Cf_council_09-49

Jeff Green | Dec 10, 2009

$1,200 for Heritage Festival

Carol Coupland, representing the Frontenac Heritage Festival, came to Central Frontenac Council this week, cap in hand. She described the schedule of events that is being developed for this year’s festival, which will run from February 19 to 21, and then she asked for some financial support.

This year’s festival will have similar features to festivals from previous years, including a photo contest (with a new category for young photographers), events at the Crow Lake Schoolhouse, a pseudo-curling bonspiel at the Sharbot Lake beach, a variety show, skating events at the Kennebec rink, and a snowmobile ride, ending at the closing luncheon at the snowmobile club in Snow Road.

Coupland asked Council for $345 for portable toilets, $175 for bussing children to the Crow Lake events, $280 for signs, and $1,000 for fireworks, a total of $1,800

Council was sympathetic, but not that sympathetic. They agreed to give the Festival $1,200.

Among other sources of income, the Heritage Festival has received $1,000 from the Community Futures Development Corporation for marketing the event.

REC. COMMITTEE WANTS TO MOVE OLDEN BALL FIELD: Members of the Olden Recreation Committee met with township staff on November 17 to talk about problems that have developed with the ball field, which is located on the same site as the Olden waste site and township garage. “Specifically, there is a major safety concern due to the increased traffic in the area now that the Aden landfill is shut. With the salt dome under construction, it has become clear to all that the recreational use of this property is not appropriate due to the nature of the activities of the site,” it says in the minutes from the meeting.

A consensus emerged that a better site for a ball field would be in a former gravel pit on the property where the Olden fire hall is located, near Land O’Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove. This was acceptable to the fire department as well.

Township works Manager Mike Richardson proposed that Council consider hiring a recreation planner from the City of Kingston on a short-term basis to look at the details of building a new ball field in Mountain Grove. Council approved spending up to $2,500 on the consultation.

FIRE DEPARTMENT FINDS $10,000 – Fire Chief Mark MacDonald, along with Deputies Art Cowdy and Bill Young, brought a report on departmental activities.

Councilor Bill Snyder commended them for withdrawing their request for $10,000 to cover over-spending in the 2009 fire budget.

“We really pared the budget down,” said MacDonald. “We are not wearing socks today.”

The fire department is scheduled to present a long-awaited fire Master Plan in February.

“You say February,” said Councilor John Purdon to MacDonald, “but you didn’t say which year. I take it you mean February 2010.”

PARKING WOES – A committee will be formed, which will include members of the Sharbot Lake business community, to look at parking shortages in the village.

“We should take some time to figure out which way to go on this,” said Works Manager Mike Richardson, “parking is important, but you don’t want to destroy a pretty little town for the sake of a parking lot.”

E-WASTE SITE: Mike Richardson said he has received the necessary approvals and is looking for a metal building about 12’ by 16’ in size to hold electronic waste. Once a structure is found and placed at the waste site on Wemp Road (off Crow Lake Road) the township will begin to accept electronic waste from residents

HENDERSON HALL WATER – Water problems at the Henderson Hall have escalated. It has been determined that the pump is filled with sand, and a new system needs to be put in place immediately because there is no running water. The cost is $12,000, but there is money in the Kennebec Recreation budget to cover it, and council approved the expenditure.

NOT A TOTAL BUST – “It’s not going to be the best year ever, but it’s not a total bust either,” Chief Building Official Ian Trickett said of the building totals in the township for 2009 as of November 30. The total value of construction permits was $5.55 million after 11 months, which compares to $6.9 million at the same time last year, and $7.4 million in the first 11 months of 2007. As of the end of November, 138 permits had been taken out, as compared to 169 in 2008 and 183 in 2007.