Proposal for Deerock Lake campsites

Justin Punchard from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), and Terry Murphy from Quinte Conservation appeared before Addington Highlands Council on Monday to talk about Deerock Lake.

Quinte operates a boat launch at the southeast corner of the lake, which is located to the west of Flinton. The lake is surrounded by Crown Land and has been a popular camping and fishing spot for many years. This has raised some concerns because in recent years campers have become negligent. Many of the campsites are covered in litter, and there is glass and other garbage strewn about. Some of the islands on the lake have had all the trees removed for firewood.

This winter, Punchard and another MNRF staff member took a detailed tour of the lake. They came up with a plan to develop 26 approved campsites on the lake and to ban camping everywhere else. They also gathered electronic data in order to place the 26 sites on a map accurately.

“The model we are thinking of following is similar to what North Frontenac does with North Frontenac Parkland,” said Punchard. “If we can get out there and clean up the mess in order to start over again, and then keep camping to the 26 sites and eliminate camping on all but two of the islands, which would remove 10 sites, it should be good for the lake and the campers, and give the small islands a chance to recover.”

Terry Murphy said that it would not be the difficult to set up an online booking system for campsites, and down the road it might be an idea to charge for camping to build up some money to invest back in maintenance of the sites.

At this point the township is only being informed about the plan as part of a consultation process. Although North Frontenac runs Frontenac Parklands themselves under a land use permit from the MNRF, the most likely option for Deerock would be for Quinte Conservation to take on that role since they already manage the lake and operate a dam at one end.

Punchard said there are 30 or more volunteers from the ministry who are willing to work on a cleanup project this spring, joining volunteers from Conservationists of Frontenac Addington (COFA) and members of the Frontenac Addington Trappers Council.

“We are hoping we can get free dumping from the township for the materials we collect. Perhaps as well the township could bring one of the large bins from a waste site to the shoreline at the public boat launch when the clean up is taking place.”

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Reeve Henry Hogg, said the free dumping will be easy but moving a bin might prove to be more of a problem.

Land O'Lakes Lions - Alex Chisholm, Chair of the Land O'Lakes Lions Club, came to Council to request that Fire Hall Road in Northbrook be renamed Lions Hall Road since the fire hall has been replaced and will be torn down and the Lions Hall is located on the road. He also asked that the township look at a new streetlight on Highway 41.

Council voted to approve the road name change in principle, and will begin a process of public notice with a view towards making the change this year. As far as streetlights are concerned, it is a matter for the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), which has jurisdiction over the highway. Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath recommended that the Lions contact the MTO directly with a request for more lighting.

Flinton Jamboree

Andy Anderson appeared before council on behalf of the Flinton Jamboree. He asked if the township could have their insurer include a rider in the township's policy to cover the Jamboree, and said the Jamboree would pay the added cost.

Deputy Mayor Yanch said that the insurance company recommended against this, but “they have an insurance product that is designed for public events like the Jamboree and ask that you contact them yourself. We can provide the contact information.”

Anderson then said that he feels the township does not provide enough support for the Jamboree, or other events.

“This township doesn't support anything,” he said.

Yanch said that the council does provide support when it can, and pointed out the township donates the property for the Jamboree.”

“Some groups apply for grants,” said Councillor Tony Fritsch. “You can ask for money.”

Joint meeting

Council received a request from the Township of North Frontenac to hold a joint meeting about the budget for the joint fire department.

North Frontenac is concerned about dwindling reserves in the department's budget. Tony Fritsch, one of the Addington Highlands reps to the Joint Fire Committee, said he is aware of the issue, but Addington Highlands is facing a budget crunch.

“It is getting to the point where little townships can hardly afford to do anything,” he said.

A meeting will be scheduled for later this spring.

Hartington subdivision – once more with consultants

Even though the proposal to build a 13-lot subdivision in the hamlet of Hartington is already the subject of an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) because it has taken over six months for the approval process to be completed, the matter came before Council anyway on Tuesday night, and opponents of the project were there to view the proceedings as well.

Council considered a report from Planner Lindsay Mills that recommended they communicate support for the project to Frontenac County, subject to 28 conditions.

This did not deter Council from considering the matter at length, or from ordering a new consultant's report on the proposal.

In response to Planner Lindsay Mills' recommendation, Councilor Alan Revill said that after reading all the reports on the project, he remains concerned about the impact of the project on the water supply for those within the subdivision and those in the vicinity of it.

“It occurs to me that the aquifer in this area is relatively sensitive, and taken as a whole, I'm not comfortable with the reports we are basing our decision on. They do not convince me of the volume or the quality of the water supply,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Ross Sutherland proposed an amendment, an eight-lot subdivision in place of the 13- lot proposal. “At that density I think the project is appropriate,” he said. Council did not agree and Sutherland's amendment was defeated.

Councilor Mark Shjerning then moved that the entire matter be deferred. He said that since there are many sets of conflicting reports on the water situation in the vicinity of the proposed subdivision, “What we need to provide us with clarity is a consultant's report that looks at all the existing reports and gives us some answers before we make our decision. It's also important to listen to our constituents.”

Council passed Shjerning's motion to defer.

As to who will pay for the consultant that will be hired by the township, the planning consultant for the applicant, Terry Grant, said that his client will not be paying.

“He's already appealed this to the OMB; the township will have to pay for this,” he said.

Zoning approved for group home for youth

Council approved a zoning change to permit a house on Campbell Road near Sydenham to be used as a group home for 8 to 12-year-olds.

Petworth Mill to become township property

Council decided to accept the transfer of the land and the remains of the former Petworth Mill on the Napanee River from a resident as a contribution to parkland in the township.

The township's insurer said that in order to mitigate against risk it would be wise to erect a fence around the property, at a cost of between $18,000 and $20,000.

Councilor McDougall gave an impassioned speech in support of taking on the property in order to preserve some of the history of Petworth. For effect, he even brought copies of literary works that reference Petworth, Bellrock and the Napanee River, including “In the Skin of the Lion” by Michael Ondaatje, which begins with the description of a log run from Bellrock down the Napanee.

Everyone on Council expressed a desire to take ownership of the property. They did not want to spend $20,000 on a fence, however.

“Our tolerance for liability is all over the map,” said Mayor Vandewal. “I think we can handle this. It's been a liability for someone for 40 years already. I do think we should remove some trees, clean up the property and shore up the building, however, so it looks like something”.

Council decided to take the property for now, and will worry about whether fencing is required at a later date.

North Frontenac waste sites earn praise from new consultant – township has 40 years of dump life left

David Bucholz, from Cambium Consulting, made his first report to North Frontenac Council on February 26 after his company took over the monitoring contract for waste sites as part of a county-wide procurement initiative.

“In my job I've seen a lot. I've seen how not to manage sites. The North Frontenac sites are neat and trimmed; the testing wells are in good order, they are locked. There is no loose garbage, and that matters for residents and it matters when the Ministry of the Environment comes to inspect. Your sites are managed with due diligence and care, with effective signage and not too much signage. From a monitoring point of view everything we needed was easy to access. I'd like to commend you on the way you operate the sites.”

Bucholz reported that all of the six active sites in the township have over 30 years of capacity at current dumping rates, with an average of 39 years overall. Although Cambium found a significant decrease in the amount of material entering landfill in 2015 as compared to 2014, Bucholz was reluctant to project even longer life spans for the waste sites.

“With us taking over the monitoring from AECON [the previous consulting company] there may have been changes in how the measuring is done, so I would not project forward until we have a couple of years of data,” he said.

Concerns about Kaladar-Barrie fire budget

Mayor Higgins expressed his concerns regarding the budget for the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Department. The budget, which was approved by the board that oversees the department, contains limited reserve funds. The board is made up of three township councilors from North Frontenac and three from Addington Highlands.

“It seems to me this department is becoming under-funded,” said Higgins.

“We wanted to put more in the budget, to up the reserves,” said Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, one of the North Frontenac representatives to the board, “but the councilors from Addington Highlands wouldn't go for it.”

“Does the fire chief say they can afford the core services they are committed to providing?” asked Higgins.

Fred Perry said that Casey Cuddy, the fire chief, said they can do so this year, but not over the long term.

Mayor Higgins recommended setting up a meeting with Addington Highlands Council to discuss the fire budget. Council then ratified the 2016 budget for the department and passed a motion authorising the clerk to approach Addington Highlands about a meeting in the spring.

Wind turbines back on the radar

The Independent Energy Systems Operator (IESO) of Ontario has said it will award contracts this month under the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) for wind and solar projects. Companies have made bids under the LRP in North Frontenac and Addington Highlands. Since North Frontenac has come out against industrial wind turbines, Council was quick to endorse a motion being circulated by the municipality of Wainfleet. The motion calls on the provincial government to exercise its right to cancel the process “at any stage and for any reason” and to hold off on any new renewable projects until there is a demonstrated need for the power they would generate.

Councilor Vernon Hermer said that solar projects should be included in the motion. “Everything that the motion says about wind can be said about solar as well”.

Mayor Higgins pointed out that the Wainfleet motion included solar in calling for a moratorium on renewable energy projects and that he would make a specific reference to solar in a letter he will be sending out on the matter.

Although North Frontenac is on record as opposing wind projects, the situation as regards solar is less clear. Mayor Higgins invited a large solar generation company, SunEdison Canada, to address Council on the potential for a large-scale solar farm to be located in the township, and Higgins even talked about the township assisting SunEdison by locating a suitable property for the company to use. Council, as a whole, has not yet taken a formal position as regards large-scale solar power projects.

At last week's meeting, Mayor Higgins also canvassed Council about what to do if either of the wind projects being proposed by NextEra in North Frontenac were awarded the LRP contract by the IESO.

Higgins proposed calling a special meeting with representatives from BEARAT (Bon Echo Area Residents Against Turbines) if a contract is awarded in either township, with a view towards launching an appeal. (See “Opposition ramping up as LRP decision nears”)

Lobbying the province over OPP

Mayor Higgins reported back on the meetings he attended while at a major municipal conference earlier in the week.

At the OGRA-ROMA (Ontario Good Roads Association and Rural Ontario Municipal Association) conference in Toronto, Higgins participated in a forum with the Deputy Minister of Community Safety Correctional Services, among others.

“The request we are making to the ministry is to have direct involvement in the process of overseeing administration of policing services. Municipalities pay 38% of the cost, but we have no oversight over how that money is spent,” he said.

Public meeting and budget adoption set for March 18

The budget process in North Frontenac has been underway for several months, with the township having passed their capital budget back in October.

Finally, a complete draft budget was presented to Council by staff last Friday, February 19, which included the operating and capital budgets.

Staff proposed to spend just under $13 million this year, including monies to be transferred to Frontenac County and the Ministry of Education.

Of those expenditures, Frontenac County ratepayers are on tap for $5,570,000, an increase of just over $100,000 or 1.87% over 2015.

In order to get to that number, staff had to basically keep all departmental spending at the same or less than in 2015 because the township is facing an increase of $173,209 in the cost of policing by the Ontario Provincial Police.

That amount is partially offset by a $76,400 increase in transfers this year from the Ontario government through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF), which is the vehicle for the province to support rural and remote townships in covering their financial obligations. The township will receive $1.2 million from the OMPF in 2016.

However, still facing a new $97,000 cost, it was up to staff to find ways to trim operating costs in order to keep the budget from increasing beyond the rate of inflation.

“We managed to find savings in operations without affecting service levels, while maintaining our reserve funds and keeping our commitment to our long term asset management plan,” said Treasurer Kelly Watkins when contacted by phone earlier this week.

In order to make this happen, costs for administration have been cut by $20,000; for protection and emergency services by $55,000; for waste disposal by $37,000; and for recycling by $27,000.

Some of these decreases are due to changes in the way administrative costs are being allocated to different services, and others come from projected costs based on actual costs from recent years.

When Council went over the budget last week, they made a few changes, and added some costs, bringing the overall increase to just over 2%.

One item that is not included in the 2016 budget is the cost of the renovation and upgrade to the township office, a project that has a very preliminary estimated cost of $900,000. Although there is $370,000 in reserves for the project, the remaining $530,000 is not included in the 2016 budget. Instead, a committee has been struck to look in detail at the project and report back later this year. The project will likely be funded through an infrastructure loan, and payments towards that loan will come out of budgets starting in 2017 at the earliest.

At this point it is projected that policing costs will increase by another $140,000 in 2017 as part of a five-year phase-in of a new OPP billing formula that has hit many local communities hard, but none as hard as North Frontenac.  

Steve Sunderland, the volunteer who supervised the $275,000 renovation project at the Ompah fire hall/community center/library, appeared before North Frontenac Council last Friday, February 4. He was accompanied by Judy Hitchcock of JMJ Contracting from McDonalds Corners, the company that installed a concrete floor in the hall as part of the renovation.

They were appearing in response to reports by township Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven that were received by Council at their previous meeting on January 18, and to comments made at that meeting by members of council as reported in this newspaper.

The building department reports were focused mainly on a number of electrical and plumbing-related deficiencies that need to be re-mediated in order for the building to comply with the Ontario building code. There was also a reference in the first report to “no insulation under portions of the radiant floor insulation system”.

In a written response that Sunderland sent to Council in advance of appearing last week, he outlined how the project had come about in the first place, and his and Judy Hitchcock's roles in its completion.

In 2013 Sunderland was asked to chair a task force to design an upgrade to the fire hall/community centre after Council had rejected a recommendation to abandon the building and put up a new one. The budget for the upgrade was $180,000. When the technical drawings were completed in August of that year the project went to tender and received no bids. In early 2014, a new tender was issued and the lowest bid that came in was for $365,000.

Council then asked the task force to “come up with a sequential tendering process whereby the work could proceed and the budget carefully monitored on a project-by-project basis,” Sunderland wrote.

He said that he had explained to Council at the time that as the general contractor they assumed all risks associated with the construction. These included: “potential poor coordination between trades; cost overruns; engineering concerns; unforeseen site conditions; change in orders; poor weather; no workers during hunting season; uninformed decisions; mistakes; and the like. Council at that time agreed to proceed.”

The project was to be managed, according to Sunderland, by then Fire Chief Steve Riddell, then Deputy Fire Chief Denis Bedard, and Councilor John Inglis, with overall management by Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson. For various reasons, including the removal of Bedard from the fire department, most of the project management eventually fell to Sunderland.

“I think it is obvious why [I am] a bit defensive when [my] project management skills, motives and commitment are questioned by people in the community who had little or no stake in the project,” he wrote.

Sunderland went on to discuss the concrete floor and in-floor heating system that was installed, at length.

He pointed out that as early as 2012, when putting in a new floor was first considered, Mike Cleland, a structural engineer and task force volunteer, recommended that a new fire station be built after supervising an excavation into the existing concrete flooring in the fire hall.

“When Council rejected this recommendation, Mike Cleland refused to participate in the renovation project,” said Sunderland.

He went on to say that he “personally begged” JMJ contracting to do the concrete floor. Among the problems that were found was a granite outcrop in the front 1/3 of the building. The township was informed about this, and did not opt to go to the expense, risk, and delay involved in removing the rock.

According to Sunderland, “Under the circumstances the township was fortunate to have JMJ do the work ... the rock outcrop is one of the unforeseen risks the township accepted as part of this renovation.”

At the council meeting on January 18, Denis Bedard, whi is now a member of council, said, “The biggest and most major issue is the fact that the floor was improperly installed. We spent a pile of money on a concrete floor with the chances now of it heaving and destroying the in-floor heating system.”

“What force is there that is going to heave that floor? Sunderland asked.

It was also this comment by Bedard that led Judy Hitchcock to address Council directly.

“Nobody came to me and said there were deficiencies ... to say the concrete was poured incorrectly, it is completely false. Why did that go into the paper, without my knowledge, without a meeting with myself?” she asked.

“The building inspector put this in the report,” Bedard responded.

“Where?” Hitchcock asked. “Where does it say that in the report?”

Bedard looked at his copy of the report and could not find the statement.

Hitchcock also said that before doing any of the work she made sure she had the go-ahead from the building inspector of the day, George Gorrie.

CAO Cheryl Robson said that when staff went looking for the inspection reports for the project last month they did not find them.

Both George Gorrie and Steve Riddell, who were respectively the building inspector and fire chief at the time the project took place, are no longer with the township.

Mayor Higgins said that since the project took place under the previous council, he has been working to make sure it is only “factual data” that is being communicated to Council and the public.

“There is no record that I am aware of from an official point of view that the concrete is deficient,” Higgins said.

“No insulation under the radiant floor is part of the building code,” said Councilor Bedard.

“How does he know whether the insulation is or is not there? When the rock goes under the entire front half of the job, we couldn't pour any insulation there. For [current Chief Building Official] Jeremy Neven to say that is totally irresponsible and it is not a deficiency. And what does it have to do with the code?” said Steve Sunderland.

Curiously, even though all of the building department documentation for the project has gone missing, and Neven's report was based entirely on “visible items and no destructive inspections were carried out”, there was one exception. The determination that there is “no insulation under portions of the radiant floor heating system” was based on “images provided during the inspection”.

The report does not say who provided the images and where they came from.

Upon inquiry, the News has been informed by Mayor Higgins that those images were provided to Neven by the Ompah Community Volunteers Association. The Association have pledged $50,000 towards the project but are waiting for the deficiencies in the fire hall top be dealt with before turning the money over to the township.

As far as Judy Hitchcock is concerned, however, all of the internal North Frontenac politics are not her problem, but she is concerned about her professional reputation.

“'Oh Canada' is what we call rock outcrops like that in the trade. The thing to do is to remove them, but we were told no. I asked engineers, I made phone calls to everyone involved, I made phone calls to George [Gorrie] ... I did my job on this project and then I see this kind of thing reported in the paper ... it is not good for my reputation. I want a public apology, from the paper and the township itself,” Hitchcock said.

“I agree with you,” Mayor Higgins said.

Higgins put a motion on the floor authorizing him to write a letter of apology, and the motion carried. The letter can be viewed, in its entirety at Northfrontenac.com.

CF Council says no to two waste site recommendations

Public Works Manager John Badgley made his second recommendation to council to consider implementing a $1 tipping fee on large plastic items at the township's waste sites. He also recommended that site attendants use their discretion regarding fees to charge on smaller plastic items, which Badgley defined as those too big to fit in a township bag. Badgley made the request following a meeting of the township's waste management committee on January 27.

“With our waste sites filling up, we need to look at ways to divert these products since they are piling up and taking up too much space. Whatever the solution ends up being in dealing with these items in the future, whether it be diverting them or grinding them down, this fee would help offset the costs of whatever option we choose,” Badgley said.

Councilor Tom Dewey would not hear of it.

“I am totally against this. This is an added tax that we should not be passing on to our residents”, he said. “I gave you some information about purchasing a grinder and I think we should look at talking to our neighbouring municipalities about partnering in that, and if the oil prices go back up, I think there will be a market for this kind of material.”

Councilor Bill MacDonald asked about the costs of renting or owning a grinder, which Badgley said could range anywhere from $250,000 used to $500,000 new.

Dewey, who has been looking into pricing grinders, said that a smaller $50,000 grinder might be able to do the job. Councilor MacDonald suggested contacting the operators of the Richmond landfill site just north of Napanee.

“They must be doing something with their plastics and there is no sense in reinventing the wheel here. Perhaps there is a private contractor who could do the grinding for us.”

Mayor Frances Smith wondered about the logistics of site attendants having to deal with the cash fees. Councilor Dewey objected further, saying that a fee could result in residents littering the township with these items.

Councilor Jamie Riddell agreed with Dewey, saying he did not agree with a tipping fee and that the items would end up on the roadways and in the ditches. After Mayor Smith read the motion, Councilor Dewey called for a recorded vote on the motion, which in the end was defeated 7 -1, with Councilor Bill MacDonald as the odd man out. Councilor Philip Smith was not present at the meeting.

Council says no to ending free amnesty load program

In his second recommendation to council, Badgley asked council to consider opening up the discussion regarding ending the annual amnesty load program. The program allows residents to get rid of one load of waste for free at certain designated times each year. Badgley said the free load is one of the reasons that the sites are “filling up faster than previously anticipated. “We need to be responsible waste site operators and need to divert, grind, or find other ways to reduce our waste and no longer allow the free disposal of items.”

He said that residents need to consider either donating or re-purposing these items. In his report Badgley said that Wemp site is scheduled to be at capacity in four years and Olden in 12. Councilor MacDonald asked Badgley to look at a township of a similar size that has no landfill site and find what they spend annually to dispose of their garbage.

“If in the future we did not have a landfill site, I'm thinking that we're looking at spending $1 million a year.”

Councilor Dewey brought up the fact that a 2011 study of the expected life of the township's waste sites should be extended since recycling has much lessened the loads. He added that education is needed to make sure residents always recycle. Councilor Jamie Riddell credited the township's waste site attendants for doing a good job in recycling materials and said that canceling the amnesty program is “not the way to go.”

Mayor Frances Smith said she feels that perhaps the volume coming in during the program with just one or two attendants on site means they are not able to do what needs to be done. “For the program to continue maybe we have to make sure there are more staff working on those days.”

Councilor Dewey said that Central Frontenac should consider what Durham Township has done, use incineration.

“We need to get every one together here in the county and maybe in Kingston on board with this and to partner together and get an a incinerator set up”.

Councilor Brent Cameron agreed. “Whether we cancel this program or not, the fact is that more and more people are moving here, bringing more garbage, and at the end of the day the Province of Ontario has not allowed a new landfill to open for decades now.” Council received Badgley's recommendation for information.
Council adopts compressed work week for township admin staff

Beginning March 13, 2016 and ending November 19, 2016 council endorsed the recommendations put forth by the Human Resources committee, approving a compressed work week for the township's admin staff. Clerk Cathy MacMunn reported that a successful trial run last year showed the compressed work week proved doable, with admin staff choosing to opt for Fridays as their day off. The staff will continue working their regular 35-hour work week and will make up for the missed Fridays by working longer hours on the other days.

Council adopts Injury/Illness and Head Injury/Concussion policy

In accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Work Place Safety and Insurance Act, council adopted the Injury/Illness policy after the Health and Safety committee reviewed it and recommended that it be adopted. Council also adopted the recommended Head Injury/Concussion policy as a way to ensure the safety of all participants in the various programs and activities run by the township, which include baseball, soccer and a summer swim program. The policy, which will be promoted by all of the township's recreation committees and associations, aims to assist in training adults running the programs to identify the signs, symptoms and behaviors of a concussion and other serious injuries.

Olden waste sites time changes in effect

As of February 1, 2016 the Olden waste site will be closed Mondays and Tuesday and open the remainder of the week, with no changes in the hours of operation on those days.

Township hoping to host ATV Federation convention

Councilor Denis Bedard said that he has been contacted by the Ottawa Valley ATV Association about the possibility of the township hosting the 2017 Ontario Federation of ATV Associations convention. Attendees would be accommodated at cottages and resorts in the area. Since the convention takes place in June, Bedard said it might bring welcome bookings to local resorts. He said he would keep Council informed.

K&P upgrade

Through the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance (EOTA), a committee is being formed to look at upgrading the K&P Trail north of Sharbot Lake all the way to Calabogie, where the former rail line ends.

Brian Stewart, the Mayor of Lanark Highlands and a board member with EOTA, is pushing the initiative. The section of trail running through North Frontenac is owned by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, but in pointing out that in both Lanark and Renfrew counties the trail is owned by the County, Councilor Bedard said it might make sense for Frontenac County to take ownership of the trail. The section of trail between Sharbot Lake and the border with North Frontenac is owned by Central Frontenac. The trail in North Frontenac has a 2-3 kilometre section from south of Mississippi to Snow Road that is in private hands. People using the trail are diverted to Road 509 for that section. The rest of the trail is intact.

Rural mayors to look again at policing

Mayor Higgins reported that the Rural Mayors' Forum that he chairs will be meeting in Horton Township this month, and in preparation he has been looking at how much Frontenac, Lanark, Renfrew, Hastings and Lennox and Addington Counties pay collectively for policing each year,

“We know that on our own [each individual county] could not form a department that would would be cost us less that we are paying to the OPP, but with all five counties involved there might be a way to make it work,” said Higgins.

Question about electric vehicle charging station

Councilor Hermer asked a question about the township supporting a proposal to set up a vehicle charging station at one of the businesses in North Frontenac.

“How practical is that? There are only 250 all-electric vehicles in Ontario and most of them are urban taxis or delivery vehicles. Of the ones in private hands, most or all are in cities as well. How practical is this here?” Hermer asked.

“It will be practical. At least that's the hope,” said Mayor Higgins. “It is also something that will not cost the township. A local business has to apply and they would get a grant.”

“Has any business taken up the offer?” Hermer asked.

“We had one that is very interested, but I haven't heard back,” said Facilities and Recreation Co-coordinator Corey Klatt. “The deadline is February 12 so maybe I will hear next week.”

Harrowsmith Community Improvement Plan

Frontenac County Manager for Economic Development, Anne-Marie Young, accompanied by the new community planner, Reid Shepherd, brought some of the new members of council up to speed on how Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) can be used to rejuvenate and create opportunity for hamlets within the municipality.

With a CIP in place, the township is in a position to provide matching grants and loans to businesses in order to improve storefronts, do landscaping, and make various other improvements.

Frontenac County embarked on CIPs several years ago, the first one being done in Verona, followed by Marysville, Sharbot Lake, and the entire Township of North Frontenac. In Verona $45,000 was invested in grants and loans under the CIP and over $600,000 was invested by the private sector.

“It looks impressive,” said Anne Marie Young, “but part of it was luck, as Revell Ford happened to be doing their major face lift when the CIP came along.”

In October, county council decided to extend the program, and in December they chose Harrowsmith as the next CIP community.

Meetings will be held in Harrowsmith in the coming weeks to determine first where the boundaries of the CIP will be, and what kinds of initiatives fit the community best. One of the potential focus points could be a cleanup and preparation for redevelopment at the Saputo site, the former Harrowsmith Cheese Factory on Harrowsmith Sydenham Road near Road 38.

“The process will be simplified this time around,” said Reid Shepherd, “because an Official Plan amendment will not be necessary since one was done for the Verona plan already.”

Anne Marie Young said the goal is to have the plan up and running by the fall of this year.

“$70,000 is available for the CIP from Frontenac County, and the township might consider investing some money into it as well. For Verona, the county and the township each invested $40,000,” said Young.

“We can look at that for our 2017 budget,” said Mayor Vandewal.

Sydenham Water reports

Kevin Riley, from Utilities Kingston, brought what he described as a short report to Council on the performance of the Sydenham water treatment plant for 2015.

“Essentially the plant operated without incident in 2015,” he said.

There was only one adverse result from water testing all year, and that “turned out to be due to lab error,” he added.

A longer report into plant capacity was delivered by Kate Morrow and Jim Miller, who are also with Utilities Kingston. They presented a number of calculations based on current use and projected use, the upshot being that water demand might outstrip the plant's capacity at some point in the future. However, that day is not pending.

Easy consensus on planning matter

Planner Lindsay Mills brought a matter to Council's attention in anticipation of a request by a resident to tear down and rebuild a cottage that is located right on the water; in fact it is leaning over the water, on Loughborough Lake.

“The resident wants to build in the same location, but according to our bylaw he needs a minor variance in order to waive the 30 metre setback. There is plenty of room for him to build well back from the water so a variance is not necessary in this case,” Mills said.

“I would like an indication of Council's opinion, as they will be asking me what the township's position is,” he added.

One by one the councilors indicated they agree with Mill's position that the resident needs to build his new cottage 30 metres back from the lake.

“That's clear then,” he said.

Appeal period passes without incident

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has clarified the wording in a clause they inserted into the Frontenac County Official Plan, and South Frontenac Planner Lindsay Mills has informed his Council that an appeal is no longer necessary.

The issue that concerned Council was over a clause prohibiting development within settlement areas or hamlets where public water and sewer services are not available. As Mills pointed out to members of South Frontenac Council at a meeting on January 26, this clause would affect development in all South Frontenac hamlets (and all hamlets in the entire county)

Even Sydenham, the only hamlet in South Frontenac that provides water for residents, does not have a sewer system in place.

The clause included an exception, however, permitting new development in cases of “infilling and minor rounding out of existing development”.

Mills wrote to the ministry on the morning of January 27 asking for clarification, and on the same day Damien Shaeffer of the ministry’s Kingston office replied, saying in part, “The terms 'infill' and 'minor rounding out' are not defined and allow flexibility for implementation based on local circumstances.”

Shaeffer added that proponents of development within hamlets would “need to demonstrate that there will be no negative impacts associated with the provision of individual on-site services before the development can proceed.”

Since this is already how development is done in South Frontenac, Mills did not feel it necessary file an appeal of the Frontenac County Official Plan by the Monday deadline.

Instead he sent an email to members of Council late last week, along with a copy of Shaeffer's response. In his email, he said, “This letter addresses the Committee of the Whole’s requirement for written confirmation of the meaning of the wording. Accordingly, no appeal to the passing of the County Official Plan is necessary.”

The Frontenac County Official Plan came into effect on Tuesday, February 2, having cleared this final hurdle.  

Council supports Basic Income Guarantee

In response to a presentation at a Committee of the Whole meeting last week by Debra McAuslan, Council considered supporting a motion that was forwarded by the City of Kingston in support of the concept of a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) in the Province of Ontario. Speaking to the motion, Deputy Mayor Ross Sutherland said that the BIG would be an improvement because a lot of people who have little or no income, “own some property, and “are ineligible for support under current programs that insist applicants need to have no assets before they can obtain benefits.”

The BIG motion was approved, in a split vote.

Insurance extension

The township's insurance policy is due for renewal in June, and Treasurer Fragnito told Council that the chief administrative officers and treasurers from across Frontenac County have been discussing joint tendering for insurance services.

“I suggest we renew our policy for only six months to allow that process to take place. Then we can decide which way to go,” she said. Council agreed.

Surface treatment

The contract for surface treatment of a number of roads in the township this year, as part of the already approved capital projects for the year, has been granted to the lowest bidder, Smith Paving, at a price of $2.53 per metre for a single surface and $4.74 for a double surface. The prices are up marginally from last year.

“I'm a bit surprised that the price has gone up when oil, which is the major cost in paving, is now at $30 a barrel,” said Mayor Vandewal.

“I wonder about that myself,” said Public Works Manager Segsworth. “The pavers asked us to commit to paying more when oil was going up, but now that it is going down they are still bumping up the price.

Interim Chief Building Official appointed

The township has appointed Jeremy Neven as interim chief building official (CBO). The duties are an addition to Neven's CBO role in Central and North Frontenac. CAO Wayne Orr said that before hiring a full time CBO, he would like to see the first draft of an administrative review that is currently underway.

“We can't wait too long, though,” said Orr. “We can get along like this in the winter, but things change when the weather warms up.”

No Canada 150 grant

The township has received a letter from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario informing them that their application for funding under the Community Infrastructure Program for Canada 150 has been rejected. The township was seeking support for a $200,000 upgrade to the Storrington Centre in Sunbury. More about Johnson's Point

In response to a report for information from Frontenac County CAO, Kelly Pender, which will be considered by Frontenac County Council later this month, Deputy Mayor Ross Sutherland asked South Frontenac to make one more attempt to influence how the County deals with a plan of condominium that has been languishing at South Frontenac Council for over 18 months.

The developer has taken Frontenac County, which is the approving body for plans of condominium, to the Ontario Municipal Board because no decision on their application has been rendered within the prescribed time frame.

Although the County is the approving body for plans of condominium, it is South Frontenac that has been working on the file until now. Pender's report outlines two options for County Council: do nothing and let the developer win at the hearing, in which case the county may have to pay all the applicant's legal costs; or engage a lawyer and make a presentation to the municipal board. A decision on those options will be made at a meeting on February 17.

Sutherland proposed a motion that South Frontenac Council inform the county that “South Frontenac Council has significant concerns with approving waterfront lots in the vicinity of provincially significant wetlands.”

“When County Council looks at this, they need to be aware that this is a major concern we have with this plan of condominium,” said Sutherland.

“I have pointed them towards all of the material that we have received on the matter,” said CAO Wayne Orr, “and it is also available to the public.”

The motion was approved. The municipal board hearing is set for April.