Dec 18/08 - Letters

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Letters - December 18,2008 Letters: December 18

Fed Up, Elinore Duncan

Harper and Mugabe, Doug Steele

Thank You Sydenham Safe Water Association, Pat and John Haney

Re: Letter Democracy is a Messy Business, Wolfe Erlichman

Fed Up

During the last election campaign the Conservative Party's diatribe directed primarily at the Liberals and NDP and also the disrespect for the Green Party and the French was difficult to condone. Now the malicious attack on the Liberals, NDP and the French is unacceptable.

With regard to the current economic situation, how can the Conservative Government be trusted to plan our economic future when they have disregarded the opportunities to make so many corrections in our economic system while in power.

They include:

Available Skills Training for unemployed workers and young people;Access for universal childcare to better allow for people to go to work;More affordable housing;Providing a single tier medical system and easier access to medical school education so there are sufficient numbers of doctors to include preventative and acute care for all citizens;To correct the shameful treatment of Aboriginal peoples;Opening the NAFTA agreement for re-evaluation and change;Make adjustments to the (EXCUSE Me) Employment Insurance Act for the unemployed.

It might be time for the Transnational Corporations to discontinue the right to decide the Economic and Social life for Canadians.

Elinore Duncan

Harper and Mugabe

I am blown away by the unreasonable and irrational comments made by all political parties as if their main purpose is to destroy Canada.

I am disappointed in the Conservative Party since they called the election in September. They have engineered a media campaign of browbeating and smear similar to Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe’s government in Africa, without the guns and murder. Mugabe’s Zimbabwe’s economy has gone from bad to worse to disastrous in recent years. Is this what we can expect?

I support the coalition as I will not be bullied by Conservative arrogance. I believe that if one can get the majority of political parties to agree on any issues, they should form the government. The coalition group has agreed to govern and they will do as good a job as a group of bullies whose aim is to destroy all future opposition to their control of government. Harpers’ Conservatives and Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF Party have so much in common.

Doug Steele

Thank You Sydenham Safe Water Association (SSWA)

As newer residents of Sydenham my husband and I have listened and read about the ongoing water debate that has taken place in the village. We also learned about the Sydenham Safe Water Association (SSWA) and found it amazing that a small group of people, a committee elected by the local homeowners, have spent countless hours on behalf of the people of Sydenham, investigating and presenting their findings to the Township Council.

In spite of the MANY reasons for not building the system, including the fact that the population is not large enough to support such a scheme, (recently substantiated by the Ontario Government) and without popular support, the township went ahead with the expensive project. So now it's done and it's not working too well. It's full of a chemical that causes cancer and recently the SSWA were at least able to convince the council that the plant was overbuilt and that the current residents should not be paying for water that future developments will be using. Because of their work the costs to Sydenham householders was reduced quite a bit. Now the Council is having a study done on the possibility of an old landfill at the Point leaking into our drinking water. From what I heard the SSWA warned them about that from the start.

The purpose of this letter is to thank the SSWA for their determine efforts on our behalf and time spent without expecting any recompense. They've saved us money, held a concert to help low-income families whom without help may lose their homes, they keep on top of the health situation and also, as a footnote, I noticed in a local paper that our council is to conduct a water review on an updated settlement area that may connect up to the water system, resulting in future revenue. Can we perhaps give credit to the SSWA for this also?

Thank-you for fighting our fight, thank-you for saving us money, thank-you for keeping an eye on a situation that needs watching.

Pat and John Haney

Re: Letter to the editor, December 11,"Democracy is a Messy Business"

Mr. Cameron refers to the, "failed economic theories of the NDP". Since there has never been a federal NDP government, it would be difficult to have failed theories at the federal level. Provincially, there have been successful NDP governments and some which were not so successful. Of course, the same applies to Conservative and Liberal governments.

If Mr. Cameron was a little more charitable about the motives of politicians, he would not be imputing bad motives and using pejorative phrases such as, "cadre of insiders". After all, Mr. Harper is famous for being a cadre of one inside the very tightly controlled Conservative Party.

Wolfe Erlichman

Dec 11/08 - Sydenham HS Swim Team

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Feature Article - December 11, 2008 New Swim team on deck at Sydenham HighBy Julie Druker

The new swim team at Sydenham High School with coach Shannon Myers (at left)

A pep rally at the Sydenham High School gym on December 2 included a newly formed team - the first ever swim team in the school's history.

The team, which formed early this school year, boasts 15 members and is still in its infancy.

Well known marathon swimmers Jenna and Natalie Lambert of Harrowsmith are both students at the school. They approached SHS teacher Shannon Myers, who is also a neighbour of the Lambert family, to see if it would be possible to get a swim team going.

“The girls wanted a chance to swim with their school peers on a team,” Myers said.

Jenna and Natalie swim 5 days a week and compete with the Kingston Y Penguins team and they both have big marathon swims under their belts. They also wanted an opportunity to be able to represent their school in sport but did not have time outside of their rigorous swimming schedules to join any other school team.

Myers came on board as coach for two reasons. Not only would a school team give the Lamberts a chance to swim for their school and to train alongside their peers but it would also give students who may be athletic but are not interested in joining other sports teams at the school the option of joining the swim team.

Shannon Myers has been teaching at Sydenham for five years, but before that she taught swimming and has worked as a lifeguard.

“The focus this year is fun and fitness and if we can pick up some technical skills and team work skills we’ll have been very successful,” she said.

She also said that the SHS is planning to compete in the EOSSAA meet this year as long as there are at least 6 members of the swim team who are interested in competing.

The team swims in the pool at the YMCA in Kingston on their off school hours. The Lamberts’ YMCA coach, legendary marathon simmer Vicki Keith, is also co-coaching the Sydenham team alongside Shannon Myers.

“There are still a lot of bumps to get over but we’re definitely getting there,” Myers added.

No doubt exciting waters lie ahead for the members of SHS’s newest sports team.

Dec 18/08 - Lions Present Cheques

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Feature Article - December 18, 2008 Sydenham Lions present chequesBy Julie Druker

Peter Stewart, Jim Stinson, Lion's Treasurer Wray Gillespie and Tracy Holland

On Monday night at the Sydenham Townhall the Sydenham and District Lions Club met for a potluck supper and a meeting and also to make their bi-annual cheque presentations to local community groups.

A total of three cheques were presented to various recipients all leaders of important programs that serve the community in a number of ways.

The first cheque for $500.00 was presented to Peter Stewart, Logistics C-coordinator of the Loughborough Christmas & Emergency Relief Fund that will be used for their Christmas Food Basket program.

The second cheque for $1000.00 was presented to Jim Stinson manager of the Frontenac Community Arena and will be put towards the debt incurred by their recent renovation project.

This is the second of three donations that the Lions have put aside to fund the arena project which included new and improved dressing rooms and washroom facilities.

Stinson thanked the group and mentioned that the Lions name is one of many on the new sign that hangs in the arena’s main foyer.

The third cheque for $500.00 was presented to Tracy Holland, president of the Frontenac Soccer Association, the second of two installments that went towards the purchasing of new portable nets to replace the older dysfunctional nets made from PVC piping and also the makeshift pylon nets both of which hindered the performance of the players and the flow of the games.

Holland pointed out that the new nets serve over 800 children from the Frontenac counties and directly result in the improvement of skills especially in the younger players.

Lions president Jim Kelly stated, “Being able to turnaround and present the fruits of our labour to those people in the community who are making a big difference for others is something that we all enjoy.”

The donated funds were raised at various events put on by the Lions throughout the year including their poinsettia and Easter chocolate sales along with the annual BBQ raffle that is held at Point Park in Sydenham on Canada Day.

The three cheque recipients present at the presentation were not the only ones reaping the rewards of the Lions fundraising efforts. Cheques were also sent out by mail to the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, Lions Camp Dorset and Lions District A-3 Youth Outreach Program.

The Sydenham and District Lions group was founded 4 years ago and in that brief time they have donated over $12,600 to a wide range of community groups and organizations.

The Lions present cheques twice annually unless there are pressing urgent emergency funds needed by community groups or members at certain times during the year

The Sydenham and District Lions continue to honour their commitment to serving the community and their work continues to benefit many community members in and around the Sydenham area.

Dec 4/08 - SF Council

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Feature Article - December 4, 2008 South Frontenac Council -Dec. 2/08By Wilma Kenny

Councillor Larry York was sworn in as deputy mayor for 2009, and in the absence of the mayor, York chaired the Dec 2 meeting.

Sydenham Water: Public Meeting Requested

Speaking on behalf of a delegation from the Sydenham Safe Water Association (SSWA), Bob Forbes asked Council to hold a public information meeting with Sydenham residents as soon as possible. Residents, he said, need to be informed of the presence of undesirable chemicals in their drinking water, the risks involved in drinking the water, and the estimated length of time before the chemicals in the water will be lowered to levels considered acceptable by Health Canada.

Not only has the Trihalomethane (THM) level been over 100 (Health Canada states the level should be below 100, and is lowering that to 80) for 2 years, but now another group of chemicals called haloacetic acids (HHA) has also been found in the water. Forbes spoke of studies which showed both chemical groups to be carcinogens.

Both Council and Forbes referred to a year-old letter from Dr Gemmil, the Medical Officer of Health, which stated that as long as THM levels were under 200, they were "not at a level that would lead to any health effects." Forbes noted that Gemmil didn’t make any reference to more vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women, babies, and adults in poor health, or with cancer. "We have no information about HHAs,’ said Forbes: "What’s their effect? Do they combine adversely with the THMs? Is it even safe to bathe in this water? Lack of information creates fears, rumours, discontent."

Forbes asked for a meeting by or before January 15, which would include Dr. Gemmil and representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, XCG (the consulting firm trying to address the problem) and Utilities Kingston.

In general, councilors agreed that the public should be informed, but several said they had no ‘new’ information. At several points in the discussion, councilors seemed to assume that as long as members of the SSWA were informed, all the rest of the village water users were also informed. Forbes pointed out that although some members of the SSWA were aware of the Health Unit letter, etc, many of the village residents were not, and added that if the MOH was not in agreement with Federal Health regulations, "We want to hear that directly from him." Acting Mayor York asked Forbes to bring Council copies of the studies that showed the dangers of the chemicals in question. Alastair Lamb said, "The problem is communication. Open communication is what we’re asking for, so residents can make informed decisions. Right now, many are ignorantly and innocently consuming (the treated water.)"

York agreed that a public information meeting about the water would be arranged as soon as possible.

Township Policies: Council was given a list of township policies, 50 in all, organized by department. CAO Burns offered to make copies of any that council wished to examine. Stowe said he didn’t see any policy addressing use of township vehicles: i.e. who could ride in them; when a vehicle could be taken home, etc. Burns said he didn’t think there was any written policy, & Stowe noted the policy list might be a way of identifying areas where written policies should be created.

Farmland Designation in Official Plan: Council passed an amended motion instructing staff to remove the Agricultural 2 designations from the proposed update to the SF Official Plan, but included an amendment: "However, any property owner who wishes to have their property included in the A2 designation may do so if they indicate their wish in writing to the Township."

Private Lane Upgrading Assistance for Bedford: Contained within the 2008 Bedford District Road Construction Budget was an amount of $20,000 for the purpose of subsidizing private lane improvements up to a maximum of 50% of any application received. The purpose was to improve access for emergency vehicles. Of the original 12 applicants, only 6 requests accompanied by receipts were received by the deadline. All were granted the full 50% subsidy, for a total of $10, 695. Public Works Manager Segsworth recommended the program be continued next year.

Predator Bounties: A letter was sent to the minister of Natural Resources asking that he re-examine the position on wolf/coyote bounties, in view of the economic hardship they pose to the farming community in this area.

Frontenac Arena: Councilor Vandewal brought a request from the North Frontenac Arena Board asking that the "North" be dropped from the arena name. Although a legal name-change would be time-consuming and expensive, all agreed there would be no problem with an informal name change to more appropriately represent the area served by the arena.

Dec 4/08 - Sydenham Santa Claus Parade

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Feature Article - December 4, 2008 Saturday in Sydenham: snacks, shopping & SantaBy Julie Druker

Sydenham High School students in the Sydenham Santa Claus parade on Saturday.

Saturday November 28 was a busy day in Sydenham. The annual Santa Claus Parade sponsored by the Loughborough Firefighters Association started right on time on a beautiful sunny morning.

The parade was a hit as usual, due to individuals and community groups who gave it their all with their costumes and floats, a festive feast for the eyes that leisurely looped its way through Sydenham's downtown core.

Santa off course was the grand finale, last in line, but as always well worth the wait.

Loughborough PS student and budding entrepreneur Amy Walton set up her hot chocolate/snack booth stand right in front of her house on the parade route for her 4th year in a row and it was her best year yet.

After the parade many people headed up the street for a tasty bite of lunch put on by Jean Stott and the Anglican Church Women (ACW) at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. For a mere $50 customers chose from a menu that included a wide range of homemade soups, sandwiches, squares and cookies. Orders were taken and served by three enthusiastic young waitresses, all students at Loughborough Public School.

Photo: students from Loughborough Public School serve lunch at St. Paul's Aglican Church. Ainslie Beattie, Lyndsey Paquin and Lauren Keyes

After lunch many of us headed up the hill to Loughborough Public School for their 11th Annual Craft Fair to do a bit of seasonal shopping. Retired grade 3 teacher Ursula Barbier, with the help of many students at the school, organized the canteen and the 40 craft vendors who lined the school's halls and filled its gym.

On offer to shoppers were a wide variety of crafts that included jewelry, greeting cards, knit wear, wooden games, photography, preserves, bead work, and an array of festive seasonal ornaments.

Barbier was pleased with how the show ran and received numerous compliments from vendors about how helpful all of the student volunteers were.

All in all, it was a great day in Sydenham, a chance to celebrate the season, eat good food and support local crafters. What more could anyone want on a sunny Saturday in Sydenham with Christmas just a few short weeks away?

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 3, 2009South Frontenac CouncilBy Wilma Kenny

The meeting began with the swearing-in of Councillor Ron Vandewal as Deputy Mayor of South Frontenac Township, for the year 2010.

Sydenham Triathlon to Continue

Terry McKinty spoke on behalf of a delegation representing the Sydenham Triathlon. He noted that the success of this summer's event owed much to township staff, volunteer committee members, the Legion and staff and pupils of SHS. Over 400 people attended.

He asked Council's permission to begin planning for a second triathlon on July 4, 2010.

McKinty said there were some issues to address, e.g. in relation to the route, but he thought the race could become an annual Sydenham event on the Sunday after Canada Day. Councillor Stowe thanked him for their donation to the Cat trail. Mayor Davison asked whether the event needed to be renamed from "Kingston" to "Sydenham." McKinty said they were downplaying the name Kingston, but wanted to keep it in the title one more year, to help out-of-town participants locate the area more easily.

Colebrook Road Concerns

Harrowsmith resident Monica Brown began her presentation to Council by saying that after a man died on her front lawn, she began to talk with her

Colebrook Road neighbours, and learned that they all had grave concerns about traffic along that road.  Speeding, both by cars coming off Road 38, and along Colebrook Road from the west topped the list: over the years, more than 20 pets have been killed.  Other concerns included: the six-way intersection at Road 38, two schools, blind entrances to the cemetery and the Golden Links hall across the road, lack of sidewalk or shoulder for pedestrians and horse riders, and heavy trucks using the road as a shortcut. Several residents admitted to the unadvisable practise of driving slowly in the centre of the road to slow speeders.

She said a number of solutions had been proposed, but the three top choices seemed to be: setting a speed limit of 40, more signage, and greater OPP presence. Other possible traffic calming measures might include rumble zones, crosswalks on 38, extending a sidewalk to the Golden Links hall, or constructing a roundabout.

Stowe mentioned flashing lights activated whenever school's in session.

Robinson said that although he agreed with Brown's concerns, some of her suggestions, such as an extended sidewalk, or lowering the hill past the cemetery, could be prohibitively expensive. As for needing crosswalks, Robinson said that very few children lived west of 38, and any who were east of the highway were bussed to school.

Mayor Davison congratulated Brown on an excellent presentation, saying Public Works Manager Segsworth would review her report and bring his recommendations to Council. Meanwhile, they would ask the OPP for more frequent patrols.

Private Lane Upgrading Assistance

The 2009 Bedford District road budget had contained $10,000 for the purpose of subsidizing up to 50% of private lane improvements, with the goal of making them more accessible to emergency vehicles. Segsworth said the pilot program has not been as well known or understood as anticipated, but he felt it is worthwhile, and worth continuing. Those who have used it are very appreciative of help from the municipality.

Deputy Mayor Vandewal said that he had been sceptical of the program, but now "I don't think it's such a bad idea." Mayor Davison agreed, but pointed out that the township had as many miles of private as public roads, wondering how the program could be moved into amalgamation.

Robinson asked how the township collected the money: Segsworth said they dealt with road associations, not individual residents, and the onus was on the associations to complete and pay for the upgrading, before applying to the township for a (post inspection) rebate.

Bedford Hall Kitchen Renovations

Four tenders were received, ranging from the lowest, $23,625 up to $52,000. CAO Orr said the low bid was thorough, and the contractor, Shelley Home Improvements, was well recommended. SHI's bid was approved.

Township Reserves Look Healthy

Councillor Fillion had asked for an update on the township's reserve funds. Accordingly, the treasurer prepared a Year To Date Reserve report, which shows that as of November 19th, the township has over $16 million in reserve.  Some questioned whether this high an amount was appropriate: Mayor Davison reminded them that the roads transfer payment from the city was slated to run out in a few more years. Council agreed to discuss this and other questions in more detail as part of budget deliberations when treasurer Bracken is present to explain the figures. It was noted that the year-end figures would be different. Many portions of the fund were earmarked for specific future expenses, such as landfill site closures, equipment replacement, etc.

Architect seeking to lower costs at Sydenham Library

By Jeff Green

Gerry Shoalts of the Shoalts and Zabach Architects had just received the preliminary cost estimates for the Sydenham Library when he brought them to a meeting of the committee of South Frontenac Council that is overseeing the project last month.

The numbers were not good, $350,000 over the projected $2.25 million construction cost. While a federal/provincial grant is in place to cover 2/3 of construction costs, it is capped at $1.5 million, so anything over $2.25 will come from South Frontenac ratepayers.

Gerry Shoalts has been looking more closely at the plans, and will return to the committee this week. Possibilities for cost savings include simplifying the design of the building, abandoning the goal of attaining a LEEDS Silver energy efficiency standard, or eliminating some rooms.

Construction is still expected to commence next year, with a completion date no later than March 2011.

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 3, 2009 'Tis the season: Christmas Parades

Christmas parades in Ompah/Plevna (above, photo: Kaitlyn Balogh), Kaladar and Sydenham took place under sunny skies las Saturday. Hopefully this saturday will be bright and storm free for the Denbigh, Northbrook, Harrowsmith and Sharbot Lake parades.Kaladar

Top Left: "Kaladar Majorettes" Top Right Northbrook Legion Left: SantaPhotos: Kaitlyn Balogh

Ompah

Photos: Kaitlyn BaloghSydenham

Sydenham parade. Photos: Wilma Kenny

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 3, 2009 Movember at SHSBy Jeff Green

Staff  and students at Sydenham High School sport their 'staches.

It all tarted on November 1, when about 20 male teachers and senior students at Sydenham High School arrived at school in a particularly clean-shaven state.

And it culminated on Monday, November 30, when a group of moustachioed men, and some sympathetic women teachers who drew on moustaches for the occasion, celebrated the end of the Movember fundraising drive for the Prostate Cancer Association.

The SHS event was initiated by teachers Mark Richards and Greg Legge, linking to the Movember movement that has become an international phenomenon.

It started back in Australia, where they call moustaches mos. After drinking a few beers some friends were lamenting the demise of the fashionable moustache, which had gone into the dustbin of fashionable history since the 1980s, along with big hair, shoulder pads and the Canadian mullet.

They wanted to bring it back, and they decided to hold a moustache-growing contest. They also figured they might was well raise some money too, so they contacted the Prostate Cancer Foundation in Australia, and the rest is a hairy bit of history,

Mo Bros in Australia, South Africa, and throughout Europe and North America have turned November into Movember, raising money and awareness about prostate cancer, which is as common in men as breast cancer is in women.

While prostate cancer is curable in 95% of cases, early detection is critical, but there are no symptoms in the early stages.

So the message from the Prostate Cancer Society is for men to know their risk factors and to consider screening when they reach their forties and fifties.

The money raised in Canada during Movember goes directly to the Canadian foundation, and is used for research into prostate cancer and to fund public awareness campaigns.

“When people ask about our growing moustaches during Movember it also gives an opportunity to talk about prostate cancer, which is good as well,” said Brian Legge at SHS, “and cancer in general is something that affects us all.”

The Movember website includes a section devoted to the Sydenham High School Mo show, which lists the participants and has space available for photos as the month progresses. The comments section allows for supporters to comment, rib the men about their moustaches, and generally create a buzz around the event.

As the month crew to a close, over $1400 had been raised officially at SHS, and more money was coming in, including about $150 from the “mo sisters” who painted on moustaches for the final day of the event. The total will be available by the end of the week.

But in terms of converting the Sydenham men to the ranks of the moustachioed, Movember has been less successful. All of the men said they planned to shave immediately, citing itchiness and their wives’ dislike of moustaches.

On a national level, Movember is a growing phenomenon. This year’s target of $4 million has been surpassed easily, and the total stands at $6.5 million and counting.

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 10, 2009 South Frontenac Council

Streamlined Sydenham library design fits budget

By Jeff Green

A design for a 5,500 square foot library, which includes a multi-purpose room and all of the major features that were included in a previous design that a budget estimator had determined would be $350,000 over budget, was brought forward last week.

Gerry Shoalts of the architectural firm Shoalts and Zabach presented the revised project design to a meeting of the Sydenham Library Committee at a meeting last Thursday, December 3.

The estimated construction cost of the new design is $1.72 million. With other fees (design permits and site development) and costs added in, the project will reach the $2.1 million total that was envisioned when Frontenac County applied for a grant on behalf of the township last spring. The county received a $1.4 million grant for the project out of federal/provincial stimulus funding, and the ratepayers from South Frontenac will kick in the remaining $700,000.

“The building will be 500 square feet smaller than the original design, but it will contain more book stacks than the original design, based on comments from the committee,” said Gerry Shoalts.

The revised plan no longer includes a basement, and decreases the size of the staff room, “but for its size we feel the staff room is still sufficient,” Shoalts said.

While the initial design included accessibility features in all three washrooms in the building, the new design includes a fully accessible washroom only in the family room, while the other washrooms are smaller. The building is a one-floor structure with wide entrances.

Committee member Neil Allen, who uses a wheelchair himself, said that “provided the family room washroom is completely barrier free, it will be ok.” Allen also said that the option of heat-activated water spouts should be avoided, because they are dependent on electricity and are prone to breaking down. Gerry Shoalts concurred.

Other savings were found in a change in construction materials, particularly a move to an entirely wood frame building from a steel studded building, and a switch from stone to brick for the external wall.

One change was questioned by members of council, however. The revised plan calls for a shingle roof in place of a steel roof, and Councilors David Hahn and Ron Vandewal questioned this, given the shorter lifespan of a shingle roof.

“I don't want us to save money now, and leave a cost 15 years down the road,” said Hahn.

“Steel roofs have 100-year lifespan,” said Vandewal.

Gerry Shoalts said it would be possible to include the two roofing options on the tender document, which is slated for the end of January. He pointed out that the company that was hired to estimate the cost of construction “always uses conservative figures, so the tender price would be somewhat lower.”

But the impact of the federal stimulus programs on all public construction projects next year will be a big x factor. “We will be going to tender with this one just as the bulk of the projects across the region and the country are being built, and we don't know what that will mean as far as the number of contractors who will want to bid on it, and what the effect on the bid prices will be,” Shoalts said.

The revised plan was accepted by the committee, and will be presented for approval to South Frontenac Council on December 15.

Council should be somewhat familiar with it already, as five of the nine members of council attended last week's committee meeting. 

COUNCIL REALIGNMENT PROPOSAL FIZZLES

By Wilma Kenny

Councilor John Fillion of Storrington brought a notice of motion to realign council to 'representation according to population,' by permitting Bedford district only one elected councilor, because of its lower population. Hisrationale was that in an even-numbered council, tie votes are possible, and in such cases the mayor is called upon to cast the deciding vote. He felt this deadlock was counterproductive, and made 'an uncomfortable chamber.' (It might be noted that this particular council seems to often find the councilors from Loughborough and Bedford districts supporting one side of an issue, against the councilors from Storrington and Portland. And the mayor seems to have tended to agree more often with the choices made by Bedford and Loughborough. However, councilors from the same districts do not agree with each other on all issues.)

The background information provided by the clerk's office, based on 2006 MPAC reports, showed that Portland district, not Bedford, had the lowest number of voters, lowest property value assessment, and in 2009, raised half a million dollars less in taxes than Bedford.Fillion withdrew his notice of motion, on the grounds that the population numbers he had obtained for Bedford were much lower than those in thestaff report.

Mayor Davison said he had received a flurry of e-mails protesting the motion. He closed the discussion, saying, "This is dead."

WINTER ROADS CONTROL PROGRAM: Mark Segsworth noted that he and his staff have made adjustments that should result in a higher level of service than last year. He said that any residents with concerns relating to winter roads should phone 376-3900, which will have a live person on the line daily between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Outside those hours, messages will be relayed to a patrol truck, which will be on the road 6 pm to 6 am weekdays, and 24 hours a day on weekends. He also spoke of treating Perth Road, Rutledge Road and Sydenham Roads as arteries on par with Road 38. This winter, residents will be actively discouraged from plowing or shovelling snow from private drives onto roads. If they do not heed an initial warning, the by-law officer will be notified.

SOLID WASTE COLLECTION RFP: Segsworth also reported on the Sustainability Committee's recommendations for developing the terms, conditions and specifications for the solid waste collection Request for Proposal. Most of the existing contracts expire at the end of August 2010.

One of the primary goals is to provide a consistent level of service throughout the whole township, including Bedford. Segsworth noted there are still challenges to providing consistent service in the areas presently serviced.

Currently, collection contractors are paid on a lump sum basis with annual increases based on increases in the number of new households. Segsworth said his suggestion they change this system to paying per tonne of waste collected was 'not exactly warmly embraced' by the Sustainability Committee. He said this was 'an area that we need to get to', noting that from a best practices perspective, pricing per tonne reduces costs and increases collection rates. It is intended that over the term of the upcoming RFP, more accurate information will be gathered about the quantities of waste generated within the township.

Councilor Robinson said he thought the sustainability committee's comments should be called suggestions, not decisions: Mayor Davison clarified that they were merely decisions brought forward to Council for their discussion.

PHOTOVOLTAIC RECOMMENDATIONS: Students from the St Lawrence Green Energy project reported back on their assessment of the suitability of installing photovoltaic cells on township buildings. They presented Council with a full and detailed report, which indicated that, for example, a ten kilowatt system installed on the present Sydenham library at an initial cost of $80,000 could realize $110,000 clear profit over 20 years. Councillor Ron Vandewal said this should come back to Council for consideration, once councillors had had an opportunity to study the report: "It looks like a win-win situation."

NEW ELECTION DATE PENDING: Mayor Davison announced that the province is in the process of establishing the 4th Monday in October as the municipal Election Day: "It doesn't interfere with Thanksgiving, Hallowe'en, or deer hunting; absolutely perfect!"

Back to HomeFeature Article - December 17, 2009 Sydenham HS Students make Lumberby Jeff Green

Sydenham HS manufacturing technology students at the sawmill workshop

For people who wonder where the next generation of skilled foresters, carpenters, and other rural trades persons are gong to come from, the answer is from the rural High Schools.

And Mike Mol and Gord Darling from Sydenham High School are leading the way.

A group of Sydenham High School students enjoyed a taste of the early winter weather last Friday (December 11) when they travelled to the Ed Fitzgerald property near Westport to participate in a portable saw milling workshop. The students are all enrolled in a grade 11-12 program that delivers the high school curriculum while focussing on manufacturing technology.

Sydenham High School offers a High Skills Major in Manufacturing Technology that is spearheaded by the Mike Mol, the head of technology, and Gord Darling, the construction technology teacher at the school.

Among their other teaching skills, Darling and Mol are certified chainsaw instructors, and the Limestone District School Board provides funding for them to provide two day chainsaw safety courses for students at SHS and elsewhere in the Board. They deliver the courses at North Addington in Cloyne, and recently Sharbot Lake High School students took part in a course they gave at Ed Fitzgerald’s far,

“During that course the students felled quite few very straight, tall trees, that were quite suitable for lumber, so we go the idea of doing a sawmill course for eh Sydenham students, to take them through the whole process from tree in the bush to lumber for construction,” Mike Mol said in an interview from the school on Tuesday (December 15).

8 students, all of whom have taken the chainsaw course, took part in the workshop. The students felled a few trees to add to the ones that were felled I he SKHS chainsaw course, and went through the process of limbing, cleaning, and skidding the trees to the portable saw that had been brought to the site by Doug Kennedy from Godfrey.

“Doug talked to them about how he cuts logs, the different profiles he can use, how to produce lumber based on customers specifications, the whole process.”

Since the wood being milled was Basswood, which is not of any real use as fire wood, but is ideal for some of the projects that Gord Darling does in his wood shop, the school will make good use of the 3,000 board feet of lumber that was produced that day.

“The students learned some skils they could never learn in a classroom, about safety on a work site and how to identify what needs to be done,” aid Mike Mol.

The day also qualifies as what is called a “reach ahead” acrivity, something that cannot be accomplished in the normal school environment, which are required in the high skills major program.

In addition to the chainsaw certification, students in the high skills major have also achieved workplace safety certification, first aid, CPR, lift truck certification, and more.

When they graduate from SHS, there will be a red sticker on their cetificate, indicating that they have this extra level of education beyond the normal high school graduation diploma.

“They will have an advantage in a manufacturing setting, because they will already have this required training, all funded by the school board,” Mol said.

Being rural educators, Mol and Darling end to focus on outdoors education and have done a lot of training in forestry education, which they are constantly upgrading.