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Thursday, 17 July 2008 11:21

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Feature Article - July 17, 2008

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Feature Article - July 17, 2008 BDK Stars take Quinte Classic AAA ChampionshipBy Kevin Smith

Starting from the bottomL-R Jordan Torres, Graeme Gemmill, Francesco Vilardi. Simon Shmitke, Brennan Smith, Conner O'neil, Zack Masterson. Braden Berrill, David Cox, Konner Burtenshaw, Jake Macdonald. Jermey Martin ,Casey Torres, Paul Torres, Kevin Smith.

Last weekend, July 11 to 13, the BDK Stars went up against the best of the best in hockey at the Quinte Classic AAA Championship and won! The team was put together by coach Kevin Smith. The Pee Wee players were ages 11 & 12; five were from South Frontenac, five were from theGreaterKingston area and one was from the Deseronto area - 11 exceptional hockey players,who all contributed tothe final outcome on Sunday afternoon. Two exceptional coaches, Casey Torres, who coaches the Provincial Junior A Kingston Voyagers,and his father PaulTorres, were on the bench with Kevin.

On the final championship day at the AAA level,the team was up against the Quinte 96ers, the only team that beat themin the tournament prior to the finals.They came out strong butwere down 3 goals by the end of the first period. Then the team pulled together and Brennan Smith took a beautiful tape to tape pass fromFrancesco Vilardi to putthemon the board for the first goal.

With only a6 mins left in the second period Captain FrancescoVilardi put 2 more in the net to make it 3-3.What made this game so exciting though was the end toend rushes for both teams, and the defensiveskill of the 4 defencemen, Simon Shmitke, Jeremy Martin, Conner O'Neil andKonner Burtenshaw.

At the 2:34 min markof the 3 period, the captain fed a pass out front again to Brennan Smith to give them the go ahead 4-3, but less then a minute later Quinte tied it up. SoFrancesco Vilardi beingone ofKingston’s up and coming superstars, pulled it out of the hat and slidthe puck over to Zack Masterson at 5.4 seconds left in the game, to give them the win and the AAAQuinte Classic Championship!!

The best thing that could have come out ofthis was that fact that the team had 2 players fromNorth Frontenac who were underagers, Jordan Torres and DavidCox, who gave 150% at all times. Way to go guys!!

In addition to winning the AAA Championship, the BDK Stars had 2 players selected for the All Star Team. Centerman, Francesco Vilardi and Goalie, Graeme Gemmill.

Goalie Graeme Gemmill also represented the BDK Stars by being awarded a Goalie stick as winner of the skills competition. Graeme was competeing against10 other goalies to win.

It was a pleasure to coach these fine up and coming athletes who showed pride, skill and determination tocompete withsome of the most skilled players in the area.

Published in 2008 Archives
Thursday, 13 November 2008 04:20

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Nov 13/08 - Flyers Soar to New Heights

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Feature Article - November 13, 2008 The Frontenac Flyers soar to new heightsBy Julie Druker

Flyers head coach Rob Lalonde and team members pre warm up at the NFCA where they took on the Napanee Raiders on Sunday.

Looking for some great live entertainment on a Sunday afternoon? Jump on the rising star of the Frontenac Flyers, the local Junior C hockey team that has made a huge turnaround this season after holding the fuzzy end of the lollypop for many previous seasons.

This season the team has won 7 games and lost 6, 3 more wins than their last season’s total.

On Sunday afternoon, (November 9) they took on the leading team in the league, the Napanee Raiders, and put up a great fight; the score stood at 2:1 for Napanee at the end of the second period. Going into the third period, it was anyone’s game.

While Napanee out-shot the Flyers roughly 2 to 1, kudos go to goalie Patrick Tohill who made save after save to keep the Flyers within the range of a win.

Before the game, head coach Rob Lalonde, a former Phys Ed teacher at SLHS for 7 years who also ran a high school hockey program at the North Frontenac Community Arena while teaching there, said “Napanee is a tough team, they’re number one and their power play is really good, but I feel confident. Every game we go into is a winnable one and the boys believe that now and I think they’re looking forward to it – they’re riding on a high from yesterday’s 5:0 win against Colborne.”

This was the third time these two teams have met this season and at both previous games the Raiders managed to shut the Flyers out.

Napanee’s head coach Jacques Tremblay went into the game taking nothing for granted. “We’re playing a good team this year. We have to really perform well to beat them. The coaching behind their bench has made a big difference and their attitude seems to be a winning one. We know that when we come here we have to really earn a win. I tell my guys: ‘We are not there yet’”.

The lead up to the Flyers’ turnaround indeed began from the top down. In reaction to the dreadful state of affairs the Flyers had fallen into since 2002, Jim Stinson, the NFCA’s manager, decided it was time to take action.

He approached the Flyers’ committee early last year and encouraged interested members of the community to step up to the plate.

As a result, early in 2007, Paul Tohill signed on as the team’s president and Jim insists that the team’s major turnaround, “can be attributed to Paul Tohill and all of the people on the committee who stepped forward”.

Tohill then used his knowledge and connections to assemble the team’s coaching staff. “I knew Rob Lalonde through our sons who played minor hockey together and I knew he had great hockey background”. Lalonde coached the Queen’s University Women’s team for years, “and he has great teaching and communication skills,” Tohill said.

Lalonde then suggested his brother-in-law Mike Jodoin as offensive coach and Jodoin joined the staff along with defensive and assistant coach Steve Fisher, whose daughter plays defense for a college team in the States.

The three coaches seem to be all on the same page and the results? Well the proof is in the pudding as they say.

President Tohill is busy trying to rustle up sponsors for this team, which has the playoffs in their sights - something that hasn’t happened for the last 3 years.

The final period of Sunday’s game proved to be pretty controversial. Napanee’s last two goals that clinched their win 4:1 was pretty emotional. to say the least. So much so in fact that Coach Lalonde was kicked off the bench after receiving two bench penalties which resulted in the Raiders’ two power play goals that ended in the Raiders win.

The Flyers coaches and fans felt that the penalties were one sided towards Napanee and as a result emotions were running pretty high by the time the final buzzer sounded.

The bottom line: the Flyers are definitely a team to be reckoned with and it is no fluke but rather a joining of forces and positive attitudes that has trickled down to the players and infused this year’s Flyers with pretty lofty but definitely reachable goals.

The Flyers will be hosting a fundraising dance and silent auction at the Verona Lions’ Hall on November 22, and former as well as current players will be in attendance. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the NFCA in Piccadilly, Verona’s Rona Hardware or by calling Heather Fox at 374-2168.

Anyone whose interest in local junior hockey has waned in past years would not be disappointed in revisiting a sport and a local team that is most definitely on the rise.

Published in 2008 Archives

Katie Weatherston with her Olympic gold medal.

Katie Weatherston has faced her share of adversity during he hockey career, and she shared some of the pain and triumphs that she has experienced with students in Central Frontenac on Tuesday.

Weatherston comes from Thunder Bay, which made is harder for her to get noticed as a hockey player when she was a teenager. When she overcame the odds and made the hockey team at Dartmouth University, she came to the attention of national team coaches, but at her first opportunity to try out for the team she played terribly.

“I didn’t believe in myself enough” she told the audience a Sharbot Lake High School.

Still she was invited to try out for the 2006 Olympic team, but just before a one moth training camp, she had to have surgery on her two ankles.

“While the other athletes were getting stronger and stronger by skating every day, I was learning how to walk,” she said.

By the end of the camp she was able to ride on a 200 bicycle trip with the other athletes, but on the last day of the camp she suffered a bicycle crash which left her injured again, and left her faced bruised and swollen as well.

Somehow after that she persevered and ended up making the team, which went on to win Olympic gold in Torino, Italy and win and the 2007 World Championship in Winnipeg.

She had faced other obstacles since then, however, and a major concussion and other injuries in 2009 have led to her not being on the 2020 Olympic team that will compete in Vancouver next February.

Undaunted, Weatherston has been bringing a message of focus and determination to speaking engagements at schools and sports camps in recent months.

When she tells students that obstacles can be turned into challenges that can be overcome, she has the background to demonstrate that.

She also emplyes something that teachers are familiar with – SMART goal setting.

“Goal setting must be very Specific. You can’t just say ‘I want to be successful and rich, you have to decide specifically what you want to do.

Goals should also be Measurable If you want to go to teachers college and you need an 85% average, you have a specific, measurable goal,” she said.

“Attainability is important as well, as are realism and timeliness,” she added.

Weatherston used her experience in the Torino Olympics to demonstrate how important it was to maintain focus on the goals that she had set and that the team had set in the face of massive distractions.

“I could have become lost in the Olympic experience and the other, famous athletes, just as students can get lost in the social life od High School. But I had to remember why I was there, just as students sometimes need to remember why they are in school,” she said.

It was a message that teacher’s deliver to students often.

But teacher’s don’t have an Olympic gold medal to demonstrate what SMART goal setting can bring about.

 

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Thursday, 05 November 2009 08:37

Flyers looking for elusive first win

The Frontenac flyers went into Sunday night’s (Nov. 1) game against the Picton Pirates hoping to nail that elusive first win of the season. The Flyers’ offence came on strong in the 3rd period scoring two goals but it was too little too late to close the Pirates’ early lead. A win was not to be and the Flyers lost the game 9-2 .

A somewhat frustrated Coach Jeff Denna said after the game, “It was not a great effort. It seemed like nobody wanted to go near the puck and nobody wanted to hit a body. I told the team after the 2nd that it just doesn’t work that way.”

Flyer Myke Steeves felt the same way and said after the game, “We came out flat footed and they scored a minute into the game which is always a hard pill to swallow and when we finally started fighting it was too late.”

Still, Steeves was looking forward to Tuesday’s (Nov. 3) upcoming game against Napanee, who beat the Flyers by just one goal at their last tryst. He said with confidence, “We can beat them.”

The Flyers next home game is against the Amherstview Jets at 7pm on Nov.8 at the Frontenac Community Arena.

Other Hockey News: The Frontenac Flyers Junior C Hockey will be having their 1st Annual Mixed Fun Spiel at the Royal Kingston Curling Club on January 9. To reserve your tickets please contact Kathy Lollar at 613-384-6427 or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Photos: 7053, 7093, 7101

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY
Thursday, 29 October 2009 09:36

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Back to HomeFeature Article - October 29, 2009 Geminis Come to ArdenBy Jeff Green

The Duthie family have been on Big Clear Lake for a long time.

Sheila Duthie has been coming up to Arden in the summers since she was a baby, and Jim ever since he met Sheila. Their summer home in Arden was the only permanent home the Duthie’s and their three children had for many years because they kept moving across the country following Jim, who was an RCMP Officer.

(Sheilla and Jim are now permanent residents of Arden, where they are fixtures in the local scene, with Jim being the top drummer in town)

So it is fair to say that their son Jamie is an Arden boy. Especially since Jamie has made good.

Better known as James Duthie, Jamie has finally won a Gemini Award as the top sports Anchor in Canada, after being nominated 7 times.

James Duthie brings wit and knowledge to his job as the host of TSN’s hockey coverage week in and week out, and his long deserved Gemini Award, which was stolen several times by the CBC mafia and given to Ron Mclean and others in past years, will only be one highlight of this winter.

In February, James Duthie will be the afternoon host of CTV’s Olympic coverage from Vancouver, (a job that Ron Maclean had when CBC broadcast the Olympics)

The Gemini award caps off a charmed carreer for Duthie.

His father Jim recalls that Jamie has “been a jock almost since day one.”

His spent his early ears in Victoria, where soccer was the dominant sport with a season that ran from September to May. When the Duthies moved back to Ottawa “Jamie was two years ahead of all the soccer players, and two year behind all the hockey players” jim said.

He played soccer with the Gloucester Hornets until he was 17 and also started playing flag football and golf.

He went to Carlton for journalism and while at school was a summer fill in at CJOH TV, where he was offered a job upon graduation.

He drifted to the sports department CJOH and then got a job offer in Vancouver with a new CTV station.

“I think he would have stayed in Vancouver, but he was offered a job at TSN in Toronto, and with his love of sports it was the place to be,” said Jim.

At first he worked on SportsCentre, the sports news show, and then became the Anchor of the CFL broadcasts before becoming the host of the NHL on TSN, where he still is today.

He suffered greatly during the hockey strike a few years ago, being forced to cover golf, which involved travelling to the Open Championship in he UK, and Augusta, Georgia for the Masters. One of the highlights of the strike year for James was an hour and half dinner with Arnold Palmer.

Even with all the travel, James and his wife and three children join the family back in Arden during the summers and over Christmas almost every year.

The next time he comes to the lake, maybe Jamie will some hardware to show off to his proud parents.

Published in 2009 Archives
Thursday, 30 July 2009 07:51

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Back to HomeFeature Article - July 30, 2009 No rain delays at 3rd annual celebrity golf tournamentby Julie Druker

Celebrity hockey players Mike Smith, goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dustin Walsh, recently drafted to the Montreal Canadians (4th and 5th from left) with charity tournament participants from (l to r) Ron Verkerk, Kevin Kirk, Bill Vallier and Paul Owen

Rain delays were not a factor this year for the 3rd annual Mike Smith Charity Golf Tournament that took place Thursday at the Rivendell Golf Course in Verona.

Twenty-five hockey celebrities teamed up with 39 participating teams to raise funds for the Frontenac Community Arena’s Project End Zone and North Frontenac Minor Hockey.

Because this year’s tournament fell on July 23, the 9th anniversary of Joe Goodfellow’s death, funds raised from the putting competition went towards the Joe Goodfellow Memorial Fund at Sydenham High School.

Mike Smith, who initiated the tournament, grew up in Verona, where he started playing hockey with the Frontenac Flyers. He now currently plays in the NHL and is a goalie with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mike held court all day on the course at the 12th hole. Flanked by friends, family and organizers, he took time to meet and greet all of the participating golfers and posed for photos with each of the 39 teams.

The event, organized by Terry Gibson, Cathy Goodfellow, Mike’s parents Ron and Ingrid Smith, and numerous volunteers, raised close to $40,000 in its first two years for the Frontenac Arena’s renovation project.

Despite the drizzly conditions Gibson was pleased with this year’s turnout and when I met up with him at hole 12 he commented, “It’s going very well; the weather’s holding out and it looks like it’s going to be another great success.”

Mike Smith was equally pleased to have no delays in the game on account of the weather. Last year lightning delayed the tournament for two hours.

Mike instigated the tournament as a way to give back to the community. He explained, “ I decided when I turned pro that I wanted to give back to the community where I was raised.”

A silent and live auction were also held during the day and included a mural painted on site by artist Dave Arrigo, who also painted Mike’s goalie mask. It was anticipated that hockey jerseys autographed by Ovechkin, Steve Stamkos and Mike Smith would bring in some hefty donations.

After the tournament, participants dined in the newly constructed 2nd floor dining room at Rivendell.

Ken Harper, owner of the Rivendell Golf Club, was happy to support the event and admitted to being just one community sponsor in a long list of many whose ongoing support allows this event to take place.

Published in 2009 Archives
Thursday, 11 June 2009 07:12

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Back to HomeFeature Article - June 11, 2009 Dancin’ down the debtBy Julie Druker

Jim Stinson does the 5 hole split at the Frontenac Community Arena fundraiser on Saturday

A number of local hockey fans sacrificed game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday night, choosing instead to support local hockey and its newly expanded arena.

Folks from far and wide gathered for a dance at the Frontenac Community Arena in Godfrey, where they busted their moves to the rockin’ sounds of the local band Still Standin’.

Jim Stinson, chair of the arena renovation and expansion project, was thrilled with the turnout and given his five-year financial projection this will definitely not be the last soiree that will happen at the arena.

By the end of the evening 255 tickets had been sold and $4000 was raised. Congratulations to Cory Thompson of Godfrey, an ex-Frontenac Flyer who won $95 at the "5-hole split" shootout event, which attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

Stinson projects that the $640,000 project, which includes an addition to the building, four new dressing rooms, a referee’s room, and remodeled washroom facilities, will still be owing $200,000 at the end of Year 5, two years hence.

Anyone who missed the dance and would like to contribute to the cause can still buy a brick for $100. Similarly, platinum, gold, silver and bronze donations are still available and those donors' names will be added to the plaque that hangs in the arena’s main foyer.

Fundraising for the arena is entering high gear and Terry Gibson of Verona is in the final planning stages of the Mike Smith Charity Golf Tournament, which will take place at the Rivendell Golf Club in Verona on July 23.

Participants can rub shoulders with many hockey greats on the greens and rumour has it that an Ovechkin hockey sweater will be offered on the auction block.

For more information or to make a donation to the Arena Renovation and Expansion Project please call Jim Stinson at 613-374-2177.

Published in 2009 Archives
Thursday, 19 March 2009 13:07

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Back to HomeFeature Article - March 19, 2009 Canadian Champions teach smart goalsby Julie Druker

Olympic gold medallist Katie Weatherston (centre) teaches SMART goals at Harrowsmith PS

Last week was “Canadian Champions Week” at Harrowsmith Public School and two athletes, wrestler Jamie Macari and hockey player Katie Weatherston each spoke to students about their careers as athletes and specifically how they have attained their goals.

On Wednesday it was Katie’s turn and she spoke of the long road she’s traveled to achieve her hockey successes which have been many. She has played for Team Canada and various Canadian national teams, and has won numerous medals including a Olympic gold in the 2006 Olympics in Turin where she scored 4 goals, made one assist and scored the game winner in the semi-final victory over Finland.

Katie, who currently plays for the Ottawa Senators in the newly formed Canadian Women's Hockey League team, is a teacher in Ottawa. She also runs her own hockey school and feels a strong desire to get out and speak to younger students. “It’s important after winning a gold medal and being looked upon as a role model to share that with the younger generations. It’s awesome, especially seeing the girls and how excited they get. When I was younger I never had a female role model so I’m hoping to give them something to aspire to”.

She shared her winning strategy or life skills with the HPS students, a strategy that begins by setting SMART goals and persevering through any obstacles that may arise on the way. She summed it up for the kids this way: “ Goal setting is simply having a plan, acting on your plan and it equals getting what you want. And who doesn’t like getting what they want?”

She defined SMART goals as follows: they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Katie set one long-term goal when she was 20: to win a gold medal in Olympic Hockey. Four years later she stood on the podium in Turin with a gold medal in her hand. Katie admitted to the students, “If someone had told me when I was 10 or 11 or 12 that I would one day go to the Olympics I would not have believed you.”

As is usually the case, Katie’s four-year road to her personal goal did not come without a series of difficult obstacles. She focused on these to highlight the importance of persevering through them with patience, positive thinking and hard work.

Obstacle number one was ankle surgery which, though successful, took one year to heal and kept her on crutches for 2 months during training camp for the Olympics.

Obstacle number 2 occurred on the last day of the camp when she was healing well and just about ready to start skating but took an awful spill on her bike. “I was sad and I was angry and I was in pain and I wanted to quit…for a minute.” She overcame that by talking to a friend and refocusing on her short term goals. She decided to improve 1-2% every week. She recalled, “ About 30 weeks later I caught up to everyone and started passing them and that’s how I made the team.”

Her final obstacle occurred also during the Olympic tryouts when her grandmother passed away unexpectedly. Katie again spoke to friends and family and persevered, ultimately making the team and winning the gold in Italy.

And that is not the end of her story. “You don’t just stop once you achieve your goals. You set more goals.” Katie went on to win three more medals after Italy.

Principal Jim Horan, who invited Katie to speak, stated, “She is an amazing individual and really represents the youth of Canada and what we as Canadians can do on the world stage. She inspires our youth that they too can make all of their dreams come true.”

Published in 2009 Archives
Thursday, 22 January 2009 06:37

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Back to HomeFeature Article - January 22, 2009 Greater Kingston Jr. Frontenacs Major Peewee AAA Hockey Club

by Sue Peters

Completing their 5th tournament for the year this weekend at the Greater Kingston Minor Hockey Association’s annual “Limestone City Cup”, the Jr. Frontenacs placed first in their pool by going 3-1 in round robin play, which set them up for a semi-final game against the Ottawa Sting. The Jr. Frontenacs went on to win the semi-finals with a score of 2-1, advancing them to the finals to play the Toronto Red Wings. The Jr. Frontenacs prevailed in the finals with a score of 7-4. This championship win brings the season total for the Jr. Frontenacs to 3 tournament championships: Hamilton International, Quinte Cup and the Limestone City Cup.

In the Kanata Tournament we lost in the semi-finals. The team also competed in the Silver Stick Finals in Port Huron, Michigan. Although the team’s record of 2 losses and 2 ties, doesn’t show how hard the boys played. The team showed great effort and hard work; the highlight of the tournament came with the boys tying the number one ranked team in North America, the St. Louis Jr. Blues.

With the Jr. Frontenacs competing in 5 tournaments this season their overall record for tournament play is 18-7-2 with 3 championships.

With only 8 games remaining in their regular season, the Jr. Fronts are sitting in First place in the East Division of the Eastern Triple A League. Their overall regular season record sits at 21-6-1. The team is looking forward to a long successful playoff run in the OMHA playdowns.

The Greater Kingston Jr. Frontenacs Major Peewee Hockey club would love to have your support for the rest of the regular season and on into the play downs. Our home games are played at the Invista Multi-Plex Ambassador Rink. Our team schedule can be found at our website www.gkmajorpeewee.pagelite.ca

Team roster: Coaches: Rick Poirier, Gary Marino, Kris Surette, and Matt Timmins,

Manager: Don Burns. Players: Mark Bonner, Matthew Marino, Will Peirson, Ryan Poirier, Konner Burtenshaw, Graeme Brown, Connor Burns, Cole Langfield, Cole Busschaert, Braedyn Asselstine, Alex Rice, Zach Masterson, Mitchell Knights, Kevin Spinozzi, Geoff Hiebert, Francesco Vilardi, Ryan Verbeek, Graeme Gemmill

Published in 2009 Archives
Thursday, 12 May 2011 13:16

Central Frontenac Council - May 10/11

Council looking at cutting fees for new school

Mayor Janet Gutowski has proposed that Central Frontenac Council consider waiving at least a portion of building fees for the new comprehensive school in Sharbot Lake.

“This is a one-time investment that the school board is making in our municipality. It will never happen again on this scale, and this is the first purpose built JK-12 school that they have built. I think we should look at waiving or diminishing the fees as a financial contribution to support such things as a theatre at the school,” she said to council at their meeting on Tuesday night, May 10.

Councilor Norm Guntensperger liked the proposal but wanted to fine tune it.

“I think we should be more concrete. If we can come to some consensus about what we are looking for, I’m all for it. I don’t just want to save money for the school board, I think we need to see something extra coming from this kind of investment,” he said.

Councilor Frances Smith proposed that the matter be referred to staff to investigate the waiving of building and planning fees.

There is some pretty big money involved. The permit fee on the building is 1% of the total construction value, which translates into $130,000.

Councilor Bill Snyder opposed the idea.

“Right now we are tight for money and now we are giving it away. And don’t forget our building inspector will have to do a lot of work on this, and if we don’t charge the fees, we will be paying his salary for it. That’s not right,” he said

The matter was referred to staff for comment.

Farmers’ market proposed – Pat Furlong, the new chair of the Hands On Harvest Group, which puts out a pamphlet listing local growers, came to the township asking if her group could set up a farmers’ market at the parking lot on the north end of the Sharbot Lake beach on Saturday mornings starting in June.

“The market would be a good drawing card and a boost to the local economy. The Perth market brings in tourists each week, and all the downtown businesses benefit. We could do the same here,” Pat Furlong said.

The market would take place on Friday afternoons or Saturday mornings.

Council raised a number of questions about the location, but were generally supportive of the idea.

“I don’t know if there is enough parking at that location, especially if you are using the parking lot,” said Councilor Guntensperger, “you may want to find another location.”

“I think the beach would be a good location for us to start because it is such a beautiful spot. We could move later on. We don’t know if crowding is going to be an issue,” Furlong replied.

Council accepted the presentation and asked for a staff report for the next meeting.

Council likes hockey rinks – Dave Willis, from the Oso Recreation Committee, came to inform council about a project the committee is working on. They have received a $10,000 donation from a local club and Willis wanted council to know that the committee has the opportunity of purchasing modern hockey boards from Ottawa at a low price of $4,000, leaving $6,000 to help pay for a concrete pad near the high school and the baseball field on Road 38.

“It could be used for ice hockey in the winter and ball hockey or basketball in the summer,” he said. “There is a well at the site, and the only issue there is drainage, but with the new school requiring a drainage plan we could work with the school board on it. With all the students coming to that school a new hockey rink would be a great addition,” he said.

Council received Dave Willis’ presentation and encouraged him to continue working on the project.

But tether ball and horseshoes, not so much – A proposal by Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) to set up a tether ball and horseshoe pit at the Sharbot Lake Beach to complement the youth centre they will be holding at the beach twice a week this summer, was discussed at council.

“The youth centre would plan to hold the tether ball and horseshoe equipment and offer this for use by the general public at a nominal fee,” wrote NFCS Executive Director Don Amos in a letter to council.

Liability, liability, liability, was council’s reaction.

“I don’t like the rental idea. I don’t see how that can work,” said Frances Smith.

“It’s a nice idea, but metal spikes sticking out of the ground; horseshoes flying at the beach - I don’t know about that,” said Mayor Gutowski.

“Tether balls, when they get used, as they do, need to be replaced pretty quickly. And people get knocked down,” said Norm Guntensperger.

“I think it’s a nightmare waiting to happen,” said Frances Smith.

Council rejected the proposal.

Bridgen’s Island – two more weeks

Council agreed to defer consideration of an official amendment for the Bridgen’s Island subdivision on Eagle Lake to canvas a minor amendment to the plan with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. The amendment would combine an existing building lot with two restricted lots, all of which are owned by the same person.

Mayor Gutowski opposed the deferral. “I think the ministry has gone as far as they are willing to go on this subdivision,” she said.

Gravel contract – Council accepted a bid of $206,900 from Crains’ Construction for the supply of gravel, to be used mainly on Elm Tree, Fish Creek, Forty Foot, Bull Lake and Willis Armstrong roads.

The public works manager, Mike Richardson, also informed council that road grading has been slowed down this spring by wet weather, and the township has had a high number of road washouts to deal with.

Septic reinspection – Council agreed to spend $6,000 on a voluntary septic reinspection program this summer, to be run by the Mississippi-Rideau Septic system office. Mississippi-Rideau has also made an offer to do all the septic inspections for new installations at a lower price than the township is paying to the Kingston Frontenac Public Health Unit for the same service. The entire septic inspection issue will come back to council later this year.

Building permits up – Chief Building Inspector Jeremy Neven reported that as of the end of April, 42 permits have been issued in 2011 for a construction value of $2.16 million, up from 39 permits for a value of $1.24 million in 2010. In the month of April alone, 23 permits were issued for $1.56 million in construction value.

 

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
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