Back to HomeFeature Article - August 27, 2009 NAEC gets Eco gold, SHS takes a bronze

Among the secondary schools in the Limestone Board, North Addington Education Centre and Sydenham High School have been recognised as leaders in eco friendly practices. They are two of only four schools in the board that have achieve certification under the Ontario Eco-schools program.

The schools have undertaken a five-step process to achieve certification, starting with the establishment of an Eco team in the school. The Eco-schools program permeates the entire culture of the school, from curriculum to waste diversion to greening of the grounds

Six areas have been identified as crucial by Eco-Schools: energy conservation, waste minimization, ecological literacy, greening for shade and energy conservation, teamwork and leadership, and environmental stewardship and the school community.

North Addington is the only school in the board to have made it to the top, golden level and Sydenham High School is the only one to have achieved a bronze status. Two other schools, Acadie and Napanee District Secondary have achieved a Silver. The board is hoping to celebrate these achievements at their September 9 board meeting.

Students throughout the board will have a chance to begin their green practices very soon. School starts on Tuesday morning.

Back to HomeFeature Article - August 13, 2009 Sydenham paddlers off to the nationalsby Julie Druker

Members of the Sydenham Lake Canoe Clubs midget girls C4 team will be heading to the Nationals in Quebec. (l-r) Cia Myles-Gonzales, Erika Gibbons, Ally Fenlong and Robyn Miazga

This past weekend the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club hosted the Eastern Ontario Division Championships at Point Park. Participating canoe clubs competing along with Sydenham included North Bay, Carleton Place, Rideau, Ottawa River, and Gananoque.

It was a big day for paddlers since these races offered an opportunity for them to qualify for the Nationals that will be held in Sherbrooke, Quebec on Labour Day weekend.

The Sydenham Club had a total of 11 competitors this year and, for a small club, they did extremely well overall. The club’s commodore Erik Miazga and coach Haeleigh Miazga were both extremely pleased with Sydenham’s results.

On Saturday the younger competitors raced and Genevieve L’Abbe placed 2nd overall in the PeeWee girls K1-1000m race.

Jack Fenlong came first in his heat for the Bantam Boys K1-2000m race.

Sunday was the busier day out on the lake for Sydenham as the older competitors took to the water.

Robyn Miazga and Cia Myles-Gonzales placed 5th overall in the Midget Girls K2-1000m and will go to the Nationals as a divisional spare. The two also placed 2nd overall in the midget girls C2-1000m, which guaranteed them a spot at the Nationals.

The Midget Girls K4-1000m team of Cia, Alaina McIlroy, Krissy Jones and Ally Fenlong placed 4th overall and will head to the Nationals with Robyn Miazga taking Ally’s place.

Also securing a spot in the Nationals were the team of Robyn, Cia, Ally and Erika Gibbons, who placed second in the Midget Girls C4-1000m.

Both Sydenham coaches, Char McKenna and Haeleigh, competed in the juvenile women’s C2-500m and placed second, giving them a spot at the Nationals. Unfortunately, Haeleigh will be unable to make the Nationals this year because she will be starting school at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design this fall. Cia Myles-Gonzalez is happy to take her place.

Cia and Robyn are excited about heading off to the Nationals but admitted that they have a lot of work still to do. This will be their 3rd time heading to the Nationals. In their first year they raced with their coaches in the C4 and came 5th in Canada. Last year they raced in the midget girls C2 and K2 and did not place.

Both girls were wary to make any predictions until they have raced the winners of Western Divisional Championships, which they are set to do in two weeks time at the Ontario races that are to be held in Sudbury.

Back to HomeFeature Article - August 6, 2009 South Frontenac Councilby Jeff Green

Coming and going - South Frontenac Clerk Administrator Bord Burns(l) will retire at the end of this week after 8 years with the township. Wayne orr (r) will take over his duties next monday. They were both on hand to provide guidance to this week's meeting.

It wasn’t intentional, but South Frontenac Council greeted its new CAO Wayne Orr and said goodbye to its retiring CAO Gord Burns with a three-hour display of internal bickering (most of which was relatively good natured) at their only scheduled August meeting in Sydenham on Tuesday night, August 4.

The meeting started quietly enough. Vicky Leakey from the accounting firm KPMG presented the financial statements for 2008. She concluded, “There are no issues or recommendations that we need to make. We came up with no adjustments, and did not identify any fraudulent or potentially fraudulent or illegal acts. Nothing came to our attention and we did not notice any unusual actions.”

PORTLAND REC COMMITTEE: A request from the Portland District Recreation Committee for an extra $75,000 to complete planned upgrades to facilities in Verona and Harrowsmith was considered.

The 2009 budget included money for work on the Centennial Park Ball diamond, band shell and tennis courts in Harrowsmith and the Verona tennis courts and McMullen Park Waterfront.

The budget that was set for the five projects was $61,000, but when the price estimates came in from contractors the costs were more than twice as high as the amounts budgeted.

The Verona and Centennial Park tennis courts were both budgeted at $12,500 but the estimated cost is now $25,000 each. The Centennial Park Ball Diamond was budgeted at $24,000 and the estimated cost is now listed as “unknown”. The McMullen Park waterfront project, which includes an accessible boardwalk, has swelled to $35,000 although budgeted at $10,000, and the Centennial Park band shell now stands at $6,000 although budgeted at $2,000.

The request was for $75,000 from the Portland Recreation Reserve to complete all the projects in 2009.

“If the roads department came back to us and said their budgets had doubled, we would chastise them and tell them to cut some of their projects. Why should this be any different?” asked Councilor Ron Vandewal.

“Are these new estimated costs based on tenders or are they just a new guess?” asked Councilor David Hahn.

“The tennis courts are based on tenders,” said Portland District Councilor Jim Hicks.

“The waterfront estimate was way out,” said the other Portland Councilor Bill Robinson.

The matter will come back to council in September.

SYDENHAM LIBRARY – Frontenac County submitted a successful grant application for 2/3 funding of the cost of building a new library in Sydenham, which will in turn allow the township to reclaim the existing library space to expand the township office and bring all the departments under one roof.

The county is now seeking a commitment from South Frontenac to cover any overruns in the library construction project.

“They made it very clear to us when we met with them that this was going to be their project; that they could be in charge of it and we would have no say in what happens. My point is - why should we give them a blank cheque? If we have no control over how much money they spend on it, why should we cover any cost overruns?” asked Ron Vandewal.

“There won’t be any cost overruns. Were there cost overruns for Sydenham Water or the tower? No,” said Mayor Gary Davison.

“I’d be willing to do it if we have some approval,” said Councilor David Hahn.

“I agree. We need to sign off on the project as it moves forward,” said Councilor Larry York.

Council agreed to accept responsibility for the overruns provided they have a chance to review every tender related to the project before they are awarded.

TRICKY INTERSECTION TO STAY AS IS: Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth presented a report recommending that $30,600 be spent on a study by AECOM consulting to determine how best to change the intersection of the Colebrook, Wilton, and Ottawa roads and Road 38. “The reality is that 38 is our most heavily traveled road, and this is the most dangerous spot on the road. There haven’t been any accidents there, but there have been a lot of near misses, and with the road getting busier all the time I think we should do something,” Segsworth said.

“Are you talking about a traffic light?” asked Ron Vandewal.

“My mind is open. Other options include a roundabout, or rerouting some roads or doing nothing. I think there is a need to look at this and it is something I can’t do for myself,” Segsworth responded.

“It’s a lot of money for nothing,” said Councilor Bill Robinson. “I’ve lived in that rat race for 40 years and nothing’s ever happened. We don’t need a traffic light. It’s like putting a traffic light in Piccadilly Square in England. I don’t agree with it.”

Council sided with Robinson, and turned down the proposal in a 7-2 vote.

Perth Road assessment approved – Council did approve a proposed $18,000 operational assessment of Perth Road by McIntosh Perry.

The McIntosh Perry proposal was the most expensive response to a request for proposal (RFP) that the township had set out, but Segsworth said their proposal was the only one that was comprehensive, and he knows they have the staff to do the proper traffic counts and analysis. The RFP was awarded to McIntosh Perry.

Road construction update – Mark Segsworth presented an update on road construction.

“There have been cost overruns from what was budgeted, but we have adjusted our program and most likely we will - let me rephrase that - we will remain within the budget …I hope you appreciate what we are doing here. This is no Sleepy Hollow. We are doing $5.9 million in road construction this year.”

Of that total, $4.35 million is coming from the township budget and a further $1.8 million from grant money.

Road that are receiving attention include: Buck Bay, Burridge, Canoe Lake and Wolfe Lake roads in Bedford; Burnett, Graham, Redmond, Verona Sand, Snider, Cross, Long Swamp, Piccadilly, Colebrook and Quinn Roads in Portland; Canoe Lake, Charley Green, Daley, Keeley, Walker, and Orser Roads in Loughborough; 11 roads in Storrington, and 12 Concession, Bear Creek, High Falls Bridge, Loughborough Lake Bridge, Sydenham and Bedford roads among township maintained roads.

South Frontenac Rec. Committee established – Council spent a lot of time figuring out what to do with a proposal to hire Wes Garrod to produce a five-year Recreational Master Plan for the township.

David Hahn wanted to defer the motion to receive more information about Garrod’s work plan and fees, but the motion to defer was defeated. Nonetheless Hahn cast the deciding vote, in favour of hiring Garrod now.

Truck woes - The tender for two ¾ ton and one ½ ton pickup for use in winter maintenance had been awarded to Condie Pontiac, but Condie has informed Segsworth that the vehicles will not be ready until January. Segsworth asked for leave to consider other options, perhaps looking at the number 2 bidder, Revell Ford, if Condie cannot deliver the trucks on time.

“An agreement is an agreement; we should stick with Condie,” said Bill Robinson.

“I won’t do anything until I come back to Council in September,” Segsworth said.

Council agreed to let him work on getting at least two trucks in place before the snow falls. 

Back to HomeFeature Article - July 30, 2009 Sydenham Bantam Girls Championsby Cindy Caird

Sydenham Bantam Girls after receiving their medals: Front Row - Rob Begin (Asst Coach), Lacey Tryon, Laura St. Pierre, Emily Seymour, Leigha Doggitt, Nicole Hunter, Kim Orser. Back Row: Tom Rose (Coach), Courtney Meeks, Kallista Smith, Meagan Petrie, Sydney Rose, Jennah Albertson, Emily Caird, Jessica Warmington, Cindy Caird (Asst Coach).

The Sydenham Bantam Girls just finished their season this past Saturday winning the” A” Championship of the Inter-Community Softball Association end-of-year tournament. They finished first in the regular season so they started out with a bye in the tournament. Their first game at 11AM was against W.J. Construction with a score of 13-7. They went on into the final game at 1PM playing Pittsburgh Lions Club. After 6 innings of play, Sydenham won the game 18-9.

With this win, it finalized our season, undefeated for the second year in a row. Way to go, girls!

Here is a list of our scores from the season: May 14, 18-3, Dacosta Painting; May 20, 21-1, Webb Masonry; May 28, 22-0, Pittsburgh Lions Club; June 3, 24-6, Dacosta Painting; June 11, 11-4, Webb Masonry; June 17, 11-6, Pittsburgh Lions Club; June 24, 12-4, WJ Construction; July 8, 18-6, WJ Construction; July 9, 16-7, Dacosta Painting; July 13, 19-10, WJ Construction; July 15, 8-6, Webb Masonry; July 22, 16-11, Pittsburgh Lions Club.

Back to HomeFeature Article - July 23, 2009 Sydenham Lake Canoe ClubBy Erik Miazga

On July 18 and 19, the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club’s Sprint Racing paddlers were in Carleton Place for a weekend of racing competition. Both days went very well, with a mix of weather.

SLCC posted the following results at the event: On Saturday: Jack Fenlong, 1st in Bantam K-1; Emily Sharpe & Genevieve L'Abbe, 2nd in Bantam K-2; Genevieve L'Abbe, 3rd in Pee Wee K-1.

On Sunday: Robyn Miazga & Cia Myles-Gonzalez, 1st in Midget K-2; Robyn Miazga & Cia Myles-Gonzalez, 2nd in Midget C-2; Jacob Sharpe, 3rd in Midget K-1; Robyn Miazga, Ally Fenlong, Erika Gibbons, Cia Myles-Gonzalez, 2nd in Midget C-4.

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club will be hosting the Eastern Ontario Divisional Championships in Sydenham at The Point on Saturday and Sunday, August 8-9.

Anyone interested in the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club’s Competitive Sprint or Recreational programs for children 8 years and up to adult, please call 613-376-3654 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our website is www.freewebs.com/sydenhamlakecanoeclub .

Back to HomeFeature Article - July 9, 2009 Record turnout for first Sydenham triathlonBy Julie Druker

Visiting participants complete the sprint triathlon event at the first-ever Greater Kingston Sydenham Triathlon held Sunday in Sydenham. (l to r) Tim Rhodes of Deep River with Justin and Jason Flowerday and Wayne Robinson of Toronto.

Diamond patterns dazzled on Sydenham Lake as the sun shone this past Sunday for the first ever Greater Kingston Sydenham Triathlon. Close to 500 participants from all over Ontario and some from the U.S. participated in the day-long event put on by Somersault Productions of Ottawa.

On race day I spoke with Christine McKinty, who co-partners Somersault Productions with Terry McKinty. She explained, “For a first-time race, we usually are happy to get 250 athletes signed up. Today, so far, we are already upwards of about 440 participants. It‘s close to a record turnout for a first-time event.”

Christine gathered beach side with race participants prior to the 8:30AM start of the Olympic-length triathlon event. She explained to participants the swim route portion that began the race. The racers with numbered legs and arms donned wetsuits and swim caps and headed into the water, preparing for the 1500-metre swim portion of the event.

Spectators lined the beach at the Point as the racers next sprinted to the old ball diamond and mounted their bikes for the 40km cycling portion, which ran along Rutledge Road toward Perth Road Village and then looped back. The final portion of the race was a 10km run along the lake on the Cataraqui trail, which culminated at the finish line located near the ball field at the Point.

The day’s races were incredibly well-organized, thanks to the Somersault Productions staff and a number of local Sydenham volunteers, namely the Sydenham Football Club and others stationed at key locations directing participants through the courses.

Organizers carefully arranged the day so that most events shared a start time and ended in staggered finishes at one centrally-located finish line.

At the finish line Christine and Terry McKinty shared the mike, announcing athletes’ names as they crossed, to much applause of their friends and families.

I spoke to a number of participants as they crossed the line. Forty-two-year old Dave Markotich of Harrowsmith finished first in the 10km run. He ran the race to prepare himself for the upcoming New York City marathon. Breathing hard but exuberant, he said, “It was a great race and perfectly organized. The route was really clear and the aid station was placed in a perfect location. And it’s great to have this race so close to home.”

Dave’s wife Laura congratulated him as she prepared for her own upcoming event, the team triathlon, an event where a three-member team each runs one portion of the race. The event’s co-director Maryanne Takala of Sydenham and two teammates also participated in this event.

It was apparent by the wide range of participants that these events were geared to athletes of all ages and skill levels and that the focus was most definitely placed on personal effort rather than on winning. Underlying this focus, organizers provided medals to every participant who crossed the finish line.

Local professional athletes also used these races as a means to test their personal bests.

Local triathlete Scott Takala, who was instrumental in bringing the event to Sydenham, ran the Olympic length event and crossed the finish line first in what he estimated was just over two hours and one minute. “For a solo race without any drafting, it is one of my better times.” He added, “The bike leg was great, the wind cooperated and the traffic and turns were well organized.”

Peggy Cuthbert of Sydenham was the sixth woman to finish in the 10km run. She spoke enthusiastically about the event. “I really loved the course, running beside the lake on the trail is absolutely gorgeous. I really hope that they have it again next year.“ She is only one of many participants who thought so and the race organizers seem to be leaning the same way.

According to Maryanne Takala, “The organizers would love to hold it again next year. It’s just a matter now of taking it back to council and finding out what the overall response was." She sounded confident when she added, “We’ve already been making plans to improve the event for next year.” 

Back to HomeFeature Article - July 9, 2009 South Frontenac Council – July 7/09By Wilma Kenny

Bag tags and township wide landfill access to residents

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth presented a report on waste management that had been discussed earlier at a meeting of the Committee of the Whole.

The key issue was the method by which residents should receive bag tags: Option A would require residents to purchase tags as needed from an expanded network of retailers, and Option B would have the township distribute 50 tags a year to each household.

Segsworth had recommended Option A at the Committee of the Whole meeting (June 28). At the time, he noted that the cost of garbage collection is common to all districts but Bedford, and as such could paid through general taxes for those three areas.

Garbage disposal could then be largely funded through the sale of bag tags. This form of user pay would have several advantages: residents would be able to control how much they spent on that portion of their waste disposal. They would be encouraged to produce less waste and recycle more, and there would be no more perceived waste of unused bag tags. As well, if the township no longer had to issue bag tags, they would save in administration costs.

Arguing against this option, Councilors Bill Robinson and John Fillion expressed the concern that this user-pay system would lead to an increase in illegal dumping as people tried to avoid fees. They were also concerned that it might create a hardship for residents, especially seniors, to have to get transportation to a retail outlet to purchase bag tags.

Option B, which council chose, is to have the township provide all households with 50 bag tags for 2010. Any additional tags will have to be purchased, with details regarding the cost of such tags to be discussed by the Sustainability Committee.

The existing system will remain in place for the rest of 2009: residents received bag tags for Sept-Dec with their recent tax bills, and any additional tags for 2009 will still cost $3.00 each.

Bag tags are available at the two township offices, and retail outlets in all major villages except Sydenham.

Councilor Del Stowe thanked the Sustainability Committee for its hard work and patience.

At Councilor Ron Vandewal's request, council then considered a resolution to allow residents to take their garbage to any township landfill as long as a proper bag tag was applied, or the required tipping fee paid, and adequate proof of residence (i.e. tax bill) was provided to the landfill attendant.

Councilor Robinson asked for an amendment, which would also require photo ID. Council defeated the amendment, but approved the original resolution, with only Councilors Robinson and Hicks voting against it.

Other items at the July 7 meeting

Trailer bylaw: Mayor Davison reminded council that the trailer by-law would soon be coming up for review. This will be a contentious issue that council will need to be prepared to discuss.

Festivals and fireworks: Council granted a special events permit for a guitar festival at 3060 Sydenham Road over the July 31-Aug 3 weekend.

Mayor Davison noted that a number of people had commended the Township, the Harrowsmith S&A Club, and the Loughborough Recreation Committee on the excellence of the Canada Day celebrations, and the quality of the fireworks displays in both Sydenham and Harrowsmith. He also said an extra person had been hired to regularly clean up the goose droppings at the Point.

Yurts on Devil Lake: Council approved a zone change that will permit an eleven-acre property on Devil Lake adjoining Frontenac Park to accommodate the installation of five yurts and a privy for holiday rental purposes. The yurts will have a 50-metre setback from the water.

Sydenham water: Council agreed to accept the recommendation from the Sydenham Water Advisory Committee that XCG Consultants be requested to prepare the following reports: 1) A report regarding the preferred option to deal with the trihalomethane issue; 2) More accurate costing of the preferred option proposal; 3) Timelines for the completion of the various stages of the project. (CAO Burns noted that the grant stipulates the project upgrade must be completed by March 2010.)

Councilor Vandewal said that XCG plans to continue water testing throughout the summer, and is prepared to attend to any concerns that may come up during the ongoing testing.

Special Council meeting re Water Plant, Library, and Property Acquisition:

A special meeting of council was convened on June 28.

The meeting included a motion to hire consultant Bill Hargreaves at the rate of $195./hr. to do a peer review of XCG's recommendations on upgrading the Sydenham Water plant.

After a series of amendments, two more motions were passed: there was unanimous agreement "to expend funds for the development of a library in Sydenham."

The third motion passed was: "to purchase part of lot 6, concession 6, Storrington District, with the amendment that said purchase be conditional on two points: that a permit can be obtained for a boat ramp, and that adequate and suitable parking can be developed." Councilor Hahn voted against the property acquisition.

Back to HomeFeature Article - July 2, 2009 Triathlon Coming to SydenhamBy Julie Druker

Maryanne Takala, Richard Cadman and Terry McKinty

It’s estimated that close to 1000 people will descend on the town of Sydenham on July 5 when the first ever Greater Kingston Sydenham Triathlon will be held at The Point in Sydenham.

The event will attract some professional and mostly amateur athletes from far and wide. According to Terry McKinty co-owner of Somersault Productions, the company that is putting on the event, ”The role that our events play is to provide an opportunity for adults and young people to race.”

The Sydenham triathlon will include a wide range of running, swimming, biking and kayaking events as well as a full Olympic length and a half length triathlon.

The idea of putting on a race in Sydenham evolved when local triathlete Scott Takala was training years ago with former Olympic triathlete Sharon Donnelly. Both thought Sydenham offered everything that this type of event requires. There is the lake, beautiful running trails and stretches of country roads, and also the main hub, The Point.

Years ago Scott brought the idea to his personal coach Richard Cadman, president of the Kingston Multisport Club and a long-time volunteer race director with Somersault Productions. After much consideration and planning Richard approached Terry McKinty.

Richard explained, “For about 2 or 3 years I’ve been looking at sites in the greater Kingston and surrounding area; then finally towards the end of last summer I drew all of the courses out and presented them to Terry and then with Maryanne’s help we went to council in October.”

Marianne Takala, Scott’s mother, was instrumental in putting Terry in touch with the township officials, who she states were “on board from the get go.” Maryanne added, “Community members also offered their support all along the way which made realizing the event very easy.” The Sydenham Legion and the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club have generously offered to supply volunteers on race day.

Cadman, who is the race's director, explained, “The site here is really unique. There is flat, clean water which is a huge feature. Sydenham Lake is very friendly for beginners and there is a natural running course which is also great.”

Richard, Terry and Marianne met early last Friday morning with South Frontenac township members Mark Howe, director of Parks and Recreation, and public works manager Mark Segsworth to finalize the last details of the race’s logistics.

I met up with them at the Point on Friday as they were deciding where exactly in the old ball diamond the racers will enter and exit with their bikes. They all seemed excited for the upcoming event.

According to Terry this race will likely not be the last event to be held here and he is hoping it become an annual event.

He explained, “It’s difficult to start up an event from nothing but this is a race that can grow. The word will get out. And we definitely want to come back. We talked about that from the beginning.”

Scott Takala expressed his excitement to be competing in his home town for the first time. He said, “It will be a blast.” He expects that having trained in Sydenham for years will give him an edge. “I know the hills, the water, the whole course and what to expect. I’ll be able to pace myself, which will be a definite advantage.”

Grateful for an opportunity to race at home Scott is equally excited for the community as a whole to be hosting this type of event. “It will definitely help to put Sydenham on the map.” Scott’s event will start at 8:30 am and will run until 10:30.

Anyone wishing to enter the events can still sign up on Saturday July 4 from 3:00-5:00pm or Sunday, July 5th from 6:30-8:00am at Sydenham High School. For more information please visit www.somersault.ca

The organizers hope that anyone driving in the Sydenham area on race day, July 5, will be patient and when possible avoid the intersection at Rutledge and Stagecoach Roads, especially from 8:00 am until noon. Making a detour using Railton Road is highly recommended.

Back to HomeLetters - July 2, 2009Canada Day

Harrowsmith

Sharbot Lake

Sydenham

fun in the Glorious sun

Volunteers with the Sydenham Canada Day Committee, the S&A Club in Harrowsmith and the Central Frontenac Recreation Committee in Sharbot Lake had to feel a little down going into Canada Day this year. After months of hard work, the predicted cold rainy day would have brought Canada Day festivities to a soggy halt.

But the rain held off early in the day and the warm sunshine took hold and never left, turning Canada Day into a rousing succes throughout the region.

The longest Canada Day is the one in Sharbot Lake. The Oso fire hall was busy from before 7 am until after 10 am for the most popular pancake breakfast of the year, and continuing through the parade and events at the beach the crowds remained thick (although not as thick as the mosquitos) right up until the evening fireworks at 10 pm.

Harrowsmith

Top Right: Tyler Morey, OPP Constable Schouten and RCMP Constable Osmond led the Harrowsmith parade,  Top left: The Harrowsmith Scouts Left: Dale White of Harrowsmith

Sharbot Lake

Right: Bob Hollywood amidst the ATVs in Sharbot Lake Above: 10 year old Josh Clark easily won the duct tape boat race Below Left: Karate by Sharbot Lake Karate

Sydenham

Top Right: Jane, Brandon and Emma, decked Jane's Sydenham home in Full Canada Day Regalia  Top left:Clown led pony rides were a treat for kids at the Point. Left: Danielle Tohill of Sydenham served up birthday cake at the Point

Back to HomeFeature Article - June 4, 2009 Sydenham Water Advisory Committeeby Wilma Kenny

The Sydenham Water Advisory Committee met May 26 with Cameron Smith of XCG Consultants, to discuss the consultant's findings and recommendations to date.

Following up from the previous meeting, Dave Cook of the KFL&A Health Unit reported that the Limestone Board had filed the report, which the Medical Officer of Health had addressed to the Sydenham schools, about THMs and the possible related concerns. The board representative said it was available to parents upon request.

Smith noted that there was little history of water quality testing of Sydenham Lake. Since January, XCG has been doing extensive testing of both treated and raw water. Lake sampling at various depths and locations in the

eastern end of the lake have shown a "high degree of consistency," in regard to dissolved organics, which would argue against any benefit from relocating the intake to deeper water. The goal is to have treated water from the plant come consistently below government parameters for THMs (trihalomethanes) and HAAs (haloacetic acids), which are based on running averages, and can accommodate occasional spikes.        

Two alternate forms of water treatment are presently being considered: chloramination and improved carbon filtering. Smith emphasized that choosing the best system is neither quick nor easy: "There is rarely something that addresses one issue and doesn't affect anything else." 

Chloramination, the less expensive of the two, and the one presently being considered for recommendation, involves the addition of ammonia immediately after the initial chlorination. Smith also recommends the additional step of UV treatment, if this were the approach taken.

Once a new treatment process is chosen, it will still take a year or more to implement it.  (Council approval, plant redesign, MOE approval, ordering and installation of new equipment, etc, etc.)

The committee agreed that a public information meeting should be held prior to a recommendation going to council: this meeting will be at the township hall Tuesday June 23, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. with a formal presentation by XCG at 7:00 p.m.