Central to hold off on hall closure until next meeting

Craig Bakay | Nov 18, 2020

Central Frontenac Council was all set to extend its pandemic-related hall closures until January at its regular (online) Council meeting Tuesday but held off after Coun. Nicki Gowdy made an impassioned plea for the EarlyOn programs as well as seniors.

The recommendation to keep the halls closed until mid-January at the earliest came from a report from Manager of Development Services/CBO Andy Dillon said that the community halls have been closed since March 17 due to covid-19 restrictions.

“As of Sept. 19, 2020, the gathering limits for events and gatherings are, indoor 10 people, and outdoor 25 people,” Dillon’s report said. “Staff have only received two requests for halls rentals since they were closed in March.

“Many of the groups that use the halls are seniors and are not comfortable joining gatherings or events.”

Gowdy noted that Dillon’s report included North Frontenac’s Standard Operating Policy for Community Halls During the Pandemic listing all the protocols that needed to be followed and wondered aloud if others were doing it, why couldn’t Central Frontenac.

She said that with colder weather on the way, the EarlyOn programs provided by RFCS would like to use halls in Arden and Mountain Grove (two days a week in each). Gowdy also speculated that there were seniors groups who would also like to use them.

CAO Cathy MacMunn said that she’s personally talked with representatives of the Arden Seniors who told her they haven’t really wanted to meet or hold functions during the pandemic.

“There was one group that wanted to use Oso Hall for a Christmas function and another that wanted to have a wedding at the Crow Lake Hall next summer,” said Dillon.

However, Gowdy persisted, saying that the EarlyOn groups had fairly stringent protocols mandated by government regulatory bodies that they have to use.

Coun. Bill MacDonald said that the North Frontenac protocols “seem to put a lot of responsibility on the groups using and the hall (and) where does legal responsibility lie?”

“I believe we’d (the Township) be liable,” said MacMunn. “We’d have to get a record of their protocols to even consider it.”

Gowdy said she’d make sure the Township got the information requested and Council voted to hold off on a formal decision until the next Council meeting (Nov. 24).

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Central Frontenac passed a resolution in support of local school bus operators asking Tri-Board Transportation not to proceed with an RFP (request for proposal) for school bus services “given the present environment we are under with the covid-19 pandemic but work together on a solution to retain our local operators.

A copy of the resolution will be forwarded to Tri-Board as well as the local school boards, trustees and chairs and relevant MPs, MPPs and ministers.

Former school bus operator Coun. Victor Heese speculated that 20 or so local contractors would be out of business if the RFP went through and said that a similar RFP in 2009 led to 110 operators going out of business.

“Educations taxes will go up too,” he said.

“There would be a consolidation of bus routes that would lead to kids getting picked up earlier and home later,” said Coun. Bill MacDonald. “With covid, we don’t need this right now.”

“There would be a major impact on ratepayers, families and residents,” said Coun. Brent Cameron.

“I think we’re all quite passionate about this,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

• • •

Coun. Bill McDonald and Mayor Frances Smith were both quite enthusiastic about CBO Andy Dillon’s October construction report that listed $12,478,600 in construction value to date for 2020.

“It’s a new record I believe,” said Dillon. “And it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

“With the weather we’re having, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there’s another million added to that.”

• • •

Public Works Manager Tyson Myers told Council that the hiring of a new part-time patroller would save the township some $7,000-$8,000 in overtime.

“And the guys are happy about not having to work weekends,” he said.

Myers said the roadwork in downtown Sharbot Lake is almost completed except the painting of parking spots.

“We have a relationship with a company that does all our road lines and so we were able to get a good price by severing that out of the contract,” he said.

He said the line painting for parking spots will likely have to wait now until next summer.

• • •

Mayor Frances Smith announced that Frontenac OPP detachment commander s/sgt Sharon Brown would be retiring in June.

“She was very good for us,” Smith said.