Draft Frontenac County budget calls for 1.34% levy increase

At their final meeting of 2011, members of Frontenac County Council received the 2012 draft budget from the County Finance Department.

The county expects to spend just over $42 million in 2012, which is a drop of almost $1.8 million from the 2011 total of $43.8 million. This decrease is due mainly to the fact that in 2011 the cost of a new ambulance base and library in Sydenham were included in the county budget, and no large construction projects are planned for 2012.

The two major services that the county provides are the Fairmount Home for the Aged and the Frontenac Land Ambulance Service. Both are cost shared with the City of Kingston and the Province of Ontario.

The proposed increase in operating costs for Fairmount Home is $53,000, a 2.49% increase, which will edge the home’s budget over $10 million. Of that, the draft budget calls for $735,400 to come from Frontenac County taxpayers, an increase of $18,000 from 2011.

The total cost of the Frontenac Land ambulance is projected to rise above $15 million in 2012, an increase of over $500,000, but the province will be increasing their subsidy to the service by over $300,000 and the net increase to Frontenac County taxpayers will be just under $50,000, or 3.31%.

All told the draft budget calls for a levy of $8,510,000 to taxpayers, an increase of $112,182 (1.34%) from 2011.

While members of county council simply received the draft budget for information and will be conducting their budget debate at their January meeting, they did debate one item that is connected to the budget, a proposed pay increase for non-unionized staff.

A human resources report recommends increasing pay for non-unionized staff (which includes members of county council) by 2.9% in 2012. This reflects a cost of living increase plus some extra to bring the pay for professional staff more in line with the average costs in other municipalities.

“I can’t agree with that,” said Warden Gary Davison (the budget discussion took place before Davison tendered his resignation as warden). “We are going into contract negotiations with unionized staff in 2012 and this is not the kind of example we should be setting. We are looking at 2% as a kind of limit and I think we should stick to that for our non-unionized staff and members of council.”

The item was ultimately deferred to the next meeting.

Garrison Shores –

Without fanfare, the plan of condominium to create individual and shared lots on Garrison Lake near Arden was approved by council. Two members of the Garrison Shores Association were on hand to witness the end of a 30-year planning and legal quagmire.

County agendas publicly available. The county agenda packages are now available online for the public at the county website by clicking on the council tab. All agendas and reports and minutes from previous meetings will be uploaded and archived using the FilePro document management system. The archives will be searchable as well.

Gutowski wins the draw and becomes Frontenac County warden

For the past 13 years the annual election of the Frontenac County warden has been an election in name only. Each year the warden has tendered his or her resignation and the next in line, the deputy warden, has been the only nominee and has been acclaimed to the post.

After an election, if the incumbent warden has been re-elected in their township, they usually stay on as warden for the first year in order to provide continuity.

That was what happened in 2011 when South Frontenac’s returning mayor, Gary Davison, stayed on as county warden. Janet Gutowski, also a returning mayor, who had served as warden in 2009, took on the deputy warden role. It was understood that the two other mayors, first timers Dennis Doyle from the Frontenac Islands, and Bud Clayton from North Frontenac would take their turns in the third and fourth years of the county council mandate.

That was the way Gary Davison thought things were going at the December 14 meeting of Frontenac County Council.

He announced his resignation and then called for nominations. Councilor John McDougall from South Frontenac nominated Janet Gutowski and John Purdon from Central Frontenac seconded the nomination.

Just as Gary Davison was about to declare Gutowski elected, another hand shot up.

“I nominate Bud Clayton,” said Councilor John Inglis from North Frontenac, and Councilor David Jones from Frontenac Islands seconded the nomination.

Janet Gutowski looked surprised, and County CAO Liz Savill said she had to confer with Deputy Clerk Susan Beckel about preparing ballots for the unexpected vote.

Gary Davison gave each candidate an opportunity to say a few words.

“As you know, in the last term council decided to expand in an effort to bring changes to the county. I feel it is time for the new council to step forward and bring in someone that will do what the previous council expected us to do,” said Clayton.

“I feel my experience speaks for itself and I have a track record of collaboration,” said Gutowski. “I feel we have a good staff in Frontenac County. It does take a lot of time to be the warden. I can assure council that I will make my best efforts to work diligently on their behalf.”

Susan Beckel then handed each council member a piece of paper and said they should write the name of their preferred candidate on the paper. Once that was done, she gathered up all the pieces of paper.

A minute later CAO Savill came to the head of the council table and said, “There has been an equality of votes”.

Now it appeared as if all eight members of council were surprised.

When Frontenac County Council expanded from four to eight members at the beginning of this term, it was decided that whoever was the mayor of South Frontenac would have two votes, to give council nine votes. That was in order to give South Frontenac, which includes almost 60% of the population, some extra clout and it would also avoid deadlocked votes.

So why the tie vote?

“Each council only has one vote for the election of officers,” said Susan Beckel. She later explained that that was one of the stipulations in the procedural bylaw that council passed in 2010.

Liz Savill then said, “We’ll have to draw for a winner.”

She wrote the two names on two pieces of paper, folded them and put them in a hat.

Gary Davison pulled one and handed it to Savill.

“Janet Gutowski is the new warden,” Savill said.

With that, the deputy warden position came open.

Once again there were two nominees, Bud Clayton and Dennis Doyle. Another vote was taken and Dennis Doyle was declared the winner.

Afterwards Warden Gutowski said that the split on council that the vote for warden revealed was “just part of the growing pains of the new makeup of council. To me it is all water under the bridge and we will now move forward.”

She also said that one of her major goals for 2012 will be to get work on a County Official Plan off to a good start, to engage the City of Kingston in more meaningful discussions about shared issues, and to start addressing the infrastructure needs of the member townships in the County.

(Note – At this time only the four mayors are eligible for election as warden or deputy warden. In order to be eligible, a member on county council must have been elected by all the electors in his/her township, and not just by electors in one ward.)

Photo: Architects drawing of the new school.

Trustee Ann Goodfellow, along with Limestone Board Manager of Facility Services David Fowler, and Manager of Planning Wayne Toms, brought the preliminary drawings for the new Sharbot Lake Kindergarten to Grade 12 school to Central Frontenac Council’s Dec. 13 meeting. The school will be built in the parking lot of the current high school over the next 20 months.

The L shaped, three-storey design is very similar to the one that was presented in July and has been further refined by the project’s architect.

The school will be a 69,000 square foot building, including a full gym and an adjacent cafeteria/auditorium, all located on the second floor of the building.

“Our plans are to build a school that will accommodate 220 secondary and 239 elementary students, which will open its doors in September of 2013,” said David Fowler. “We are awaiting approvals in the winter and are hoping to go to tender and then break ground in the spring. It will be exciting to put this facility in the community.”

Among the features of the current plan are the ability of the wall between the cafeteria/auditorium and the gym to be removed to open up a large space for community use.

“If it were all opened up, there would be space for up to 1,000 people,” said Ann Goodfellow.

In line with provincial policy, all levels, and all the rooms in the building will be fully accessible. Care has also been taken to ensure that younger students are kept in a separate space from the older students. It will also have classrooms for special needs students on all three levels.

Mayor Janet Gutowski said, “I can tell you that the whole community is really looking forward to this. I’m very proud that we will have the first school in the Limestone Board that has been specifically designed as a Kindergarten to grade 12 building, and that it is a true partnership between the school board and the township.” 

Central Frontenac Council – Dec. 13,

By Jeff Green

In their final meeting of 2011, Central Frontenac Council received a lot of information about planning matters, roads and waste management issues, and learned that they will be deep into budget deliberations in early January of 2012.

Kennebec Lake subdivision – In a first for the township, planning consultant Glenn Tunnock outlined how McIntosh Perry, the developer that is planning to build a 24-lot subdivision with 16 waterfront lots as well as 8 back lots on Kennebec Lake, has been working collaboratively not only with the township and conservation authority, but with the Kennebec Lake Association as well.

Greg Newman from McIntosh Perry outlined the proposal, which is wending its way through the plan of subdivision, zoning bylaw amendment, and severance processes in Central Frontenac and Frontenac County.

The current plan calls for the new subdivision to be accessed off Henderson Road just south of the Kennebec Lake bridge. The access road will be built to township standards and will become a township road,

One unusual departure of the project is that McIntosh Perry is planning to give most of the land that is not being used for building lots to the township for use as parkland. The land that will be offered totals over 60% of the Baker Valley property that McIntosh Perry is developing.

In the earlier planning stages, a common waterfront area was going to be set aside for use by the 8 non-waterfront lot owners, but that idea has been shelved.

Garrison Shores – Township Planning Co-ordinator Cathy MacMunn said that the long, long, awaited Garrison Shores condominium agreement is on the agenda for approval at Frontenac County Council this week.

(Note – the Frontenac County meeting took place on Wednesday morning, December 14, after this edition of the Frontenac News had gone to press. By the time you are reading this, residents of Garrison Shores should have deeds to their properties after waiting almost 30 years.)

Public Works – For those who think that township snow plows have been a rare sight on gravel roads, Public Works Manager Mike Richardson explained why. “The gravel roads are still not frozen,” Richardson said, “which causes us some difficulty in clearing the roads without unintentionally scraping some gravel off. We try not to plow the gravel roads at this time of year if the snow is not very deep.”

Hinchinbrooke garage repairs – the Ministry of Labour has taken an interest in the state of the Hinchinbrooke garage, which has forced the township to take action. Work has been done to repair a leaking roof and window. Also, holes have been made in the back wall by some of the township’s larger plows. Richardson reported that rather than just repairing the walls, a wood frame extension is being built at minimal cost and the walls will be repaired after that so that no more holes will be punched through.

“Why are the drivers allowed to drive through the end of the garage?” asked Councilor Bill Snyder.

“It’s not that drivers are allowed to drive through the garage,” said Richardson, who then paused, and said, “I don’t have an answer for that.

Mayor Gutowski intervened.

“Those holes have come about over time, some of it several years ago, before Mike Richardson came to the township. Basically the garage hasn’t gotten bigger, but our vehicles have,” she said.

Mike Richardson said he is trying to spend as little money as possible on the garage while still complying with Ministry of Labour orders because he will be making a proposal to Council during the budget debate for a plan that will involve mothballing the Hinchinbrooke garage and moving all the equipment to another location.

Bridge plan – Richardson presented a 5-year capital bridge plan that calls for a $350,000 bridge repair budget each year. Included in 2012 is the replacement of the Johnston Road bridge, and a new culvert on the Fall River Road.

Waste not want not – Waste Management Supervisor Kyle Labbett brought several proposals to council from the waste management committee

In the first, the committee requested that brush and lumber for burning be accepted only at the Hinchinbooke transfer station.

The committee also wants to limit the time frame during which residents can take advantage of their annual free load. The free dump will be available for two weeks (and 3 weekends) in the spring and fall. The spring dates are between the weekend before the May 24th weekend, until the weekend after the May 24th weekend, and the fall dates are from the weekend before Labour Day until the weekend after Labour Day.

The waste management committee also looked once again at the possibility of a transfer station at the former Chippego Lake dump site in the far southwest of the township, far from any other waste site, in response to a petition from area residents.

Once again they found the costs were too high and they denied the request.

Finally, Kyle Labbett reported that new materials will be able to be recycled. Tetrapacks, juice boxes and milk cartons can all be recycled with other paper products. Paper coffee cups can also be recycled in the paper stream, while the lids must go in the bin for plastic and tin.

Central Frontenac is also partnering with North Frontenac in the purchase of Blue Boxes, which will be sold to residents for a nominal fee. Dry cell batteries will also be recycled in the township, in bins that will be located at commercial outlets in various locations.

Construction details – Permits for a shade under $8 million in construction have been taken out this year, about half a million more than 2010. In all, 17 new residential units are under construction, as compared to 21 at this time last year (the 2010 total included the five-unit not-for-profit seniors’ housing project, which counted as five new units.)

Love-in at SF Council

South Frontenac Council held their final Committee of the Whole meeting of the year on Tuesday night and they took the opportunity to indulge in a little back-slapping.

Chief Administrative Officer Wayne Orr presented a long list of council accomplishments in their first year, including: adopting a committee structure and strategic plan, building a new library in Sydenham; improving waste management and recycling procedures and opening a hazardous waste recycling facility; building a new salt dome in Portland; achieving a record dollar value in new construction permits, etc.

Deputy Mayor John McDougall said that he has been impressed by the respectful way that members of council have treated each other and staff.

He did ask, however, why council never discussed some issues such as Ontario Works, housing, child and family services, and small business and tourism.

“We should be kept informed of these areas, even though they are not our responsibilities,” he said.

Councilor Ron Vandewal commented on the work of the township staff “The new staff (CEO, Public Works, Treasurer) have introduced different ways of doing things, that are working well,” he said.

Councilor Bill Robinson agreed that the year had gone well: “I hope we’re not getting swelled heads, or too big for our britches, I think it’s good. Thank you.”

Mayor Davison introduced a review of the in-house committee structure by saying that although the idea had not been welcomed at first, it was working really well. There was general agreement to keep the present committee membership and structure unchanged for the coming year:

Councilor Del Stowe commented that he felt council meetings had greatly improved, with a lot less repetition and talking out of turn.

New works manager to make his mark in North Frontenac

Jim Phillips has kept a low profile since taking on the role of public works manager in North Frontenac a couple of months ago.

Philips was hired after a summer-long search took place, a search that became necessary after the abrupt (and involuntary, the News has learned) retirement of John Ibey in the spring.

But as North Frontenac Council begins the 2012 budget process, Phillips will have a higher profile, with council at least, as decisions are made about roads and other projects for 2012.

In a 2011 projects report that was presented to a Council meeting on Monday, December 12, Phillips listed a number of projects that did not get completed this year and outlined briefly how he plans to revisit them in the new year.

He made the point that the vacancy and hiring of a new public works manager was mainly responsible for a relatively high number of projects being carried over to the new year, although there were other reasons as well.

“Some of the projects would have a significant impact on the 2012 budget,” said Chief Administrative Officer/ Treasurer Cheryl Robson.

One of those projects is the replacement of the Folger Road bridge. A consultant’s report had estimated the cost of the replacement at $650,000, which would have eaten up much of the 2011 construction budget. Monies were budgeted in 2011, using the township’s gas tax rebate funds, to use an alternate technology, which was to cost only $72,550 and be completed by township employees instead of outside contractors.

“Upon review, it appears that the cost to design and construct the new concrete abutments may be understated. A review of the full scope of this project is planned for the 2012 budget,” Phillips wrote in his report to Council.

Construction on the River Road to replace a 6’ culvert had been planned at a cost of $24,000, using a more simplified approach than was recommended by AECOM Engineering for $345,000.

“A review of the scope of this project is also planned for the 2012 budget,” said Phillips.

Council approved up to $50,000, to be taken from the roads reserve fund, for repairs to the back wall of the Clar-Mill Sand/Salt storage building, “but it now appears that reinforcement of the side walls may also be warranted and that will most likely exceed the budgeted amount,” Phillips said.

Other smaller projects that were not completed include the retrofit of the Ompah fuel storage tank and pump, for which $10,000 was budgeted. However, a contractor quote exceeded that amount.

Money was also put aside for the North Frontenac portion of the Skootamatta Road, a boundary road with Addington Highlands, for repairs and preparation for paving, but the $40,000 for Skoottamatta Road was diverted to fund work on Big Gull Lake Road.

“Is it fair to say that you are reconsidering some of the projects from last year that did not go ahead?” asked Councilor John Inglis of Jim Phillips.

“I just wanted to have a thorough look at everything before making recommendations,” Phillips responded.

EODP heavily subscribed – Anne Prichard from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) made a presentation to Council about the Eastern Ontario Development Plan (EODP) and opportunities for funding support for municipal projects.

The first funding applications will be due on February 6 for projects that are to commence in April of 2012.

There were two earlier deadlines, November 14 and November 28, to allocate funds for 2011.

In their final meeting of 2011, Central Frontenac Council received a lot of information about planning matters, roads and waste management issues, and learned that they will be deep into budget deliberations in early January of 2012.

Kennebec Lake subdivision – In a first for the township, planning consultant Glenn Tunnock outlined how McIntosh Perry, the developer that is planning to build a 24-lot subdivision with 16 waterfront lots as well as 8 back lots on Kennebec Lake, has been working collaboratively not only with the township and conservation authority, but with the Kennebec Lake Association as well.

Greg Newman from McIntosh Perry outlined the proposal, which is wending its way through the plan of subdivision, zoning bylaw amendment, and severance processes in Central Frontenac and Frontenac County.

The current plan calls for the new subdivision to be accessed off Henderson Road just south of the Kennebec Lake bridge. The access road will be built to township standards and will become a township road,

One unusual departure of the project is that McIntosh Perry is planning to give most of the land that is not being used for building lots to the township for use as parkland. The land that will be offered totals over 60% of the Baker Valley property that McIntosh Perry is developing.

In the earlier planning stages, a common waterfront area was going to be set aside for use by the 8 non-waterfront lot owners, but that idea has been shelved.

Garrison Shores – Township Planning Co-ordinator Cathy MacMunn said that the long, long, awaited Garrison Shores condominium agreement is on the agenda for approval at Frontenac County Council this week.

(Note – the Frontenac County meeting took place on Wednesday morning, December 14, after this edition of the Frontenac News had gone to press. By the time you are reading this, residents of Garrison Shores should have deeds to their properties after waiting almost 30 years.)

Public Works – For those who think that township snow plows have been a rare sight on gravel roads, Public Works Manager Mike Richardson explained why. “The gravel roads are still not frozen,” Richardson said, “which causes us some difficulty in clearing the roads without unintentionally scraping some gravel off. We try not to plow the gravel roads at this time of year if the snow is not very deep.”

Hinchinbrooke garage repairs – the Ministry of Labour has taken an interest in the state of the Hinchinbrooke garage, which has forced the township to take action. Work has been done to repair a leaking roof and window. Also, holes have been made in the back wall by some of the township’s larger plows. Richardson reported that rather than just repairing the walls, a wood frame extension is being built at minimal cost and the walls will be repaired after that so that no more holes will be punched through.

“Why are the drivers allowed to drive through the end of the garage?” asked Councilor Bill Snyder.

“It’s not that drivers are allowed to drive through the garage,” said Richardson, who then paused, and said, “I don’t have an answer for that.

Mayor Gutowski intervened.

“Those holes have come about over time, some of it several years ago, before Mike Richardson came to the township. Basically the garage hasn’t gotten bigger, but our vehicles have,” she said.

Mike Richardson said he is trying to spend as little money as possible on the garage while still complying with Ministry of Labour orders because he will be making a proposal to Council during the budget debate for a plan that will involve mothballing the Hinchinbrooke garage and moving all the equipment to another location.

Bridge plan – Richardson presented a 5-year capital bridge plan that calls for a $350,000 bridge repair budget each year. Included in 2012 is the replacement of the Johnston Road bridge, and a new culvert on the Fall River Road.

Waste not want not – Waste Management Supervisor Kyle Labbett brought several proposals to council from the waste management committee

In the first, the committee requested that brush and lumber for burning be accepted only at the Hinchinbooke transfer station.

The committee also wants to limit the time frame during which residents can take advantage of their annual free load. The free dump will be available for two weeks (and 3 weekends) in the spring and fall. The spring dates are between the weekend before the May 24th weekend, until the weekend after the May 24th weekend, and the fall dates are from the weekend before Labour Day until the weekend after Labour Day.

The waste management committee also looked once again at the possibility of a transfer station at the former Chippego Lake dump site in the far southwest of the township, far from any other waste site, in response to a petition from area residents.

Once again they found the costs were too high and they denied the request.

Finally, Kyle Labbett reported that new materials will be able to be recycled. Tetrapacks, juice boxes and milk cartons can all be recycled with other paper products. Paper coffee cups can also be recycled in the paper stream, while the lids must go in the bin for plastic and tin.

Central Frontenac is also partnering with North Frontenac in the purchase of Blue Boxes, which will be sold to residents for a nominal fee. Dry cell batteries will also be recycled in the township, in bins that will be located at commercial outlets in various locations.

Construction details – Permits for a shade under $8 million in construction have been taken out this year, about half a million more than 2010. In all, 17 new residential units are under construction, as compared to 21 at this time last year (the 2010 total included the five-unit not-for-profit seniors’ housing project, which counted as five new units.)

County planning services pitch to CF

By Julie Druker

The county Manager Of Sustainability Planning, Joe Gallivan, appeared before council extolling the benefits of using his services as an in-house county planner instead of the private contractor, Tunnock Consulting, whom the township uses now.

Gallivan proposed a cost recovery approach for the processing of all privately initiated applications. Planning application reports would be charged back to the applicant on an hourly basis with no charges for pre-consultation or general planning inquiries for either the township staff or the public. The proposed fees for all privately initiated services would be $55 an hour for the manager of sustainability planning, $30 for the community planner, and no charge for the GIS specialist.

There would be no fees associated with the processing of a municipally initiated planning application.

“Based on our research the costs would be roughly half the cost of what private consultants charge, bringing a cost savings not to just developers but also to the average citizen,” Gallivan said.

He listed the benefits of the proposed planning changes as follows: 1) unlike services provided by external consultants, no profit is built into the planning fees; 2) services would be exclusive to Frontenac County planning issues and therefore townships could focus on local and cross-boundary solutions; 3) with the county's new GIS system in place, all mapping needs could be done in house, saving further costs and time; 4) land use planning would become aligned with economic development planning; and 5) lower costs would encourage additional economic development in the area.

Following the presentation, Councilor Heather Fox asked if, given Gallivan’s present work load, another planner would need to be hired.

“Based on the volume over the last few years and quite frankly it’s not a lot of volume for three townships, it would be 500-650 hours per year for the regular day-to-day work and not including any other large projects. We could handle that without hiring another planner,” Gallivan said.

Local resident Opposed to proposed Property Standards By-Law

Lynn Shwadchuk of Sharbot Lake expressed her opposition to the township’s plan to draft a property standards by- law.

“What people forget is that this will always be a claim-based by-law and whatever is in it will become ammunition for neighbours to go after each other for infractions, “she said. “My position here is to suggest that we instead make the Safe Properties by-law a little more specific so that it’s not just a matter of opinion.” She stated how the Bancroft by-law being looked at by council as an example is overkill.

“Why spend money and time on developing a document that would really would be very difficult and likely expensive to enforce? Shouldn't we just encourage people to be friendly and help each other out?” she asked

Two tentative dates have been scheduled for public meetings to discuss the issue with members of council. They are January 18 in Arden and January 25 in Sharbot Lake.

Project manager to help kick-start AH township office/fire hall project.

Members of Addington Highlands Council spent almost 30 minutes at their Dec. 5 meeting talking their way to a decision about how to get a major building project underway.

Thus far the township has issued two separate “Request for Proposal” (RFP) documents for architectural services related to building a combined township office and fire hall on a piece of property that the township has purchased on Hwy. 41, just south of Northbrook.

Each time the responses that came back envisioned buildings that are larger and more expensive than the township is able to finance, leaving council unsure of how to proceed.

“I think we would be better off with a design-build model where we have one single contract, rather than getting an architect to design the building and then having to go to tender to find someone to build it,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “With a design-build RFP we would be able to choose from a number of designs, but if we hire an architect we will be stuck with a single design.”

“I think that if you hire an architectural firm to do what is their specialty, their entire business, you will get a better product in the end,” said Councilor Tony Fritsch.

“Whatever we decide, we’d better get something going if we want to get something built,” said Deputy Reeve Bill Cox.

“I don’t have the expertise to deal with this. I think we need some help,” said Councilor Helen Yanch.

“We definitely do need some expertise to move forward with this,” said Henry Hogg.

Council decided to canvas Jewell Engineering and a number of other firms to get the best price on project management services. The project manager will then prepare an RFP for architectural or design-build services.

When contacted later by phone, Reeve Hogg said that he is hoping to get this project well underway, if not completed within the next year.

The township only has limited amounts in capital reserve funds for the project, so it will have to borrow money to complete it. There are no estimates as to the final costing for the project.

Municipal Affairs delivers ‘non’ report card

Stephen Seller, who works out of the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs in Kingston, brought what he called a snapshot financial report to Addington Highlands Council.

“Ultimately you folks are responsible for making financial decisions. We do this report to give you a sense of how your numbers compare to other similar townships,” he said.

Sellers explained that, using data from 2010, which he acknowledged was dated, he looked at eight different financial categories and assigned levels of risk to the township.

In most categories, Addington Highlands is facing what Sellers called “low or minimal risk”. This includes the level of debt as compared to revenue, and total reserve funds as a percentage of expenses. In one category, however, there is some concern, and that one is the percentage of tax arrears. Expressed as percentage of taxes receivable, tax arrears now stand at 23% in the township, and that number has been increasing bit by bit over the last three years.

“Tax arrears have always been in the 20% range in your township, which is pretty high, but they have gone up a bit lately, perhaps as a reflection of the overall economy, and for that reason I put you in the high risk category,” Sellers said.

“How can we address that?” asked Bill Cox.

“Some townships get aggressive with tax sales and that tends to bring the percentage down,” Sellers said.

“I don't know if that would be a great idea for us; we might be better off to try and work with people instead,” Cox said.

Strategic Planning – Before leaving, Stephen Sellers said that the ministry is available to facilitate strategic planning exercises for municipalities, as a free service.

Council expressed interest, and will likely be setting up a one-day session in the near future.

Denbigh Community Center - A new filter bed has been installed as part of the renovations to the centre. In addition, with the help of a Trillium grant, the Library will be moving over, and council approved a proposal to move the Denbigh Food Bank to the new center from its current location in the basement of the United Church.

No volunteer for housing advisory – There was a call for council members to join the Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Housing Advisory Committee. Perhaps as a reflection of the committee's bias towards the southern end of Lennox and Addington, none of the AH councilors volunteered to join the committee.

According to Derreck Roemer, the Lost Highway project had its impetus when his filmmaking partner Neil Graham, who was riding his motorcycle on the stretch of Highway 7 from Peterborough to Ottawa, noticed that once he passed the Tweed turnoff there was very little at the side of the road except some empty shells of former restaurants, motels and gas stations.

Neil Graham knew the local area somewhat, being related to the former owner of what was then the Saylor's Inn near Arden, and the filmmakers wondered if there was a story in the question of what happened to cause this pocket of Eastern Ontario to fall on hard times when it is located in the vicinity of the growth that has characterized southern Ontario for years and years.

“There was an article in the Guardian newspaper (Guardian.co.uk) about a woman living in an old gas station on Route 66 in the United States. Neil sent it to me and said, 'look at this woman'. It made me wonder who we would find by knocking on doors on Highway 7 between Kaladar and Perth,” Derreck Roemer said in a phone interview last week.

The project was kick-started in 2009 when Roemer and Graham interviewed former Reeve and Frontenac County Warden Howard Gibbs at his now closed garage between Arden and Mountain Grove, and Insurgent Productions, Roemer and Graham's production company, recently received funding from TVO to produce an hour-long documentary by the end of 2012 for airing in 2013.

The project also includes a web site and a web forum to collect materials about the Arden region.

“As the project has developed we realized the original idea of looking at the highway between Kaladar and Perth was too broad and we have focused in on Arden,” Roemer said.

One of the elements that has piqued Insurgent Productions’ interest has been the Arden rejuvenation project through the ongoing Friends of Arden project.

The two-man film crew showed up at a meeting of Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday, November 22 to film David Dashke and Terry Kennedy from the 'Friends' as they presented an update of recent activities and future plans.

Don Amos and Maribeth Scott from Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) were also a delegation at that council meeting. They presented an update of the NFCS Youth program and Neil Graham quickly turned his camera on them.

“We heard from people in Arden that all the young people are leaving the area as soon as they can and here were people who were trying to give them a reason to stay, so we ended up meeting with Don Amos the next day,” Derreck Roemer said.

At this point the shape of the Lost Highway film is evolving, according to Dereck Roemer. The plan is to structure the film around four or so individual stories, and the filmmakers are casting about for those four stories.

“We are hoping to find a young person to profile, which is what interested us about the youth program,” he said.

To learn more about the local region, Insurgent Projects has rented a house on the Henderson Road, which will serve as a base. They will be there for about a week at a time periodically throughout the next six months or so to get a feel for the local community in the different seasons.

Whether the film ends up delivering a hopeful message about Arden, a forlorn one, or some combination of the two is not yet clear, even to the filmmakers.

“We aren't coming in with a fixed message. We want to look at rural life, the issues that people face here,” he said.

Roemer and Graham made a movie about the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto a few years ago. The Gemini award-winning documentary was about the renovations to what had been a rundown hotel in the Parkdale region of Toronto. It ended up portraying in some detail the lives of the people who had been living in the hotel and were displaced as it was modernized.

It will be interesting to see how the lives of Ardenites are portrayed in “Lost Highway”.

For more information visit: thelosthighway.ca/the-film

Photo: Felt elves created by Rosie Kotze

Holiday gift buyers crammed the MERA school house in McDonald’s Corners for their annual Christmas sale. Shoppers had a choice of an eclectic array of hand-made gifts created by local area artists and makers, which included holiday treats to tantalize the taste buds and arts and crafts galore, including wearable and decorative weaves, fine fabric bags for your favorites vintages, toys for the kids, paintings, handmade chocolates and much more.

Delectable treats and beverages were available from the MERA Café and MERA members were represented at one craft table where Linda Zeisner was selling various items with all of the proceeds being donated back to the MERA coffers. Downstairs in the pottery studio, children had a chance to try their luck at a number of different crafts courtesy of three long time MERA members. Potter Molly Forsythe demonstrated how to make pots; Maria Hofbauer, straw star ornaments while Rosie Kotze helped kids and adults alike to make their very own cute and cuddly felted elves.

Shoppers also had a chance to enter a draw to win various gift baskets donated by the participating artisans.

Mingling amongst the shoppers was the newest member of the MERA group, David Poole (photo right), the recently hired new arts administrator, who was thrilled to be a part of MERA’s holiday buzz. Poole, who was born and raised and lives in Perth, brings decades of expertise to his new post. He was a former arts administrator for the Canada Council for the Arts, where he specialized in Media Arts, and has a film degree from the New York University.

Poole said he first became aware of MERA early on in his stint at the Canada Council (which he just retired from in 2007) and recalled that way back then it was and remains “a very high profile community arts organization.” When the opportunity arose to become a part of MERA he said he saw “an ideal opportunity to use some of my skills as an administrator close to home in a community that has a very engaged and active membership.”

Poole will be working closely with MERA members and volunteers who put together the programs, workshops and events and is excited about MERA’s current mandate to try to get younger people involved in the programming. “You always want to ensure the participation of young, new blood that can bring new vitality into programming, with the aim that the organization continues to grow and thrive.” he said. Poole is confident in the experience he brings to his new post. “I believe I have what it takes on the administration sides of things but also the ability to bridge the gap between that side and the creative side of things. It’s the marriage of the two that can allow for great things to happen.”

To see what is happening at MERA visit meraschoolhouse.org or call 613-278-0388.

Retail logic applied to South Frontenac budget

Cam Naish, the owner of Naish’s General Store, brought some of his marketing savvy to the South Frontenac budget process this week.

Township staff had presented a budget that, based upon a set of calculations they had made, would bring a 3% tax increase to the average household in the township.

“You may think this is crazy but people prefer things priced a little under round figures; it just sounds better. So can we adjust the budget to make the increase 2.98%?” asked Naish.

Township CAO Wayne Orr said that a slight adjustment to the amount to be transferred to reserve funds would do the trick, and council agreed.

Although the township staff calculations put the impact of the budget on the average household at a 2.98% increase, in raw numbers the amount of money to be charged to South Frontenac ratepayers for township purposes in 2012 is up by about 11%. In 2011, the total levy to ratepayers was $10.9 million and in 2012 it will be $12.1 million.

One of the budgetary initiatives that CAO Orr has been working on is to address the fact that the township has been drawing down its reserve funds each year in order to minimize tax increases. For 2011, $1.51 million was drawn from reserves, and in 2012 that figure is down to $1.18 million.

“We are working, over time, at weaning ourselves from using the reserve funds. It’s something we have to do,” said Orr.

Council will adopt the budget numbers at their December 6 meeting.

The budget bylaw will not be approved until sometime in 2012, when the Education and Frontenac County levies are known. But for South Frontenac Council itself, the 2012 budget process is over. This is the earliest, by several months, that any Frontenac Township has been able to complete their budget.

The preliminary Frontenac County budget will be presented to County Council on December 14.

Household Hazardous Waste - Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth brought a report to council about what he called “a very successful first year” of operating a hazardous waste depot.

Success, in the hazardous waste collection business, translates into higher costs, however.

The estimated cost of running the program for one year had been around $17,000 for operating the depot and $18,250 for the transport and disposal of material.

The actual costs were $12,500 for operations and almost $41,000 for transport and disposal.

“The transport and disposal costs are significantly higher because much more material was collected than originally estimated,” said Segsworth.

However, Segsworth also reported that he is close to completing an agreement with Stewardship Ontario, the government/industry body that oversees recycling in the province, and once the agreement is signed the township will be eligible for a 50% rebate of total program costs.

Segsworth also reported that the township is in the process of altering its Certificate of Approval with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to allow for the collection of hazardous waste from outside of South Frontenac.

Central Frontenac Township has expressed interest in using the site and once the new Certificate of Approval is in place, South Frontenac will be in a position to formally enter into negotiations with Central Frontenac.

“I know this is expensive, and hopefully we will be able to get some money back, but when people have talked to me about this they have not talked about price, they only said they needed someplace to bring their hazardous waste. This is a great thing to bring to our township,” said Councilor Ron Vandewal.

Councilor Larry York asked when the recycling of baler wrap will commence, because a number of farmers he knows are starting to stockpile their wrap in anticipation of a recycling depot.

“It’s closer than it’s ever been,” said Segsworth, “I’d say early in the new year.”

North Frontenac Council gives New Energy project a cold shoulder

Ruth Noordegraff is the part time program manager for the New Energy Project, an initiative that is being supported by Frontenac County, the Kingston Economic Development Council (KEDCO), the City of Kingston, Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College and others.

Noordegraff visited North Frontenac Council on Nov. 28. She said that the project is interested in and can provide resources for economic development initiatives that promote a sustainable economic and environmental future.

“You have already had some successes here, with the waste management program of the township and the Frontenac Transportation Service. The dark skies tourism initiative is one that could be very important as well. We can help you to look at solar and wind energy, or micro-hydro.”

Noordegraff said the main reason for her visit was to introduce herself and the New Energy Project, and to let Council know that there are resources available to help with new initiatives.

“What do you want and is it a viable project are the key questions for any initiative,” she said.

After her presentation, John Inglis, who as a member of Frontenac County Council sits on the county’s Green Energy Task Force, said that the New Energy Project needs to develop a new vision statement.

“The vision statement is very off-putting, very airy fairy. It is very difficult to understand and accept,” he said.

“I understand what you are saying,” said Noordegraff.

The New Energy Project Vision statement starts, as follows:

“This is the dawning of a new day, fresh light reveals a living landscape wild with possibilities and progressive action.

People inspired, inspiring others. We grow greener with every season. Breathing deeply, we draw in the future, then release the energy and ideas that move us forward, that will sustain our success … “

Lonnie Watkins then pressed Ruth Noordegraff over the Ontario Hydro Micro-Fit program, which has resulted in a large number of solar panels sprouting on rooftops and on ground-mounted frames throughout Frontenac County and Ontario as a whole.

“How can a system that pays 80 cents to a producer for power that it sells at 7 cents be a sustainable project?” he asked.

“I understand your opinion,” said Noordegraff, “but the New Energy Project is broader than the Micro-Fit.”

Council eats crow over young firefighters –

A complaint that was aired at a meeting of the Joint Fire Board that North Frontenac shares with Addington Highlands Township led North Frontenac Council to rescind a motion that they passed at their November 14 council meeting. The motion said that no firefighter under the age of 19 may attend any ‘incident’ for any fire service that is funded by North Frontenac.

“The problem is that the Joint Fire Service is funded by both North Frontenac and Addington Highlands, so our motion tied their hands, which is not something we should be doing,” said Councilor Wayne Good, one of the North Frontenac representatives to the Joint Fire Board.

Council agreed to rescind the motion and will hear from the two fire chiefs involved in both services, Steve Riddell and Casey Cuddy, about what the existing protocols are for firefighters between the ages of 16 and 19.

Pine Lake island names - The Ministry of Natural Resources has accepted the township’s recommendation for the name of one island on Pine Lake, Priest Island, but another island, which the township wanted to name Millie’s Island, has been named Shingwak Island, the name that the MNR had initially put forward. Shingwak is an Ojibwe word for Pine according to Warren Upham in his book “Minnesota Place Names”.

Cenotaph task force – Council has appointed Gerry Martin, Wayne Good and Bud Clayton and staff member Cory Klatt to a task force that will be looking into establishing a cenotaph somewhere in the township.