Addington Highlands Council -Nov 19/12

Jule Koch Brison | Nov 22, 2012

Unmaintained Road Request

“My pick and shovel are wearing out,” said Erroll Ruth of Mallory Lake as he presented a petition to council asking for help with fixing some culverts on Addington Road 5, which is an un-maintained township road. Mr. Ruth has made four or five trips to council over the last few years to present the same request. The petition was signed by five owners of residences on the road.

As they receive numerous requests for help with un-maintained roads, Council is attempting to come up with a policy and is presently waiting for results of a study by Jewell Engineering.

Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath said a draft should be ready by mid-December. Mr. Ruth’s request was referred to budget deliberations and Reeve Henry Hogg said to him, “We’ll come up with something.”

Infrastructure Subsidy - The Province of Ontario is now accepting applications for road, bridge, water and wastewater projects under its Municipal Infrastructure Strategy.

Municipalities can apply online for a share of $51 million under the strategy. Royce Rosenblath said that a bridge on the Glastonbury Road needs to be replaced, which will cost around $500,000, not including engineering costs. The township will go ahead with an application for a grant for the bridge.

Hall Rental Fees Waived - Denbigh TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly), a non-profit group that currently meets in the basement of St. Luke’s United Church, has requested the use of the newly vacated library space in the township hall and asked to township to waive any fees. Council agreed to the request; however, it will be on a temporary basis, as the hall will probably be closed in the future.

Santa Claus Parade - Council agreed to give $200 to the Land O’Lakes Lions for the Santa Claus parade, which will be held this Saturday November 24, 10am in Northbrook.

Drinking Water at Public Facilities - The KFL&A Health Unit recently issued directives on the drinking water systems at the Denbigh and Flinton halls and canteens. The water systems at both halls were designated as Low Risk and will move from 2-month to 3-month sampling.

The Denbigh Canteen is designated as Moderate Risk and will need no further action. However, the Flinton canteen’s water system is designated as High Risk. It was recently treated for a high E.coli count and a UV treatment system will need to be installed. Also signs must be posted and hand sanitizer and wipes provided.

The directives also require that the township provide a trained operator by February 2013 for all the systems. Council discussed whether the person hired as the new custodian in Ward 1 could operate both sites but decided that two trained employees are needed in case one falls ill, as the directives include weekly sampling at the Flinton canteen.

Playgrounds - Council discussed safety inspections at its playgrounds and the need to keep adequate logs of all inspections. Two types of inspections are needed: weekly inspections to check for and remove debris and hazards such as broken glass, and inspections of the structural integrity of the play structures. Checking for debris will be added to the custodian’s contract and the township will hire the person who installed the Northbrook playground to check the safety of the play structures.

Quinte Conservation - Council received for information a report from Quinte Conservation on the Conservation Ontario Whitepaper entitled “Watershed Management Futures for Ontario”.

The purpose of the whitepaper is to “initiate discussions with the Ontario government about roles and responsibilities for managing Ontario’s watersheds and to redefine relationships between conservation authorities and provincial ministries”. The paper identifies declining provincial funding as one of the challenges that are compromising the province’s ability to effectively manage its water and other natural resources. It says that Conservation Ontario recognizes that a sweeping review of watershed management will include the refinement of the conservation authority model and concludes that the province must lead in establishing a dialogue to address the issues as soon as possible.