| Jan 15, 2020


In response to the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) charging fees to community groups for the use of the Granite Ridge Education Centre facilities, Central Frontenac Council voted to charge the school board $475 for each water cistern fill up

This decision was taken at Council’s regular meeting Tuesday evening at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

Council also is considering user fees for use of its ball diamonds adjacent to the school.

The issue arose last November when the North Frontenac Little Theatre company was informed that they would be charged for the use of the facility for both productions and rehearsal, and sent a delegation to a meeting of Central Frontenac Council seeking support.

When Granite Ridge was being constructed, the Township agreed to waive $58,000 in construction permits, a decision based partly on the understanding that the theatre group and other community groups would be able to use the facilities during off-school hours for free.

In a letter to the Township, LDSB Director of Education, Debra Rantz, said the decision to charge user fees was a result of a provincial program being cancelled, which had been subsidizing community use of GREC.
“An important clarification is that the LDSB has not removed GREC from a list of subsidized schools,” Rantz said. “More specifically, a funding program provided by the Ministry of Education, which subsidized four schools only, has been cancelled.

“The Priority Schools Initiative funding, provided to GREC, was $34,000 a year and was discontinued by the Ministry, effective Sept. 1, 2019.

“The total funding provided, since the opening of the new school, has been $170,000. In comparison, the cost recovery value of all community uses at GREC during the same time period was $233,976.”

In the same letter, Rantz acknowledged that the theatre lights now at GREC were moved from SLHS and are the property of the NFLT.

“The Board (LDSB) recognizes that the stage lighting is the property of this community organization and will coordinate the return of said equipment to the theatre group when requested.”

Clerk-Administrator Cathy MacMunn said that the Central Frontenac Fire Department has delivered water to the school “four to six times a year.”

She said that acting Fire Chief Jamie Riddell did some research and came up with a price of $475 per delivery, based on similar volumes delivered by commercial and other water haulers.

When the figure for water deliveries was suggested, Coun. Victor Heese said: “Can we double it?”

When another councillor suggested that might be unreasonable, Heese responded “we don’t have to be reasonable.”

It was also suggested that a user fee for the ball diamonds would also be appropriate, given that minor ball programs are charged for their usage.

Heritage Festival

The Chair of the Frontenac Heritage Festival also invoked the GREC user fees issue at Tuesday’s Council meeting. Mike Procter came to Council on behalf of the festival to ask for funding.

“Last year Council gave us $2,000 of which we used $1,200 but our costs this year are a little unknown given that we’ll have to pay for the talent show at GREC,” he said.

That prompted Mayor Frances Smith to reply: “You can hold it right here (at Oso Hall).

“We’ll give you this place for nothing.”

Procter replied that they’d already planned for GREC this year but next year could very well be a different story.

Council agreed to the $2,000 request.

The 2020 Frontenac Heritage Festival is scheduled for Feb. 14, 15 and 16 at venues around Central Frontenac Township (mostly Arden and Sharbot Lake).

Ticket system for amnestyl loads

Council approved the use of “tickets” for amnesty loads of waste at Township waste sites this year. Each property owner will receive a ticket with their interim tax bill. Public Works Manager Tyson Myers said he believes the ticket system will help streamline the process and will make life easier for dump attendants who had to verify property owners as they came to the dump site and check their names off in a binder.

“I like the new ticket system,” said Coun. Sherry Whan.

Council passed bylaws to establish an Interim Tax Levy, Borrowing Bylaw, a Committee of Adjustment and added some clarification to the Septic Inspection Implementation Bylaw.

By passing the Interim Tax Levy, the way is clear for interim tax bills to be mailed out by the end of this week.

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