Housekeeping Amendments to Zoning By-law

Planner Lindsay Mills recommended a number of zoning by-law amendments to ‘correct minor errors/omissions’ in both mapping and text of the document. During the public meeting, several present expressed concern about Mills’ proposals in relation to existing buildings within the required 30 metre setback. Section 5.10.2 addresses the degree of renovation allowable for such a building, which on occasion has included building from the foundation up on the same footprint. Mills revision clearly says that reconstruction is prohibited: “once the walls of an existing structure within the…30 metre setback have been removed, the land is deemed to be vacant and the structure may not be reconstructed within the 30 metre setback.” He also proposed removing section 5.11 which permits replacement of a legal non-conforming structure under certain conditions such as destruction by fire, flood, etc.

During the discussion that followed, Councillor McDougall suggested using the Committee of Adjustment to decide individual situations. “They have a legal, thoughtful way of dealing with such issues.” Others suggested postponing a decision until summer, when cottage owners could be present. Mayor Vandewal said this was too long a delay: “It would just open the floodgates and everyone would start to build right away (while they still can).” Jennifer Garrah of Fotenn said any decision would be premature until there was a full review and consultation process: “This should not be just a formalization of what the planner has always done.”

In the end, Council passed all of the motion except for the issues related to buildings existing within the 30 metre setback, which were deferred for two months for further consideration.

Electric Vehicle for Township Fleet?

Deputy Mayor Sutherland’s notice of motion that staff recommend to Council “how best to integrate an electric vehicle into the Township’s fleet” was passed after having been amended to read that “staff evaluate the merits of integrating an electric vehicle…”

2015 Deficit Addressed

ln 2015 expenses came out $429,214 over budget. This was increased to $517,011 after the year end surplus of $87,797 from the 2015 Winter Maintenance budget was transferred into the Winter Reserve. The cost overruns for upgrades and preparation to Centennial Park were funded from the working funds reserve and the remaining deficit was covered by reductions in the Public Works 2016 budget. the major savings was accomplished by deleting the $400,000 Westport Road Culvert project. Only the Culvert design will be kept in this year’s budget.

Arena Board Loan

Council approved a short-term loan to the Arena Board, which will enable them to do major work over the summer ‘down time’ before they are able to access their reserve funds in early September.

Petworth/Jackson Quarry Expansion Rezoning Approved

Because of the unusual nature of this quarry (no blasting and no increase in tonnage) this zoning will permit residential development up to within 150 metres of the quarry property.

Anderson Road Reconstruction Nearing Completion

Segsworth reported that this emergency work is expected to be accomplished for less than the originally estimated $50,000.

Sydenham Village Parking Restrictions

The current “Wild West” style of parking in Sydenham Village will soon be a memory, with hefty fines in store for the sidewalk-in-front-of-the-bank parkers and hydrant-blockers. Council passed the parking by-law proposed by Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth, which will include a handicapped parking space near the drugstore, and turn Cross Street into a (the Township’s first?) one-way street. Segsworth said that two problem areas remain to be reviewed further: Rutledge Road in front of the High School, and George Street between Bedford and Wheatley.

Plan to rationalize the Harrowsmith intersection to two roads

Anyone who has ever driven north or south through Harrowsmith has experienced the confusion of roads that come together at the foot of the village. At Tuesday night's (March 8) Committee of the Whole meeting of South Frontenac Council, Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth presented a proposal to turn the six-way intersection into a simple two-road intersection by having only the Wilton Road reach Road 38.

“There have not been many accidents at that intersection but anyone you talk to can tell you about near misses, and when we looked at the school bus traffic there it was pretty scary,” said Segsworth.

The plan that Segsworth is recommending, and will bring to a public meeting at the S&A Club on March 21, will see Wilton Road intersect with Colebrook Road to the west of the intersection, and will see Ottawa Road become a dead-end road that no longer reaches the intersection. To the east of Road 38, Colebrook Road (east) will also be turned into a dead-end road. (see diagram)

“We are going to be meeting with everyone who is affected by this, including the store that is located at the intersection of 38 and Colebrook [Wilton Creek Fabrics] to see that we can accommodate their needs,” said Segsworth.

“We also have an opportunity to improve pedestrian crossing and improve the potential for a trailhead pavilion where the Cat and K&P trails meet just south of the intersection,” he added

The Public Works Department has reached out to the Cataraqui Conservation Authority and Frontenac County to talk about potential changes to the trailhead.

Township representatives met with Harrowsmith residents in September to talk about the process they were about to undertake to find a solution to the intersection.

Once the public is consulted again with a plan, public works will be back before Council to begin looking at the detailed engineering and environmental assessment work that will need to be done to make the changes. Wilton Creek runs under Road 38 at that location as well, and improving safeguards against runoffs into the creek will be an additional element to the project.

Coming soon to Sydenham – No-parking zones and parking tickets.

Area Supervisor David Holliday presented a proposal for parking restrictions in the Hamlet of Sydenham. The plan includes turning Cross Road into a one-way street with parking on one side of the road, as well as eliminating parking on one side of a number of roads, and in front of locations such as the Royal Bank. The plan also incorporates changes coming from the addition of bike lanes in the hamlet.

When the plan comes into effect there will be a grace period when vehicles will be warned but not ticketed. However, parking tickets will eventually be tucked into windshields in Sydenham.

Frontenac Law Enforcement, the bylaw enforcement company for the township, will be contracted to enforce the new parking bylaw when it is enacted.

For those living in other South Frontenac hamlets, who may feel left out, Mayor Vandewal said, “We are only starting in Sydenham. We plan to roll it out in other villages after that.”

Budget overage in 2015

Treasurer Louise Fragnito reported that township spending was over budget in 2015 by $429,214. The largest overages were in the public works department, where the roadside maintenance and safety and signage spending was $427,000 over budget and capital projects spending was $275,000 over budget.

The roadside maintenance came about because public works staff took on ditching work in November and December because the weather was so warm. The safety/signage overage is attributed to replacing guide-rails on Perth Road after an accident, and costs associated with two road closures. The capital budget overage is attributed to the unexpected need for blasting in one project; guide-rail upgrades on two roads; and widening of local roads.

Mayor Vandewal said that the overages need to be covered out of the 2016 budget, a feeling that was reiterated, though less forcefully, by other members of council. Works Manager Segsworth said he would bring some proposals for savings in the already approved 2016 budget to a future meeting.

The other overage that concerned Council was $118,000 in the Facilities and Parks Budget, which came from spending at Centennial Park that related directly to the Frontenac County 150th anniversary event in August. Treasurer Fragnito suggested the shortfall can be covered from the Parkland Reserve fund, an idea that was rejected by Council.

Councilor Ron Sleeth said the Parkland Reserve Fund is for the “entire township to use, not just one region, and it has been depleted enough in recent years. I have no problem with what was done at Centennial Park, don't get me wrong, but it must be covered in some other way.”

A number of councilors agreed with Sleeth, leaving Fragnito to look for another source of funds to cover that particular shortfall.

Council remuneration

Mayor Vandewal received $31,400 ($24,816 in honorarium and the rest for meetings, mileage and per diems) in 2015. Among Council members, John McDougall was the highest paid at $21,433 (he was deputy mayor in 2015) followed by Pat Barr ($20,750), Ross Sutherland ($19,800), Alan Revill ($19,600), Norm Roberts ($18,980), Mark Shjerning ($17,000), Bill Robinson ($15,950), and Ron Sleeth ($14,500).

Samsung solar farm

Mayor Vandewal said that a representative from Samsung met with him to talk about the next round of Large Renewable Energy projects, which will be announced in the near future.

“He said that the next time around they will not even consider building in townships where the Council is against the project, so he wanted to know, before they go any further, whether we are interested. They are going to go big, at least 500 acres, so I want to hear from Council tonight so I can tell them whether to put any more into finding a location in South Frontenac.

“I can't say until we see specifically what is proposed, just like last time. We approved most of them, but turned some down,” said Councilor Alan Revill, a viewpoint that was repeated by others at the table.

“You are sure you are open to a 500-acre solar farm in the township?” said Vandewal. “I don't want you all to say you are open to this, then delay forever and finally say no, like you do with subdivisions.”

When no one answered, Vandewal said, “Ok, I'll tell them you did not say no.”

8% increase projected in CF Budget

Michael McGovern's updated Council on some minor updates to the 2016 budget, which is set for an increase of 8% in the levy to ratepayers.

The two remaining budget items that were discussed were Councilor Bill MacDonald's request that $5,000 be budgeted for the MUCC committee (Multi-Use Cultural Centre) and councilors Jamie Riddell and Tom Dewey's request to support the window replacements at the Pine Meadow Nursing Home. Council then considered adding $12,500 to the 2016 budget, which would cover the cost of one window at Pine Meadow.

With both items being considered, it looks as though council might easily meet McGovern's forecasted numbers, which have changed since the initial budget meeting in January.

“We found some savings to accommodate the 2015 deficit of $415,000 and made about $292,000 in cuts, which resulted in $123,000 being added to the levy to get us a $532,000 levy increase,” McGovern explained at Tuesday's meeting.

The final numbers, he said, are waiting on the announcement of the education tax, which should be come out in the next week or two. When that number arrives, council could indeed be passing their 2016 budget at their next regular meeting this month.

Construction details

February's construction value numbers are significantly down and are sitting at $118,000 compared to $773,071 at this same time last year. The year to date numbers reflect the same trend and stand at $448,000 compared to $823,071 last year. comparable with the numbers from 2014 and 12015.

Roads and waste site report

Public Works Manager John Badgley reported to council that he and his team have been busy this month plowing, sanding and salting roads, and repairing signage in the township. Graders have also been out ice grading and patching potholes as well as doing the major clean up of downed trees and branches from the recent ice storm. When asked by Councilor Bill MacDonald about the large pot holes on Clement Road, Badgley replied that they had been dealt with.

On the topic of hard plastics, for which Badgley had earlier requested that council implement a $1 tipping fee, Badgley said that he had spoken to a company that could take these plastic items, mostly lawn furniture and large toys and that he is still working on the details.

Regarding Councilor Bill MacDonald's request that Badgley look into the annual costs if the township were to truck out its garbage, Badgley estimated the cost at $750,000 per year, adding “It is difficult to determine precisely as we do not know how many tons of waste we are producing per year, nor do we know how many tons of construction and demolition waste we are putting into the waste sites”. Badgley said he came up with the number based the average waste produced per household in the township and added that the $750,000 cost does not include the cost of closing down the township's two waste sites.

Summer public works work schedule approved

Council approved the township's Human Resources Committee's recommendation to continue the implementation of a summer work schedule for public works employees, with staff to work 10-hour days four days per week with Fridays off from May 1, to September 30, 2016.

Public Works Manager Badgley also proposed that in case of emergencies during this time period, one of the two township garage's foremen would be on call alternately each week, a proposal that council also approved.

Rob Moore, who headed up the talent show at this year's FHF talent show, along with FHF chair Janet Gutowski present a cheque to Kim Cucoch, chair of the North Frontenac Food Bank.Council approved the HR committee's recommendation to hire a public works administrative assistant. The position will be posted internally for 10 days from March 11 to March 21 and will be posted externally in local newspapers and on relevant websites.

New signage approved for the CFRHS

Sally Angle and Gary Giller of the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society outlined their plans to erect 12 new signs at the Central Frontenac Heritage Railway Park in Sharbot Lake. The new signage will be thanks to a grant from Trillium, which came about through the work of John Duchene, and a new society member and former Sharbot Lake resident, Gene Kirkham. The signs will feature historic photos of the railway site.

FHF makes cheque presentation to the North Frontenac Food Bank

On behalf of the Frontenac Heritage Festival, Rob Moore and Frontenac Heritage Festival chair Janet Gutowski presented a cheque to Kim Cucoch, chair of the North Frontenac Food Bank, in the amount of $615.

Proposal for Deerock Lake campsites

Justin Punchard from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), and Terry Murphy from Quinte Conservation appeared before Addington Highlands Council on Monday to talk about Deerock Lake.

Quinte operates a boat launch at the southeast corner of the lake, which is located to the west of Flinton. The lake is surrounded by Crown Land and has been a popular camping and fishing spot for many years. This has raised some concerns because in recent years campers have become negligent. Many of the campsites are covered in litter, and there is glass and other garbage strewn about. Some of the islands on the lake have had all the trees removed for firewood.

This winter, Punchard and another MNRF staff member took a detailed tour of the lake. They came up with a plan to develop 26 approved campsites on the lake and to ban camping everywhere else. They also gathered electronic data in order to place the 26 sites on a map accurately.

“The model we are thinking of following is similar to what North Frontenac does with North Frontenac Parkland,” said Punchard. “If we can get out there and clean up the mess in order to start over again, and then keep camping to the 26 sites and eliminate camping on all but two of the islands, which would remove 10 sites, it should be good for the lake and the campers, and give the small islands a chance to recover.”

Terry Murphy said that it would not be the difficult to set up an online booking system for campsites, and down the road it might be an idea to charge for camping to build up some money to invest back in maintenance of the sites.

At this point the township is only being informed about the plan as part of a consultation process. Although North Frontenac runs Frontenac Parklands themselves under a land use permit from the MNRF, the most likely option for Deerock would be for Quinte Conservation to take on that role since they already manage the lake and operate a dam at one end.

Punchard said there are 30 or more volunteers from the ministry who are willing to work on a cleanup project this spring, joining volunteers from Conservationists of Frontenac Addington (COFA) and members of the Frontenac Addington Trappers Council.

“We are hoping we can get free dumping from the township for the materials we collect. Perhaps as well the township could bring one of the large bins from a waste site to the shoreline at the public boat launch when the clean up is taking place.”

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Reeve Henry Hogg, said the free dumping will be easy but moving a bin might prove to be more of a problem.

Land O'Lakes Lions - Alex Chisholm, Chair of the Land O'Lakes Lions Club, came to Council to request that Fire Hall Road in Northbrook be renamed Lions Hall Road since the fire hall has been replaced and will be torn down and the Lions Hall is located on the road. He also asked that the township look at a new streetlight on Highway 41.

Council voted to approve the road name change in principle, and will begin a process of public notice with a view towards making the change this year. As far as streetlights are concerned, it is a matter for the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), which has jurisdiction over the highway. Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath recommended that the Lions contact the MTO directly with a request for more lighting.

Flinton Jamboree

Andy Anderson appeared before council on behalf of the Flinton Jamboree. He asked if the township could have their insurer include a rider in the township's policy to cover the Jamboree, and said the Jamboree would pay the added cost.

Deputy Mayor Yanch said that the insurance company recommended against this, but “they have an insurance product that is designed for public events like the Jamboree and ask that you contact them yourself. We can provide the contact information.”

Anderson then said that he feels the township does not provide enough support for the Jamboree, or other events.

“This township doesn't support anything,” he said.

Yanch said that the council does provide support when it can, and pointed out the township donates the property for the Jamboree.”

“Some groups apply for grants,” said Councillor Tony Fritsch. “You can ask for money.”

Joint meeting

Council received a request from the Township of North Frontenac to hold a joint meeting about the budget for the joint fire department.

North Frontenac is concerned about dwindling reserves in the department's budget. Tony Fritsch, one of the Addington Highlands reps to the Joint Fire Committee, said he is aware of the issue, but Addington Highlands is facing a budget crunch.

“It is getting to the point where little townships can hardly afford to do anything,” he said.

A meeting will be scheduled for later this spring.

Hartington subdivision – once more with consultants

Even though the proposal to build a 13-lot subdivision in the hamlet of Hartington is already the subject of an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) because it has taken over six months for the approval process to be completed, the matter came before Council anyway on Tuesday night, and opponents of the project were there to view the proceedings as well.

Council considered a report from Planner Lindsay Mills that recommended they communicate support for the project to Frontenac County, subject to 28 conditions.

This did not deter Council from considering the matter at length, or from ordering a new consultant's report on the proposal.

In response to Planner Lindsay Mills' recommendation, Councilor Alan Revill said that after reading all the reports on the project, he remains concerned about the impact of the project on the water supply for those within the subdivision and those in the vicinity of it.

“It occurs to me that the aquifer in this area is relatively sensitive, and taken as a whole, I'm not comfortable with the reports we are basing our decision on. They do not convince me of the volume or the quality of the water supply,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Ross Sutherland proposed an amendment, an eight-lot subdivision in place of the 13- lot proposal. “At that density I think the project is appropriate,” he said. Council did not agree and Sutherland's amendment was defeated.

Councilor Mark Shjerning then moved that the entire matter be deferred. He said that since there are many sets of conflicting reports on the water situation in the vicinity of the proposed subdivision, “What we need to provide us with clarity is a consultant's report that looks at all the existing reports and gives us some answers before we make our decision. It's also important to listen to our constituents.”

Council passed Shjerning's motion to defer.

As to who will pay for the consultant that will be hired by the township, the planning consultant for the applicant, Terry Grant, said that his client will not be paying.

“He's already appealed this to the OMB; the township will have to pay for this,” he said.

Zoning approved for group home for youth

Council approved a zoning change to permit a house on Campbell Road near Sydenham to be used as a group home for 8 to 12-year-olds.

Petworth Mill to become township property

Council decided to accept the transfer of the land and the remains of the former Petworth Mill on the Napanee River from a resident as a contribution to parkland in the township.

The township's insurer said that in order to mitigate against risk it would be wise to erect a fence around the property, at a cost of between $18,000 and $20,000.

Councilor McDougall gave an impassioned speech in support of taking on the property in order to preserve some of the history of Petworth. For effect, he even brought copies of literary works that reference Petworth, Bellrock and the Napanee River, including “In the Skin of the Lion” by Michael Ondaatje, which begins with the description of a log run from Bellrock down the Napanee.

Everyone on Council expressed a desire to take ownership of the property. They did not want to spend $20,000 on a fence, however.

“Our tolerance for liability is all over the map,” said Mayor Vandewal. “I think we can handle this. It's been a liability for someone for 40 years already. I do think we should remove some trees, clean up the property and shore up the building, however, so it looks like something”.

Council decided to take the property for now, and will worry about whether fencing is required at a later date.

North Frontenac waste sites earn praise from new consultant – township has 40 years of dump life left

David Bucholz, from Cambium Consulting, made his first report to North Frontenac Council on February 26 after his company took over the monitoring contract for waste sites as part of a county-wide procurement initiative.

“In my job I've seen a lot. I've seen how not to manage sites. The North Frontenac sites are neat and trimmed; the testing wells are in good order, they are locked. There is no loose garbage, and that matters for residents and it matters when the Ministry of the Environment comes to inspect. Your sites are managed with due diligence and care, with effective signage and not too much signage. From a monitoring point of view everything we needed was easy to access. I'd like to commend you on the way you operate the sites.”

Bucholz reported that all of the six active sites in the township have over 30 years of capacity at current dumping rates, with an average of 39 years overall. Although Cambium found a significant decrease in the amount of material entering landfill in 2015 as compared to 2014, Bucholz was reluctant to project even longer life spans for the waste sites.

“With us taking over the monitoring from AECON [the previous consulting company] there may have been changes in how the measuring is done, so I would not project forward until we have a couple of years of data,” he said.

Concerns about Kaladar-Barrie fire budget

Mayor Higgins expressed his concerns regarding the budget for the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Department. The budget, which was approved by the board that oversees the department, contains limited reserve funds. The board is made up of three township councilors from North Frontenac and three from Addington Highlands.

“It seems to me this department is becoming under-funded,” said Higgins.

“We wanted to put more in the budget, to up the reserves,” said Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, one of the North Frontenac representatives to the board, “but the councilors from Addington Highlands wouldn't go for it.”

“Does the fire chief say they can afford the core services they are committed to providing?” asked Higgins.

Fred Perry said that Casey Cuddy, the fire chief, said they can do so this year, but not over the long term.

Mayor Higgins recommended setting up a meeting with Addington Highlands Council to discuss the fire budget. Council then ratified the 2016 budget for the department and passed a motion authorising the clerk to approach Addington Highlands about a meeting in the spring.

Wind turbines back on the radar

The Independent Energy Systems Operator (IESO) of Ontario has said it will award contracts this month under the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) for wind and solar projects. Companies have made bids under the LRP in North Frontenac and Addington Highlands. Since North Frontenac has come out against industrial wind turbines, Council was quick to endorse a motion being circulated by the municipality of Wainfleet. The motion calls on the provincial government to exercise its right to cancel the process “at any stage and for any reason” and to hold off on any new renewable projects until there is a demonstrated need for the power they would generate.

Councilor Vernon Hermer said that solar projects should be included in the motion. “Everything that the motion says about wind can be said about solar as well”.

Mayor Higgins pointed out that the Wainfleet motion included solar in calling for a moratorium on renewable energy projects and that he would make a specific reference to solar in a letter he will be sending out on the matter.

Although North Frontenac is on record as opposing wind projects, the situation as regards solar is less clear. Mayor Higgins invited a large solar generation company, SunEdison Canada, to address Council on the potential for a large-scale solar farm to be located in the township, and Higgins even talked about the township assisting SunEdison by locating a suitable property for the company to use. Council, as a whole, has not yet taken a formal position as regards large-scale solar power projects.

At last week's meeting, Mayor Higgins also canvassed Council about what to do if either of the wind projects being proposed by NextEra in North Frontenac were awarded the LRP contract by the IESO.

Higgins proposed calling a special meeting with representatives from BEARAT (Bon Echo Area Residents Against Turbines) if a contract is awarded in either township, with a view towards launching an appeal. (See “Opposition ramping up as LRP decision nears”)

Lobbying the province over OPP

Mayor Higgins reported back on the meetings he attended while at a major municipal conference earlier in the week.

At the OGRA-ROMA (Ontario Good Roads Association and Rural Ontario Municipal Association) conference in Toronto, Higgins participated in a forum with the Deputy Minister of Community Safety Correctional Services, among others.

“The request we are making to the ministry is to have direct involvement in the process of overseeing administration of policing services. Municipalities pay 38% of the cost, but we have no oversight over how that money is spent,” he said.

Public meeting and budget adoption set for March 18

The budget process in North Frontenac has been underway for several months, with the township having passed their capital budget back in October.

Finally, a complete draft budget was presented to Council by staff last Friday, February 19, which included the operating and capital budgets.

Staff proposed to spend just under $13 million this year, including monies to be transferred to Frontenac County and the Ministry of Education.

Of those expenditures, Frontenac County ratepayers are on tap for $5,570,000, an increase of just over $100,000 or 1.87% over 2015.

In order to get to that number, staff had to basically keep all departmental spending at the same or less than in 2015 because the township is facing an increase of $173,209 in the cost of policing by the Ontario Provincial Police.

That amount is partially offset by a $76,400 increase in transfers this year from the Ontario government through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF), which is the vehicle for the province to support rural and remote townships in covering their financial obligations. The township will receive $1.2 million from the OMPF in 2016.

However, still facing a new $97,000 cost, it was up to staff to find ways to trim operating costs in order to keep the budget from increasing beyond the rate of inflation.

“We managed to find savings in operations without affecting service levels, while maintaining our reserve funds and keeping our commitment to our long term asset management plan,” said Treasurer Kelly Watkins when contacted by phone earlier this week.

In order to make this happen, costs for administration have been cut by $20,000; for protection and emergency services by $55,000; for waste disposal by $37,000; and for recycling by $27,000.

Some of these decreases are due to changes in the way administrative costs are being allocated to different services, and others come from projected costs based on actual costs from recent years.

When Council went over the budget last week, they made a few changes, and added some costs, bringing the overall increase to just over 2%.

One item that is not included in the 2016 budget is the cost of the renovation and upgrade to the township office, a project that has a very preliminary estimated cost of $900,000. Although there is $370,000 in reserves for the project, the remaining $530,000 is not included in the 2016 budget. Instead, a committee has been struck to look in detail at the project and report back later this year. The project will likely be funded through an infrastructure loan, and payments towards that loan will come out of budgets starting in 2017 at the earliest.

At this point it is projected that policing costs will increase by another $140,000 in 2017 as part of a five-year phase-in of a new OPP billing formula that has hit many local communities hard, but none as hard as North Frontenac.  

Steve Sunderland, the volunteer who supervised the $275,000 renovation project at the Ompah fire hall/community center/library, appeared before North Frontenac Council last Friday, February 4. He was accompanied by Judy Hitchcock of JMJ Contracting from McDonalds Corners, the company that installed a concrete floor in the hall as part of the renovation.

They were appearing in response to reports by township Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven that were received by Council at their previous meeting on January 18, and to comments made at that meeting by members of council as reported in this newspaper.

The building department reports were focused mainly on a number of electrical and plumbing-related deficiencies that need to be re-mediated in order for the building to comply with the Ontario building code. There was also a reference in the first report to “no insulation under portions of the radiant floor insulation system”.

In a written response that Sunderland sent to Council in advance of appearing last week, he outlined how the project had come about in the first place, and his and Judy Hitchcock's roles in its completion.

In 2013 Sunderland was asked to chair a task force to design an upgrade to the fire hall/community centre after Council had rejected a recommendation to abandon the building and put up a new one. The budget for the upgrade was $180,000. When the technical drawings were completed in August of that year the project went to tender and received no bids. In early 2014, a new tender was issued and the lowest bid that came in was for $365,000.

Council then asked the task force to “come up with a sequential tendering process whereby the work could proceed and the budget carefully monitored on a project-by-project basis,” Sunderland wrote.

He said that he had explained to Council at the time that as the general contractor they assumed all risks associated with the construction. These included: “potential poor coordination between trades; cost overruns; engineering concerns; unforeseen site conditions; change in orders; poor weather; no workers during hunting season; uninformed decisions; mistakes; and the like. Council at that time agreed to proceed.”

The project was to be managed, according to Sunderland, by then Fire Chief Steve Riddell, then Deputy Fire Chief Denis Bedard, and Councilor John Inglis, with overall management by Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson. For various reasons, including the removal of Bedard from the fire department, most of the project management eventually fell to Sunderland.

“I think it is obvious why [I am] a bit defensive when [my] project management skills, motives and commitment are questioned by people in the community who had little or no stake in the project,” he wrote.

Sunderland went on to discuss the concrete floor and in-floor heating system that was installed, at length.

He pointed out that as early as 2012, when putting in a new floor was first considered, Mike Cleland, a structural engineer and task force volunteer, recommended that a new fire station be built after supervising an excavation into the existing concrete flooring in the fire hall.

“When Council rejected this recommendation, Mike Cleland refused to participate in the renovation project,” said Sunderland.

He went on to say that he “personally begged” JMJ contracting to do the concrete floor. Among the problems that were found was a granite outcrop in the front 1/3 of the building. The township was informed about this, and did not opt to go to the expense, risk, and delay involved in removing the rock.

According to Sunderland, “Under the circumstances the township was fortunate to have JMJ do the work ... the rock outcrop is one of the unforeseen risks the township accepted as part of this renovation.”

At the council meeting on January 18, Denis Bedard, whi is now a member of council, said, “The biggest and most major issue is the fact that the floor was improperly installed. We spent a pile of money on a concrete floor with the chances now of it heaving and destroying the in-floor heating system.”

“What force is there that is going to heave that floor? Sunderland asked.

It was also this comment by Bedard that led Judy Hitchcock to address Council directly.

“Nobody came to me and said there were deficiencies ... to say the concrete was poured incorrectly, it is completely false. Why did that go into the paper, without my knowledge, without a meeting with myself?” she asked.

“The building inspector put this in the report,” Bedard responded.

“Where?” Hitchcock asked. “Where does it say that in the report?”

Bedard looked at his copy of the report and could not find the statement.

Hitchcock also said that before doing any of the work she made sure she had the go-ahead from the building inspector of the day, George Gorrie.

CAO Cheryl Robson said that when staff went looking for the inspection reports for the project last month they did not find them.

Both George Gorrie and Steve Riddell, who were respectively the building inspector and fire chief at the time the project took place, are no longer with the township.

Mayor Higgins said that since the project took place under the previous council, he has been working to make sure it is only “factual data” that is being communicated to Council and the public.

“There is no record that I am aware of from an official point of view that the concrete is deficient,” Higgins said.

“No insulation under the radiant floor is part of the building code,” said Councilor Bedard.

“How does he know whether the insulation is or is not there? When the rock goes under the entire front half of the job, we couldn't pour any insulation there. For [current Chief Building Official] Jeremy Neven to say that is totally irresponsible and it is not a deficiency. And what does it have to do with the code?” said Steve Sunderland.

Curiously, even though all of the building department documentation for the project has gone missing, and Neven's report was based entirely on “visible items and no destructive inspections were carried out”, there was one exception. The determination that there is “no insulation under portions of the radiant floor heating system” was based on “images provided during the inspection”.

The report does not say who provided the images and where they came from.

Upon inquiry, the News has been informed by Mayor Higgins that those images were provided to Neven by the Ompah Community Volunteers Association. The Association have pledged $50,000 towards the project but are waiting for the deficiencies in the fire hall top be dealt with before turning the money over to the township.

As far as Judy Hitchcock is concerned, however, all of the internal North Frontenac politics are not her problem, but she is concerned about her professional reputation.

“'Oh Canada' is what we call rock outcrops like that in the trade. The thing to do is to remove them, but we were told no. I asked engineers, I made phone calls to everyone involved, I made phone calls to George [Gorrie] ... I did my job on this project and then I see this kind of thing reported in the paper ... it is not good for my reputation. I want a public apology, from the paper and the township itself,” Hitchcock said.

“I agree with you,” Mayor Higgins said.

Higgins put a motion on the floor authorizing him to write a letter of apology, and the motion carried. The letter can be viewed, in its entirety at Northfrontenac.com.

CF Council says no to two waste site recommendations

Public Works Manager John Badgley made his second recommendation to council to consider implementing a $1 tipping fee on large plastic items at the township's waste sites. He also recommended that site attendants use their discretion regarding fees to charge on smaller plastic items, which Badgley defined as those too big to fit in a township bag. Badgley made the request following a meeting of the township's waste management committee on January 27.

“With our waste sites filling up, we need to look at ways to divert these products since they are piling up and taking up too much space. Whatever the solution ends up being in dealing with these items in the future, whether it be diverting them or grinding them down, this fee would help offset the costs of whatever option we choose,” Badgley said.

Councilor Tom Dewey would not hear of it.

“I am totally against this. This is an added tax that we should not be passing on to our residents”, he said. “I gave you some information about purchasing a grinder and I think we should look at talking to our neighbouring municipalities about partnering in that, and if the oil prices go back up, I think there will be a market for this kind of material.”

Councilor Bill MacDonald asked about the costs of renting or owning a grinder, which Badgley said could range anywhere from $250,000 used to $500,000 new.

Dewey, who has been looking into pricing grinders, said that a smaller $50,000 grinder might be able to do the job. Councilor MacDonald suggested contacting the operators of the Richmond landfill site just north of Napanee.

“They must be doing something with their plastics and there is no sense in reinventing the wheel here. Perhaps there is a private contractor who could do the grinding for us.”

Mayor Frances Smith wondered about the logistics of site attendants having to deal with the cash fees. Councilor Dewey objected further, saying that a fee could result in residents littering the township with these items.

Councilor Jamie Riddell agreed with Dewey, saying he did not agree with a tipping fee and that the items would end up on the roadways and in the ditches. After Mayor Smith read the motion, Councilor Dewey called for a recorded vote on the motion, which in the end was defeated 7 -1, with Councilor Bill MacDonald as the odd man out. Councilor Philip Smith was not present at the meeting.

Council says no to ending free amnesty load program

In his second recommendation to council, Badgley asked council to consider opening up the discussion regarding ending the annual amnesty load program. The program allows residents to get rid of one load of waste for free at certain designated times each year. Badgley said the free load is one of the reasons that the sites are “filling up faster than previously anticipated. “We need to be responsible waste site operators and need to divert, grind, or find other ways to reduce our waste and no longer allow the free disposal of items.”

He said that residents need to consider either donating or re-purposing these items. In his report Badgley said that Wemp site is scheduled to be at capacity in four years and Olden in 12. Councilor MacDonald asked Badgley to look at a township of a similar size that has no landfill site and find what they spend annually to dispose of their garbage.

“If in the future we did not have a landfill site, I'm thinking that we're looking at spending $1 million a year.”

Councilor Dewey brought up the fact that a 2011 study of the expected life of the township's waste sites should be extended since recycling has much lessened the loads. He added that education is needed to make sure residents always recycle. Councilor Jamie Riddell credited the township's waste site attendants for doing a good job in recycling materials and said that canceling the amnesty program is “not the way to go.”

Mayor Frances Smith said she feels that perhaps the volume coming in during the program with just one or two attendants on site means they are not able to do what needs to be done. “For the program to continue maybe we have to make sure there are more staff working on those days.”

Councilor Dewey said that Central Frontenac should consider what Durham Township has done, use incineration.

“We need to get every one together here in the county and maybe in Kingston on board with this and to partner together and get an a incinerator set up”.

Councilor Brent Cameron agreed. “Whether we cancel this program or not, the fact is that more and more people are moving here, bringing more garbage, and at the end of the day the Province of Ontario has not allowed a new landfill to open for decades now.” Council received Badgley's recommendation for information.
Council adopts compressed work week for township admin staff

Beginning March 13, 2016 and ending November 19, 2016 council endorsed the recommendations put forth by the Human Resources committee, approving a compressed work week for the township's admin staff. Clerk Cathy MacMunn reported that a successful trial run last year showed the compressed work week proved doable, with admin staff choosing to opt for Fridays as their day off. The staff will continue working their regular 35-hour work week and will make up for the missed Fridays by working longer hours on the other days.

Council adopts Injury/Illness and Head Injury/Concussion policy

In accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Work Place Safety and Insurance Act, council adopted the Injury/Illness policy after the Health and Safety committee reviewed it and recommended that it be adopted. Council also adopted the recommended Head Injury/Concussion policy as a way to ensure the safety of all participants in the various programs and activities run by the township, which include baseball, soccer and a summer swim program. The policy, which will be promoted by all of the township's recreation committees and associations, aims to assist in training adults running the programs to identify the signs, symptoms and behaviors of a concussion and other serious injuries.

Olden waste sites time changes in effect

As of February 1, 2016 the Olden waste site will be closed Mondays and Tuesday and open the remainder of the week, with no changes in the hours of operation on those days.

Township hoping to host ATV Federation convention

Councilor Denis Bedard said that he has been contacted by the Ottawa Valley ATV Association about the possibility of the township hosting the 2017 Ontario Federation of ATV Associations convention. Attendees would be accommodated at cottages and resorts in the area. Since the convention takes place in June, Bedard said it might bring welcome bookings to local resorts. He said he would keep Council informed.

K&P upgrade

Through the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance (EOTA), a committee is being formed to look at upgrading the K&P Trail north of Sharbot Lake all the way to Calabogie, where the former rail line ends.

Brian Stewart, the Mayor of Lanark Highlands and a board member with EOTA, is pushing the initiative. The section of trail running through North Frontenac is owned by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, but in pointing out that in both Lanark and Renfrew counties the trail is owned by the County, Councilor Bedard said it might make sense for Frontenac County to take ownership of the trail. The section of trail between Sharbot Lake and the border with North Frontenac is owned by Central Frontenac. The trail in North Frontenac has a 2-3 kilometre section from south of Mississippi to Snow Road that is in private hands. People using the trail are diverted to Road 509 for that section. The rest of the trail is intact.

Rural mayors to look again at policing

Mayor Higgins reported that the Rural Mayors' Forum that he chairs will be meeting in Horton Township this month, and in preparation he has been looking at how much Frontenac, Lanark, Renfrew, Hastings and Lennox and Addington Counties pay collectively for policing each year,

“We know that on our own [each individual county] could not form a department that would would be cost us less that we are paying to the OPP, but with all five counties involved there might be a way to make it work,” said Higgins.

Question about electric vehicle charging station

Councilor Hermer asked a question about the township supporting a proposal to set up a vehicle charging station at one of the businesses in North Frontenac.

“How practical is that? There are only 250 all-electric vehicles in Ontario and most of them are urban taxis or delivery vehicles. Of the ones in private hands, most or all are in cities as well. How practical is this here?” Hermer asked.

“It will be practical. At least that's the hope,” said Mayor Higgins. “It is also something that will not cost the township. A local business has to apply and they would get a grant.”

“Has any business taken up the offer?” Hermer asked.

“We had one that is very interested, but I haven't heard back,” said Facilities and Recreation Co-coordinator Corey Klatt. “The deadline is February 12 so maybe I will hear next week.”