| Sep 06, 2012



Photo: Artists rendition of the new K-12 school, to be built in Sharbot Lake.

Last week, the Limestone District School Board cleared a hurdle in their quest to build and open a new Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in Sharbot Lake in exactly one year, for the 2013-14 school year.

At the school board’s request, Central Frontenac Township held two special meetings in one evening last week, a Committee of Adjustment meeting to deal with a minor variance, and a council meeting to approve in principle a site plan agreement for the construction project.

The minor variance was necessary for two reasons, the most serious being the fact that one wall of the new building will sit just 9.5 metres from an identified wetland on the site, and the zoning bylaw for the township calls for a 30 metre setback from a wetland.

The second variance is necessary to permit only 100 parking spaces for the new building, because based on the size and the mix of public and educational uses the school will serve, the zoning bylaw prescribes 121 spaces.

In terms of the setback question, comments from the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority indicated their support for a plan that includes the construction of a low “turtle wall” and two sandboxes to enhance the turtle and other wildlife habitat in the wetland. The MVCA report, which came after a required Environmental Assessment was ordered and completed, led Central Frontenac’s planning consultant Glenn Tunnock to say, “The MVCA is satisfied that the integrity of the ecological structure of the wetland will be maintained, and I am recommending to the committee that the variance for the wetland be approved.

As far as the parking is concerned, Tunnock pointed out that the major public uses of the building will not take place during school hours.

“The school board is putting forth the idea that as a place of assembly for the public, the school will not be used during the school day. It would be used after hours, when the parking lot is not required for school purposes. The school board is requesting 98, and we are recommending 100,” said Tunnock.

The Committee of Adjustment accepted Glenn Tunnock’s recommendations and approved the minor zoning variance.

Following on the heels of the decision, a council meeting was immediately convened, and with little further discussion, they approved in principle a draft site plan agreement that Mr. Tunnock had prepared, which stipulates some of the details of the project.

After the meeting, Central Frontenac’s Chief Administrative Officer, Shawn Trépanier, said that once the agreement is formally completed, it can be signed by Mayor Gutowski and himself on behalf of the township.

Once a 20-day appeal period runs out on September 19, the project will be able to proceed to the construction stage by taking out a building permit.

Alan Revill, the township's interim Chief Building Official, said that he is not concerned about the work that has already begun at the site, where hoarding is going up this week and excavation work is expected to follow.

“I expect they will come forward for a building permit once the appeal period is complete, and the work they are doing now is not a problem for me,” Revill said.

Before a building permit can be issued, the school board will need to have a septic permit in place, and because of the size of the building, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment must issue that permit.

Members of the construction team for the board said that they are hoping that the existing septic system will be sufficient, and no changes will be required.

That seems unlikely given the increased size and capacity of the new building as compared to the existing school.

If indeed a new, or an enhanced septic system is required, the board may run up against a new hurdle. The current septic bed is located at the rear of the existing school. Any changes to that system may put the project in conflict with the section 4.36 of the Central Frontenac Township Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw.

On pages 95 and 96 of the bylaw, under the heading "Sensitive Bodies of Water", it says “Despite any part of this By-Law to the contrary, within 300 metres (984.3 feet) of the high water mark of Eagle Lake, Crow Lake, Silver Lake, and the west basin of Sharbot Lake, … the minimum setback of any sewage disposal field of filter bed shall be 300 metres.”

The current septic system is less than 300 metres from the west basin of Sharbot Lake, and indeed the only portion of the property that is outside the 300 metre setback is the wetland area and the current football field.

For his part, Alan Revill does not expect the septic issue will be a game breaker for the project.

“I expect that the board would not have gone this far with the project without having contacted the Ministry of the Environment early on to make sure the septic issue will not hold them back,” said Alan Revill.

 

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