On the recommendation of planners Megan Reuckwald and Joe Gallivan, Central Frontenac Council voted at its regular meeting Tuesday night in Sharbot Lake to enter into a site plan agreement with 2533652 Ontario Inc. to renovate the former Junction Restaurant and turn it into a gas bar (Ultramar).

Gallivan said the former restaurant will require extensive work and there are several conditions to be met and a performance bond to be agreed upon but “we’ve been working with the owners for almost two years now and they’ve been very professional.

“For example, they’re putting in one of the best septic systems you can have for commercial.”

In her report, Reuckwald said that since the development is on Hwy 7 (beside the LCBO), the Ministry of Transportation has stated in June of this year that they are not prepared to issue permits until all conditions are met for the detail design and a legal agreement is signed.

She said a left turn lane is to be designed to the satisfaction of the ministry including a legal agreement between MTO and the proponent; and an environmental screening report, geotechnical report, design sections and other reports/documentation that is part of the the design for the highway road works to facilitate the development.

Bordenood Cemetery
Council agreed to assume care and control for the Bordenwood Cemetery for which an application has been made under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act to be declared abandoned.
Clerk-Administrator Cathy MacMunn acknowledged that there will be some expenses accrue under the decision but added that “municipalities do not have a choice under the Act.”
When asked if there more cemeteries that might be abandoned in the future, MacMunn said “I can think of four or five but as churches close and the population ages, there isn’t anybody else to look after them.”
“And somebody has to,” said Coun. Tom Dewey.

RVCA and caterpillers
When Rideau Valley Conservation Authority general manager Sommer Casgrain-Robertson finished giving Council her report on the state of the conservation authority, Coun. Bill MacDonald wanted to know if they’d had many calls about tent caterpillers and their effect on the forest canopy.
“We haven’t had too many inquires ourselves, some on our western borders,” she said. “I know the maple syrup producers are concerned.

Vendors, food and otherwise
After planner Joe Gallivan gave his report on the Saturday Open House on Food Vehicles, Coun. Tom Dewey wanted to know if they would be including “venders hawking their wares” ie, non-food vendors in the proposed draft bylaw.
“We were focused on food but we certainly can,” Gallivan said.
Gallivan said it would likely be the end of the summer before a licencing bylaw and corresponding changes to the Zoning Bylaw will be presented to Council.
“I think there will be great interest to see what the wording of those bylaws will be,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

At a public open house to discuss a proposed bylaw to regulate mobile food businesses in Central Frontenac, many issues relating to the business climate for restaurants in the vicinity of Sharbot Lake were aired.

Joe Gallivan, Manager of Planning for Frontenac County, came to the meeting looking for public input after he had looked at similar bylaws in other locations and tried to find “best options” for Central Frontenac.

Last September, Councillor Cindy Kelsey expressed concern about an unlicensed chip truck that had opened up on Highway 7 near Road 509, and then Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven reported to Council that although mobile food businesses were defined in the township zoning bylaw, there were no regulations in the bylaw about whether they are permitted or not and under what circumstances. This put several existing businesses in the township in legal limbo, and in February Neven brought forward a draft bylaw, which was presented to Council but not acted upon. Since then a new Chief Building Official, Shawn Merriman, has taken over, and Joe Gallivan has been working on developing a bylaw.

At the same time a business has come forward asking to be able to set up at Hwy. 7 and 38. The Spud Box is planning to relocate from Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 41 at Kaladar. Two weeks ago, at Council’s request, CBO Merriman presented a temporary use bylaw which would enable the Spud Box to apply for a permit to open this summer while Joe Gallivan and the county planning department works on a permanent bylaw, which will not likely be in place until the fall.

The meeting was set up to ask questions about the permanent bylaw, such as how to define mobile food businesses, which zones they should be restricted to, and whether there should be a separation distance between them and restaurants. But the pending opening of the Spud Box came up repeatedly in the questions that were asked by a crowd that was made up of most of the restaurant and other food vendors in the Sharbot Lake vicinity.

CBO Shawn Merriman repeated a point that he had earlier in the month in front of Council. “I think that in a commercial zone, like we have on Highway 7, it is not up to the township to restrict the kinds of businesses that come forward. Let the market take care of that.”

Frank White from the Sharbot Lake Country Inn said “this is something I completely understand and would definitely not contest or dispute if we were on the same playing field.   However, allowing a business to set up that would be in direct competition with other year round venues with low, low overhead and at far reduced cost with a fraction of the of the licensing fee for operations i.e.  $350 per year vs $9,000 plus in property taxes is not what I feel should be the long term direction of economic development, especially given that the local populous would not be sufficient to support all of the business in the area.”

The owner of the Spud Box, Jerry, piped in at that point.

“We do have other expenses, including rent, but I know what you are saying because I owned restaurants in the past. The restaurant business is finished. I’m sorry but it’s true. We will pay  a fair license fee. It does not have to be $350.”

Jonathan Desroche, who owns Gray’s Grocery and Bake Shop, which is kitty corner to where the Spud Box would be located if approved, said “I don’t have any issues with him setting up. If he brings more business to the corner, that’s fine with me. But we need to face up to the reality that all of our businesses are hurting because tourism has died off completely in this area. If we don’t turn that around, none of us will be around. I’ve noticed a dramatic drop since I opened in 2010, tourism is off and our sales are off as well,” he said.

As the meeting continued, other issues about the business community were raised.  

CBO Merriman and Mayor Frances Smith both referred to the pending approval for a new Ultramar gas station with a convenience store and restaurant component at the site immediately to the west of the LCBO store, on the site where The Junction and Bubba’s takeout were located.

Joe Gallivan said he has been working for two years, from the planning end, with the owners of that proposed business, which is waiting for approval from the Ministry of Transportation before starting site development.

Input on the technical issues around the new bylaw was gathered at the meeting. Most in attendance agreed that mobile food businesses should be restricted to commercial areas, but the issues around setbacks from restaurants are more complex and the response was mixed.

A draft bylaw should be coming before Council before the end of the summer.

“We’re not here looking for money, we’re looking for ways we can help municipalities,” Susan Moore, president of the Friends of the Salmon River told North Frontenac and Central Frontenac Councils recently. Moore and FSR founder/environmental scientist Gray Merriam have been on a mini-tour of watershed municipalities spreading their gospel and offering their assistance in whatever capacity deemed necessary.

“We got a $200,000 grant from Environment Canada for studies that looked at 11 variables,” Moore said. “We didn’t find any problems.”

She then turned the mike over to Merriam.

“From its headwaters in North Frontenac and area, the Salmon River dumps into the Bay of Quinte (at Shannonville),” Merriam said. “We did studies (and) there are places that need work (but) it turns out not many and those are all in the south in areas of intense agriculture.”

And there’s the rub.

“You can’t stir the public to fix something that doesn’t need fixing,” he said. “So we’re trying to encourage people to look after what’s there.

“If you allow it, this could become another Muskoka, a string of time-shares. Lay claim to the riches you have here.”

Merriam urged councils to engage in regional planning and to share information through public meetings, watershed tours, maps, reports, signage.

To that end, the FSR has already published the Salmon River Habitat Strategy and a book, The Salmon River — Jewel of Eastern Ontario.

“Talk to your taxpayers and offer us (FSR) as slaves to do some of the work,” he said. “This land is not ordinary, it’s special.

“I can eat breakfast and watch mink or otter out my window.

“Offer that to people from Western Europe and see what they’d pay for it.”

Merriam also extended his advice to lake stewardship.

“Lake capacity is a ’70s model that’s based on phosphorus,” he said. “That’s rapidly becoming outdated by improved septic systems that deal with phosphorus.

“(But) human activity on a lake can’t be dealt with by shoreline management.

“A lot of lakes have reached their capacity through the music of boom boxes, not phosphorus.”

For their part, the councils were quite receptive to the FSR’s message.

“We’ll never become another Muskoka,” vowed North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins.

“We should do this (meet with FSR representatives) every year,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith.

Merriam even had an answer to Coun. Tom Dewey’s question about how to handle “beaver problems.”

“From the beavers’ point of view, they’re doing just fine,” Merriam said.

“This is the 18th year South Frontenac has had volunteers of the year,” said master of ceremonies Mike Howe preceding Tuesday night’s regular Council meeting in Sydenham. “The first time, in June of 1999, it was a way to do something together as a township after amalgamation.

“Now there are 65 names on the wall.”

Coun. John McDougall introduced Judy Conway as one of four honorees on the evening.

“Retired from teaching and an educational assistant, Judy is very keen on the development and interest of students and due to her interaction with kids, they are always willing to help her out,” he said.

And through the years, she’s needed that help after joining the Verona Community Association in 2002. She made numerous contributions to the yearly festivals in Verona, including managing the waste management system during the Cattail Festival and Verona Car Show, reducing waste going to the local dump and providing public education about the benefits of recycling.

“That’s not a glamourous position,” McDougall said.

She’s also a director of the Verona Lions Club and in charge of maintaining the Hall kitchen.

“I share this (award) with every member of the community who has leant their hearts and hands to make our community a home,” Conway said.

Besides being a wife and mother of two and a nurse practitioner in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kingston General Hospital, Lynn Newton has found the time to be president of the Frontenac Fury Girls’ Hockey Association for the past 10 years, said Coun. Ross Sutherland.

“She recently created a partnership with the Frontenac Flyers Minor Hockey Association to coordinate development opportunities for our entire hockey community, once again creating a support environment for young players to develop a love for hockey and embrace a healthy lifestyle,” he said.

“My husband and I have had many opportunities to move to larger centres,” Newton said. “But we much prefer to live here and pay it forward.”

Ruth Shannon has made numerous contributions to the agricultural community in South Frontenac, including fundraising for a fellow dairy farmer seriously injured in a farm accident and McKenna’s Dream, the project of a young cancer survivor aimed at helping families like her own through the difficulties of a life threatening disease, said Coun. Ron Sleeth.

“But it has been her volunteer contributions to the 4H program for 40 years that have been a constant in her life,” he said. “I know, because she’s my sister-in-law and many’s the Saturday morning where I’ve been at her house listening as she’s not only taught children to cook and sew, but also how to be responsible, and to help others to realize that few mistakes that are made that cannot be corrected if you only try.”

Shannon has filled many positions in 4h, including being on the executive at the regional and provincial levels and organizing the Annual Pork Barbecue.

Roseanne Gandl Black has been involved with the Frontenac Soccer Association since 2009, becoming the club’s treasurer in 2011.

“Her role as treasurer was only supposed to be two years but you know how these things can go in community organizations and she’s now in her 7th year as treasurer.”

Her role involves all aspects of such an organization’s finances but in soccer it also means assisting with parents and coaches questions, handing out jerseys and collecting equipment .“Rosanne is one of the first to volunteer when there is a need such as offering a short-term camp to create a more competitive soccer opportunity and has been instrumental in assisting with changing how team rosters are developed,” he said.

“I just want to encourage everyone that the next time someone asks for volunteers to raise their hand,” Gandl Black said.

Mayor Ron Vandewal thanked the volunteers for their contributions pointing out the Township motto “Our Strength is our Community.”

“Everywhere you look, somebody is making the community and workload easier for everybody,”

Even though there are still a couple of outstanding issues with the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, manager of development services Forbes Symon recommended South Frontenac Council approve a condominium agreement for Cranberry Cove Condominium in Storrington District at its regular meeting meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

Symon said that because of flood watch conditions, the CRCA hadn’t had the manpower to devote to reviewing the agreement but he was confident all its conditions were being met and the Township could remove its conditions and send it on to County. (Frontenac County is the final approval authority on condominiums.)

“The developer has been working with the Health Unit, the CRCA and the Township to satisfy the conditions of draft approval,” he said. “It now appears that the conditions have been satisfied.

“It’s not as complete with a big red bow around it as we would like but it is to a point where we can recommend entering into the agreement with the understanding that there is still an ‘i’ and a ‘t’ to be dealt with.”

Holiday Manor
Council approved an encroachment agreement for Holiday Manor in Battersea to operate an outdoor licenced patio that encroaches on a municipal road allowance.

“From a roads perspective, the encroachment is not a significant matter,” said Forbes Symon, manager of development services.

1 more month for Percy
Council extended the lease agreement with Percy Snider on Stage Coach Road for an additional month to allow Snider to complete a move to his new facility.

“I would like to see it happen so we could celebrate Canada Day with it cleaned up but he is working on it,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.

EORN
Council passed a motion to support the Eastern Ontario Regional Network’s submission of a business case to support improvement and expansion of cellular networks and mobile broadband services across Eastern Ontario. “The County has already supported this and will probably make some financial commitment to it,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal. “They’re just asking member municipalities to support it too, to strengthen the case.”

As Addington Highlands continues to grapple with dwindling space left in its waste sites and the desire to keep costs reasonable for township residents, Chief Administrative Officer Christine Reed prepared a report outlining the various options for tipping fees that townships of similar size have chosen.

Based on the many issues to be dealt with, including determining fees for loads of various sizes and compositions, Councillor Tony Fritsch said it would be best if a group of councillors, township residents, the public works manager and waste site attendants got together to hash out all the options.

Reeve Henry Hogg said perhaps the Public Works committee, with the addition of two site attendants, could be called together to look at the issues and submit a report.

Councillors Fritsch and Cox sit on that committee, as do three members of the public. Council voted to defer the matter to an expanded public works committee.

Financial statements
Adam Young from Seckler, Ross and Perry, LLP, presented a scintillating account of the township’s finances, saying that based on the information presented to him the township’s finances appear to be in good order. The township carried a working surplus of $65,000 going forward from 2015 on a $5 million plus budget, with departmental actual expenditures tallying well with their budget estimates.

Gravel and Tandem tenders
KCK Gravel, located near Denbigh, was the successful bidder to supply gravel to the township at a price of $67,500 for 1,000 tonnes. The other bidder, Gemmills Sand and Gravel, came in at $75,000.The tandem axle truck will cost $227,350. There was only one bidder, but the price was under budget.

Requests granted
A request for the waiver of the events license fee for the Flinton Jamboree was granted. Also a request by Jen Whalen of Pathways for Children and Youth for space to meet clients on Tuesday afternoons during the summer, was granted. Whalen will also work out of the Land O'Lakes Community Services Office. She uses North Addington Education Centre during the school year.

Better deal for councillors attending conferences
Based on a notice of motion from Councillor Bill Cox, some of the expense payments to councillors have increased. Mileage payments have been set at $0.54 per kilometre for the first 5,000 kilometres each year, and $0.48 after that, for “travel from their residence within the municipality, for all municipal functions.

For conventions, seminars and meetings outside of the township, accommodations will be covered “as per receipts”, meals will be reimbursed at a rate of $15 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $35 for dinner. A per diem of $125 per day, “plus bus/rail or mileage plus registration” will also be paid.

North Frontenac will tackle invasive plants with a cut and spot-spraying approach following a recommendation by Public Works Manager Jim Phillips at Council’s regular meeting last week in Harlowe.

In his report, Phillips said that in a series of meetings with his counterparts and CAOs in Frontenac County Townships, it was unlikely that there would be any joint tenders with other townships. He said the County’s only participation would be if invasive species affected the K & P Trail.

“On May 10, (we) met with Central Frontenac staff and received a presentation from Steve Ford, who represents a company that specializes in roadside invasive weed management,” Phillips said in his report. “Steve advised that based on our anticipated needs he would recommend selective spot spraying for wild parsnip and giant hogweed.

“We therefore recommend that any wild parsnip that is present along our roadsides that is impacting agricultural lands (as required under the Weeds Act) can be managed by cutting and selective spot spraying by a licensed weed management contractor.

“For a small patch of phragmites (on Road 506/509), Steve advised to simply cut the plants, below the waterline if possible, before the new seed heads develop. There is no herbicide currently approved for spraying phragmites if water is present (and) phragmites are not identified as a noxious weed under the Act.”

Coun. Vern Hermer suggested adding “cut and then unsuccessful, then as a last resort spray.”

Mayor Ron Higgins and Coun. John Inglis voted against the measure.

@NorthFrontenac - Facebook/North Frontenac. Socail media comes to the north
Council agreed to establish a policy regarding social media along with corresponding training for both staff and Council.

“Are we going to be trained then?” asked Coun. Gerry Martin.

“We held one training session but the only one who showed up was the Mayor,” said CAO Cheryl Robson.

No bus to Calabogie
Council decided against hiring a bus to take Council and staff to its scheduled meeting June 30 in the Township of Greater Madawaska’s Council Chambers in Calabogie.

A yes vote to county study after all
Council decided to get on board with Frontenac County’s plans for waste diversion after having voted against the plan at a previous meeting.
Coun. John Inglis said he had a change of heart and voted for the plan at County Council.
“We’re getting $50,000 in grant money but (the County contribution) of $44,000 is a big part of the funds we’d put away for the post-landfill world,” Inglis said. “(But) this is an opportunity and we don’t want to be left behind.”
“We’ve been told if it’s (the grant application) not regional it won’t looked at and it’s more regional if the North is part of it,” said CAO Cheryl Robson.

Four delegates spoke to Council about the speed of traffic on Silverwood Drive, a rural road west of Inverary, which runs to Loughborough Lake in one direction and connects out to Perth Road in the other.

The first three speakers, Philippe Archambault, Jevon Austin and Chris Wilcock, all fathers of young children, told of the speed of traffic past their homes, particularly in the summer when the cottagers are back.  They spoke of their fears for their small children: “Ten children under ten years old living along one short strip of the road,” said Archambault, “learning to ride bicycles.”

Last September, a temporary speed hump had been installed, and the three men agreed that it had been very effective in calming traffic. However, when they asked for the bump to be reinstalled this spring, Mark Segsworth had said it had been moved to a different location: the Township has only so many speed humps, and moves them around. The residents said they would be willing to fundraise, to buy a summertime speed hump for their road , if that would help. (No one seems to know how much it would cost, and Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth had been unable to attend the meeting. However, one of the speakers noted that there had been traffic counters across the road recently.

Mayor Vandewal said that some of the other suggested solutions such as additional signage, a lowered speed limit (the current speed is 50 km/hr) or more policing (very expensive) generally have had minimum effectiveness at more than temporarily slowing traffic. Sutherland said he felt the Township should look into purchasing more of the temporary speed humps.

The fourth delegate, Kent Labbett, was opposed to a speed hump: “Why punish the innocent? Deal with the offenders: I don’t speed, but I was forced to go much below the posted limit to avoid damaging my car.” He had canvassed residents along the lakeshore, and collected 46 signatures opposing the speed hump. Both he and Councillor Sleeth spoke of children playing on the road, and Labbett complained about pets wandering in front of cars, and school busses holding traffic up. “It’s not as if we had an alternate route we could use.”

Council’s general consensus was that the issue needed further discussion, when Segsworth could be present.

Encroachment Agreement: Holiday Manor
Forbes Symon, Manager of Development Services, reviewed an application made by the proprietors of the Holiday Country Manor, Battersea, to construct an outdoor licensed patio in front of the building. Turns out there is an apparent encroachment on the road allowance; possibly the road allowance runs through the proposed patio, though no one knows for certain: none of the metal survey pegs can be located. But if it does not come beyond the current retaining wall, the seasonal patio would not interfere a planned sidewalk along the road, and there is no intent to widen the road in the foreseeable future. Staff and Development Services Committee have agreed that the best course of action would be to formally recognize the encroachment through by-law and agreement. The matter will come to Council for approval next week.

Process for Assumption of Non-Subdivision Roads
The Public Services Committee has begun a formal process for assumption of both Township owned and non-Township owned right-of-ways. The proposal listed a number of criteria that would have to be met before the Township would add a road to the approximate 800 kilometres of public roads already maintained by South Frontenac. (Estimated average cost of upkeep is $5,000 per kilometre.)
Although there was general agreement that this clarification would be a good thing, COW was divided on whether to forward it to the next Council meeting for discussion with Mark Segsworth and a decision, or to hold off until the end of summer, to allow time for consultation with the lake associations. (Sutherland was particularly in favour of waiting, Sleeth wanted to proceed.) Eventual decision was to proceed to decision at Council.

Outdoor Furnace By-law
Council discussed a proposed by-law to regulate outdoor solid fuel burning appliances (OSFBAs) which among other details, would recognize the new, much cleaner-burning versions coming onto the market, and prohibit OSFBAs in settlement areas. There was overall support for the by-law, but discussion became so convoluted that Mayor Vandewal (who said he couldn’t support the bylaw as it stood) finally asked in exasperation, “Can’t Council make a decision on its own? Do we need a public meeting on everything?” Ross countered with “Don’t we want to hear from the public any more? Isn’t it useful to have an accountable Council?”

Roberts deflected this flare-up of a long-standing irritation between mayor and councillor by recommending the draft be sent back to the development services committee, with a suggestion that they consult with a wood-burning expert. This was agreed.

Central Frontenac Council expects to have a draft bylaw for ‘chip trucks’ to discuss at its June 27 meeting following a report from Development Services Manager Shawn Merriman at this week’s regular Council meeting in Sharbot Lake.

The Township is holding an open house on the subject June 24 and Merriman said he expects to incorporate comments from that meeting into the proposed bylaw.

“Nothing quite screams Eastern Ontario identity like a chip truck,” Merriman said, quoting an old Toronto Star article. “A new bylaw would recognize the desire of the community to have mobile food vendors and provide some certainty as to where these operations would be allowed to set up within the various communities and locations throughout the Township.”

The bylaw on the table at the moment is of a temporary nature, allowing potential vendors to enter into an agreement with the Township in order to operate until such time as a permanent bylaw is prepared, debated and passed. Merriman said that the permanent bylaw should be all-encompassing, addressing more than food vendors.

“It’s about more than chip trucks,” he said. “This bylaw should not only cover the generic chip truck but in all likelihood all mobile vendors/special or recurring events.

“It should not matter whether the item being sold is prepared food, whole foods, homemade crafts, arts or mass produced items like flags or T-shirts.”

Coun. Victor Heese reiterated that the bylaw to be considered on June 27 was for temporary use and wondered about a time frame for a more comprehensive bylaw.

“I’ve seen these things go fairly quickly,” Merriman said. “I personally think mobile vendors are a good idea.”

Council accepted Merriman’s report, setting up a vote on June 27.

The process is now set out for the Spud Box truck that is parked at a lot on Hwy. 7 and 38 to open in Central Frontenac this summer. As Merriman pointed, approval from the Ministry of Transportation will be required because it is located at an on-ramp to the provincial highway, and the Public Health Unit will have to approve it as well. If, as seems likely, the bylaw is passed on June 27, the owners of the truck were told by Merriman that they can come and see him about a permit on June 28, provided they have the necessary approvals in place from the MTO and Public Health.

This did not sit well with the owners of the Spud Box.

“June 28th is too late for me,” the man said, “I thought this was going to end today.”

He indicated that he had first approached the township back in September of 2016 about opening up in Central Frontenac and was frustrated with all the delays.

Construction delayed
At the recommendation of Public Works Manager Brad Thake, Council decided to put off construction projects for Dickson Crescent and Gordon Crescent in Sharbot Lake for a year.

“Timelines and budgetary concerns would be best addressed in 2018,” Thake said. “The roads are still in pretty good shape.”

“As long as we keep them maintained, I’m sure the residents can wait a year,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Bridges get go-ahead
Council did vote to go ahead with bridge rehabilitation on two bridges on Burke Settlement Road, awarding the contract to Crains’ Construction Inc. for $329,337.25 plus applicable taxes.

“I notice this is ‘rehabilitation’ and not ‘reconstruction,’” said Coun, Bill MacDonald. “What’s the life expectancy for this work?”

“We shouldn’t have to look at them again for 20-plus years,” said Merriman.

“Any idea when this work will be done, it will affect me directly,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

“It should get started around July 20 and will be done long before school starts,” said Merriman.

Road safety
Council awarded the contract for engineering design services to Greer Galloway to look at road user safety, traffic calming measures, road realignment and traffic safety barriers for the hamlet of Crow Lake.

Arden Pit
Council approved a plan to crush recyclable asphalt, concrete, brick, glass and ceramics that had been stored at the Arden pit as the Township’s approval to store the material has expired.

“We can use a lot of this material in our road building and other projects,” said Merriman.

Most of them are there somewhere, behind their new #INFRONTENAC sunglasses. The Councils of all four Townships attended at a special Committee of the Whole meeting at Verona Lions’ Hall last Wednesday night (May 31), to hear two presentations from the County of Frontenac.

Consultant Terry Gervais reported on behalf of the In-Field Communications Committee, established last November. Made up of the  township Fire Chiefs and Public Works Managers, the  group was tasked with first tracking and recording gaps in communications, incidents of equipment failure and dispatch problems, then developing a protocol to build a standard means of communication across all fire departments (e.g. radio use training, using consistent terminology). Secondly, they assessed the current radio system: both tower infrastructure and user gear, making recommendations re upgrading, replacement, and standardization and the associated costs and timelines.

The current estimated costs (new simulcast system with three additional towers, fencing, backup generators and (eventually) updating (all) user gear, would run between $2,075,000 and $2,575,000. Other options being considered are leasing the tower infrastructure and user gear, or exploring partnerships with neighbouring municipalities.

Gervais said that once final recommendations are made and approved, a new system could be implemented within a year, pending financing.

The second presentation, given by Richard Allen, Manager of Economic Development and Alison Vandervelde, Community Development Officer, focused creating the conditions for economic development that will be appropriate to the resources and local interests of Frontenac County.

The three main areas they are working in are: Trips and Trails, Local Food and Beverage, and Recreation Lifestyle. Some of the goals they are working toward are to provide local employment and better connections between communities, support food production, processing and sales, attract tourism and encourage the recreational lifestyle enjoyed by both local residents and visitors to the area.

Noting that Frontenac County is working with a very small budget compared to neighbouring Counties, Allen and Vandervelde expressed confidence that much could be accomplished through collaboration and creative use of resources. Currently, they are supervising an accommodation study, working with Tourism Kingston on a ‘Ferry by Foot’ tourism initiative, with the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation CFDC on improving local food awareness, with Eastern Ontario Trails Association for maintenance and marketing of the K&P Trail, and with planning, township staff and other agencies to promote the INFrontenac brand, making sure all related information is accurate and relevant. Other collaborating partners include: Land O’ Lakes, Great Waterway, Ontario Highlands, the provincial cycling network and Visit Kingston. Regional signage will soon appear along Highway 401, with other ‘gateway’ highways to follow. Their ‘Brand Ambassador’ program currently has a network of over 80 participating  businesses.

They made sure everyone went home with a pair of the INFrontenac sunglasses pictured above.