Feature Article June 17, 2004
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Dont tell anyone, but E-waste pilot project is coming to Central Frontenac
As the public session of Central Frontenac Council came and went this week, once again Council did not consider an important proposal. The proposal is to consolidate municipal garage operations to the Hinchinbrooke and Olden sites, build two salt containment units, and negotiate an agreement with the Land O Lakes Communications Network for them to use the Oso garage for an e-waste disposal pilot project.
This proposal was discussed in open council before and during budget deliberations, and it is something that has been pushed by the Economic Development Committee of Council.
From the point of view of the LOLCN, a quick decision on this has been crucial, because they are being funded to put together a proposal for a pilot project on e-waste that is to be developed in September. If the Oso garage were not available to them, they needed to know so they could look for anther location.
Council endorsed the LOLCN proposal back in March, and has been considering consolidating garage operations, but making a decision like this would normally have been at least months away.
As soon as Council was faced with the need to make this decision rapidly, a curtain of secrecy was imposed. The minutes of an Economic Development Committee meeting where the proposal by LOLCN to use the Oso garage was made, were not released to the public, even though the meeting had been a public meeting This move is certainly unusual if not unprecedented. Subsequently, two in camera sessions of council have taken place on this matter.
There are legitimate reasons why Council can discuss issues in camera: issues dealing with the sale of township property, dealing with litigation against the township, and issues concerning individual staffing matters.
In this case, a change in the makeup of the roads department is being considered, although eliminating positions would not seem to be an issue, and there is a matter of the use of township property, but no sale of property is being contemplated.
Salt containment structures are being budgeted at $250,000 each, which is why consolidating operations to two sites and cutting the cost of building structures in half has an obvious appeal.
Encouraging a project that could actually create some permanent jobs in the township and make the township a leader in the gathering and sorting of spent electronic equipment, sure to be a growth industry, also has great appeal.
Township officials met last week with the Land OLakes Communications Network to discuss the nuts and bolts of their use of the Oso garage property, so it seems Council has come to some consensus on how to proceed.
But still, not a word was said about this at this weeks council meeting. Presumably some kind of motion will be passed at next Tuesdays meeting.
I can see how some of these matters should be considered in camera, but a major change in the structure of the roads department and the development of an e-waste centre, are major issues that are deserving of open debate in the public domain.
When this issue is resolved next week, and it looks like Council is making a forward looking innovative decision on this one, there will be little time for a public airing of the issue.
Even if Council is making the right decision, we should be able to see how they have arrived at it. JG
