Addington Highlands Council - Feb. 19/13

Jule Koch Brison | Feb 27, 2013

Conflict of Interest - At the beginning of the meeting, Councilor Adam Snider said that he should have declared a pecuniary interest on an invoice in the accounts at the previous council meeting.

Donation Request - Council agreed to a request from Land o’Lakes Community Services for a donation of $1 per household.

Back Up Generator - Lakelands Family Health Team sent a letter to council requesting that the township pay for an automatic standby generator at the Addington Highlands Community Centre (AHCC) – Denbigh. The letter said that power outages at the centre continue to have a negative impact on the clinic’s operations there, not only because the clinic has to close, but also because of the loss of expensive medications that must be maintained at specific temperatures.

Councilor Tony Fritsch said it is his understanding that presently when the power goes out, someone retrieves the medications from the centre and takes them to another fridge. A year and a half ago the township looked into getting a standby generator and the cost would be around $15 - $20,000.

Reeve Henry Hogg said that the family health team should do its own fundraising for a generator as the township isn’t responsible for its tenants’ back up systems.

However, as the centre is eventually going to be an emergency centre and the township is applying for a Trillium grant to put in kitchen facilities there, council discussed whether a generator could be worked into the application, but concluded it could not.

Councilor Fritsch said that since the main concern right now for the family health team is the refrigeration of medications, there are other ways of ensuring that the fridge will stay on during a power outage, such as a battery backup.

Community Centre Repairs - Councilor Tony Fritsch reported that there have been a succession of water problems at the AHCC, which have cost around $2000 to $2500 to fix.

Memorial Plaque - The township is proceeding to acquire a plaque to recognise the retired volunteer firefighters of the pre-amalgamation Denbigh Fire Dept.

Purchasing Policy - In regard to the township's Purchasing Policy Review, council decided that they need to have a list of pre-qualified contractors who have all the certifications for WSIB, training, etc.

Pine Meadow Building Permits - Pine Meadow Nursing Home requires a building permit to have work done on the fans above its stoves, and Councilor Bill Cox brought forward a request for the township to waive the fee, which council agreed to do.

Lawsuit - CAO Jack Pauhl told council that a court case against the township would not be going ahead because the complainant has not produced the necessary paperwork. “It’s sort of a good news, bad news scenario,” he said, because the township will not be able to recoup any of the money it has already spent on the case.