County Update

County Warden Frances Smith and CAO Kelly Pender presented an update of the County’s current projects and priorities This was followed by a brief discussion of problems caused by servers not sharing cell towers. Councillor Sleeth asked about planned upgrades of the County offices: Pender said that the building itself provides plenty of room but the current layout is awkward and there is no accessible washroom on the main floor. Upgrades will address these issues.

Lowered Cost of Closed Road Allowance

Planner Lindsay Mills asked Council’s direction on setting a fee for an ‘orphaned’ piece of closed road allowance on Concession VIII, Storrington. In most cases, road allowances within 300 feet of water are priced at $2.41 per square foot, the same as if they had water access. (Total cost of this land would then be $41,000.) However because this is a backlot, and to facilitate its becoming attached to one or more of the neighbouring properties, Council agreed to compromise and set the fee at the commercial lot price of $1.03 per square foot.

Recreation Facility User Fees

CAO Orr and Tim Laprade, Township Recreation Supervisor, asked Council for direction in sorting out the question of user fees for halls and sports facilities throughout the Township.

Since its introduction in late 2013, this has been a controversial issue which South Frontenac’s Recreation Committee has not been able to resolve. Some of the challenges have included:

• Most historical agreements are vague and unrecorded.

• Inconsistency in who pays fees for use of halls and fields, and how (in kind, donations back to community, set rates, etc).

• fees don’t reflect the true cost of maintenance and operation of facilities (and to what degree should they?)

• fear that fees would be a barrier to participation.

• fee-payers might demand higher levels of service and maintenance.

Acknowledging that any recommendation will be to some degree controversial, Council agreed to ask Orr and Laprade to study the present situation (how much money in fees is currently being collected, vs the costs of maintaining Township facilities), and bring to Council recommendations re a consistent and fair fee schedule.

South Frontenac Rides, the Township of South Frontenac, and KFL&A Public Health are hosting a Bicycle Friendly Communities Workshop, and they want community input.

“Communities across Canada, including a number of smaller municipalities, have found that the development of a plan for cycling can be a key to success. Cycling plans are an opportunity to learn from the experience of others and find solutions that fit the local context,” commented Alastair Lamb, Chair of South Frontenac Rides.

The community workshop is free and registration is not required. The workshop is being held at the Sydenham Library on March 30, between 7 and 9 p.m. Community members who come to the workshop will: learn about cycling priorities in South Frontenac, see three key action suggestions in South Frontenac’s cycling work plan and provide comments on the plan.

Event organizers hope the plan will enhance access for bicyclists on roads and trails; improve safety for all bicyclists; and educate citizens on the value and importance of safe bicycling for healthy lifestyles and healthy communities.

The workshop is one step in a process of defining networks, laying out programs, and planning affordable investments that can energize the public and motivate staff and elected officials. The South Frontenac workshop will be facilitated by Share the Road Cycling Coalition, a provincial organization working to build a bicycle-friendly Ontario.

For information, please call Ross Sutherland, 613-532-7846, or Alastair Lamb, 613-376-6953.

John Stainer's 1870's classical oratorio titled “The Crucifixion” is a very well-traveled piece of music, and it will be performed once again by a choir of over 40 singers at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham on Good Friday, March 25 at 3:30pm. The piece, which follows very closely to the scriptures, tells the story of Good Friday, with the bass and tenor soloists, Dr. Andy Palmer and Mark Hauser leading the way. The two singers are supported throughout the piece by the talented singers of the community choir, who hail from many local communities - Sydenham, Harrowsmith, Verona, Kingston, Newburg and Napanee.

Brad Barbeau, organist and choir director at St. Paul's in Sydenham, will be conducting, and well-known conductor and organist, Brian Jackson, will be playing the organ accompaniment.

Admission is by donation, with proceeds from the performance supporting Southern Frontenac Community Services. An earlier performance will also take place at the Newburg United Church in Newburg on Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30pm.

The performance is sure to be a moving one and for those who have never experienced it, John Stainer's “The Crucifixion” is well worth the trip to Sydenham.

Auxiliary constables from the Frontenac OPP detachment were out in full force for their Stuff the Cruiser events in Verona and Sydenham on March 12. With their cruiser lights flashing, their hopes were to attract the goodwill of local shoppers. Their goal - to swell the coffers of the South Frontenac Food Bank. With Easter weekend fast approaching, OPP Constables Jennifer Robertson and Brendan Pilow filled their cruiser two times over and also received numerous cash donations as well. Harrowsmith resident Elizabeth Hilton was more than happy to purchase a pre-packaged food donation bag from Reid’s Foodland in Verona for her donation. “Everybody hits the food bank at some point and it’s important to make sure that the food bank has everything they need because they need it badly,” she said. 

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.

I chose the above words to appear on my ski wear as I participated in the annual international 51 km x-country ski competition in the Gatineau Hills on Feb 27 in order to raise money for SFCSC Food Bank Healthy Snacks Program.

Thank you service clubs, church groups, restaurants, Southern Frontenac Community Services staff, fellow volunteers, board members, and old and young friends. Together through our sponsorships, we raised $2770 for the program, which will now be able to continue this year.

The weather and conditions were kind to this old 75-year-old this year. For 15 years I have had a special chosen place on the course where I pause to admire a breath-taking vista. Always the question occurs to me “Why me”? There have been years when tears froze on my face during my reflection. I have been blessed with a kind aging process and good health. “Please allow me to come back to this special place one more time”.

I was motivated to use my ski adventure as a fundraiser for the SFCSC food bank partly because of a community need, and partly because of some disturbing statistics for the year 2015 published by Canada Food banks, and the Ontario Association of Food banks:

• 850,000 people accessed food banks monthly in Canada.

• 360,000 people accessed food banks monthly in Ontario.
• One third of the above numbers were children.
• One in three jobs in Ontario are full time. The remainder are part time or contract, with little or no benefits, and less wages.

The above are just some of the disturbing stats. Unaffordable housing, and the rising food prices are contributing factors to the prediction that over a million people will have to access food banks in this year of 2016…in Canada.

Our children are Canada’s most important natural resource; each child is unique. Each may see our world differently. Each may be innovative accordingly. To preserve that innovation, we need to continue to insure that each child reaches their maximum potential in the growing years. This means all children should have proper nutrition. Dreams are the foundation of reality. No child should be deprived of the right to dream.

Thank you again to supporters of SFCSC Food Bank Healthy Snacks Program fundraiser.  

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.”

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.

(with files from Katie McNichols)

The Sydenham Golden Eagles swept the Regiopolis Notre-Dame Panthers 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22) in the Kingston Area Secondary School Athletic Championships (KASSAA) on February 21 at Queens University.

The Eagles faced off against their long-time rivals, the Regi Panthers, for the third year in a row at the KASSAA championships. The Eagles finished in second place after the regular season with a record of 11-1, their only loss coming to the Panthers, who went undefeated all year.

But in the final game of the KASSAA tournament it was The Eagles who took the early initiative, opening up an 8-3 lead early in the first set and Regi was unable to battle back. Strong serving and impressive passing kept the Eagles in the drivers seat throughout.

Following the win, assistant coach, Scott Cashol, who has been coaching the team alongside head coach Katie May for the last seven years, credited the team’s composure for their victory.

“When the game became challenging, our team remained resilient and disciplined. So for example, when Regi would go on a point run, setter Katie McNichols stuck to our game plan of 'next job, next job'; and rather than panicking and losing focus, she stayed focused and continued to run our offense. The win was a total team effort and every single member of our team did the job they were supposed to do,” May said.

Cashol said that the girls’ hard work and commitment really paid off and he was thrilled to see the team experience success at KASSAA.

With the big win, the team now heads to the AAA OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) championships, which take place in North Bay from March 7 to 9. Cashol said that going in, the game plan for the girls “is to continue to play competitively but also to just enjoy the experience.”

From Street to School- photography show at Sydenham's Grace Hall

Anyone wanting a look at what has inspired two Kingstonians to turn their attention and fundraising efforts to the beauty and promise of Africa, specifically Kenya and its street children, should visit the Grace Centre in Sydenham for a show of photography titled “The Kenya Initiative: From Street to School”.

The purpose of the initiative is to assist young Kenyans with the funds they need to attend school and 100% of the proceeds of the show will be going towards that goal.

The Kenya Initiative was born out of a trip to Kenya by Irwin Streight and his family and on February 21, Streight and friend Raymond Vos gave a slide show and talk about the project at the Grace Centre.

In 2009 on their trip to Kenya, Streight and his family befriended two recent high school graduates, Caleb and Isaac Machira, who were working and making $1 /day with the hopes of attending university. They also met another Kenyan, John Nijane, who volunteers his time making monthly deliveries of food to local households in need and supporting a number of children living on the streets, for whom he was hoping to find housing and school funding.

Back in Kingston Streight had a conversation with his good friend Raymond Vos, owner of the Raymond Gallery, and the two dreamed up the The Kenya Initiative: From Street to School.

Vos recalled, “My heart broke when I heard Irwin’s stories and it was then that I realized that I had some resources, art pieces that I have tucked away, and that the money from their sales could be used to help meet the needs of the Kenyans that Irwin had met.”

The project was started out of that conversation and just six and a half years later, $100,000 has been raised to assist young Kenyans to attend school.

Together Vos and Streight traveled to Kenya in June 2013, meeting face to face with the people they are helping, not only to see how their fundraising dollars were being spent but to also to gather artwork made by Kenyan students to raise more funds in Kingston.

Raymond Vos said the main message he wants to get across to those who see the show is “how a small act of kindness can have enormous results and that when you invest in the lives of others, primarily through education, it will not only change one person's life but their entire family and extended family’s lives.”

The show is comprised of many gorgeous photographs that Vos took in Kenya back in 2013 and they include the Kenyan people and a wide variety of the animals they came across while on safari there. There are zebras, birds, hippos, lions, and much more, but most notable are the smiling faces of the youngsters, many of whom are now students thanks to the work of these two gentlemen and many generous donors over the years.

The show is not only an eye opener to life in Kenya but an opportunity for lovers of photography to support young Kenyans through this educational initiative. For more information visit www.galleryraymond.com

For visiting hours at the Grace hall go to www.sfcs.ca