NFCS Requests Continued Support

Louise Moody, the executive director of Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS), and Maribeth Scott, the Child Centre program manager, made a presentation to Council on Friday regarding the services that NFCS provides in North Frontenac. They also made a request for funding from Council to help them continue their programming.

“It gives an opportunity for the kids to experience guiding each other and being part of a group,” Moody explained. “They learn self-efficiency, self-determination, communication skills, and problem solving. Each of the skills is linked to higher school achievement, lower dropout rates, and/or better post-secondary outcome.”

The free youth program from NFCS has recently been successful in securing a two-year grant from the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund. Under this grant, the youth will be given the opportunity to learn about First Nations' sports. This year's program includes an introduction to lacrosse and snowshoeing, and cultural teachings will accompany these activities. NFCS will partner with Clarendon Central Public School and the First Nations community to offer a cultural teaching event for all the northern families.

In 2014, Clarendon Central Public School had 20 students enrolled in the program.

Scott explained that NFCS relies on its relationships with the municipalities as they receive no subsistence funding from the provincial government.

“If we didn't fund this, this would not happen?” Councilor John Inglis asked.

“Absolutely,” Scott replied. “There is no ongoing Evergreen funding for youth programs so we ask the townships to support us and we always have grants on the go.”

Last year, North Frontenac gave NFCS $5400 and they are requesting the same amount of funding for 2016.

The request has been deferred to the 2016 budget deliberations, which are currently in progress.

Sunday Drivers

Residents on Sunday Lake Road are complaining that new speed limit signage is actually increasing traffic speeds on their road. Sunday Lake Road, which was previously unposted, now has signage posting a maximum speed limit of 60km/hr. Residents have complained to Council saying that although it's always been 60km/hr, now that it's posted people feel the need to do the limit, which they suggest is too fast for some parts of their road.

Based upon recommendations the township received while doing a study on the state of their gravel roads, they recently installed new speed limit signs on roads that previously didn't have any signage.

“You had better not take down the signs because you have a study that says you better have signs up,” Jim Phillips, the public works manager, was told after asking their lawyers whether they could just simply remove the signs.

“If they want a lower speed limit because there are children living in the area...” Councilor Dennis Bedard said “You justify it based on what the residents want.”

“We're supposed to represent the people,” Councilor Inglis said. “Our job is to fix it. We can't leave it the way it is. It does not make sense. I would suggest changing all the 60s to 50s.”

Council asked Phillips to look at the gravel roads study again and make recommendations on which roads might need to be changed to a lower speed limit. Council will then make decisions based on the information Phillips presents later this year.

3-Season Maintenance of Norcan Lake Lane

Council agreed to begin 3-season maintenance of Norcan Lake Lane and to incorporate those new expenses into their 2016 budget. The one-time costs associated with bringing the road up to the standards required for 3-season use in the municipality are $7,745 which is $5,000 for brushing the side of the roads and $2,745 for adding new signage. Additionally, Jim Phillips, the public works manager, estimated that resurfacing the road with gravel will need to happen with a cost of $46,620 but he still needs to complete a study to figure out how soon this resurfacing will need to take place.

As well, $13,120 in future maintenance costs will be added to the 2016 budget.

2015 accessibility award deadline extended to November 13

In an effort to raise awareness about the current standards and regulations regarding accessibility in the local municipalities in the County of Frontenac, Jannette Amini, manager of legislative services, and clerk at the County of Frontenac, has been making presentations to local councils across the county as part of the county's accessibility awareness campaign.

Her presentation titled “Bringing Accessibility to Your Township” began by celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), whose mandate is to make Ontario accessible by 2025. Amini spoke of the progress that has been made at the county and township levels through their partnership with the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee, of which Amini is a staff member, and which is comprised of citizens from the townships of North, Central and South Frontenac, and Frontenac Islands.

The committee has provided key input on the accessible customer service standard, and the development of accessibility policies and plans. The committee has also advised on the redevelopment of the Sydenham Library, the upgrades to Centennial Park in Harrowsmith, the Fairmount Home's Kingston Frontenac Rotary Auditorium, the South Frontenac Township Museum, and the new school in Sharbot Lake, and has developed an accessibility logo and statement.

In 2013 the committee in partnership with the County of Frontenac created Frontenac County's “International Day of Persons with Disabilities Access Award”. The award recognizes persons, groups or organizations who have made or are making a significant contribution that goes beyond legislated requirements towards improving access for persons with disabilities in the Frontenacs. Previous recipients of the award were the Verona Lions Club (2013) and Joe Ryan and Brenden Hicks of Accessible Living (2014). Anyone who is aware of an individual or organization that they feel is deserving of this recognition may submit a nomination at the county administration office or at any township administration office.

Regarding the 2015 award, the public deadline for nominating individuals and/or organizations has been extended to Friday November 13, 2015.

At her presentation to Central Frontenac Council at their regular meeting on October 27, Amini advised council to include an accessibility page on their website that will let both residents and visitors know what businesses, buildings and other service providers and organizations are accessible. She also brought to council’s attention the fact that as of 2012, the private sector is required to comply with the Accessible Customer Services standard, so the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee will be focusing on an Accessibility Awareness Campaign in order to help the private sector to comply. This includes accessibility awareness now being promoted through the County’s Economic Development Office when carrying out site visits to local businesses.

Amini also made council aware of the fact that when designing, retrofitting or updating any parks, outdoor spaces, other public spaces and/or buildings, the township must comply with the Design of Public Spaces Standard, which comes into effect January 1, 2016.

Amini credited Frontenac Transportation Services (FTS), which is run out of Sharbot Lake through Northern Frontenac Community Services, as one exemplary “model” in the field. FTS has been recognized by the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario. For more information about the accessibility standards and requirements or about the upcoming 2015 Person with Disabilities Access Award, contact Jannette Amini, Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk, at 613-548-9400 ext. 302 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Most of this brief November 03 meeting was concerned with ‘housekeeping matters.’

A by-law change states that Councillors McDougall, Revill and Sutherland’s terms on the newly revived Corporate Services Committee will expire at the end of December 2016 to allow for Council members to serve on both this and the Public Services Committee within the 2014-2018 per of Council.

Library branch ownership transfer

Council authorized the ownership transfer of the Sydenham Branch Library building from Frontenac County to South Frontenac Township. In order to qualify for partial (2/3) reimbursement of the $2 million building cost from the Build Canada Fund, the County had applied for funding on the Township’s behalf, and as a result all invoices for construction were processed through the County, which became, technically, the building’s owner. The County has agreed to this transfer of property, for South Frontenac insures and maintains the building, and once the transfer is complete, the Township can add the library building to its asset management plan.

Subdivision changes

Council approved proposed changes to the draft plan of subdivision in Inverary (Willowbrook). Developer Matias has asked to proceed with the development in two phases, so that much of the revision concerned the renumbering of the lots. After some discussion, the timing for completion of a southbound slip lane was changed to “within the first year of registration of Phase One.” There had been concerns that the original requirement of “prior to registration of phase one’ might mean the whole project could be held up by bad weather.

Closed meeting investigator

Council renewed the appointment of Local Authority Services (a subsidiary of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario) as Closed Meeting Investigator. During the past two years, the Township has not needed to use this company’s services, which are seen as a form of insurance.

Betty Hunter and Ernest Lapchinski, members of Northbrook-based Pine Meadow Nursing Home's management board, appeared before Frontenac County Council on October 21, seeking financial support for new windows at the home.

Pine Meadow Nursing Home, a 60-bed long term care facility, is located in Addington Highlands Township, County of Lennox and Addington, but up to 50% of its residents at any given time come to the home from North and Central Frontenac, Ernest Lapchinski pointed out.

Over the years representatives from the home have made numerous presentations to Frontenac County seeking funding, mostly for the major renovation and upgrade to Pine Meadow that was completed in 2014.

“L&A County put in $250,000 over 10 years, and Addington Highlands waived the building fees for the project, but Frontenac County declined several requests for support,” said Betty Hunter.

Frontenac County operates the municipally owned Fairmount Home. In rejecting annual requests for funding, successive Frontenac County Councils argued that maintaining Fairmount is already a burden for county ratepayers, and satisfies the legislative requirement that the county pay into the long term care system in Ontario.

There is a precedent for the county to support capital projects for health care institutions outside of its jurisdiction, however. The budget includes a 10-year commitment of $25,000 per year towards capital upgrades to Kingston General Hospital.

“What we are looking for today is funding support for the replacement of 11 bay windows in the original Pine Meadow building, which was built in 1993 to standards that are not what they are today. The new section of the building is up to those standards, but there are still challenges in the original building. The repair is extensive since it includes the supports, and the cost is $13,530 per window plus HST, about $165,000, which would be about $25,000 per year for seven years from Frontenac County,” said Betty Hunter. “It is a matter of some urgency.”

“The home operates within the funding envelope provided by the Ministry of Health,” said Ernest Lapchinski, “and we manage our operations within budget and have always done so, but since the home is owned by the Land O'Lakes Community Services, which has its own funding challenges, there is nowhere to turn except fund raising and grants for capital projects such as this one.”

“For years Pine Meadow has been coming to us looking for money. Council needs to find some niche to allocate money to this building, which is important to our residents in the North. We have to find an envelope to pull that money from; that is our challenge,” said North Frontenac councilor, John Inglis.

“May I point out there is no long-term facility in Frontenac County,” said Betty Hunter, referring to the fact that Fairmount Home, although county-owned, is located within the City of Kingston,

“I would try to see us do something; when it comes to budget time, I will be supporting this,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith.

While Pine Meadow (60 beds) and Fairmount Home (128 beds) receive money from the Ministry of Long Term Care according to the same funding formula, and also charge resident fees, as a municipally owned home, Fairmount receives an additional $2.6 million from municipal sources. Of that money, $1.7 million comes from the City of Kingston and $900,000 from Frontenac County. The total operating budget for Fairmount Home in 2015 is $11.6 million.

The discrepancy in funding has been brought up at Frontenac County Council in the past, particularly under the late warden Bud Clayton, who coincidentally also chaired the Pine Meadow Management Committee.

Steve Silver, the interim administrator of Fairmount Home, said recently that care staff tend to be paid more at municipal homes as compared to the not-for-profit sector, based on how arbitration hearings tend to settle contract disputes between unions and management in the municipal sector.

Silver, along with Chef Administrative Officer Kelly Pender and Councilor John Inglis, are visiting Pine Meadow this week to get a first hand look at the operation and its finances. They will also be paying a similar visit to Rideaucrest Home, which is another municipally owned home in the City of Kingston.

Frontenac County will be entering budget deliberations for 2016 on November 12, when the draft budget will be tabled by staff.

2016 Capital Budget

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth presented his department’s capital budget for 2016. He and CAO Orr reminded Council that this was just a first step in the budget process: at this time, they were looking for any large items or categories that Council might want added or removed. “There’ll be lots of time for haggling [over details] later in the process.”

This is a large portfolio, covering Facilities and Recreation, Equipment Replacement, Environmental Services,Transportation, and Multi-year Roads projects. Council did not ask for any major changes at this stage, though some items generated quite a bit of discussion:

Deputy Mayor John McDougall praised the township’s upkeep of the Verona Medical Centre, saying Dr. Dempsey credits the township for Verona’s ability to attract new medical staff at a time when rural physicians are very hard to find.

- Mayor Ron Vandewal asked whether Segsworth was planning to hold a public consultation before upgrading the Buck Lake boat ramp. Vandewal had been approached by some Buck Lake cottagers who said they didn’t want the ramp upgraded, fearing it would make it too attractive for ‘outsiders’ to come use ‘their’ lake. This brought a strong reaction around the table, endorsing the principle that the lakes are public property, and should be accessible to all, not just those with cottages. Segsworth said the lakes were public assets, and it was not up to the township to judge who could or could not use them. Councillor Sutherland said he had heard complaints from a number of Buck Lake residents who wanted the ramp repaired. He also said that many township residents who owned boats did not live on waterfront properties.

- Vandewal said he could see no point in upgrading Fermoy Hall unless it was used more frequently. Councillor Pat Barr replied that she thought there might be more use if the hall was improved. She offered to look into the degree of interest, and report back.

- The Sydenham football field upgrade may be completed and sodded by mid-November: an extra $60,000 has been added to the cost, for a protective fence around the field. The school board has been asked to share that expense, but has not yet replied.

- The Point shoreline upgrade is underway and expected to be completed in two weeks.

- An AVL system is planned for Public Works. This can be used to track all township equipment. Might this mean no more Omaha Orange vehicles?

- Council questioned a proposal to buy rather than rent a baler in order to process hard plastics as well as bale wrap: Segsworth will get more details of cost comparisons. He also said the overall goal is to save money by extending the life of our landfills.

- Conversion of all township streetlights to LED will be completed by November 2016.

- Bellrock residents are pleased with the upgrades to their roads and drainage system: Vandewal reported that he’d heard the villagers had been holding barbeques for the roads crew.

- Roads are categorized as a ‘linear asset’. The roads department report outlined a detailed five-year plan for upkeep and repair, accompanied by a township map showing all the recent and proposed road construction. Another two pages of flow charts illustrated the science behind current roadwork decision-making from full depth reclamation through reconstruction, rehabilitation, sealing, overlay, micro-surfacing, etc through to doing nothing.

All this report will become part of the upcoming budget deliberations next month.

Lease Extension Requested

Percy Snider came as a delegation, asking that his 18-month lease on the former township garage be extended to coincide with the term of his contract for waste collection. Snider is applying for a zoning change so he can construct a garage on a part of his own property, but is not sure of the timing. Councillor Sutherland said that he thought this matter should not be negotiated in a public meeting, suggesting that it could be worked out between the CAO and Snider, or brought to an in camera session.

Canoe Lake beach

Seven more letters from area residents, both pro and con having an established public beach associated with the James Campbell severance application, were tabled. Council is withholding any further discussion of the issue until they have had a chance to view the area in question.  

County takes safety insurance in house, savings to follow

When an actuarial accountant turns on the microphone to make a presentation at a morning council meeting, it can leave many staring longingly at the coffee pot in the corner of the room.

Yet, when Bruce Neville of Nexus Actuarial Consultants took the floor, he brought, in suitably measured tones, the kind of message that perked up the ears of Frontenac County Council at their monthly meeting last Wednesday (October 21).

Neville pointed out that, like a number of neighboring municipalities have already done, Frontenac County can opt to stop paying about $600,000 each year into the Workplace Safety Insurance Program, and instead pay the same amount into a reserve fund each year for the next five years until a $2.5 million reserve is established. After that, the county will only have to pay claims as they come (about $125,000 each year on average, leaving savings of as much as $475,000 each year.)

It took Neville about a half an hour to explain the ins and outs of the money transfers that are involved, with County Treasurer Marian Vanbruinessen interjecting on occasion for clarification. County staff have also canvassed other municipalities within Eastern Ontario who have taken this kind of step. Renfrew County reports substantial savings. Lennox and Addington says it has saved in excess of $1 million and Lanark County reports savings of $320,000 per year since it made the change in 2013.

“So, we will pay the same as we do now for a few years and then begin to save money each year,” asked South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal.”

“Essentially, the answer is yes,” said Bruce Neville.

Council voted to take on the change as soon as possible.

Private roads study to clear the way for OP approval by province

One of the hurdles in the way of securing approval for the first ever Frontenac County Official Plan by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing of Ontario has been the county's insistence, in line with the wishes of its member municipalities, that the ministry bend in its demand that further lot creation not be permitted on private lanes.

The ministry has been insisting that only through the use of expensive planning tools, either plans of subdivision or the creation of vacant land condominiums, can new lots be created outside of the public roads system.

Plans of subdivision require a developer to build a road that is up to a municipal standard, after which time the road is taken over by the local township. Plans of condominium require that a corporation be established among those who live on the private road, and that the condominium corporation come to a binding agreement over road maintenance with the township.

“The problem with both of these planning tools is that they only work for developments of a relatively large size, where there are enough lots being created to justify such a costly outlay for all the studies that are required for either of them,” said the county's manager of planning, Joe Gallivan. “They don't fit the pattern of incremental development that has been occurring in Frontenac County, and insisting on them would harm property owners and the townships where they live.”

Gallivan said that he is now confident that the ministry is finally developing an understanding of how Frontenac County plans to manage lot development on private roads and is poised to approve the County Official Plan by the end of the year.

One of the measures that the county has taken to provide comfort to the ministry has been to undertake a $60,000 private roads study .

Brian Whitehead of Jp2G Consultants, presented a preliminary report on the study to Council last week.

One of the first pieces of information in the study is a comprehensive inventory of private lanes in Frontenac County. Whitehead found 980 private roads in Frontenac County, of which 545 (58%) are located in South Frontenac. There are 5,808 dwellings on private lanes in Frontenac County, 2774 of which (47.8%) are located in South Frontenac and 1406 (24%) are located in North Frontenac.

However, of the 980 lanes, most (821) are not viable for any further development, and of the 159 that can accommodate more lots, 73 can only accommodate one more lot, and 35 can accommodate two more lots.

In fact, of 980 private lanes, only 19 could ever see more than five more lots created under any circumstances. Of those 19, two are located in North Frontenac, four in Central Frontenac, 10 in South Frontenac, and three in Frontenac Islands.

“When those numbers are considered, it is clear that the outcome of permitting lot development on private lots will not be that large, and this should make things easier for the ministry,” said Brian Whitehead.

His final report is due later this fall.

No matter how it is measured, absenteeism remains high

Council received the quarterly absenteeism report for county employees. Earlier reports had tallied up the total number of days lost to absenteeism, but this new version set targets based on industry standards. For paramedics the target is 12 days absent due to illness per 12-month period, for nursing staff the target is 10 days, and for non-nursing staff it is 7 days. The stated goal is for 80% of employees to be off sick less than the target.

By that measure, only 65.4% of unioni zed and 56.3% of non-unionized employees at Frontenac Paramedic Services were at or below the target for absenteeism, and only 64.2% of nursing staff at Fairmount Home were at or below the target, all three missing the goal by a substantial amount.

On the other hand, employees working in corporate services, both unionized (80%) and non-unionized (83.3%) met the goal, as did unionized non-nursing staff at Fairmount Home (86.7%) and non-unionized non-nursing staff at Fairmount Home (100%)

Community Improvement Plan (CIP) approved for Harrowsmith

The Village of Harrowsmith will be the next community whose businesses and homeowners will be eligible for community improvement grants, joining existing CIP communities Verona, Sharbot Lake, Marysville, and the entire Township of North Frontenac.

Councilor salaries set

After considering a proposal that would have seen a major increase in salaries, Council settled on an increase in base salary coupled with a decrease in the number of meetings that are eligible for per diems. The net effect is to maintain salaries at the same level they have been at for the past four years. The salary for the warden has been set at $22,500, that of deputy warden at $10,025 and councilor at $9,088.

With payments of $4,000 in expenses and an average of 7 per diems for meetings outside of the boundaries of the county, the average councilor is anticipated to receive a total of $14,138 in 2016. The estimated total pay for the deputy warden (including 10 per diems) is $15,525, and the warden (including 15 per diems) is $28,500. One-third of the salaries paid out to members of council is tax-free income. The total estimated cost for members of Council in 2016 is $128,500 including all expense and per diem payments.

Parham Library Update

In her remarks to council regarding the issues raised at a public meeting held on October 17 at the IOOF Hall in Parham concerning the fate of the Parham public library, Mayor Frances Smith said that there are hopes to put in place a strategy to get more people to use the library. She also said that a kiosk-style self-service library would not be a satisfactory solution since, “Fewer and fewer books would be accessed and closure from inactivity would eventually be inevitable.” Council plans to discuss the fate of the Parham library further at their 2016 budget discussions.

Parham Fire Hall Update

In a report to council, Central Frontenac Fire Chief Bill Young updated council on the progress of the construction of new fire hall in Parham. In August of this year council approved the construction of a new fire hall in Parham at the cost of $694,800, noting that an additional cost of $95,000 would be necessary for an added library/meeting room expansion to the building. To date the township has completed roughly one quarter of the project and has spent $206,782 to cover the associated legal fees, engineering services, the purchase of the land, surveys, a drilled well, a portion of the excavation and the framing of the building. A number of unexpected additional costs totaling $8,100 were noted in Young's report and included the costs of extra back fill, an oil interceptor, along with fire rated attic access hatches. The expected occupancy date for the new facility is late November/ early December 2015.

Budget Pressure Update

In an effort to mitigate the $255,000 discrepancy identified in council's 2015 budget, Treasurer Michael McGovern outlined a list of potential savings. These included a number of revisions to council's initial budget expenses that will result in accumulated savings, reducing the 2015 budget costs for gravel, salaries, repairs and replacements, capital programs, contaminated sites and loan deferrals. The results show that the 2015 budget of $5,502,342 will be reduced to $5,247,342. To date 61% ($3,188,573) of the 2015 budget has been spent.

Council accepted McGovern's report for information.

Tax Sales

In a report to council, Treasurer McGovern outlined how the municipality is authorized to commence the tax sale process on any properties in the township that have fallen four years into tax arrears, and he noted the upcoming sale of five properties in the township that fall into this category. A tax sale will take place on November 12. Tenders will be accepted in a sealed bid process until 3:00PM.

By-law approves 1/3 of councilors' salary to be deemed “expenses”

A by-law was passed by council approving that one third of the remuneration paid to councilors be deemed expenses. The by-law is effective as of December 2, 2015.

By-laws regarding new speed limits passed

A number of new speed limits were approved by council in the form of a new by-law and will be posted. These changes will include the following newly posted signs: a 40km/hour sign on the Arden Road north of civic number 5916, and a 60km/hr sign south of civic number 5916; a 50km/hr sign on the Henderson Road from Highway 7 to Baker Valley Road, a 60 km/hr sign from Baker Valley Road to the hamlet of Henderson and a 50km/hr sign in the hamlet of Henderson. Further, a new 60km/hour limit sign will be posted on Long Lake Road beginning at Public Beach Road and running south for 1000 metres.

Ashby Lake Road saga headed to Superior Court?

Shortly after the start of their regular meeting in Denbigh, Addington Highlands Council sent the audience out into a cool, windy night in order to consider legal advice about a matter that has been before them for the last three meetings, a disputed road/trail on the Mieske property near Ashby Lake that is now blocked by boulders at both ends.

The question before Council was whether the historic public access to Ashby Lake was indeed closed off in the 1970s and re-located as a public right of way in the blocked off location, which runs right through the Mieske property. A number of neighbouing property owners have used the rough road to access hunting and fishing opportunities in the past. Although there is an alternative way into those properties from another direction, it is a longer way around for many.

When they came out from the in camera session, Reeve Hogg said that the township lawyer has looked at the documentations from the 1970s and concluded that the arrangement to change the public access was “never enacted, so it is not township property.”

Darcy Alkerton, who addressed Council on behalf of the neighboring property owners, said, “My family has used it since 1957. I hate to take the township to court over this, but I think we are headed that way.

For his part, Mark Mieske, who was at the meeting but not scheduled to speak to Council, piped in nonetheless.

“I spent $10,000 on surveys when I bought my property in 2012, and they show that there is nothing on my deed about public access,” he said.

Mieske blocked off access early this summer, and the matter has been contested ever since.

“There is nothing for us to do about this,” said Councilor Bill Cox. “It is a civil matter.”

The matter seems to be headed to court, where a lawyer representing the neighbours will take it up. Mark Mieske will need to engage his own lawyer. The township lawyer will also be required, if only to clarify the township's position.

Cemeteries – Councilor Fritsch reported that volunteers have been repairing fences and other deficiencies at the Denbigh and Slate Falls cemeteries, saving a portion of the money set aside in the 2015 budget for the work.

Medical Center – Council passed a motion requesting that a fire inspection be done at the Northbrook Family Health Team building to identify deficiencies and ensure the building complies or is brought into compliance with the fire code.

New privy – Council has requested that the Public Works Department work with community volunteers to ensure a new privy is installed at the Denbigh park in time for the winter ice skating season.

Heritage Conservation Award

Mayor Vandewal presented Barbara Stewart with a plaque from the Frontenac Heritage Foundation recognizing the transformation of the former Hartington stone schoolhouse into the South Frontenac Museum. Mrs Stewart is chair of the Portland and Area Heritage Committee, which initiated and carried out the project with support from South Frontenac’s elected officials and Public Works employees, along with many craftsmen and volunteers. David White also received special commendation for his restoration of the windows. The new museum was one of only six buildings in southeastern Ontario (including the Tett Centre) honoured with this award in 2015.

Zoning by-law amendment on Big Clear Lake

A public meeting introduced rezoning of land on Big Clear (Concession 11, Bedford) to permit three new waterfront residential lots. Only one person spoke: Matt Rennie asked why the staff of Frontenac Park had not been notified, for the park is located directly across the lake from the property in question, and therefore could be considered a “neighbouring property”. The zoning amendment passed without comment later in the meeting.

Sell Sydenham Water?

A motion introduced by Councillor Sutherland asked: A) that Kingston Utilities be asked to confirm the actual capacity of the Sydenham water plant (currently available but unconfirmed figures indicate the plant may be operating well under capacity), and B) that staff report on the feasibility of selling water to bulk haulers as a possible means of increasing income for ongoing operation and maintenance of the plant. After some discussion about potential liability and costs, Mayor Vandewal suggested that Kingston Utilities be asked to research and include all the requested information in their annual operating report re the plant to Council. This was agreed upon, and the motion passed.

Recovery of Lane Naming Expenses

Council passed a by-law amendment which would require the applicant to pay for all costs associated with advertising and administration when a road name is approved by Council other than a name on the pre-approved list. (On October 06, when asked about the costs associated with approving the name “Passchendaele Lane”, planner Mills had said there were none.)

Canoe Lake Beach Issues

The question of water access to a small beach on Canoe Lake along James Wilson Road first came before Committee of the Whole on Sept 22, when James Campbell applied for permission to create three new waterfront residential lots on Canoe Lake.

Opinion about public use of the area is strongly divided. Township planner Mills has received letters from Campbell and nearby property owners objecting to any public use of the area in dispute, stating traffic hazard, lack of parking, danger to children, trespassing, vandalism and garbage among their concerns. More recently, Mills has received several letters in favour of maintaining the sandy beach because there are very few natural beaches in the area for children to swim at. One other letter-writer is concerned about damage to loons, herons and turkey vultures if swimmers continue to use the area, another fears a decrease in property values and still another refers favourably to the sandy strip as “this small amenity”.

Presently, there seems to be no clearly agreed-upon survey, and the full extent of the abutting road allowance has not been established. In his report to Council, Planner Mills recommends against encouraging use of the swim area.

Mayor Vandewal suggested any decision be deferred until Council is able to view the area in dispute during their upcoming fall road-viewing tour, and perhaps a further public meeting might be necessary. This was agreed upon, and the matter was deferred.

Shoreline Restoration at The Point

CAO Orr reported that due to changes in the original plan to include upland sandy play areas, unanticipated rock removal and improved accessibility etc, costs of the project exceed the $100,000 originally budgeted. Lowest of the ten bids received was Crains' Construction, at $109,085. Council approved awarding the bid to Crains', and agreed to an additional $16,085 from the parkland reserve fund to cover the additional costs, which include $7,500 for project management by Riggs Engineering.

Procedural By-Law

The updated procedural by-law was passed, with informal agreement that there needed to be some flexibility about display or wearing of the mayoral chain of office, for it is a heavy item, which some future mayor may find too uncomfortable to wear. (Councillor Schjerning had objected to the idea of merely displaying the chain, contending that this would be inappropriate.)

Public Services Committee Resurrected

A new Public Services Committee was formed, consisting of Councillors Sleeth, Schjerning and Revill.

Frontenac County staff are preparing to bring forth a draft budget for Council's consideration next month, but in keeping with CAO Kelly Pender's penchant for a drama-free environment, Council can expect little in the way of surprises.

Staff are planning to keep increases to within a 1.25% window, and with an additional 0.65% to be slated for a reserve fund for long term capital replacement costs, the increase to the taxation will stay under 2%.

A number of small capital projects and a new Economic Development employee (to be hired on a three-year contract) were considered by Council last week in a Committee of the Whole meeting devoted to budget preparation. These costs are to be funded through added increases to the budget, through transfers from existing reserve funds, or grants.

These include small expenditures at Fairmount Home. These include a $5,400 cost to the County for a study aimed at establishing that the water supply to Fairmount Home is not influenced by groundwater. There is also a $12,800 cost to the county for a septic system study at Fairmount. Each of these costs are associated with potential savings in the near future or mitigation of major costs in the medium to long term.

Frontenac Paramedic Services Chief, Paul Charbonneau, proposed an increase in the staffing in the logistics department, from 1.6 persons to 2 full time people as well as a dedicated vehicle. The total cost of these changes is about $7,500 per year to the County. It will be offset by decreases in contracting costs as well as vehicle-related savings by not using ambulances to deliver supplies to stations within Kingston and Frontenac County.

Both Frontenac Paramedic Services and Fairmount Home each cost over $10 million per year to operate, and are funded by county ratepayers as well as City of Kingston ratepayers and provincial ministries.

In receiving these proposals, members of Frontenac County Council asked technical questions for the most part. They will be up for final approval when the budget is presented as a package later in the fall.

Proposals for changes in scope for the new combined department of Planning Services and Economic Development were more controversial, partly because the department's operations are entirely funded by county taxation.

As part of a new work plan for the economic development department, Department Head Joe Gallivan and Manager of Economic Development Anne Marie Young are proposing to create a new position, that of Economic Development co-ordinator.

In the work plan the position is described in the following way: “Through the work done on the Economic Development Charter, it was recommended that an Economic Development Coordinator position be created to focus directly on implementation of the Economic Action Plans. This position would act as the ‘point person’ for working with existing and potential businesses in the Frontenacs.”

The cost of the position is set at $210,000 over three years, to be funded using existing reserves, but the work plan includes a $30,000 allocation in 2016 to the “sustainability reserve”.

“I still don't see why this position is necessary,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, who expressed his misgivings when the idea was first proposed a month ago. “The CFDC [Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation] already works with businesses all the time.”

Anne Marie Young presented a chart that showed how expenditures in Economic Development in Frontenac County are lower, per capita, than its neighboring municipalities.

“Look at Prince Edward County; they spend eight times as much as we do, and have built up a tourism and recreation economy we can only dream about. And where did they come from? I was born there and I remember that it was only made up of scrub land and farms. We are taking baby steps here. But we need someone to do the outreach if I am going to work in the office getting all the grants that are available,” said Anne Marie Young in response.

Council voted to put the Economic Development Plan, including the new position, in the 2016 budget.

The decision will be subject to further scrutiny when the budget is presented to Council on November 12.