Verona ATV Club seeks agreement with Addington Highlands

Craig Bakay | Feb 23, 2022

The Verona and District ATV Club (VDATVC) would like to use 16.5 km of trail (the old rail bed) running through Addington Highlands Township.

As such, VDATVC president Marc Moeys was at the (online) Council Feb. 15 looking to arrange some sort of use agreement. But there may be a bit of a snag.

The Verona Club (about 200 members) already has a use agreement for the K & P Trail running north from Verona and continuing north to Calabogie and Renfrew (the use agreement from Clarendon north is held by Ottawa Valley recreational trail/Algonquin and the Renfrew ATV Club.

They also have a use agreement for the Tay Havelock trail running west through Central Frontenac Township. On the eastern border of Central the trail joins that coming from Perth and on the west side it ends at the border with Addington Highlands.

Moeys said that recently a use agreement for the trails in Hastings County was obtained by the OFATV. The Hastings trails are extensive and connect to other OFATV trails.

“I am proposing a similar arrangement with Addington Highlands as the Verona club currently has with Central Frontenac and Frontenac County,” Moeys said. “In return for a use agreement, the club will monitor the trail on a regular basis using our warden system and contribute funds for trail maintenance and/or capital projects.

“Also, there is a $15 million liability policy for the land owner.”

Moeys said he asked for the same thing last year and was referred to the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance.

“We were refused,” he said. “When we asked for the same thing for Central Frontenac we were approved but only after Central pressed EOTA.”

“Why were you refused?” asked Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch.

“I got a short email from the director of the EOTA saying something about a bigger picture.”

“We already have a lease agreement with EOTA,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“I don’t want to get caught up in it, I just want to buy my gas in Kaladar and ride to Hastings,” Moeys said.

“Personally, I’d like to get more tourism in the Township,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson.

Fritsch moved that Council invite EOTA to a meeting to explain.

“We’ll get someone from EOTA to meet with us and see what we can do,” said Hogg.

Short term rentals

Reeve Henry Hogg told Council that he’s been attending some working group meetings on the subject of short-term rentals.

“I know last year you didn’t think we have much of a problem,” said Coun. David Miles.

“I went online to AIRBnB and there are 240 listings so there is something,” said Hogg. “I don’t think we want a lot of regulations because that could get expensive.

“We sold 90 cottage kits last year and the information is to go into to the newsletter and on FaceBook.

Grant requests from Land O’Lakes Community Services ($1.50 per household) and Land O’Lakes Garden Club ($500 yearly ask and $3,000 for indigenous gardens) were referred to budget deliberations.

Queen’s Jubilee grants

Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch asked that community groups be informed that there are grants available for projects through the Queen’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee.

Appeal from roads department

Roads and Waste Manager Brett Reavie asks that residents do no park in Township turnarounds.

“We use those for plowing the roads so try to keep the snowmobile trailers and trucks out of there,” Reavie said. “Also, plowing snow across the road is against the Highway Traffic Act.”

Township yard rental proposal rejected

A request from Morch Landscaping to rent space in the township yard at 13078 Hwy 41 for the purpose of parking equipment was turned down.

“If we have Township properties that are not utilized and there is an opportunity for revenue . . .” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch. “But I think because it’s publicly owned we would have to be fair and advertise that it would be available.”

“We can’t be seen to be giving any entity an advantage and we it would have to be fair market value,” said CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed. “And our operation, we have a lot of large trucks going in and out, there would be liability.”

“It could get complicated,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson. “People who want to clean up their yard could say ‘I’ll just go over to the Township,’

“It’s a slippery slope.”