Sharbot Lake Property Owners Association

Craig Bakay | Aug 01, 2018

The Sharbot Lake Property Owners Association held its annual general meeting Saturday at St. James Major in Sharbot Lake, and along with the regular business (elections, state-of-the-lake statements, photo contest, etc.), newly-acclaimed Mayor Frances Smith seemed to be the most popular speaker.

Smith gave updates on the septic inspection program, a proposed VIA Rail line going through, twinning of Hwy. 7, the K & P Trail, changes to the Central Frontenac Official Plan as well as giving a bit of a geography lesson.

“There are 107 named lakes in Central Frontenac and about 107 that aren’t named,” she said. “As far as septic re-inspection, the committee didn’t approve going ahead with the plan, so an implementation committee was set up and will report to Council at the August meeting.”

Smith said it’s likely the first re-inspections will be on the West Basin of Sharbot Lake, Crow Lake, Hungry Lake, Silver Lake and Eagle Lake.

“There are 315 properties on the East Basin of Sharbot Lake and 249 on the West Basin,” Smith said. “We’ll be breaking them down to systems older than 30 years, and 10-30 years.

“For example, on Eagle Lake, there are 313 properties, 77 of which are vacant. There are 98 systems older than 30 years and 64 in the 10-30 range. Sixty-six properties have already been inspected.”

Smith said the Township will be recommending that the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority do the inspections at $175 per property with the Township picking up half the cost.

“There’s $50,000 in the budget for that and the bylaw will allow homeowners to use their inspector of choice if they want,” she said.

Smith also acknowledged that the K & P project has run out of money, but ownership is now continuous because the County expropriated three properties.

“We’re going to find some money somehow to finish it,” she said. “But it’s nice to see walkers, bikers, horseback riders and ATVers getting along.”

On the VIA proposal, she said: “The high-speed train front is quiet and I have mixed feelings about it, but if it does go through, we won’t have much to say about it.”

In the reports from executive members, it was reported that there were 215 members going into the meeting and finances are in good shape with $11,215.54 on hand.

VP Guy MacLeod reported that the walleye spawning beds are “impressive” and that one trip (to the Fall River bed) was “like National Geographic; I’ve never seen that many fish.”

MacLeod said he’d have liked to have had a report on the bed by train bridge, but was “chased off by two otters and an eagle.”