Addington Highlands Council – Apr 4/11

Jeff Green | Apr 07, 2011

Hunt Road maintenance request – George Hunt appeared before council to request some help in bringing about 1.5 kilometres of the Hunt Road, south of Cloyne, to a point where it is passable. Hunt said that his family uses the road seasonally to access their property, and that at one time it had been maintained. He said some culverts are needed and some gravel as well.

Reeve Hogg said that Council would look into his request as part of their budget deliberations, which are scheduled for next week.

“I can't guarantee anything, but we will look into it,” Hogg said.

$75 is better than a pin -

A provincial program of recognition for volunteer firefighters will include a list of items that firefighters who qualify will be able to choose from.

“Why don't they give out pins?” asked Councilor Helen Yanch.

“Because a pin isn't worth anything,” said Deputy Mayor Bill Cox.

The items that are available are valued at around $75.

Road work on 41 - The MTO is planning to do some road upgrades on Hwy. 41 between Buckshot Lake Road in Vennachar and the Hwy. 28 intersection. The design phase is being completed but the timing of the actual work has not yet been determined.

Road work on County Road 29 – Lennox and Addington County will be doing about $500,000 in work on County Road 29 this summer, reported Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath. Rosenblath also reported that an updated Roads Needs study for the township has been completed. It says that it would cost $7.1 million to complete all the road and bridge work that is either needed now or in coming years, but Rosenblath said he will bring the urgent matters, which are not as onerous, forward for this year’s budget.

Energy use study – Stewart Fast, a researcher at the University of Ottawa, appeared before council to talk briefly about the preliminary results of a study he has done into the energy use habits of Addington Highlands and North Frontenac residents. Fast sent out 836 surveys and had a 20% response rate, which is enough for him to put together some reasonably accurate statistical data.

In terms of home heating, Fast found that 73% of respondents use wood as a primary or secondary heating source, a dramatic divergence from the national average, which is 5%. Another 13% use wood pellets. He also found that 56% of the people who heat with wood cut their own.

In terms of attitudes towards alternative energy production, he found varying responses based on what type of energy is involved. For example, 87% of responders were in favour of rooftop solar, while only 60% support wind projects, and 58% support hydro dams on local waterways. Sixty-eight percent of responders would be happy with a wood pellet factory in the region.

Fast said he would forward all the information he develops to the township. He is holding information evenings in Denbigh tonight, April 7; Flinton on Sunday, April 10, and Ompah on Monday, April 11. For information see Northern Happenings.