Sticker shock puts Ompah build on life support

$734,443.

With most, but not all of the costs for the fire station portion of a proposed fire station/ambulance base at Ompah factored in, that is what North Frontenac ratepayers will be saddled with paying if North Frontenac Council gives the go-ahead.

The project is being planned in conjunction with Frontenac County, which is responsible for the ambulance base portion. The base is slated to cost the county $380,085.

The total cost of the project sits at just over $1.14 million, and under an agreement the two parties will split costs according to the square footage of the portion of the building they will use. The ambulance portion is 1,500 square feet and the fire hall portion is 2,750 square feet and the township is thus committed to covering 65% of the overall cost of the construction.

North Frontenac Council has made a financial commitment of $550,000 for the project, and that includes borrowing $150,000 from township reserve funds as well as a $50,000 contribution from fundraising efforts by the Ompah firefighters themselves.

Frontenac County staff have been managing the project, and a project manager was hired to oversee everything from the request for proposal process through to final construction.

Four bids were received for the project, and a panel that included Fire Chief Steve Riddell and Chief Building Official George Gorrie from North Frontenac selected the second lowest one, from TaskForce Construction for $963,600.

The TaskForce bid was the easy winner on overall points, having a much higher ranking for the building design than the lowest bidder Bel-Con, whose bid came in at $918,880.

The overall cost swells to $1.14 million when project management ($59,972) and 5% contingency ($48,180) and other minor costs are added in.

And the $1.14 million price does not include hydro hook up or telecommunications infrastructure costs or the cost of the environmental assessment that is currently underway.

Cognisant of the fact that the bids were all well above the budget for the project, the Project Manager Patrick Thompson proposed a couple of scenarios that would lower costs.

These include cutting down the size of the building by 400 square feet, which would save North Frontenac about $39,000, and cutting the fire hall portion of the building to 2,500 square feet and the ambulance base to 1360 square feet.

A second possibility would be to eliminate all of the features of the building that are tied to living up to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. This would save $115,000 on the project as a whole and $69,000 for North Frontenac.

Building to LEED standards is a requirement that Frontenac County Council has endorsed for all building projects it undertakes. It is a commitment County Council made as part of its Integrated Community Sustainability Plan several years ago.

In her report to North Frontenac Council, township CAO Cheryl Robson put forward a scenario that incorporated the cuts that Patrick Thompson had put forward. She came to a proposed cost for the township of $604,543, which is only $54,543 over the $550,000 threshold that North Frontenac Council had approved.

“The county is not going to drop LEED,” said Councilor Wayne Good.

“I have no idea whether we can convince County Council to drop the LEED requirements,” said Mayor Clayton, “but if we go to the next county meeting and ask for that, at least we are moving the project forward. Or we could stop the project today.”

“My recommendation is that we stick with LEED; it brings lower maintenance costs in the long run. And we look at the $724,000 number and go with it or dump it,” said Councilor John Inglis.

“It’s hard to know what I can recommend,” said Cheryl Robson. “This information only came to us on Friday. County staff have not had a chance to look at it either.”

A motion was proposed that would have had North Frontenac Council ask Frontenac County Council to drop the LEED requirements for the new building and to have the county direct Patrick Thompson, and Chief of Paramedic Services Paul Charbonneau to attend the North Frontenac Council meeting on June 25 to talk about next steps for the project.

In a recorded vote, the motion was defeated. Mayor Clayton, and Councilors Hunter and Inglis (both of Palmerston ward) voted in favour, and Deputy Mayor Perry and Councilors Martin, Watkins, and Good voted against.

No one knew what to do next.

“Personally, I would like to wait a couple of weeks before killing it,” said John Inglis.

“We fought for years to get the ambulance service we have,” said Betty Hunter. “Because we are worrying so much about the fire hall, we are looking at losing the ambulance service.”

In the end council made a non-decision. They simply received the cost estimate report from Patrick Thompson for information.

When Frontenac County Council meets on June 20, the report will be included in the agenda package. Frontenac County Council has given their staff the go-ahead to proceed with the project, but it cannot proceed until North Frontenac Council gives its approval.

That could happen on June 25, but where four votes will come from on North Frontenac Council for a $734,443 fire hall in Ompah is anyone’s guess.

Gallivan makes County Official Plan road trip.

"I’ve been everywhere man, I’ve been everywhere, crossed the desert spare man, I’ve breathed the mountain air man, travel I’ve had my share man, I’ve been everywhere".

Joe Gallivan wasn’t quite singing this old Hank Snow tune this week, and I can safely say from my own considerable experience that attending council meetings does not bring quite the same amount of exhilaration as spare deserts, mountain air, or Winslow or Wichita for that matter.

Still, Mr. Gallivan traveled up to Harlowe on Monday to North Frontenac Council, headed to Sharbot Lake on Tuesday afternoon for Central Frontenac and ended his day in Sydenham at a South Frontenac meeting.

The reason? He was bringing a document that will form the basis for a Frontenac County Official Plan and he wanted to make sure that local councils were comfortable with the idea of a county-wide Official Plan as a complement to the already existing plans they all have in place.

“It should be the intention of a County Plan to set the context for planning in the county as a whole and to help provide direction for regional planning issues. It will not be the intention of a County Plan to interfere with those planning matters that are considered to be the responsibility of the townships,” Gallivan wrote in the document he presented to each of the councils.

One of the main arguments in favour of a County Official Plan is that once it is in place, township Official Plans will no longer require approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Currently, North, Central and South Frontenac are in the midst of five-year renewal processes for their own Official Plans and in all three cases the ministry and the townships are at a standstill over the issue of whether new building lots can be created on private lanes.

While Gallivan said the private lane development issue will not be solved by a County Plan since it is already front and centre in the current stalemate between the townships and the ministry, but “once a County Plan is approved by the province, the county becomes the approval authority for its constituent municipalities … this is a significant step forward for Frontenac County as it will allow for planning decisions to be made locally with a clear understanding of the impacts of the decisions on the rural landscape of the Frontenacs.”

Gallivan asked the advice of each council he met with about the timing of public meetings, which are being set up in August.

While there was a polite reception to his basic document from the council members, a couple of members of North Frontenac Council made reference to the fact that there is a lack of trust between the township and the county. The way the county's integrated sustainability plan has been implemented has been the source of some of that mistrust, making them nervous about the impact of a County Official Plan.

“I can say this,” Gallivan said, “at least at the county you have two representatives at the table. With the Ministry of Municipal Affairs you have no say whatsoever. I know this because I used to work at the ministry myself.

The Frontenac County Official Plan is slated for completion in early 2014 for submission to the province, before the end of the current term of council.

For information, go to Frontenaccounty.ca and click on the Official Plan icon on the lower right hand side of the page.

Railway Crossings need Repairs

Council was made aware of improvements that need to be undertaken at the Eagle Lake and Crow Lake railway crossings after Canadian Pacific railway staff deemed both unsafe.

The concerns raised by CPR staff at the Eagle Lake crossing were about unsafe sight lines and CP staff suggested that rock removal and brushing were both required at that site. Central Frontenac Public Works Manager Mike Richardson also suggested paving 80 feet of Eagle Lake Road where it crosses the tracks, which he said would go a long way in reducing future maintenance there. CP staff also recommended arms with flashing lights at the Crow Lake Road crossing since they would improve visibility and alleviate the need for more costly rock removal to improve sight lines there. Council passed a motion approving immediate improvements at the Crow Lake crossing and accepted the remainder of the report for information.

Positive meeting of County's public works managers

A recent meeting on June 6 of public works managers from the Frontenac townships was deemed by Richardson to have been a positive experience that led to positive discussions regarding areas of common interest and the many possible advantages of working together.

“We were able to come up with some possible scenarios of how we might better be able to work together in areas of roads, waste sites and purchases as well as on long term projects and issues like education and policy”, Richardson said.

Activity Report

Richardson reported that his staff have put down calcium on 50% of the township's roads to control dust. An alternate product called magnesium chloride which is less corrosive and which is deemed  to be 59% more effective had been suggested by Councilor Jeff Matson at an earlier council meeting. The substance has been tested by road staff on a 12 kilometre stretch of the Bell Line Road. The results are pending.

Arden Road Construction

All of the sub-base work has been completed on the Arden Road and treatment to the surface will begin when Crains' Construction completes current work at Seeley's bay

Elizabeth Street

Richardson reported that the second stage of the archeological study required for improvements and storm sewer reconstruction on Elizabeth Street in Sharbot Lake is currently underway.

New Street Lights on HWY 509

Council had an in depth discussion regarding a request from a resident that two lights be installed on  Hwy. 509, one at Hwy. 7 and the second at Ardoch Road. Council debated the issue and the cost, which has not been budgeted for.

A preliminary motion approving the immediate installation of one light at Ardoch Road at an estimated cost of $3600, with staff being directed to contact MTO about installing a second light on Hwy 7, was defeated. Mayor Gutowski then suggested a motion requesting to install a light at Ardoch Road for 2013 and to contact the MTO about the installation of a light at Hwy 7. Councilor Frances Smith was opposed to the delay, saying, "In the meantime accidents could happen there in the next year". In the end council passed a motion to defer the final motion until staff had a chance to review the budget numbers.

Boat ramp repairs

Council passed a motion to repair the boat ramps at Kennebec and Clear Lakes at an estimated cost of $10,000 each.

Central Frontenac resident blasts silent council

by Jeff Green

Jo Crivellaro had a return engagement at Central Frontenac Council this week.

A 14-year resident of the township, Crivellaro appeared before council last month. On that occasion she  made comments about township employees Mike Richardson and Kyle Labette that led Mayor Gutowski to warn her that there may be legal consequences to what she was saying.

This time, Crivellaro read from a prepared statement, levelling a number of attacks on the way the township waste sites are managed, the way roadsides are brushed, and at the way Mayor Gutowski has responded to her concerns.

“I have made complaints; the policies and procedures of our dumps are putting our employees at risk; certain employees at our dumps are putting fellow employees and the public at risk; the terrible mess of the clearing of the brush at the sides of roads; the lack of clearing of brush that is blocking views at important intersections in various villages in our township; the bathrooms at Sharbot Lake beach being locked on the May 24 weekend; the raft not being in the water; bathrooms without doors, the list goes on …”

Among her allegations was one that there has been drinking on the job at township waste sites.

As far as Mayor Gutowski is concerned, Crivellaro accused her of turning a “blind eye to the fact that there are people in job positions that they shouldn’t be in.” She also said that instead of taking complaints from the public seriously, Gutowski turns on those who complain.

“You repeatedly said that your employees were working on ‘an act of faith’. Basically you give them a job and you trust them to do it. When people complain, you point the finger at the complainers. That seems to be a big part of the problem,” Crivellaro said.

She concluded her remarks by addressing council as a whole, accusing them of complacency.

“I would like anyone here on council, who feels that perhaps, they have not earned their paycheque, or that their services might be more valued elsewhere, to make that move now,” she said.

When Jo Crivellaro was finished speaking, Council voted to receive her presentation, without comment.

Addington Highlands Council opts to build fire hall first, office later

Councilors did not agree about when they should build what, but at their meeting in Flinton on Monday, June 4, they still set in motion a spending plan that will impact taxes for 30 years.

Armed with preliminary figures from their engineering consultant, Council was faced with a $1.8 million costing for a fire hall and township office at the site they have purchased on Hwy. 41 south of Northbrook. The alternative project would be to build only the fire hall now at a cost of $780,000, and defer the second project until later.

Either way the project will need to be financed, which will involve a special levy of $100,000 per year for 30 years to cover interest rates and/or the inevitable increase in construction costs over time.

Council levied an extra $50,000 in 2012 for this purpose, so upping that to $100,000 in 2013 and beyond will have less of an impact on future tax rates than it would otherwise.

The idea of deferring the second part of the project was put forward by Councilor Tony Fritsch.

“It costs more to borrow money than it does to save money,” he said in proposing that only the fire hall be considered by the current council.

Reeve Henry Hogg did not agree.

“Instead of having a staged process to save money, you might as well build and pay over time,” Hogg said.

Councilor Helen Yanch agreed with Reeve Hogg,

“I don't think people want us to collect money now for something in the future that another council might decide not to do,” she said.

However, Councilor Adam Snider was facing sticker shock over the $1.8 million price tag, a figure they all agreed would likely rise once the project goes to tender.

“We can't spend $1.8 million now; that's more than a township our size can handle,” said Snider.

Addington Highlands has a $2.15 million operating budget for 2012.

Deputy Mayor Bill Cox summed up the dilemma facing Council.

“Can we wait?” he said. “Yes, we can. Do we want to? I don't know.”

Helen Yanch then made a motion that Council move ahead with the entire project, but Reeve Hogg could not find a seconder for the motion.

Tony Fritsch then moved that only the fire hall portion be acted on, but that provisions for building the office portion later on be worked into the construction contract.

Fritsch's motion was seconded by Adam Snider.

Reeve Hogg asked for a recorded vote. The vote was 3-2 in favor. Fritsch, Snider and Cox voted in favor; Hogg and Yanch voted against it.

The project is not a done deal, however. Final design work must be done, a tender document prepared and bids received.

Once the real construction borrowing costs are factored in, Council will make a final decision.

$500 for motion sensors in libraries – Council agreed to spend $500 to have motion sensors installed in the Denbigh library as a security measure to protect the computer equipment. Last Saturday, the library re-opened in its new location at the Addington Highlands Community Centre – Denbigh.

No help for Skootamatta boat launch

Council finally dealt with a request for three loads of gravel from ratepayers who are offering to use their own labour to improve a boat launch on Sheldrake Bay of Skootamatta Lake.

The group has already received clearance from the MNR for their plans to bring the boat launch up to a useable standard, and are working with Quinte Conservation for approval as well. In an email to Jack Pauhl dated May 10, the group’s representative Nancy Kallina reiterated a request from February for “two loads of quarry base and one load of 5/8 inch gravel.

“Property owners will assume the cost of labour, machinery (backhoe etc.) and any other costs,” Kallina wrote.

“It is very difficult because we are not helping other people who make requests,” said Helen Yanch.

“We do maintain some roads and boat launches,” said Adam Snider.

Reeve Hogg pointed out that the situation might be different if there was no other access to Skootamatta Lake, but there are four other boat launches on the lake.

A request had been received from the group in February but it was deferred until after the budget.

“A no in February would have been better than a no now,” said Hogg. But in the end the request was still denied.

Waste Disposal Site Review Proposal

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth and Guy Laporte of AECOM brought a draft review of waste disposal site operations for Council’s consideration, prior to seeking public input. The report listed three primary options: 1) Status Quo - maintain current levels of service, continue to export South Storrington’s waste, and as disposal sites fill and are closed, export the waste. Landfill capacity would be used up after 17 years, and the estimated 20-year cost is $16.6 million. 2) Export Option: close all landfill sites at once, and commence exporting. Estimated twenty-year cost is $20 million. 3) Recommended Option (as described below), which would provide landfill capacity until 2032, and the estimated twenty-year cost is $9.5 million.

This recommended options include closing the Green Bay and Bradshaw sites in Bedford District and decreasing operating costs by landfilling Storrington’s waste in South Frontenac rather than transporting it to a transfer station in Kingston. As well, public disposal of waste will be limited to one day per week, and disposal options will be reduced. Weigh scales would also be installed so that tipping fees can be based on weight, and more efficient filling, compacting and covering procedures are proposed for the waste sites.

Secondary recommendations include: more public information and promotion of recycling, in order to minimize the considerable amount of recyclable material still going into landfill, better fencing and security at landfill sites, and studies to document the types and origins of waste coming into landfills.

After discussion, Council received the report, which will now go out for public input before being brought back to Council for final approval and implementation.

Response to MOE re Portland Waste Site

Markl Segsworth, in discussion with the Public Services Committee brought to Council three recommended actions for addressing surface and ground water issues at the Portland Waste disposal site: water level management, partial capping, and closing the site to the public and diverting all public use of the site to alternate township sites.

“Approximately 20% of the waste coming into the Portland site is from (township) collection vehicles,” noted Segsworth: “All the rest is from the public at large.” These courses of action will be presented to the Ministry of the Environment later this month.

Township Signs

Council chose, with some recommended changes, designs for new signs to be posted at all 39 road entrances to South Frontenac Township.

Lake Association ‘Gathering’

Deputy Mayor McDougall suggested that Council invite representatives from local lake associations to meet with council, perhaps in August, to discuss areas of mutual concern, such as waste disposal, 2012 budget, lane assistance recent Official Plan amendments, and burning regulations, etc.

Special Meeting of Council

Following Committee of the Whole, Mayor Davison called a brief meeting of council, in which CAO Wayne Orr and the Mayor were authorized to enter into a new contract with Percy Snider for the administration and grounds maintenance of the Sydenham Cemetery for the period June 13, 2012 - April 2013.

This contract will offer the same financial terms as the previous one, but will require prompt installation of all outstanding corner posts, maintenance of improved records, including mapping, and a 90 day notice provision should the contractor choose to withdraw from the contract. The Cemetery Board will be responsible to ensure these new provisions are adhered to, and will draw up a proposal for an alternate service model for the Sydenham cemetery, to be tendered prior to the expiry of the present contract.

Update on Green Energy Task Force

John Kittle, the chair of the Frontenac County Green Energy Task Force, presented an update of the task force's activities and proposed setting up a similar initiative in North Frontenac at a meeting of North Frontenac Council on Monday, May 28.

“We started up a number of 'streams' to investigate what needed to be done in energy conservation, education, solar energy, micro-hydro, wind power and lobbying for hydro grid access for renewable energy projects in the Frontenacs, “ said Kittle of the county task force. “We also talked about a Frontenac buyers’ club. Some of these 'streams' were successful, and some not so successful."

Among the successes that Kittle mentioned is the municipal solar rooftops program, a project where the county and each of the four townships have committed to building a 10kw MicroFIT project on a township-owned property. Thus far, Frontenac County and Central Frontenac have microFIT programs up and running and North and South Frontenac and Frontenac Islands have projects pending.

Kittle also talked about the ongoing “Wintergreen Initiative”, which was initiated at a workshop at the Wintergreen Centre on Canoe Lake road in South Frontenac.

“As a group we are following a model in which economic development in key sectors is driven by private-public sector committees, with close liaison with municipal government,” said Kittle. The second annual Wintergreen workshop will focus on energy co-operatives.

Kittle also proposed setting up a North Frontenac energy committee, to do a number of things locally, ranging from helping the township comply with provincial regulation 397, which will require that energy conservation measures be instituted for all public buildings in Ontario by next year, to launching a buyers' club in the township for renewable technologies such as solar-powered hot water systems.

Selling off road allowances that contain resources

The township has been considering an application from a landowner to purchase road allowance from the township. These kinds of applications are common, and provided the sale does not affect access to any other property, they are normally done as a matter of course, based on an agreed upon price. Council is facing a more complicated application, a case where the road allowance is also a viable pit, containing a number of grades of gravel. A legal opinion suggested that the township charge $1 per cubic yard of resource available on the property. Some members of council were concerned the price was too low, and others wanted the township to retain the aggregate resources even after selling off the property. The matter was deferred.

New chairs

Council has decided to purchase new chairs for the room they use as a council chamber on the mezzanine of the Clar-Mill fire hall at the municipal complex on Road 509.

After receiving a flyer from Staples, the township decided to buy 9 leather multi-task chairs that normally retail for $248 at a price of $124 apiece, or $1,119 total.

In addition, they will purchase six slightly less expensive chairs, $112 after discount, for delegates to council, township managers and the press. The total cost of the purchases is $1,783. Replacing the old chairs was included in the 2012 budget.

County audit

In his report on the goings on at Frontenac County Council, Councilor John Inglis said that the auditor who reported on county finances, in addition to praising the work of the county treasury department, “commented that the county reserve funds may be higher than necessary”.

One more week for pricing on fire station/ambulance post –

CAO Cheryl Robson reported that the project manager for the ambulance post/fire station at Ompah is planning to open the all-important pricing document from the four contractors who have submitted bids for the project on Monday, June 4. Members of North Frontenac staff are planning to go to the county office for the opening. The matter will then come to North Frontenac Council, with a recommendation from the project manager, probably on June 10. The township has $550,000 available for the project, and if the pricing does not fit in that budget it runs the risk of being scuttled.

Ompah fire station/ambulance base faces new hurdle

The long talked about joint county/township building project in Ompah is at risk once again, even before the construction bids have been opened.

After dealing with a political impasse that spanned two administrations, Frontenac County and North Frontenac Township finally agreed on a way forward for a 1500 square foot ambulance post and a 2500 square foot fire station to be located on a lot that North Frontenac Township purchased in Ompah some five years ago. A project manager has been hired, and the bids have come in for a design-build project. If the bids come in as hoped, the project was scheduled to get underway in June, and the only hurdle left was the cost of the project. If the North Frontenac portion of the cost exceeds $550,000, then North Frontenac Council reserves the right to back out of the project. After years of muddied waters, the way forward finally seemed clear.

That all changed when one of the companies that was considering bidding on the project found out during a site visit that the 3.6 acre lot had at one time been occupied by a gas station.

The township was aware of this when they purchased the property in 2007, and at the time soil samples were taken by a consulting company, AME Environmental, in the vicinity of where the fuel tanks had been located. It was determined that the site was not contaminated.

However, once the potential bidding company raised the issue with the project manager who has been hired to oversee the project, an engineering firm called Malroz was contacted in order to determine if the original study was sufficient.

Malroz reported back that the provincial regulations have changed since 2007, and now phase 1 and phase 2 environmental studies, as well as a test well and a hydrogeological study will likely be required. All of these cost money, somewhere between $25,000 and $50,000.

The various costs were outlined for council by township CAO Cheryl Robson: “A Phase 1 assessment, which is a study of all the background information about the site and is basically a desktop exercise, will cost between $3000 and $5000. A Phase 2 Assessment, which involves taking soil samples throughout the property, between $10,000 and $30,000. A test well, which would become the well for the building afterwards, between $5000 and $10,000. It’s another $1000 to test the well, and $3000 - $5000 for the hydrogeological study.”

Furthermore, as North Frontenac Council met in special session on Tuesday, May 22 to decide whether to proceed with the various studies, they were faced with difficult time frame issues.

“If we decide today to go ahead with the phase 1 and phase 2 assessments, they will take 10 weeks to complete, and it will still be possible to have the building closed in before winter if the assessments come out clean,” said Robson.

George Gorrie, the chief building official for North Frontenac, sat in on a conference call with representatives from Malroz.

“At the end of the meeting I pointed out that no one from Malroz has been to the site, and some of the information they were working with was wrong. The lot is 3.6 acres and the total size of the tanks was 3,500 litres and they were located at one corner. The site is on the shield and there is not much soil anywhere. I think if they visit the site, which they said they would do, they might see it differently,” Gorrie said.

Councilor Wayne Good said he did not see “how council can consider spending up to $50,000 before we even know what the bids are from the builders. If the bids are too high, the project will be dead, and we will have spent $50,000 for nothing.”

“Whatever happens, the property belongs to us and we have an obligation to ensure it is safe,” said Councilor John Inglis.

“If we commit to a phase 1 assessment today, we will be moving the project forward without spending too much money. We can decide later on about the phase 2 assessment, the well, the hydro G study and all the rest of it,” said Mayor Bud Clayton.

“There is a 4-week delay before a phase 2 assessment can be started, so we might be moving out of this construction year if council doesn’t decide on that today,” said Cheryl Robson.

Council opted to approve only a phase 1 assessment at this time.

Cheryl Robson said that township staff were going to contact Frontenac County staff as soon as possible to see if the bids for the project can still be opened this week as per the original schedule, so Council will be aware of the cost they are looking at for the project by the time they meet again next Monday, May 28.

They could proceed with the phase 2 assessment, the well and the other studies at that time should they so choose.

North Frontenac commits $100,000 to Pine Meadow re-build

After years of fundraising and lobbying provincial officials, all of the approvals and the funding scenario for the Pine Meadow Nursing Home re-build were in place. But just two weeks ago, as plans were being made for the official ground breaking ceremony for the project, the numbers came up short when the bids came in for sub-contracts for the construction.

The $6.5 million project, which is being funded largely through fundraised dollars and a $5.1 million loan from Infrastructure Ontario, was over budget by $300,000.

Through a series of efforts, that gap was reduced to $100,000, but by the rules set out by Infrastructure Ontario (a provincial loaning body for projects undertaken by not-for-profit corporations and municipalities) that money had to be found before the project could proceed to the groundbreaking stage.

Lennox and Addington County has committed $25,000 per year for 10 years to the project, and Addington Highlands Council has waived most of the building permit fees for the project, but efforts to secure support from Frontenac County for the rebuild have repeatedly failed.

Pine Meadow is located in L&A but a residents' survey showed that half of its 60 residents resided in Frontenac County before moving to the home.

“This request for $100,000 is make or break for the project; we either get a commitment for $100,000 or the project dies,” said North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton.

Clayton added that even though the money is being called a grant, it is nothing more than a financial guarantee because other monies will be coming in and the project has a $500,000 contingency fund built into the financing.

“Why not make it a promissory note or a loan guarantee?” asked Councilor Gerry Martin.

“Our auditor told us that if we are going to commit this money today, through a simple resolution of council, it has to be as a grant. That is why we are calling it a grant of up to $100,000,” said North Frontenac CAO Cheryl Robson.

“So we aren’t going to cut a check today?” Martin asked.

“The chances of us ever using the money are remote. It may come at some stage. It’s the letter more than anything else that is needed now,” said Clayton.

“I think the community really needs this,” said Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, “I’ll support it. Let me put it that way."

Council supported a resolution granting up to $100,000 to Pine Meadow for the construction project.

(Editor's note - Mayor Clayton also serves as the unpaid Chair of the Pine Meadow Management Committee. North Frontenac Councilor Betty Hunter is a member of the Board of Directors of Land O’Lakes Community Services – the parent board of Pine Meadow – see page 2 for editorial comment)

Editorial by Jeff Green

When Bud Clayton was elected mayor of North Frontenac I asked him if he was going to step down from the Pine Meadow Nursing Home management committee.

He said that as soon as the shovel was in the ground for the rebuild of Pine Meadow, he would be resigning from the committee.

Eighteen months later the shovel still isn’t in the ground, although that should happen within a few days.

The reason that I asked Clayton about this is because Pine Meadow provides service for residents of North Frontenac, and the mayor of North Frontenac would be wise to sever ties with specific agencies that have a direct relationship with the township. I took it that he understood this when he said he was going to get off the committee when he could.

This week Clayton sat in the mayor’s chair and at the same time asked for a $100,000 commitment to the Pine Meadow rebuild.

Councilor Betty Hunter, a director with Land O’Lakes Community Services, the parent board of Pine Meadow, engaged in the debate as well.

Both Hunter and Clayton advocated for the spending. Neither of them declared any kind of conflict. Neither of them refrained from voting on the motion. Clayton did not even relinquish the chair. He presided over the debate on a $100,000 commitment to a project he has been identified with for over two years.

To my mind, both Clayton and Hunter should not only have stepped back from the table, they should have left the room. It would have been best if someone else came forward from Pine Meadow to ask for the money.

But that did not happen. There was not so much as a written request for support, much less a staff report prepared.

Were I a resident of North Frontenac I would have no problem seeing my tax dollars go to supporting Pine Meadow. The rebuild is something that Pine Meadow needs, local families need and the local economy needs.

Bud Clayton and Betty Hunter do not stand to gain financially from this $100,000 grant. They receive no benefit from Pine Meadow. In fact, they both take a loss as volunteer board members, so they had no pecuniary interest in the project.

It is also true that the project lay in the balance and time was of the essence. The commitment was needed immediately.

There is still a conflict, however, and both Clayton and Hunter were wrong to act as they did.

If anyone else wanted to secure a $100,000 commitment from North Frontenac Council for a project they supported, they would have to sit at the far end of the table, bring a lot of financial data and make a really strong case. If they were asking for money this late in the year, after the annual township budget had already been set, they would likely be told that council would consider the request as part of the following year’s budget deliberations.

Even if council were particularly sympathetic to the cause, the individual would be listened to, and then told that council would consider the request later on in the meeting. When the time came for council to debate the request, the advocate would have to sit in the audience, silently.

In all of the years I have attended North Frontenac Council meetings, no one has walked into a meeting and asked for $100,000 for any cause and received it on the spot.

Mayor Clayton stayed at the head of the table in this case, where he could speak at will, preside over the debate and call for the vote at the most opportune time.

Clayton should not have done it that way, and North Frontenac Council should not have let him.

Cost-cutting proposal founders under bickering

Mark Segsworth presented a recommen-dation from the Public Services Committee, that electronic waste be accepted only at the Keeley Road Hazardous Waste site. Currently, the Township pays $30,000 a year to dispose of E-waste left at the Port-land and Loughborough waste disposal sites, but Ontario Electronic Stewardship has agreed to take all E-waste left at Keeley Road free of charge. This change would lower 2012 waste disposal costs consider-ably. A side benefit would be that residents could dispose of their hazardous waste at the same time.

Councillor Robinson objected, say-ing that this would be a backward step, for “People don’t want to travel from Portland to Keeley Road to dispose of electronic waste.” Mayor Davison noted that “It’s a change, and people have to change with the times.” Councillor Vandewal said he agreed with using only the Keeley site. He reminded Coun-cil that until relatively recently, people had had to buy a $30 permit from the township offices, then take their e-waste to Kingston. Councillor Naish made a motion to defer a decision, until the township lawyer could be consulted on the definition of conflict of in-terest. Council voted 5-3 in favour of defer-ral. Councillor McPhail expressed frustration that council was disregarding the Public Ser-vices Committee’s work.

Hardwood Creek Repairs

Segsworth asked Council’s approval of a $620,858 bid from Doornekamp Construction, for the rehabilitation of Hardwood Creek bridge, at the southern edge of Verona on road 38. Segsworth said this is the most heavily-travelled road in the Township, with an average of 12,000 vehicles a day. Noting that the road will be narrowed to one lane for several weeks, Segsworth has recom-mended that the work be started in Septem-ber, after the summer holiday season. The work will include installing a much-needed pedestrian sidewalk along the west side of the bridge. $260,000 of the funding will be drawn from the County’s Federal gas tax allocation..

Township Growth Study Approved

Township Planner Lindsay Mills presented a list of proposed changes to the Official  Plan as part of the required five-year review. As well, he asked permission to issue an RFP for a consultant to prepare a Growth Study of the Township. Purpose of this study is “to help the public and the decision-makers to have a more complete understanding of the implica-tions of population growth and to determine the most appropriate locations for growth and the conditions under which growth can occur.” At present the Province is not in favour of severances along private roads, and is in-sisting all future development should occur only within the established settlement areas. This ignores the fact that with the exception of Sydenham water, none of the Township hamlets have the facilities to support heavy in-fill (none have sewage treatment plants), and many residents move into the Township  because they want to live in a rural setting. A Growth Study may help provide the province a clearer picture of rural development issues faced by South Frontenac.

Mayors’ Coalition Seeks Transparency Re Policing Costs:

On Mayor Davison’s recommendation, Council agreed to contrib-ute $1,000 to a newly-formed group of Ontario Mayors who are seeking a review of OPP costs, formulas and deployment models. It is hoped that information on costs assigned to municipalities and applicable deployment models will be made available to municipali-ties “in a timely manner.”

New Roof Needed for former Township Offices and Library

Rather than accept architects Shoalts and Zaback’s estimated cost of roof replace-ment ($108,000 plus 10% for architectural services), Council put the project out to tender. The  lowest bid that met all require-ments, including references and insurance, was Wemp and Smith.  Their bid, with all ex-penses included, was $76,700.

Thanks…

Councillor Vandewal mentioned that the flowerpot at the foot of the “Sydenham” sign east of the village has been planted: soil was donated by Mike Gossage, and plants by Darryl Silver.

Addington Highlands brings in 2012 budget

Increase of 7% in total levy to ratepayers offset by 1% in real growth

It will cost Addington Highlands Township $2.15 million to carry out their local operations in 2012 - just over $220,000 or 11% more than it cost in 2011.

A decrease in provincial transfer payments of $60,000, combined with an increase in policing costs of $30,000 as well as a decision to put $50,000 away for a proposed municipal complex/fire hall that will be built some time in the future are a few of the major reasons for the increase.

The operating costs for the new community centre in Denbigh are also higher than had originally been envisioned, leading to a $33,000 increase in the 2012 budget. The township is spending $220,000 to replace a tandem truck and plow, and will spend $207,000 in rebuilding the Jacques Bay Road.

The 11% increase in local costs is offset by lower increases in the L&A County levy (5%) and education taxes (1.5%)

In the end the total amount to be charged to ratepayers in Addington Highlands for municipal and education taxes is just under $4.87 million, $210,000 more than it was in 2011 ($4.66 million), an increase of 7%.

Addington Highlands Clerk-Treasurer Jack Pauhl estimates that new building projects were responsible for about a 1% increase in the township’s property assessment values last year. Municipal taxes are charged out to ratepayers on the basis of property assessment values.

Township to split on re-zoning costs for Flinton Church: Janice Andrews from the Riverview United Church in Flinton, which has been sold, came to Council to ask for some relief in re-zoning costs, and Council agreed to split the costs. The closing service for the church is scheduled for May 27.

$750 for mayors’ committee on policing costs:

Council agreed to send $750 to the Ontario Mayor’s Coalition Steering Committee, a group of Ontario mayors who are organizing a challenge to the way the OPP charges them for policing. According to the steering committee, policing costs have been going up each year. The local municipalities are simply billed by the OPP and have no ability to challenge the charges.

Toll road booklet ad – The township will be paying $125 to purchase a 1 page ad in the toll road booklet that is being prepared by the Land O’Lakes Lions Club.

Community recreation centre committee approved

Council approved the formation of an official council committee to explore the possibility of converting Hinchinbrooke Public School into a community recreation centre.

Attaining status as a township committee will allow the community steering committee that has already been formed to apply for a grant from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation to complete a feasibility study and business plan for the project.

One member of Council will sit on the committee, and Mayor Gutowski will also participate.

According to the work plan submitted by the steering committee, the committee will be looking at a host of factors that are relevant to determining if the project is feasible, including having an architect look as how the building can be renovated to make it an accessible facility; what the costs of repairs and upgrades would be, and more.

“To that end, just this afternoon I received a call from the school board saying they will have costing information for upgrades that they have developed for the Hinchinbrooke school, as well as for Sharbot Lake Public School,” said township Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Trépanier.

As Trépanier pointed out, the scope of the exploration stage has expanded to include the Sharbot Lake Public School site, which, along with the Hinchinbrooke site is slated to be vacated by the Limestone School Board upon the opening of a new JK-12 school in Sharbot Lake in September of 2013.

“Once the work is being done on one site, why not include the other one as well?” said Trépanier.

The work plan submitted by the steering committee includes a number of items that are listed as “long term requests to the township”. These include “purchasing the school(s) when they become available”, providing “project management for renovations” and “ongoing operational management”.

“I don’t think we want to make these kinds of financial commitments when our people already can’t afford the taxes we charge them,” said Councilor Bill Snyder.

“Right now we are not looking at any kind of commitment of taxpayers' dollars except for staff time to help get a grant for a feasibility study,” said Mayor Gutowski.

“Right now I think the Sharbot Lake school is just going to be a part of the investigation” said Councilor Frances Smith”.

The committee is planning to submit an application for funding to the Frontenac CFDC by June 1.

Tenders accepted: Public Works Manager Mike Richardson recommended that the contract for the construction of a major culvert on Crow Lake Road be granted to Ryan’s Maintenance of Renfrew County for $258,725. The tender for work in the village of Arden was won by Crains’ Construction for $106,190 and because the price from Smiths' Construction for paving on the Arden Road came in at $118,000, lower than expected, Smiths’ will be asked to do 3 km instead of 2.5.