| Mar 15, 2007


Feature Article - March 15, 2007

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Feature Article - March 15, 2007

CentralFrontenac Council, March 12, 2007byJeffGreen

Glen Fox threatens – “Fix it or I’ll be back”Glen Fox appeared before a meeting of Central Frontenac Council to talk about a problem at the front of the Oddfellows’ Hall in Parham. When Road 38 was rebuilt last year, it affected the buildings in Parham that border the road. In most cases, the contractors repaired any damages that had been caused, “but in our case, they only made it worse,” Fox told council.

“The township uses the hall when it needs it, as you know,” Fox added, “and the township did donate $200 in 1892 towards building the hall, so I think you want to get them to fix what they’ve done. Water is building up, and there is ice and many seniors are finding it hard to get into the building.”

Councilor Bob Harvey said, “The contractor is coming back in the spring.”

Deputy Mayor Bill Snyder said, “ I agree with Mr. Fox. They should have fixed the problem. I think it’s very unfair.”

“I know we have a number of small projects on Road 38 for them to finish, and we’ll make sure this is on the list,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski.

“Twenty-five years ago, I’d have made sure that they finished before I let them leave in the first place,” Glen Fox added. “Well, I hope to hear from you. If I don’t, I’ll be back.”

Blue Heron Ridge redux – Mike Wise from the Blue Heron Ridge Road Association made another presentation to council. Wise has appeared before council on two previous occasions over the past year, presenting information in support of the township providing grants to help with the maintenance of so-called un-assumed township roads.

As Mike Wise pointed out, “un-assumed roads are owned by the township and are part of the township’s roads network. The township has jurisdiction over them. The public has the same right of access as they do on other township roads. The only difference is that un-assumed roads are being maintained by the owners of the adjoining properties and assumed roads are being maintained with public funds. We believe this to be unfair.”

Riena

The road association is asking that the township provide a grant to them to cover a part of the road maintenance. In the case of Blue Heron Ridge, they are asking for $4,350, according to a formula they have worked out for how all un-assumed roads would be supported if council decides to take this on.

Mike Wise then pointed out that the 62 property owners on Blue Heron Ridge constitute 2.1% of the property tax paid in the township, and $4,350 would be about 0.03% of the amount of money the township spends each year.

“When that road was developed,” Deputy Mayor Bill Snyder asked Mike Wise, “did you not have an agreement with Kennebec [the township at the time] that you would take care of the road?”

“People knew the roads were un-assumed when they purchased their properties, but things have changed, and expectations have changed as well,” Wise replied.

“Have you done research into the number and length of un-assumed roads in the township?” asked Mayor Gutowski.

“We tried, but there is no concrete database of un-assumed roads. That needs to be developed,” Mike Wise answered.

Council received the documentation provided by the Blue Heron Ridge Road Association for information purposes.

Bridge tender awarded – A tender in the amount of $88,835.20 from All Service for superstructure repairs to the Cranberry Lake Road Bridge was approved. The bid was the lowest of 10 received by the township for the project. The next lowest bid was $99,958 from AMCO construction.

When the project was originally tendered in the fall, the lowest of two competing bids was $132,000, which was over the amount budgeted for the project.

“By tendering in the early winter, when the companies haven’t been booked yet for the year, we have had many more bidders and better prices,” said acting CAO John DuChene.

“I don’t see enough information here to feel comfortable accepting this bid,” said Councilor Gary Smith. “How do we know that All Services can do the job for that price?”

“We are relying on our consultants, McCormick Rankin. They have reviewed the bids,” answered John Duchene.

The tender was awarded to All Service in a unanimous vote.

Roads primer and ’07 project list – The township’s information technologist Chris Matheson presented a detailed document outlining the terminology used in road maintenance and upgrading discussions. Each councilor received a copy of the 100-page document, which has been developed over the past month by Matheson and other members of township staff, and is intended to give council a grounding on the different categories of road; the need for a solid base before roads are considered for paving, traffic counts; and the GRIPPS program, whereby the state of repair of roads is ranked on a scale of 0-100.

Each year the roads budget is the largest single element in the township’s overall budget, and Mayor Gutowski thanked Matheson for bringing this information forward before council begins considering the 2007 budget next week.

Attached to Chris Matheson’s background report was a road improvement project report from interim clerk Duchene.

It included a list of projects being recommended by staff. The list includes: $70,940 to complete a rehabilitation program on the Arden Rd.; $30,000 to complete construction on Road 509; and two projects on Eagle Lake Road, one at the railroad crossing and one near the boat launch, at a total cost of $78,300. Work is also proposed at five trouble spots on the Shibley Road ($67,300), 6 spots on the Elm Tree Road ($46,400), 4 spots on the Tryon Road ($39,000), 3 places on the McLean Road ($28,100), 2 places on the Fall River Road ($24,700), 2 on the Zealand Road ($17,000), 1 on White Lake Road #10,900, and 1 on the Oak Flats Road ($9,700).

The total cost of all these projects will be $422,340 if approved.

In addition to these staff recommendations, this year the district councillors were asked to consult with each other and propose some projects from their own districts. In some cases these projects are the same as the ones the staff is recommending, but in some they are different.

The councilor projects for Kennebec District are: the Kirk and Elm Tree roads (vertical alignment), and the completion of Arden Road. In Olden, the projects are the Frontenac, Tryon, and McLean roads. In Oso, the proposed projects are: Shibley, Wagner, and Zealand roads. Finally, in Hinchinbrooke, they are the Mary Moore and Wilkinson roads, Oak Flats Road (Struthers to Davy) and Eagle Lake Road.

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