Photo: Official ribbon cutting at the SL Legion l-r, Patti Middleton, Mayor Janet Gutowski, Bill Charlton, Ken Sorrenti, Guy Cooke and Dan Bush

There was much to celebrate as the Sharbot Lake Legion held an official grand re-opening ceremony on Sunday, August 14. The celebration recognized the overwhelming generosity and hard work of many in the community, who helped to turn an unforeseen and costly septic nightmare into what can only be described as a miraculous dream come true.

Legion president, Patti Middleton, presided over the ceremony, which included guests Mayor Janet Gutowski, Legion Padre Marcel Giroux, a plethora of Legion officials and representatives, and visiting guest of honour, Bill Charlton of Napanee. Recently, Charlton's generosity has enabled the Legion to pay off in full their $40,000 loan for their new cutting-edge septic system, which became operational just over a month ago.

“It was like having an angel of mercy come down”, Middleton said later. “He (Charlton) came to my house, knocked on the door and said to my husband Don and me, 'I've known your parents and grandparents all my life and I need to know what it’s going to cost for the new septic system.' We told him and he said he would donate the full amount.”

At one time Bill Charlton (photo left) owned Charlton Motors in Napanee, but he was originally from the Sharbot Lake region. He sold cars in Kingston before moving to Napanee, and he was an active service club and Legion member throughout his working life.

“He said that he had nothing when he left Sharbot Lake, and he wanted to give something back to the community where he was raised,” said Patti Middleton.

Charlton, who is 88, has known some of the senior members of the Sharbot Lake Legion, such as Ken Hollywood and Art Goodfellow, for many, many years, and he remains in touch with them to this day.

He owns a cottage on Sharbot Lake and told Patti Middleton he plans to move back to the area when he retires.

The Legion received the initial $40,000 loan from the Frontenac Community Development Corporation back in June, which Middleton said was the maximum amount that Ontario Command allowed the Sharbot Legion to borrow for the project.

Bill Charlton's donation came with a small string attached. He asked that a plaque be made and hung to recognize the donation in memory of his father, Robert Charlton, and Patti Middleton was more than happy to present him with the plaque after inviting him to do the official ribbon cutting.

The Legion also wished to honour the many other “angels” from the community who donated their time, equipment, skills and muscle to the project, and without whom the new system could not have been put in place.

“You can't really single out any one person because there were other huge costs involved due to the amount of work that needed to be done. We were told that in total this job in reality could have cost us $140,000 but we were able to do it for $40,000, thanks to the incredible generosity of 60 plus businesses and individuals, which is really quite unbelievable,” Middleton said.

With that in mind, a second plaque recognizing all of the individuals and businesses involved was unveiled, and it will also hang in a prominent location at the Legion.

Towards the end of the ceremony, and on a humorous note, attendees were invited to purchase playing cards from a deck. Two players’ cards were chosen and they were invited to make the official “royal flush” of the ladies and gents toilets, ending the official ceremony on a high, dry and, thanks to all of the donors involved, a very sanitary note.

A recreational baseball initiative started up in Arden, Mountain Grove and Parham at the end of May this past spring and was carried through until the end of July.

Organizers had hoped to attract 70 or 80 kids between 3 and 14 throughout the season. Sessions were held on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, and organizers were pleasantly surprised by the turnout, with 89 children participating in the informal games.

“We moved around to the three ballparks and split the kids into three groups. Three-year-old children going to school in the fall were the youngest ones we accommodated, and the 3-7s came on Tuesdays; 8-10-year-olds came on Thursdays, and 11-14s on Fridays. We chose teams each night, which the families really liked, and had fun playing ball,” said organizer Cory Thompson. “We also had some high school kids take care of the umpiring, which gave them their volunteer hours.

On the final day, Saturday July 30, all of the players and their families were invited out to the Kennebec ball field in Arden, where each child had a chance to hit the ball and play in the field before everyone went over to the Kennebec hall for hot dogs and hamburgers. T-shirts and water bottles, with a logo designed by local artist Owen Tryon, were handed out to each ball player. Cory Thompson said that the goal of introducing children to baseball in a non-competitive environment, which was what motivated him in the first place, has been accomplished.

“It went really well. I wanted to give the kids who had never had a chance to play ball an opportunity to try it out. Hopefully if they enjoyed it they will come back next year and if they would like to be more competitive they will give minor softball league a try, which is something we had hoped would happen. Should there be some interest from the Sharbot Lake area kids we would certainly add that ball field to the list,” said Cory Thompson.

Thompson stresses that the initiative wouldn’t have been possible without the support from local businesses as well as Kingston businesses, and he thanks Glen and Linda Manion, Esso, Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, Joe and Marg’s and Play It Again Sports owner Warren Cavelier, who put him in touch with Shane Skinner who donated all the equipment.

Meanwhile, Central Frontenac Recreational Baseball is planning to run again next year.

Photo: John DuChene, looking away from the camera, in a pose likely suggested by Jeff Green.

Central Frontenac Township’s Chief Administrative Officer, John Duchene, attended his final council meeting on Tuesday night, August 9, in advance of retiring on Friday.

Duchene has spent a total of four years as the township’s Clerk/Chief Administrator. He came on at the beginning of the previous term of council in early 2007 on an interim basis, to replace then CAO Heather Fox during a medical leave, and stayed on for almost 18 months.

When a permanent job came open he did not apply, but after the newly-hired CAO, Mark Hall, left shortly after being hired, John Duchene decided to apply and was hired again, this time on a permanent, full-time basis.

However, last summer, with the term of council ending, Duchene shared his plans to retire this year with some senior staff members.

“Judy Gray made it clear she was planning to retire early this year from the treasurer’s post, so I thought I should take that into account. Then when Ian Trickett [the township’s long-serving Chief Building Official] died suddenly last fall, it made me think of putting my retirement off until replacements were in place for both positions.”

So, once the 2011 township budget was completed in early May, and a new treasurer, Michael McGovern, was in place, John Duchene was ready to give his three months notice, which he did on May 12, setting his retirement date for August 12.

“The timing is pretty good for me, giving me August and September to enjoy some summer months,” Duchene said from his office on Monday, a few days before retiring, “and it will give the new person a chance to be a part of the strategic planning in September and a reasonable amount of time to get acclimatized before starting in on the 2012 budget.”

John Duchene, who is now 62, has served in a number of administrative posts over the past 30 years, since he sort of fell into the role of administrator by taking the general manager’s job with the Napanee Region Conservation Authority.

He has a degree in Geography from Guelph and one in Landscape Architecture from the University of Toronto. His first brush with government work came through contracts with Ontario Parks and the Ministry of Natural Resources, where he worked designing and planning provincial parks.

Since the early 1980s John Duchene has punctuated his work as an administrator with stints in the private sector, and he has owned and operated several art gallery/picture-framing businesses.

In addition to Central Frontenac and the Napanee Region Conservation Authority, he has served as clerk/treasurer in Sheffield Township (now a part of Stone Mills township in Lennox and Addington) and was clerk administrator of Lanark Highlands just after amalgamation in 1998. He was also the general manager of the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority in Peterborough in the early 2000s.

At one point in the 1990s, the Duchenes moved to the Sarnia region, but returned to Eastern Ontario when John's wife Charlotte took on a senior production role at Harrowsmith magazine in Camden East.

She ended up working remotely when Harrowsmith magazine was sold to Telemedia in Toronto, but the Duchenes moved to Kennebec Lake at that time, where they remain to this day.

So, while John is leaving his role with the township, he will continue to be a resident and a ratepayer in Central Frontenac. Although he is considering doing some consulting work for other townships or agencies, John expects he will still take an interest in local politics.

When he came in as the chief administrator in Central Frontenac, it was under a new mayor and council, and there was also a vacancy at the public works manager post, so it was a steadying hand that was required at the beginning of his tenure with the township. Over the four years, he helped council through some difficult budgeting exercises, an Official Plan review, and a change in the way council meetings are conducted. He has brought a calm demeanour to all of those changes, and has kept his sense of humour throughout.

“He's been a good guy, and a pleasure to work with. We have been really fortunate to have a member of the community in his role because he brought a lot of local insight into the role,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski. “We were lucky he was available when he first stepped in, particularly, because he came in when were facing some rough waters, and he stabilized a very challenging situation.”

In addition to the possibility of doing some consulting work, John will be spending a lot more time drawing and painting, which are pastimes he has pursued off and on, throughout his life.

“It's funny, but my wife Charlotte pointed out that as soon as I decided I was going to retire, I suddenly found myself doing more and more artwork, even though I haven't had any more time available just yet,” he said.

As he leaves an active role on the municipal scene, John Duchene has taken time to reflect a little bit on the future of the municipality, and he wonders whether some change in the relationship between the Frontenac townships and Frontenac County might be a good thing.

“There is a certain minimum size that is required to do all of the things a township must do and maintain proper staffing levels. We are still ok, but I don't know about the future,” he said

He also thinks that people in Central Frontenac don't distinguish between township and county roles.

“It's all local taxes and local government to them,” he said, “so maybe some changes are in order. You might get a letter to the editor in a few months - or maybe not.”

Generally, though, as a resident of the township, John Duchene says, “We have a pretty good life in this township. That's why we moved here and that's why we stay. As long as we have a bit of incremental growth, I think we can keep the lifestyle we enjoy.”

Photo: Nathaniel and Angela Varacalli with Fiyero, Jean Graham with Fergus, Florence Pye with Frezno and Karoline Bourdeau with Jacques

Back for its third year, Purina's Walk for Dog Guides, a fundraiser put on by the Sharbot Lake and District Lions, attracted record numbers of donor/walkers and their four-legged friends to Oso Beach on July 31. The walkers were joined by three special individuals and their beloved dog guides, who helped to demonstrate the important work that these specially trained animals do.

Begun and organized by Lion Carolyn Bond, the Sharbot Lake event raises funds for the training of the dog guides. Each guide costs roughly $20,000 to train and they serve, free of charge, anyone in Canada who requires one. Prior to Sunday’s walk all of the participants gathered at the Sharbot Lake pavilion to hear from these three visitors how these animals are helping them to get through their everyday lives.

I spoke to Angela Varacalli of Oakville, ON, mother of five-year-old Nathaniel, who is autistic and received Fiyero, his first specially-trained autism assistance dog back in December. “Having Fiyero has changed all of our lives greatly,” she said. “ We've been able to do things as a family that we just weren’t able to do before, things like going out to dinner, to the movies, and camping- all of which we couldn't do before because there would be too much stimulus for Nathaniel.” She explained the calming effect Fiyero has on Nathaniel, who since being paired with Fiyero can now concentrate on playing with his siblings, watching TV, and playing quietly in his room with Fiyero right by his side. Part of Fiyero's special training includes lying down whenever Nathaniel tries to run away abruptly, a common occurrence in the past that meant installing alarms on all doors at their home. Prior to Fiyero's arrival Nathaniel would trigger the alarms up to five times a day. Now if Nathaniel tries to run off, Fiyero who is tethered to his hand, will immediately lie down preventing Nathaniel from running off. For months since getting the dog, the house alarms have been silent and Nathaniel's parents inform me that Fiyero has quickly become Nathaniel’s best friend.

Karoline Bourdeau of Amherstview, who is blind, relies on six-year-old Jacques, her fourth dog guide, as her eyes. “He helps me get around by showing me where steps are; he helps me navigate crowds when I am in a busy place and prevents me from stepping out into traffic. He attended my last year of law school with me and the bond that has developed between us is indescribable. These dogs not only become your eyes, they are your friends too and to be honest I’d feel completely naked without him.”

Florence Pye of Carleton Place, who is visually impaired, is the proud owner of Frezno, a two-year-old lab who is her sixth dog. “With Frezno I can be independent which is really important to me,” she said.

Also present for the walk was Jean Graham, Lions District Dog Guide Chair. Jean was showing off her latest charge, Fergus, the 18th puppy she has fostered to date. When Fergus reaches 14 months of age he will undergo the necessary training.

Anyone who missed the walk but would still like to make a donation can do so by visiting purinawalkfordogguides.com

Photo: camp leaders Charity Garey and Perry Chafe and some of the Go Guys campers 

Deemed a success by participants and organizers alike, the first ever summer Go Guys day camp run by Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) wrapped up on July 29 at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team with an impromptu party for campers and staff.

Approximately nine participants, who included students from Land O' Lakes, Prince Charles and Sharbot Lake public schools as well as students from Sharbot Lake High School, shared their stories and experiences from their one-week camp experience. The day camp offered up a number of activities and day trips designed specifically to fill a gap in summer community programming for male youth ages 11-15.

NFCS youth coordinator, Charity Garey, led the camp and was assisted by volunteer Perry Chafe. The week began with an “Amazing Race” type of scavenger hunt that had the boys assisting Freshmart shoppers with their groceries, as well as swimming and tidying up at Oso beach in Sharbot Lake. Tuesday’s schedule included bowling in Kingston along with a trip to the Communications and Electronics Museum there, where the boys learned about the “very cool” types of military communications during wartime.

Later in the week campers swam at the Perth Pool and also visited the Hell Hole Caves near Centreville. The week ended with an educational and interactive pioneer day courtesy of Sharbot Lake resident Mike Procter, who demonstrated various pioneer tools and skills to the campers.

Don Amos, executive director of NFCS, was very pleased with the day camp’s success. He said, “While there are a lot of programs we offer during the school year, this camp is our first successful step in running summer programming for males of this age group and it’s proving to be very successful.”

Funding for the camp was provided by a two-year Trillium Grant to NFCS, which will allow the camp to run for another year next summer. “The camp gives these youngsters a chance to make lasting relationships that will likely carry into high school. It also gives them a boost in their self-esteem and helps them to expand their vision by providing them with opportunities to learn new skills while also exposing them to new experiences and ideas. We're hoping to see 12-15 boys back again next year, and judging from the feedback we're getting, the program has been a great success.” The same Trillium grant will also enable NFCS to continue offering programming to these same youth throughout the school year on a monthly or weekly basis. “Part of the proposal put forth by the NFCS Board of Directors is that this type of programming will continue, which means that we will definitely be touching base with these campers throughout the year to keep the positive momentum we started at the camp going,” Amos said.

Kyle Riley, a student at Land O'Lakes Public School, loved his first ever day camp experience. “The best part of it was getting rid of a lot of fears that I had had. I jumped off a diving board for the first time and I also made a lot of new friends that I would not have otherwise made. I also helped a young boy when we visited the Hell Hole caves, who was really scared. I helped convince him that it wasn't really that scary at all.”

Jackson Crain, a former student at Hinchinbrooke Public School who will be attending SLHS in September, said he would “not hesitate for a second” to participate again as a camper next year. “The name of the program doesn't even come close to describing the kind of experience we all had and a lot of what we did are things that I would never have been able to do otherwise.”

It was coordinator Charity Garey's first time working with these youth in an extended day camp setting. “It was a lot of fun, very busy and quite an adventure. By providing something special, unique and specific to these boys, we are giving them opportunities to grow, and learn and develop.”

Judging from the enthusiasm of the campers it seems obvious that Go Guys Day Camp is doing just exactly what it set out to do. For more information contact Charity Garey at 613-279-2244

Organisers are confident that the weather will co-operate as the Sharbot Lake and District Lions Club hosts an event that will be raising money for a special cause: covering the costs of training guide dogs for use by the visually and hearing impaired, physically challenged and autistic children. For dog owners, the walk is an opportunity to mingle with their favourite people, other dog owners. And there will be treats available for the dogs, and their owners as well.

Carolyn Bond is the principal organiser of this year’s event, and she encourages as many people as possible, dog owners and non-dog owners alike, to come out and support the walk. People are encouraged to collect sponsorships for the 5 km walk, which starts at the Sharbot Lake beach and goes past the Family Health Team onto the Trans-Canada Trail for a couple of kilometres along Sharbot Lake.

People can register or donate online at Purinawalkfordogguides.com. Just look for the walk locator box at the bottom of the page and navigate to Sharbot Lake.

But if all that is too complicated for the dog days of summer, just come out to the Sharbot Lake Beach at 11:30 on Sunday, July 31, and register in person. There is no minimum donation required, and tax receipts will be issued for donations in excess of $20.

“It costs $20,000 for training and other costs through the life of a Dog Guide, and the Lions Foundation is able to put 100% of the money raised at these Dog Guide walks towards covering those costs,” said Carolyn Bond.

As an added bonus this year, one or two people who use Dog Guides will be on hand to do the walk with their dogs.

Carolyn Bond will be at the Sharbot Lake Freshmart on Saturday, July 30, to promote the Sunday walk. She will be joined by another Lions Club member, Jean Graham, and a young pup of Jean’s that is a candidate to be a future Dog Guide.

Photo: Mike McKenzie, Anne McKenzie, Ken McKenzie and Kalin Lawless

The old adage about sausages, “Just eat them; don’t ask how they were made” is not something that Mike McKenzie adheres to.

McKenzie, who started making different kinds of cured meats as a hobby over a decade ago, is more than willing to describe exactly how the sausages and other meat products he makes at “Seed to Sausage”, a sausage factory and store that he has opened on Road 38 south of Sharbot Lake, are made.

“Seed to Sausage” is truly a family business. Michael’s father Ken handles the bookkeeping, and his mother Anna and wife Meghan are running the store, which is now open from Thursdays to Saturdays.

Some of the products from “Seed to Sausage” are already known to the local community though the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market, which started up just over a month after Mike McKenzie purchased the Sharbot Lake Meat Market in early May.

Mike and Megan McKenzie live in Kingston, but when Mike decided to leave the armed forces and turn his hobby into a business, it was hard to find a suitable location for what is essentially a meat processing business.

That’s how the Sharbot Lake connection came in. Martyn Jenkins built the Sharbot Lake Meat Market several years ago, and he has been trying to sell the property.

“If I had to build this facility, with walk in coolers, floor drains, three stage power, and all that I would need to open this kind of business, I would never be able to find the money. Martyn had already done so much here, that it was the most economical location for us to be.”

There is strong market for ‘Seed to Sausage’ products, both to high-end restaurants in Ottawa and Kingston, and through wholesalers such as Wendy’s Mobile Market and Old Farm Fine Foods in Kingston. In fact, the demand is more than McKenzie and his co-worker Kalin Lawless are able to produce each week. But opening a store for the local community is one of McKenzie’s priorities, in line with a commitment to the burgeoning local food movement.

“It’s also nice to sell something right where you make it,” said McKenzie.

The name of the business, “Seed to Sausage” is a reference to McKenzie’s insistence that the whole process of producing his sausages is as transparent, and as additive-free as can be.

Each Tuesday, four pigs are delivered to Quinn’s abattoir in Yarker from Haanover View Farms in Marysville, which uses only organically raised feed and ecological practices in the raising of their livestock.

On Fridays the slaughtered pigs are delivered to Sharbot Lake in a refrigerated truck, where they are butchered. Martin Jenkins, the former owner of the property, is now the butcher for “Seed to Sausage”.

From there, every part of the animal is turned to meat products. From cheeks to jowls, and belly to loin, the pigs are turned into speciality meats for the local market and beyond.

The demand for sausages is so great that “Seed to Sausage” some parts of the pig that are normally used for other purposes in their sausage.

“We can afford to do that because we purchase the entire pig, so we don’t pay extra for different cuts,” said McKenzie.

Although it is necessary to use a small amount of nitrates to ensure that the dried meats meet long-term safety standards, one additive that is common in ham and bacon that is sold in stores, phosphates, is not used by “Seeds to Sausage”.

“Phosphates allow meat to absorb and retain water, increasing the weight of the product. So, 100 pounds of raw ham can become 300 pounds of ham, which is good for profit. In our case, without phosphates, there is a loss of moisture when we produce ham and bacon; I don’t want to be selling my well water for profit,” said McKenzie.

Among varieties of meats that are available at “Seed to Sausage” are Italian favourites such as pancetta, guanciale, and sopressata, German style salami and Kielbassa. Red wine and garlic, chorizo and breakfast sausages have been popular at the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market and will be featured in the store as well.

A variety of cheeses, coffee, and maple syrup, steak, and other products are also available in the store.

“Seed to Sausage” is also committed to keeping its prices tuned in to the local market. Many of the products are not available anywhere else locally, while others are, but the pricing is not as high as you would find at specialty stores in Toronto, Ottawa or Kingston.

For more information, go to Seedtosausage.ca

Photo: Leaders and representatives of the 10 Ontario Algonquin Communities at the Gathering at Sharbot Lake

Chief Doreen Davis and members of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation hosted the 2011 Algonquins of Ontario Nation Gathering at Oso beach on July 15. The event attracted Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to sunny Oso beach for a day of Algonquin ceremonies, feasting and the sharing of traditional practices and teachings.

The event began late Friday evening with a moonrise ceremony at the sacred fire where 50 women gathered to drum, smudge and pray while sharing their stories amid tears and laughter.

It was followed in the early dawn with a sunrise ceremony at the beach where Algonquin leaders invited everyone to participate in a smudging and peace pipe ceremony - a celebration of the creator, the birth of a new day and the gift of life. The day’s events included copious amounts of traditional native food, the highlight being the evening banquet in the main tent, where participants and visitors alike were treated to a free feast of moose, venison and beef.

Photo left: birch bark canoe and basket makers Chuck and Janet Commanda

There was a plethora of Aboriginal art and craft vendors, and MC Danka Brewer introduced the line-up of musical guests, who included Brittany Wally, Pirates of the Rideau and Canadian country music star Shane Yellowbird, who rocked the beach with an early afternoon performance. The more formal aspects of the day included the Grand Entry led by flag-bearing chiefs and representatives of the 10 participating Ontario Algonquin communities into an expansive main tent that was pitched specially for the event behind the Medical Centre.

At 11:00AM, Chief Doreen Davis of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation who is also one of the 16 negotiators of the Algonquin Land Claim, led chiefs and representatives of the nine other participating Algonquin First Nations communities into a meeting. The other community representatives included Chief Randy Malcolm of the Snimikobi Ardoch First Nation, Lynn Cloutier of Ottawa, Ada Tinner of Bancroft, Irwin Sarrazin of Pikwakanagan, Chief Richard Zohr of the Bonnechere, Chief Patrick Glassford of the Algonquins of Greater Golden Lake, Chief Clifford Bastien Jr. of Mattawa/North Bay, as well as representatives from the Whitney and Antoine First Nations.

The meeting was to give an update regarding the Algonquin Land Claim by legal representative Alan Pratt, a lawyer who has been working on the Claim on behalf of the Ontario Algonquin First Nation since 1992. Pratt opened by saying, “This is a very challenging time, taking into account the force right now on the political scene. In the next two months we are hoping that the main elements of the negotiations will come together and that we can get some kind of commitment from the Ontario government before they get into the October elections.”

Pratt then outlined the goals of the Land Claim: “We are pushing very hard on the land, economic and governance fronts and pushing hard to get the main elements, if not resolved, at least to a commitment form in Ontario so that a new political party will feel they cannot back-track. We are also pushing beyond where they want to go and where they are mandated to go in the hopes of attracting attention to political leaders both federally and provincially and to make the case why they should go that extra mile to be fair and honourable to the Algonquin people.”

Following the meeting, Chief Doreen Davis talked about her hopes for the land claim

“This claim is about the rights that we had at contact, the title to our land and the fact that we never did get a land base, which is what we require. We have 10 communities here and only one reserve and it’s not a reserve we're after; that is simply not the answer. The fact is that at one point there were 9.8 million acres of Algonquin land on the Ontario side and we now have just one 1500-acre reserve, which just isn't cutting it. What we are looking for is stability and to have a land base that we can have and share and by having that to know that we have not lost mother earth under our feet and that we can continue to share and protect it as it should be.”

Davis said she continues to be optimistic about the land claim, which she has been part of since 1995.

“I have nine grandchildren that I definitely want to leave a legacy to so that they can be strong and continue to be strong for the next seven generations and on and on after.”

She said it has been a lot of work hosting the annual gathering, and “the highlights for me have been seeing the people, both the settlers and the Algonquin people together here enjoying themselves and witnessing the camaraderie that is being built here today. Its been amazing for example to have the ceremonies accompanied by settlers who are learning what and why we do the things we do and to see them learning and participating. That is incredibly rewarding. This sharing is something that happened here hundreds of years ago and it is still happening today and that is really what it is all about. When you really come down to it, the bottom line is that everyone really wants the same things.”

Sharbot Lake resident Karen Burke attended the sunrise ceremony and was very moved by it and the other events.

“It was amazing to see and you could really get the sense of how important and meaningful these ceremonies are. The entire day was beautifully done and I was very impressed and touched by how the hosts, organizers, and participants really reached out and embraced the entire community,” Burke said.

Chief Davis anticipates hosting the event again in Sharbot Lake in 2021 and said, “Hopefully by then … we will be implementing a new treaty that will see our culture and language back alive and well.”

A hot July night proved to be a less than ideal time for most people to attend a public meeting on the draft design of the new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in Sharbot Lake, which at this point is planned for completion in just over two years.

Terry White from the Ventin group in Toronto presented the design to school administrators and school board officials and a few members of the public in the cafetorium of the existing Sharbot Lake High School on Tuesday evening.

The three-storey L-shaped design with a cafetorium and double gym located on the second and third floors is similar to one that was agreed to in June by a design committee that included members of parent councils as well as board employees.

Terry White, who has been designing schools for over two decades, said that he normally would put the gym and cafetorium on the ground floor, “but the layout of the site and the demands of this school made that unworkable in this case, so we settled on a second floor gym.”

The way the building is planned however, there will be direct access to the second floor from the exterior of the building at three locations, “so there will be a lot of access nonetheless,” White added.

The plan is for the school to be located in the parking lot, as far towards the north as possible before it hits the flood plain towards the existing playing field, which will remain.

The wood and auto shops will be located on the ground floor at the north end of the building, with the cafetorium and double gym above, stretching out past where there is currently a basketball court and into where there are now rocks and trees to the west.

Part of the plan is to excavate into that rock to fit the gym in, allowing direct access to the gym from behind the building as the landscape rises.

The rest of the building will extend to the south, towards where the existing school is now located.

The kindergarten rooms will be located on the ground floor, at the south end of the building, adjacent to the elementary playing field. The elementary classrooms will be located on the second floor and the high school classes on the third floor.

The administration office and the library will be located on the first floor, where the two parts of the L-shaped building meet. Across from the administration offices there will be a library and a computer lab, which will open up onto a courtyard behind the building.

The cladding of the building could include brick, concrete and perhaps wood, and there will be a number of full-length glass windows employed to bring natural lighting to the library, the entranceway, and other parts of the building.

Among the community-focussed features of the design are plans to orient the cafetorium to optimise theatrical performances by North Frontenac Little Theatre and the school drama department. Not only will there be seating for 200 – 225 people in the cafetorium, the wall to the gym will be removable, creating the option of a 600 plus seat theatre.

The temporary wall in the middle of the double gym can also be removed, creating a space that could potentially hold as many 1000 people.

Dianne Lake, who attended the meeting as a member of the public but pointed out she not only attended Sharbot Lake High School, but spend 28 years running the cafeteria, made the point that during the 1998 ice storm the school spent 22 days as an emergency shelter and relief centre.

“That extra capacity for a public space might become a huge community asset some day,” she said.

Terry White said that the final design should be ready for public viewing in the early fall, and he hopes the project can go to tender in late October. Preliminary construction could begin before freeze up.

Ann Goodfellow, the school board trustee for the region, pointed out that the Ministry of Education will require that a complete costing be done for every aspect of the project before they approve it.

“Maybe we can break ground next spring,” she said.

The municipal building permitting process will also need to be undertaken, and will likely include environmental assessments.

There were no representatives from the municipality at the public meeting.

Photo: Light green algae at the water's edge on Hawley Bay. The algae. although unpleasant, is not toxic, but it is an indicator.

A group of residents who live in the vicinity of Hawley Bay on the east basin of Sharbot Lake have noticed that the waters around their homes have been inundated with green algae.

The algae sits on the surface of the water for a short time, and then slips under the water, where it remains for a while before dropping to the bottom.

“There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of light green algae that is prevalent throughout the east basin,” said Hawley Bay resident Barb Driscoll in an email to the Sharbot Lake Property Owners' Association, “as you might be aware, this type of algae is a by-product of pollution caused by high phosphate levels as well as sewage seeping into the lake.”

John Earhart, who has been staying at Barb Driscoll's house while he builds a house on Eagle Lake, took a water sample from Hawley's Bay and had it tested at the Public Health Lab in Kingston. The sample came back with a total coliform count of 58 parts per million, well above the safe drinking water level of 5 parts per million.

Earhart said that a similar problem existed on Curls Bay at Eagle Lake for several years, until it was discovered that several septic systems were leaking in the bay.

“The problem was resolved when the septic tanks were identified and corrected,” he said.

Ken Waller, president of the Sharbot Lake Property Owners' Association (SLPOA), responded within hours to Barb Driscoll's email.

“Educating property owners about the need to reduce (eliminate) phosphates in their detergents and cleaning products and to ensure their septic system is working properly is an ongoing task,” he said in a return email. “ ... as you know, SLPOA has, for several years, been pushing for a septic re-inspection program from the township. It is on their agenda but the mayor has advised that they are awaiting the release of a provincial regulation on septic re-inspection before they proceed.”

The township has instituted a voluntary septic inspection program, which is being carried out by the Mississippi-Rideau Septic System office, a joint venture of the Mississippi and Rideau Valley Conservation Authorities.

Since Sharbot Lake is part of the Mississippi River watershed (Sharbot Lake is spring fed, draining into the Fall River which feeds into the Mississippi) water testing is carried out by Mississippi Valley Conservation (MVC) on an annual basis.

Every five years, comprehensive testing is done and a State of the Lake report is produced.

2011 is Sharbot Lake’s year for comprehensive testing, which will include total phosphorous levels, chlorophyll levels, dissolved oxygen, temperature profiles and water clarity.

According to Doug Nuttal, a water engineer with MVC, these tests give a greater indication of the health of the lake than coliform tests that are commonly used for drinking water.

“A single coliform reading could be the result of something that happened only at the location of the test, so it requires a lot more testing to get a true sense of the water quality,” he said, when interviewed early this week.

He also said that the light green algae that has been identified by Sharbot Lake residents is indeed an indicator of pollution caused by elevated phosphorous levels and/or septic system failures.

The last state of the lake report was completed in 2006, and at that time the level of chlorophyll (which indicates levels of algae) in the east basin was low to moderate. The phosphorous levels just below the surface were low and at the bottom of the lake they were elevated, suggesting that the level of phosphorous entering the lake in the 1970s and 80s had been high but had decreased over the previous 15 years.

Doug Nuttal said that the MVC will announce the results of the 2011 state of the lake survey as soon as they are compiled, which will be in the fall. The report should show whether the algae that is so prevalent this year near Hawley Bay is indeed an indicator of a major water problem in the east basin of Sharbot Lake.