| Aug 28, 2025


When proposing that the township purchase the Simonett building on Road 38 as a new township office, Central Frontenac Township Chief Administrative Officer, Cathy MacMunn said that the sale of the former office, along with other surplus properties owned by the township, would cover the $1.6 million purchase price.

A couple of weeks ago, the township took the first step towards selling the office, and the former barber shop across Robert Street that the township purchased a couple of years ago, to house the Public Works department.

But both properties carry conditions that will make their sale more than a simple real estate transaction.

The township office also houses the Sharbot Lake Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

By the terms of the amalgamation of the Frontenac County and City of Kingston Libraries, which took place 25 years ago in 2000, the local municipalities provide the physical space for the branches, and the Kingston Frontenac Public Library provides materials, shelving, and staffing.

Instead of selling off the entire building, which would result in Central Frontenac having to build a new branch in Sharbot Lake, MacMunn said that the sale of the building will be conditional on the new owner leasing back the library space to the township.

This will create a new, ongoing cost to the township, but it will save what could have been a significant capital expense.

The sale of the Harvey building is complicated by another factor. When it was originally built, it was part of the property owned by Toots and Bob Harvey, and it used the same septic system that they used for their house, located up the hill from what is now a township asset. When the Harvey's sold the building, they agreed that the township could still hook into the septic system. Anyone who makes an offer on the building will need to come to their own arrangement with Toots Harvey or put in their own holding tank, if there is space for one.

The sale of the two buildings will be carried out in accordance with the “Sale of Real Property Bylaw”.

The bylaw deals with the possibility that an offer can be made to the township for the purchase before the property is declared surplus. In that case, the bylaw stipulates “If the assessed value is over $500,000 at least two appraisals shall be obtained from two independent Appraisers.”

The bylaw also deals with a sale that is  initiated by the township, referring those circumstances to a  “request for proposal” process. 

It may be unrelated to the two properties that are the subject of this article, but Central Frontenac Council met in closed session on August 27, and one of the items in closed was the "purchase or disposition of property" After the closed meeting, council passed a motion asking Chief Administrative Officer Cathy MacMunn to carry out the instructions coming from decisions made in the closed session. The session also included two items dealing with personal matters related to township staff or board employees, and a legal matter.

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