Sharbot Lake Seniors Housing Moving Slowly

Craig Bakay | Dec 20, 2023

Much of Central Frontenac’s regular meeting Dec. 14 was given over to discussion on plans for the former Sharbot Lake Public School site.

Coun. Duncan McGregor questioned whether it was appropriate to discuss the matter given that Council has yet to decide what to do with the property, which was purchased in 2015. Although there has been no formal declaration from Council, plans have been proceeding on the assumption that it will be used for seniors housing of some sort.

“Council has been giving its blessing in incremental steps,” said Dep. Mayor Phillip Smith.

“And there were no meetings for some time during covid,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

“It’s kind of a Catch-22,” said Coun. Bill Everett. “We don’t know what we can do.”

That’s where County of Frontenac Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan came in.

Gallivan presented Council with an application for a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Green Municipal Fund grant that would pay 50 per cent of the costs for work on an environmental assessment to allow for communal sewer and water services to be used on the former school site.

“FCM considers this an innovative rural initiative,” Gallivan said. “This is an engineering study.

“There has been concern over discharge into the lake and this study will determine if this would be possible.”

When the Township bought the property, it certainly seemed that it did so to have somewhere to build seniors housing. At the time, water and sewer concerns pointed to one or two five to 10-unit structures.

But with the advancement of communal water and sewer systems, it may be possible to have as many as 50 units or fewer with a mix of additional uses such as a library, office space or retail.

“If you do the assessment, and it says you can have higher density, then it would be worth a lot more if you wanted to sell it and have the private sector develop it,” Gallivan said.

He said the Township’s cost (about $50,000) can come out of the $300,000 fund the County has set aside for seniors housing in Central Frontenac.

After Council approved of applying for the grant and doing the study if successful, it was Manager of Community Planning Sonya Bolton’s turn to address Council.

Bolton reported on the community engagement aspect of the redevelopment project.

She said they used a variety of techniques to garner public opinion on what should be done with the site including a ‘pop-up’ session at Mike Dean’s Grocery Store in Sharbot Lake, a workshop at Soldier’s Memorial Hall, an online survey and meetings with potential stakeholders.

“The themes presented throughout the various engagement events and consultation session reflect the community’s diverse opinions and priorities about the future land uses for the former school site in Sharbot Lake,” Bolton’s report concluded. “The community feedback highlights the importance of balancing housing needs, economic development, recreational needs and environmental considerations.”

Irwin Named Deputy Mayor

Council acclaimed Coun. Susan Irwin as its deputy mayor for 2024.

Irwin, one of the two representatives from Oso District, takes over from Coun. Phillip Smith, who represents Hinchinbrooke District.

Central Frontenac rotates the deputy major position between its four districts with Olden and Kennebec to follow in 2025 and 2026.

“I’m telling you that I’m running for Warden (of Frontenac County) this year,” Mayor Frances Smith said to Irwin. “So you may have a little more work to do this year.”

Tichborne Rink

Coun. Nicki Gowdy brought up an ‘emergency’ motion to commit additional funds to the Tichborne Rink.

Gowdy said that they ran into bedrock after drilling four feet for the light standards and “they’re estimating it will take another $1,500.”

“I’m sure we can find that somewhere,” said Treasurer Michael McGovern. “There’s still $1,500 in the budget for it.”

2024 Meeting Schedule

Council approved its meeting dates schedule for 2024, continuing on with what has become a regular schedule of meeting the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month excepting July, August and December, when Council will meet on the second Tuesday only.

Severances

In order to allow the County Planning Staff time to address requests made by Council on severances, the Official Plan Amendment on the matter was deferred until February.