhaps a used crusher truck, and for the operator/attendant.

“I think we have to do the math on what it would cost for a transfer station,” said Councillor Will Cybulski.

While Council is doing the math, they will likely take into account that other dumps will be closing in the near future, and by establishing a transfer station in Ompah, they would be setting a precedent for other locations. The Cloyne dump, which is shared with Addington Highlands, will be closing in one year.

When a dump is closed, there are significant costs as well, mostly for extensive landfill to cap them. The estimated cost of closing the Ompah dump is $125,000.

“It’s going to be, probably, our biggest budget item, waste disposal, etc., in the next 10 years or so, even more than roads,” concluded Councillor Bud Clayton, who has been close to these issues as a member of the Waste Management

Feature Article - August 25

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August 25, 2005

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Ompah dump to become waste transfer station

North Frontenac Council, August 18, 2005

by Jule Koch Brison

Pending receipt of a certificate of approval from the Ministry of the Environment, the Ompah dump will become a waste transfer station on a trial basis sometime after it closes next month.

This option had been considered and previously rejected by the Waste Management Committee, chiefly because of worries that garbage would be dumped illegally. The Ompah site was a full service site, but the transfer station would be for household waste only. The committee did not feel that residents would make a second trip to another waste site to dispose of goods such as refrigerators, stoves or tires.

Councillor Bud Clayton, Chair of the Waste Management Committee, stressed that the very first time any illegal dumping takes place, the transfer station would be closed immediately.

Nevertheless, the committee recommended to council that the waste transfer site be set up at the Ompah dump on a trial basis. Councillor Fred Perry asked that council review the costs after one year. The recommendation was accepted and a motion to that effect was passed.

Clayton was asked how long it would take to obtain the certificate of approval from the MoE, but he could not give a definite answer, only saying that it was “in progress”.

Council will proceed with the closing of the Ompah dump after Labour Day and then set up the site when the certificate is received.

A waste attendant would still be present at the site and the hours of operation would be kept the same as the present dump hours.

- ICE WATER RESCUE: Fire Chief Bill Young of Oso District, Central Frontenac, visited council to advise about setting up an Ice Water Rescue Unit of the Ompah Fire Department. When the Ompah Snowmobile Club dissolved, they donated $36,000 to the Ompah Fire department, which proposes to use the money to purchase a rescue boat, ATV, and ice water rescue equipment. The Fire Department will cover an extra $4,772 needed for the purchases.

Bill Young said that it was an unfortunate accident eight years ago that prompted his crew to get into ice water rescue. They fundraised and went ahead and bought the equipment, and have used it about half a dozen times since. The rescue boat is also used in the summer for boating accidents.

Bill Young offered to help with the training of the Ompah crew, and offer that was really appreciated by council. The training takes several days, with sessions for summer and winter conditions.

The Oso Fire department has two boats specifically made for ice water rescue; one is an inflatable Fortuna raft that costs about $5500. The Ompah Fire Department would not need to build storage for it.

Councillor Hunter asked Bill Young how he chooses who goes out in difficult and dangerous conditions. He said he puts it out on the floor and whoever wants to come, does. He said that the ice water wet suits really make one feel comfortable, and as one gets to trust the suits, their confidence levels go up.

Council agreed to go ahead with setting up the Ice Water Rescue Unit, and the sooner the better, as lives might be saved.

- COUNTY TRAILS

Lennox and Addington Rep Steve Roberts made a presentation to Council about the posting of signs for County Trails as part of a fitness trail initiative by L&A County Council. Roberts visited Central Frontenac Council on Aug. 8 with the same request, and it was well received.

The County Trails are not ATV trails, and in response to councillors’ concerns, Roberts said that there was no expectation of paved shoulders, as many of the already signed County Trails do not have paved shoulders. He said it would be indicated on the maps that there were narrow or no shoulders available. Clerk Brenda deFosse was concerned that many shoulders in North Frontenac are vegetated, and Deputy Mayor Gleva Lemke asked if there were any liability concerns. Roberts replied that the trails do not promote any uses of the highway, such as cycling and walking, that aren’t already legal, so there are no liability issues.

Councillor Betty Hunter brought up a concern that the “County” signs might be confusing to ATV drivers. ATVs are allowed on North Frontenac Township roads, but not on county roads, and some roads, such as the Buckshot Lake Road, are part county and part township. Roberts said that perhaps this information could be incorporated into the literature.

Councillor Hunter also asked if “places to eat” etc. would be placed on the map, but Roberts said that while they had considered seeking private sponsorship, they had not done that. The Land o’ Lakes Tourist Association is listed on the maps as the contact for tourist information.

L & A County will provide the signs and reimburse the township for the labour and installation costs.

Council agreed enthusiastically to the proposal.

- POLICY ON SELLING CONCESSIONS: A request by Len Connelly and Cathy McCann to purchase a concession road allowance leading to water has been denied. Councillor Will Cybulski wrote that it is township policy not to sell concessions leading to water. This was questioned by Councillor Clayton, and Councillor Perry said there should be a bylaw. Township staff will research the issue and see whether a bylaw can be passed.

- ROADS MAINTENANCE: Council discussed several complaints about road conditions: A petition with 36 signatures was received requesting immediate maintenance of Mountain Road from Schooner turn to Mackie Lake; emails were also received about Mosque Lake and Arcol Roads. Councillors agreed that the roads are bad and will consult with the Public Works Manager about the schedule for road maintenance. It was also agreed that the dry weather is partly responsible for the problem

Mayor Maguire said the township would consider paving Arcol Road next year. Councillor Cybulski asked, “Why pave, if calcium could do the trick?” Maguire replied, “Considering is not the same as approving”.

- NO SWIMMING? A request from the OPP to change the sign at the Mississippi bridge from “No Diving” to “No Swimming” was denied. The request was made because when an officer spoke to some kids about diving off the bridge, they said they were just swimming. Councillor Cybulski argued that unless there were a bylaw about the swimming – or diving, for that matter, any signs would be unenforceable.

- RECYCLING HAULER: Council will be putting put out a request for proposal for a recycling hauler. Manco, the present contractor, has not been showing up to haul recycling bins away as they have been filling up. This has resulted in piles of recyclables accumulating on the ground at the dump sites. The sites are in the process of being cleaned up by Frazer Haulage of Tweed with the assistance of township staff, but Council agreed Manco should be put on notice about their performance.

A further irritant came last month when Manco informed the township that there is a 5% gas cost surcharge being added to the haulage charge for each load of recycling they haul.

- FIRE BANS: There have been problems with people not respecting the fire bans. First warning letters have been sent out. The ban applies to everyone, including campers.

Feature Article - September 29, 2005

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OPPto organise public meeting on child safety:CentralFrontenac Council Report

In an immediate response to a request from Central Frontenac Council, OPP Detachment Commander Gerry Salisbury will be organizing a meeting for residents of Arden and others to deal with citizens’ concerns over the threat posed by Kelvin John Fischer, a dangerous sexual offender that is living near the village.

Commander Salisbury was in attendance at a Central Frontenac Council meeting, along with Sgt. Jeff McCann of the Sharbot Lake detachment, to give a report on OPP activities in the region over the past nine months. He was asked to remain in order to hear a delegation of citizens from Arden, led by Rhonda MacFarland, who were bringing community concerns about Fischer to Council’s attention.

She had Councillor Jack Nicolson read a letter, signed by nine concerned parents in Arden, outlining the fear and dismay they felt about Mr. Fischer living among them.

“As I drive through town I see the Watch for Children signs and think they should now read GUARD YOUR CHILDREN or PROTECT ALL CHLDREN,” the letter concluded.

Mayor Bill MacDonald said that while he sympathised with Rhonda MacFarland’s concerns, “the matter is not something that as a municipal Council we have any jurisdiction over. I can request that the OPP set up a meeting to deal with this if you like.”

MacFarland said yes, and MacDonald looked over at Gerry Salisbury, who said he would have to arrange for the right people from the OPP to come to the meeting, but that sometime in October it would be done. (Look to the News for details as they become available)

Crow Lake Schoolhouse refurbishment plans – Joe Slater led a delegation that included the entire Board of Directors of the Crow Lake Schoolhouse. Slater informed Council about a Trillium Grant application the Association is planning to submit next month. He also made certain requests to support the application. Since the township owns the building, a written commitment leasing the building to the Crow Lake Association for at least the next five years is required. As well, the Association requested that the normal building permit and debris dump permits be waived. Finally, a commitment of $2,500 for new wiring and the installation of a generator package was sought. The schoolhouse will then be capable of serving as an emergency centre for the township should a major power outage occur in the future.

Council approved all the requests without hesitation.

Free ice time for Grade 5’s – Wes Garrod from the Limestone District School Board came to Council to request that Council endorse a program whereby Grade 5 students will receive a pass for free skating time during public skates at the North Frontenac Arena. Garrod said this was part of a project to encourage active living among students. Grade 5 students have been chosen because the patterns set up at that age are more likely to take hold than at other ages. Mayor MacDonald said Council could endorse the plan but it is really the Arena Board that must make the decision. Councillor Bob Harvey, who chairs the Arena Board, said the Board was already in favour.

FEWR seeks leasing deal – Jim MacPherson of the Frontenac E-Waste Recovery Centre (FEWR) brought a four-minute video that was prepared when FEWR was awarded a prize for Community Development Projects by the Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations. MacPherson highlighted the activities of the Computers For Schools Program of FEWR, which has been involved in the establishment of computer refurbishing centres in over 15 countries. MacPherson introduced Mary Kahora, a Network Administrator from Strarehe Boys Centre with Computers For Schools Kenya, who is spending the next two and a half months in Sharbot Lake at FEWR learning new technology. A representative from Computers for Schools Sierra Leone, in Sharbot Lake to pick up a load of computers, was in attendance as well. MacPherson admitted that, in spite of all the endorsements from institutions and government officials, FEWR has been facing a funding crunch. FEWR signed a one-year lease for the use of the former township garage on Wagner Road for $1300 a month. MacPherson is seeking a lease extension, but at a lower rate. Council decided to have staff determine what the maintenance costs to the township of the facility are in order to determine a new rental fee.

Public Works Service Hotline – Township IT Manager Chris Matheson made a presentation to Council on the Service Request Hotline, which is now up and running. Township residents can phone the township office at 279-3935, push 5 when the recorded message comes on, and leave a message with a request for the Public Works department. The message is accessed by the Public Works Department before the start of the next shift. It is designed as a way of allowing the public to access service in the most direct way possible. The township will be presenting public information about the new service soon.

Arden dump to remain in service for two years – At their previous meeting, Council was unable to decide what to do with the Arden dump. It was agreed that the dump would have to close in the near future, and that a waste transfer station would not be set up, but two competing proposals were being considered. One, favoured by a waste management task force made up of three Councillors, called for closing the dump to garbage immediately, and maintaining the site as a recycling centre only, to be open on Saturdays. The other proposal, favoured by Public Works Manager Bill Nicol, would have seen the dump kept open for two or three years as a garbage collection site alone, with recycling being diverted to the Olden site.

Nicol was not present to explain his position at the previous meeting but he did attend this meeting. He explained that in order to get the maximum use of the Arden dump, it would be necessary to use of some of the space now occupied by the recycling bins.

“We developed a closure plan for this dump over a period of time, at great cost to the township, and it is based on the idea that we will max out the facility as a dump site before closing it.”

Nicol then said that it might be possible to move the recycling bins and keep the dump as both a waste disposal and recycling site for the time being, but that eventually the recycling bins would have to be moved to get the entire dumping life out of the site.

Councillor Logan Murray, who favoured turning the site into a recycling centre and entering into other measures designed to encourage recycling, noted that several emails in support of his position had been sent to Council.

Nonetheless, Nicol’s position prevailed. The Arden dump will remain a dump site until it is filled, and will then be closed down entirely.

Plan to Pave Roads - A report from Bill Nicol was presented to council, recommending that Council consider a 7 to 10-year plan to establish a budget to surface treat the township’s more heavily travelled seasonal roads that lead to waterfront properties. If the township continues to budget $400,000 per year for construction, $200,000 could be spent on pavement preservation and $200,000 to upgrade these gravel roads for surface treatment. Roads being considered are: Arden, Burney Point, Clement, Clarke, Eagle Lake, Elm Tree, Fall River, Guigue, Henderson, Kirk’s Cove, Mary Moore, Shibley, Second Depot, Wilkinson, Wagner, White Lake and Zealand.

Councillor Gutowski objected, calling the proposal a knee-jerk reaction to waterfront owners’ perceptions of lack of services. She said a strategic plan was needed and there should be consultation with the public. She also said she has received calls from waterfront property owners who do not want their roads paved because that would increase speed and perhaps bring accidents. Gutowski brought forward a motion to table the proposal, but it was defeated and the debate continued.

Councillor Murray said it was a good idea to pave roads, but a bad idea to pave certain roads just because 58% of CF taxes are generated from waterfront properties. He said the regular taxpayer also needs good roads to go to work.

Councillor Jack Nicolson pointed out that better roads would lead to economic development, and Councillor Frances Smith said that these roads were in the township’s initial plan.

It costs $300/km/yr more to maintain paved roads than gravel roads, but Mayor MacDonald pointed out that the difference might be offset by the cost of replacing some aging township graders at about $200,000 each.

The 7-10 year plan would not begin for a couple of years, and the proposal was accepted.

Truck to Van - The township’s mechanic currently uses a 1 ton diesel township truck, but it is too expensive to operate and council is looking into buying a smaller van. Councillors Murray, Snyder and Gutowski all disagreed with the policy of the mechanic using a township truck, but the motion to buy a smaller van was passed.

Feature Article - April 13, 2006

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Feature Article - April 13, 2006

Incineration option not favoured by consultant:Shipping garbage away seen as the cheapest option

by Jeff Green

Michael Lord A study concerning future options for waste management in North Frontenac (NF) and Addington Highlands (AH) has not painted a rosy picture.

Last fall, the joint waste management committee of the two councils commissioned a feasibility study concerning a thermal processing (incineration) option for the two townships; however, last week’s report all but closed the door to that option.

Michael Lord, the area manager for the Peterborough region of Jacques Whitford Consultants, presented the report to a joint AH and NF Council meeting. He projected that it will cost about $450 per tonne of waste using a thermal processing system. Even if the townships were successful in their efforts to encourage waste diversion through recycling programs, and 40% of wastes were diverted to recycling, the aggregate cost of waste disposal would be $350 per tonne. Recycling is projected to cost about $200 per tonne.

The existing system, with a diversion rate of 13.6% of the waste, costs about $93 per tonne, but space is running out at landfill sites within each of the townships. Lord said that North Frontenac, for example, has roughly 10 years left in their waste sites.

The start up costs for a thermal processing solution are estimated at $7.5 - $10 million, much higher than the $1 - $1.5 million that was projected by a Burlington-based company, which approached North Frontenac two years ago promoting their thermal system.

“There are a great many extra costs, beyond the cost of the unit, which would come into the picture,” said Michael Lord. “A site would have to be developed, a building built, infrastructure would have to be put into place, etc.”

In order for a thermal processing plant to be economically viable for the two townships, they would be required to increase the amount of waste received for processing, which could be done by adding other partners to the project, such as adjacent townships. This is not something that the Ontario government is willing to consider, however.

“We met with Ministry of the Environment officials to talk about this 18 months ago, and they made it crystal clear that they will only consider a project for our townships because we share a dump site already,” said North Frontenac Councillor Dave Smith.

Aside from looking at the feasibility of thermal processing, Lord presented alternative scenarios for the future needs of the two townships.

One involves the joint development of a new landfill site. These have proven to be difficult to establish over the past 15 years, as provincial regulations have become very stringent. Nonetheless, Michael Lord provided an estimated cost of $100 per tonne for a basic landfill site, which would only be possible in rare circumstances where the waste and all leachate could be naturally contained. The estimated cost of a so-called “engineered site”, one that has physical buffers to contain the leachate, is $150 per tonne.

Lord also presented a third option. He pointed out that the private sector has become involved in the waste management business in recent years, and said, “There are proposals for the establishment of privately owned sites that could handle all of Ontario ’s waste for 7.5 years.” The estimated cost for hauling waste away to a private contractor, either to be placed in landfill sites in places like the Richmond dump near Napanee or the Carp dump near Ottawa, or to large scale incineration units that are being developed in southern Ontario, is $60 - $70 per tonne, making it the simplest and least expensive option.

“The private sector is taking a much more active role in the disposal of municipal waste, and you might want to consider going to the private sector,” said Michael Lord.

“It runs against the grain for our municipality not to take care of its own waste,” commented Addington Highlands Mayor Ken Hook, “but no matter what you do, from a cost perspective, the only thing left is to truck it away.”

“Economics have always driven waste management,” Michael Lord concluded.

After Michel Lord had concluded his presentation, the councillors discussed the pending closure of the Cloyne dump, which serves both townships.

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Feature Article - April 13, 2006

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Feature Article - April 13, 2006

Good news for dump fans inCentralFrontenac

byJeffGreen

At their meeting this week, Central Frontenac councillors decided to make using township dumps a little easier for residents, and a little cheaper.

They decided to maintain the practice of including a pass for one free dump load with the spring tax bill. In 2005, only 33% of the dump passes were redeemed, as compared to 37% in 2004. The passes can be used for all appliances (Freon removed), non-reusable furniture, mattresses, and bagged household garbage.

They also decided to make dump tags available for purchase at the dump sites. Until now tags have only been available at the township office during business hours or by mail order.

Councillors Gutowski and Murray proposed extending the availability of the tags, citing that seasonal residents and permanent residents who commute for week are unable to get to the township office between Monday and Friday before 4:30 pm.

Janet Gutowski had proposed that the tags also be sold at convenience stores and service stations, but staff recommended that it would be preferable to keep them at the dump sites and the township office. Staff also recommended that payment at the dump sites be done by cheque.

Council agreed to follow the staff recommendation.

Land o’ Lakes Tourist Association In order to support an application for funding from a provincial rural economic development program, the Land o’ Lakes Tourist Association (LOLTA) requested that Central Frontenac commit to supporting them for the next two years. For several years, council has supported LOLTA to the tune of $6,000, and this year LOLTA’s request was for $12,000 over two years. Even though this meant committing a future council to a spending commitment, council agreed to the LOLTA request.

Land o’ Lakes Communications Network (LOLCN) The Communications Network, which runs the Frontenac E-Waste Recycling Centre (FEWR) at the former township garage on Wagner Road near Sharbot Lake , asked council for a lease extension until September 30.

Although the Computer for Schools program at the site has had continued success and funding support, the e-waste recycling has been plagued by lack of funding.

In a note to council, Jim MacPherson, the LOLCN coordinator, said that for the time being, “The FEWR site will continue to accept up to two complete systems from residents of Central Frontenac only until further funding is secured.

“The Ontario regulations banning electronic waste from landfill, when enacted, will provide opportunities for municipalities to develop and fund e-waste diversion programs. We feel that the FEWR project has placed Central Frontenac in the position of being a leader in rural e-waste management.”

The lease extension was granted.

Budget fans get ready The township’s auditors will be meeting with staff on April 18 to finalise the 2005 financial figures, which will clear the decks for Council to begin work on the 2006 budget. Council decided to hold their first budget meeting on April 25, after the scheduled council meeting. Budget deliberations should get underway at about 11:00 am

Official plan review Glenn Tunnock and Andrew Pascuzzo presented a detailed account of changes they are contemplating as part of the five-year review of the township’s Official Plan. Issues covered include: public road maintenance, the future of private roads, lake planning, outdoor furnaces, and economic development. After hearing comments from council, the two planners will prepare a report outlining recommended changes to the Official Plan. Public meetings will be scheduled for late spring or early summer in order to include seasonal residents in the process, before Official Plan amendments are proposed.

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

Is amalgamation on the table in SouthFrontenac?

by JeffGreen

Gary Davison has placed amalgamation at the centre of his campaign to replace Bill Lake as mayor of South Frontenac. But even he says that any change in the way three key services - road maintenance, waste management, and recreation - are funded in South Frontenac is several years off, at least.

If Bill Lake is re-elected, it might be longer still.

“Go slow, do it right, don’t mess it up,” is what Bill Lake said to sum up his attitude towards amalgamating all of the services and assets in the township when interviewed on the topic this week.

“Other townships amalgamated completely nine years ago,” Davison countered, “and the world has not ended. Nobody has lost out.”

When South Frontenac was created, the four townships that were coming together brought different assets with them.

For example, in terms of dump site capacity, Portland township has a dump site with decades of life left in it, while Storrington was about to lose its dump entirely.

The political arrangement made at the time was that each district would keep its key assets, roads, dumps, fire equipment, and recreational facilities, and the councillors from each district would make up a budget for their own district, while the council as a whole would make up a budget for shared services, such as downloaded roads, policing, etc.

With the exception of the fire service, which has now been amalgamated and is headed up by a full time fire chief, everything has basically remained the same after nine years.

This does not sit right with Gary Davison.

“There has been no talk on this at all for nine years,” he said. “What I’m saying is we need to do a review and we need to develop a strategic plan.

“One of the first things I would like to know is where we can-be, what our vision will be in 10 years. This is a long-term plan that will require public input every step of the way, and it will have to be done without creating winners and losers. But, at some point, we should stop making our staff mess around with five budgets.”

“Mr. Davison knows about parliamentary procedures,” Bill Lake responds. “He would surely know that he could make a resolution to discuss amalgamation. In three years on council it never came. Now, during an election, he wants to talk about it.”

(Bill Lake and Gary Davison will be participating in an all-candidates meeting tonight at the Verona Lions Hall, along with the six candidates for Portland Councillor and two candidates for school board trustee. The meeting starts at 7 pm. Watch for further coverage of the municipal election in next week’s Frontenac News, including profiles of the candidates in Bedford, Portland, and Loughborough districts)

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

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Feature Article - September 14, 2006

Recycling issues are everywhere

byJeffGreen

Ontario ’s recycling program has long been the subject of controversy over costs, difficulties in finding markets, and complications over collection times.

Frontenac County has been not been immune from these issues, and they have come to the fore recently.

In South Frontenac, residents have expressed anger over changes to the recycling pick up schedule that came about when the township entered into a contract for recycling with Kingston Area Recycling Centre.

The previous contractor had informed the township that they were no longer available, and the new contract is more cost effective than the previous contract, but it has meant that the bi-weekly recycling pickup in Loughborough and Portland Districts has changed.

Now, one day each month, cardboard and glass are picked up, and one day each month, fibres, plastic and cans are picked up. Previously all recyclable materials were picked up twice a month.

South Frontenac Council has received many phone calls and several letters complaining about this change.

“I just received my new rules for our recycling and I am not happy. Do you realise that since today was a pick up day we won’t have another pick up for a month? This is a step backward not a step forward. … I trust you will start looking for a better system,” wrote Bob and Louise Ruttan, in a letter that was typical of the kinds of feedback the township has received.

In Central and North Frontenac, there is no garbage pickup. Residents deliver their own recycling, and garbage, to dump sites. Over the past two summers, the contractor that both townships had hired to pick up the recycling from the dump sites, has fallen way behind the summer influx of recyclables, and dutiful recyclers have been greeted with overflowing bins of glass, cans and plastic, and large amounts of material strewn about the yard.

Last month, Central Frontenac council’s Public Works Manager, Bill Nicol, prepared a short report on the issue for council.

“For the past three years we have encountered a failure to perform by our recycling contractor. Because of our seasonal population the emptying out of recyclables goes from 12 to 15 bins per month in the off season, to 40 to 50 bins per month in the peak summer months. Each year we threaten the contractor that we will terminate the agreement, and each year in the fall the problem gets resolved,” Nicol wrote.

Central Frontenac spends $45,000 each year for recycling, and Nicol reported that changing contractors will likely mean an increase. If the township decides to truck the recyclables themselves, perhaps to KARC, Nicol wrote that it would require purchasing 20 new bins at a cost of $5,000 each. Council has assigned Nicol the task of investigating other options for recycling and report back to Council in December or January, recommending steps that should be taken to rectify the present situation.

For all Frontenac County townships, recycling is something that must be addressed for at least two reasons. Firstly, the provincial government has set aggressive targets for recycling, which municipalities feel pressured to meet.

More crucially, dump sites are filling up everywhere, (sites have closed within the past year in all three townships) and there are no prospects that new sites will be approved anywhere in the county. Diversion from the waste stream to the recycling stream is the only means available to delay a garbage crunch in most areas.

A feasibility study for a small-scale incineration unit to serve North Frontenac and Addington Highlands came to the conclusion that it would be a prohibitively expensive solution for small townships, and the study concluded that in the near future the townships will likely have to consider shipping garbage elsewhere to go into landfill or large-scale incineration facilities.

There has been good news for municipalities in recent weeks regarding recycling. After years of pressure, it appears a deposit-return system for wine and spirits will be established this winter. A press release from the Ministry of the Environment, released on September 10th, said, in part, “Starting February 1, 2007, Ontario consumers will pay a deposit on all wine and spirit containers purchased in Ontario at the LCBO, agency stores, and winery and distillery retail stores … Consumers will be able to return empty wine and spirit containers to The Beer Store for a full refund.”

This measure alone could eliminate 83% of the coloured glass that is handled by Ontario municipalities.

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

Is amalgamation on the table in SouthFrontenac?

by JeffGreen

Gary Davison has placed amalgamation at the centre of his campaign to replace Bill Lake as mayor of South Frontenac. But even he says that any change in the way three key services - road maintenance, waste management, and recreation - are funded in South Frontenac is several years off, at least.

If Bill Lake is re-elected, it might be longer still.

“Go slow, do it right, don’t mess it up,” is what Bill Lake said to sum up his attitude towards amalgamating all of the services and assets in the township when interviewed on the topic this week.

“Other townships amalgamated completely nine years ago,” Davison countered, “and the world has not ended. Nobody has lost out.”

When South Frontenac was created, the four townships that were coming together brought different assets with them.

For example, in terms of dump site capacity, Portland township has a dump site with decades of life left in it, while Storrington was about to lose its dump entirely.

The political arrangement made at the time was that each district would keep its key assets, roads, dumps, fire equipment, and recreational facilities, and the councillors from each district would make up a budget for their own district, while the council as a whole would make up a budget for shared services, such as downloaded roads, policing, etc.

With the exception of the fire service, which has now been amalgamated and is headed up by a full time fire chief, everything has basically remained the same after nine years.

This does not sit right with Gary Davison.

“There has been no talk on this at all for nine years,” he said. “What I’m saying is we need to do a review and we need to develop a strategic plan.

“One of the first things I would like to know is where we can-be, what our vision will be in 10 years. This is a long-term plan that will require public input every step of the way, and it will have to be done without creating winners and losers. But, at some point, we should stop making our staff mess around with five budgets.”

“Mr. Davison knows about parliamentary procedures,” Bill Lake responds. “He would surely know that he could make a resolution to discuss amalgamation. In three years on council it never came. Now, during an election, he wants to talk about it.”

(Bill Lake and Gary Davison will be participating in an all-candidates meeting tonight at the Verona Lions Hall, along with the six candidates for Portland Councillor and two candidates for school board trustee. The meeting starts at 7 pm. Watch for further coverage of the municipal election in next week’s Frontenac News, including profiles of the candidates in Bedford, Portland, and Loughborough districts)

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