Clock is ticking for Parham Library branch 

The Parham library branch is located in a portable classroom attached to Hinchinbrooke Public School, and with the school being slated to close as early as June 30 next year, members of Central Frontenac Council are starting to wake up to the fact that some planning will need to be done on their part to keep a branch open in Parham or vicinity.

Councilor John Purdon, who is the Frontenac County Council representative to the Library Board, sounded the alarm.

“The rural branches are just as busy as the urban branches are, on a per capita basis, but in terms of total use the numbers are low, and once the school closes in Parham the numbers may get lower. We can't have the services in the small branches that they have in the big branches, and the trend is towards more services, more programming and bigger branches. The tendency in recommendations to the board is continually towards decreasing rural branches. I don’t agree, but I would say we need to fix our facilities so we can maintain services. We don’t own the Parham branch; it is on school board property. So we have to think about purchasing the portable and setting it up at some location off the school property. But that is something we need to get going on,” Purdon said.

Earlier, in response to a question from Councilor Norm Guntensperger about the viability of the Mountain Grove branch and the possibility of moving it to a new location, perhaps in an addition to the Mountain Grove Fire Hall, Township Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Trépanier said the former township office building that is currently housing the library “is not safe”, a statement he retracted a few minutes later.

“We have not had any reports declaring that building unsafe,” Mayor Janet Gutowski reminded council. “It has its challenges but there is nothing about it being unsafe. As far as library branches are concerned, we need to recognise that we have not been paying any of the costs of the Parham branch until now, because the school board has covered it, so whatever we do will increase the budget. We need to do our strategic plan, and we need to determine if we can afford to have one of everything in all four of the districts.”

"This council has already taken a position on four districts, four library branches. To revisit that would take a 2/3 majority vote,” said Guntensperger.

Councilor Snyder interrupted. “Parham has a problem right now. We need to start looking at this right away,” he said.

Inching towards County Roads

Public Works Manager Mike Richardson reported that at their second combined meeting, the public works managers from all four Frontenac County townships discussed the possibility of seeking to have Road 38, and Highways 506/509 and 95 on Wolfe Island treated as county roads in granting applications, freeing up their host township to seek grants for other priorities.

Richardson said that the first step will be to combine the road usage and level of repair information that each township gathers already.

“North, Central and South Frontenac all use the same program and the same engineering firm, Golder, so we will be asking them what would be involved in combining the information. Mark Segsworth, the works manager in South Frontenac, will be having traffic counts down on Road 38 all the way to Highway 7, and maybe on 509 as well. There has been some interest from senior management at the Ministry of Transportation to look at this further,” he said.

Clean those recyclables

In a report to council on the state of the waste management system, co-ordinator Kyle Labbett reported that recycling levels have increased substantially since the clear bag garbage system came into place in April, but this has brought another problem to the fore, contaminated recycling, which ends up costing the township money in lost revenue from its recycling contractor.

“To fix this problem we will be having the site attendants sort through recycling with residents to ensure that only recyclable items are ending up in the bins. We will also be starting an education program with residents to ensure that recycling is being rinsed out prior to coming to the waste sites. This will also be done by sorting through recycling and educating the residents,” Labbett said in his report to Council.

Property standards are back – Council was presented with two options for an updated property standards/safe property bylaw. Council rejected one of them as too stringent for a rural municipality and even saw some issues with the looser bylaw. CAO Trépanier will work through the bylaw and use it to update the existing safe properties bylaw and will bring it back to council.

Planning matters finalised – With the appeal of the Bridgen’s Island plan of subdivision having been rejected by the Ontario Municipal Board, the township went ahead with a bylaw giving final approval to a zoning bylaw amendment for the subdivision.

Kennebec Lake subdivision – Just before the appeal period ran out, Mark Sobanski lodged an appeal of the plan of subdivision for the development of building lots in the former Baker Valley property on Kennebec Lake. Planning Co-ordinator Cathy MacMunn said that the township could go ahead and approve a zoning bylaw amendment in the matter, and both the zoning amendment and the subdivision approval will be considered by the Ontario Municipal Board at the same time, which Council did.

Sharbot Lake Farmers Market report

In a delegation to council, Mary de Bassecourt and Peggy Green reported a very successful year at the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market. Market Manager de Bassecourt reported that vendor numbers, attendance and vendor sales were up this year. Annual sales rose from $31,500 last year to $43,600 this year and on one single market day on August 4, 393 people visited. Word of mouth and regular advertising are what attracted the crowds. Marker vendor Peggy Green extended her thanks to council for securing the beach as the location. “I think the location is a win/win situation for everyone. We enjoy the visitors and the visitors enjoy us and that makes for a lovely combination.”

Night time Santa Parade in Tichborne?

Councilor Bill Snyder said organizers of the Tichborne/Parham Santa Claus parade are hoping to make the parade an after-dark event this year. After some discussion regarding safety issues, CAO Shawn Trépanier said he would speak to Public Works Manager Mike Richardson, the OPP and emergency services to insure that safety for participants and parade goers would not be compromised. He said he would have an answer at council's next meeting on November 13.

Guard rails pose safety issue at Hwy 7 and Arden Road

Councilor Jeff Matson brought to council's attention a safety issue posed by the height of the guardrails on the south side of Highway 7, which run east of the Arden Road. Matson pointed out that due to the slope in the Arden Road at that intersection, drivers who are exiting the Arden Road onto Hwy 7 and either heading straight across it or turning west onto the highway have difficulty seeing the oncoming traffic traveling west on the highway.

“A few people have pointed it out to me and I drove by there myself and saw that they are right. You have to peer through the rails to try to see the oncoming traffic along Hwy 7”.

Staff were directed to bring up the issue with the MTO.

Public Works Ten-Year Plan

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth presented his department’s 2013 Capital budget and ten-year Plan for Council’s consideration. Goals included: 1] ‘Vertical’ Facilities: to develop a good understanding of the conditions of township buildings, their energy use, accessibility and any asbestos issues, 2] Equipment replacement for 2013: two light trucks and two dump trucks, one of them a tri-axle, 3] Waste disposal site improvements: weigh scale, fencing, attendant booths, and partial capping, 4]Transportation: salt management plans for Hartington and Bedford, office renovations at Keeley, Hartington and Bedford, and village beautification, and 5] ‘Horizontal Facilities’: a proposed schedule of repairs and upgrades of roads and bridges for the next two years.

Noting that “we face a lot of challenges: traffic only gets heavier every year,” Segsworth said that his proposed roadwork schedule does not necessarily meet all the Township needs. Overall estimated budget of just over $7 million is up $800,000 from last year, and proposes drawing $500,000 more from reserves than last year. This information will form a substantial part of Council’s budget deliberations in the next few weeks.

Councillor Tindal asked: “What would you say if a group of private citizens offered to pay to resurface a public road?” “We’d be very, very interested,” said Segsworth, adding that resurfacing had to include a good base, and proper drainage.

Council Composition Up For Discussion

CAO Orr, referring to the strategic plan’s commitment “to improve governance and processes,” said that Council might wish to consider: increasing or decreasing the total number of positions on Council, changing the method of election from the present system of having two representatives from each of four districts, establishing a new position of deputy mayor, or altering or removing district boundaries. This led to lively discussion, and the conclusion that Orr should draw up a discussion framework and process, which would include public consultation, for Council’s consideration.

Municipal Pound Services

Each year, the Township impounds, at the Kingston Humane Society, approximately 75 - 80 untagged dogs caught running at large. At present, because of a mid-year fee adjustment by the KHS, Council pays $55 per animal, plus a new administrative billing fee of $25 for any month in which a dog is sheltered. The 2012 budget for pound services is $3300.

However, the Humane Society has announced they are looking to recover fully the cost of offering pound services, which would raise the Township’s contract to a minimum of $10,000,based on 2011 impound numbers. In order to cover this raise in fees and unknown costs such as veterinary fees, Orr proposed the Township raise its rates to $175 or the return of a lost animal, but expressed concern that fewer residents might claim lost animals as the cost increases. (currently, all but 10 or 12 South Frontenac animals are claimed or adopted out each year.) He also noted that there were few if any alternatives to the pound’s services, due to the required inspections and tighter regulations now governing private pounds. There was general Council agreement that the new fee be increased to $150.

The Point Park Lighting and Fundraising

In response to a recent query from Council, Treasurer Fragnito reported that in 2011, $66,865 was spent on the Point Park lighting project, of which $31,000 came from the fundraising efforts of the Point Park Improvement committee, and the remainder from the Township’s Parkland Fund. A further $66,506 was spent on the lights in 2012, all from the Parkland fund. The Point Park Improvement fund now has a balance of $831.21.

Unique boundary proposal would create Kingston-Frontenac L&A riding.

At the Frontenac County Council meeting on Oct. 17, CAO Liz Savill presented the submission she will be making to the electoral boundary commission for council's approval.

The submission makes a number of points that have been made by Hastings and Lennox and Addington County and others ever since the proposed boundaries were released in early September.

Among other features, those boundaries would split Frontenac County into three ridings.

As Savill’s submission acknowledges, all of the other proposals are similar to the current riding boundaries, in which Frontenac County is in a riding that includes Lanark County.

Arguing that Lanark County is more oriented to Ottawa and Frontenac County to Kingston, Savill proposes a Frontenac, Lennox and Addington riding that includes the former Kingston and Pittsburgh townships in rural Kingston. This would shrink the Kingston and the Islands riding but would create a riding anchored by the populations living within proximity to Highway 401, including the Town of Napanee and Loyalist Township, as well as parts of South Frontenac and Kingston.

In addition, it would create a riding of Hastings-Belleville and calls for a new riding of Lanark-Carleton, which would include the rural west end of Ottawa and all of Lanark County.

Savill points out that Frontenac County has only been coupled with Lanark for the past 10 years. Her proposal is similar to the way things were before that, with the exception of the alteration of Kingston and the Islands, which is an established riding, but one that has grown in population to the point that it is now 17.9% higher than the norm of 106,000. The proposed Kingston and the Islands riding would be closer to the norm, but the Kingston Frontenac riding would be well short of the quota at 90,000.

The presentation will form the Frontenac County submission to the public hearing on electoral boundaries on November 8 in Kingston. 

Members of Frontenac County Council took turns objecting to a number of late-year initiatives and relatively minor expenditures (relative to the $40 million county budget) at their penultimate regular meeting of 2012 on October 17.

These objections did not result in outright rejections of any proposed measures, with councillors opting only to defer considerations of the matters to future meetings.

Frontenac Islands Councilor David Jones started the ball rolling when he questioned a proposal from County Labour Relations Specialist Colleen Hickey that a Corporate Services Organisational review be undertaken at a cost of $40,000.

In a report, Hickey pointed out that there are now 21 corporate service positions at the county, serving both Council and its committees as well as the two front-line services offered by the County (Fairmount Home and Frontenac Paramedic Services).

Of those, seven were created after a 2006 organisational review of the county was completed. These positions include Hickey’s own position as well as an IT Specialist, Occupational Health Nurse (Fairmount), Manager of Sustainability Planning, GIS Specialist, Communications Specialist, and Community Planner.

Even with this increase, the report says that corporate services are facing “significant workload challenges and expectations placed on its services and activities. Primarily these increased challenges are attributable to increased provincial reporting and legislative requirements and to the six Council committees now fully operational.”

“I don’t understand why this is coming before us in the midst of a budget year. Why the rush?” asked Councilor David Jones.

County Chief Administrative Officer Liz Savill replied, “The urgency is that we have been living with problems for years. We want this done before the 2013 budget. That is the intent.”

Dennis Doyle, the Mayor of Frontenac Islands, suggested that the proposal be deferred until a strategic planning exercise is completed in November.

The motion to defer was passed.

Ambulance vehicle replacement

A report from Financial Services that touched on amortization of vehicles, funding models, replacement costs, the impact of emission standards and the lifespan of new gas-powered models as compared to diesel-powered models from the past, sparked another series of questions from Council.

Treasurer Marion Vanbruinessen recommended that ambulances be amortised over 4.5 years instead of 6 years, as they are currently. This, she said, would result in more provincial funding (the province pays for half the amortisation costs of vehicles) and better reflects that fact that newer ambulances, which are gas-powered, do not last as long as the old diesel models, which are out of production.

Members of Council wanted to know if the change would necessitate ambulances being replaced after 4.5 years, even if they are still running well.

Deputy Chief Gale Chevalier, sitting in at the meeting for the absent Chief of Paramedic Services, Paul Charbonneau, said, “Certainly if at the end of 4.5 years, the vehicle is running well, keeping it longer is something we could consider.”

“I think the way these things go, if we don’t spell out that the vehicles are not to be automatically replaced after four and a half years, that’s what will happen. I think we should put something in the motion about that,” said South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison.

In the end, the matter was deferred to the County Finance committee for review.

Medical tiered response

A report regarding proposed changes to the kinds of ambulance calls that are extended to fire departments in both Kingston and Frontenac County received a brusque response from South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison, as South Frontenac Fire Chief Rick Chesebrough looked on.

Davison referred to the fact that the report made use of a study completed in the Peterborough area which concluded that a number of non-urgent calls for ambulance service do not require fire fighters to provide first response,

“Most of our firefighters do more than first aid, they are trained first responders,” he said. “I would like to see more local information on this, not information from Peterborough.

A motion to receive the tiered response report was deferred until next month.

MPAC - Cecilia Buelow of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) updated council on the property assessment increases that will be phased in over the next four years. On average, residences not on waterfront will see an increase of just under 6%, which Buelow said was well below the provincial average of 18%, while waterfront residences will have assessment increases of 27% on average. The overall residential assessment increase in the township is 15%.

Any decreases in assessment will not be phased in over four years, but will take effect immediately.

Buelow encouraged the councilors to advise ratepayers to use the expanded “About My Property” feature on the MPAC website in order to compare their assessments to those of similar properties. She also said that ratepayers must substantiate any complaints about unfair assessments in writing by April 1, 2013, otherwise they will lose their right to appeal until the following year.

Addington Highlands Community Centre - Local resident Joan McLeod approached council about setting up a bake shop/café in the new Addington Highlands Community Centre – Denbigh, which would be located in the room next to the library. She would provide her own liability insurance and has already contacted the Public Health Unit in Cloyne. She assured council that she will meet the health unit’s requirements. The township would need to do basic finishing (drywall, floor, etc.) to the space.

Councilor Adam Snider wondered whether council should publicize the opportunity in order to give anyone else who might be interested a chance at the venture. Council agreed to place an ad in the newspaper (see the ad on page 17).

Deputy Reeve Bill Cox said that council should also have a cost estimate for the renovations before making a decision. Councilor Tony Fritsch said he would provide the estimate.

The Meals on Wheels program - which is run by Land O’Lakes Community Services, requested a key to the Denbigh hall, where the meals are prepared, in order to reduce work for the custodian. The township supports the program by waiving the hall rental fees and Councilor Fritsch said the program has expanded by 4 or 5 times the number of meals prepared since it started being run out of the hall.

However, Council refused the request for the key as they do not give keys to anyone else who uses the hall, but will allow LOLCS to put an additional freezer in the basement.

Surveillance cameras - will be installed at the Hartsmere Waste Disposal site in order to combat the ongoing problem of waste being dumped at the gates. Roads Supervisor Royce Rosenblath noted that as the site’s entrance is on the highway, dumpers could also be charged by the OPP in addition to being fined by the township.

Tappin’s Bay boat ramp - The Mazinaw Property Owners Association (MPOA) have requested once again that the township improve the Tappin’s Bay boat ramp and dock, which is the only access for waterbound properties on Mazinaw Lake, in order to alleviate severe ongoing crowding problems.

However, Tappin’s Bay itself is in not in Addington Highlands, but in North Frontenac Township, and both councils have been fielding requests for solutions from the MPOA and debating the problem for years.

North Frontenac decided years ago to back away from the boat launch, but on Monday night Addington Highlands debated approaching them to reopen the negotiations, though they eventually decided against doing that.

Councilor Snider noted that the problem is indeed severe, that Addington Highlands has many ratepayers on the lake, and that the increase in MPAC assessments will cause the waterfront ratepayers to complain even more acutely that they get no services for their taxes. He asked if the township has any property on the lake that would be suitable for a public boat launch – just a launch, not a docking facility, he emphasized.

In the end, Council passed two motions. The first was to reply to the MPOA saying that AH has no authority at Tappin’s Bay as it’s not in the township, and the second motion was to search for a suitable spot for a boat launch.

Winter Road Maintenance - Royce Rosenblath noted that there is concern in the community about Carillion Canada being the new provider of winter maintenance for provincial roads in the area. (Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 41) He said residents are wondering if it might take a long time before they’re plowed out. Carillion has contracts with the Ministry of Transportation for all summer and winter maintenance on some 6,000 km of roads in Ontario.

However Rosenblath said that maintenance standards have not dropped and he is confident that the MTO will have their inspectors out in full force to ensure that the company plows the roads in proper time. He said Carillion would be fined heavily by the ministry if they did not fulfill the terms of their contracts.

Long-service awards - Long-service awards have already been presented to Ward 2 firefighters, but not to Ward 1 firefighters. Reeve Hogg said that is because records weren’t kept so they do not know the actual number of years of service. The fire department will draw up a list with the best guesses as to the number of years of service and will work towards presenting the awards at the Christmas banquet.

Official Plan Amendment

Council passed a by-law to amend the township’s Official Plan: along with some ‘housekeeping’ details, there were two major additions. One strengthens environmental policies, in order to minimize environmental and visual lake impacts caused by the increasing development of shorelines, and the conversion of small seasonal use cottages into larger year-round residences. Another section outlines policies for plans of condominium, defined as ‘vacant land with common elements’ i.e. a development with individual residential lots, which share a communally maintained private lane.

This amendment will now go to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final approval.

Municipal Infrastructure Investment Funding

Council agreed to submit an ‘Expression of Interest’ as a first step in applying for a portion of a recently announced Provincial grant program intended to be used for roads, bridges, and wastewater infrastructure in small municipalities. Treasurer Louise Fragnito estimates the first stage of funding should be a minimum of $23,000, which would be used to develop an asset management plan and purchase related software. Such a data base will provide the ability to forecast infrastructure needs, and plan for long-range management and funding.

Bedford Resident Honoured

Councillor Tinlin announced that Susan O’Brien McTaggart of Bedford has been selected to receive a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.

Frontenac Arena Debt

Councillor Vandewal noted that as 2012 is the last year for Frontenac Arena’s fundraising for its $600,000 upgrading, any outstanding debt (estimated to be somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000,) will have to be factored into the township’s 2013 budget.

2011 Audit

Auditor Vicki Leaky, of KPMG reported on her review of the township’s 2011 financial statements. She noted that everything seemed to be in good order.

by Julie Druker and Jeff Green

Council commits to consider the purchase of Hinchinbrooke PS, maybe

Central Frontenac Council heard from Sue Leslie and Bob Teal, a delegation from a group called the Central Recreation Center Committee about plans for the soon to be vacated Hinchinbrooke Public School.

The committee made two requests of council: the first to have a member of council sit on their committee and the second to support the purchasing of Hinchinbrooke Public School should a feasibility study find that the transformation of the school into a recreation centre would be beneficial and affordable to township residents.

Back in July, council supported the creation of the committee to look into the feasibility of purchasing either Hinchibrooke or Sharbot Lake public schools. A proposal was submitted to the Frontenac CFDC (Community Futures Development Corporation) for funding to conduct a feasibility study and funds to assist with plans to renovate the school.

The proposal was turned down by the FCFDC, which cited two reasons - the proposal failed to identify economic benefits for the area and the proposal was looking at both the schools instead of just one. The FCFDC were impressed, however, with the level of support for the project from various community groups. They suggested that the committee return to council.

The committee is hoping that with council's support they can resubmit the proposal to the FCFDC for the Hinchinbrooke school only before the November 1 deadline, as the Sharbot Lake Public School has numerous redevelopment issues – including some asbestos that needs to be removed.

In a report to Council, Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Trépanier pegged the cost of the school at $150,000, but Sue Leslie said might it might realistically end up being only $125,000. Councilors Heather Fox and Bill Snyder agreed to be appointed to the committee.

Trépanier said that at this point Council has committed $5,000 towards the project, money that is to be levied from the 2013 budget.

“Council has made no further financial commitment to the project,” he said.

Councilors discussed the wording of a resolution of support for the project. The resolution initially stated that council “would support” the purchasing of the school should the study prove feasible. Councilor Guntensperger was the first to say that he felt uncomfortable with that strong a commitment. “That means that even if we disagree with what the study puts forth, we are still committed to supporting the project.”

After additional discussion it was decided to amend the resolution to say that council “would consider” supporting the purchase of the school should a study prove it feasible.

The motion was carried unanimously.

Construction slow in 2012, save for new school:

The total value of construction permits in September in Central Frontenac exceeded $15 million, which is more than the combined values of 2010 and 2011 combined. That figure is somewhat misleading, however, because it is dominated by a single project, the new K-12 school in Sharbot Lake, a project that approaches $15 million on its own.

Putting the school aside, the building numbers for 2012 are slow. The number of permits sold (105) is lower than the first nine months of 2011 (140) and 2010 (149). The number of new residences (15) is higher than last year at this time (13) but lower than 2010 (18)

Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven did not know what to attribute the low levels of activity to, except to say that the building industry tends to be cyclical.

New truck for building department – CAO Trépanier presented a report to Council in which he recommends purchasing a vehicle for the use of the building department. Currently one F150 truck is shared between the facilities coordinator, IT manager, and public works manager. With this demand the vehicle is often not available, and staff end up using their own cars and being paid mileage.

Trépanier recommended purchasing a used truck for the building department, at an estimated purchase price of $14,000, with the money coming from the $150,000 in building permit purchases last month for the new school.

Township to consider a policing contract 

The township has been seeking, and finally has received from the OPP, a breakdown of policing costs for the last three years. The cost in 2010 was $671,000 and in 2011 it was just over $700,000.

Central Frontenac uses what the OPP calls status quo policing. The OPP provides the service according to their own protocols and availability of officers, and bills for the service that is provided.

The other option that is available, and CAO Trépanier recommends exploring, is a formal policing contract. South Frontenac has a policing contract in place, and in his report, Trépanier said that “several townships of a similar size to Central Frontenac have switched to policing contracts in recent years.”

Since the Sharbot Lake OPP detachment serves both North and Central Frontenac, Trépanier recommended that North Frontenac be approached to see if they are interested in pursuing a joint policing services contract if the price is right.

“There is no cost to either township to pursue a policing contract cost analysis from the OPP,” Trépanier said.

Mayor Janet Gtowksi said that since South Frontenac already has contract policing in place, they should also be approached to see if a county-wide contract might be feasible.

Council gave its approval for the CAO to make inquiries into a policing contract.

About six years ago, North Frontenac looked into a policing contract and found it was not cost effective, and about five years ago Addington Highlands switched from contract policing to status quo policing, also for cost reasons.

Office closing – all township services, including waste sites, will be closed for one day, on Thursday October 25, for a staff development exercise. Council also approved closing the office over the Christmas holidays, as has been the practice in other years, from December 24 until January 1, inclusive.

Fire hall task force gets its marching orders

North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton saved some time by directly appointing Councilor Gerry Martin to chair a task force to come up with a design and costing for a solution to the Ompah fire hall conundrum.

Martin will come up with a list of task force members to be brought to Council for approval later this week.

Councilor John Inglis asked Clayton why he had not been appointed to the task force as well, and Clayton said that if Inglis wants on, he could be on the task force as well. CAO Cheryl Robson will be the staff liaison to the task force.

It will come up with its own terms of reference at its first meeting, which will then come back to council for approval.

“The task force’s mandate will be threefold – to develop a design and cost of a 3,000 square foot fire hall with the money that is available, and if that is not possible, to develop a design for a smaller fire hall with the money that is available, or to bring back options about what we can do if we cannot afford to build a new fire hall at all,” Clayton said.

There remain questions about how much money is available for a new building. $400,000 was earmarked for the project originally, but the cost of an Environmental Assessment, and the charges to the township from a failed attempt to do a joint project with Frontenac County, will come off that total.

Questions about ATV run and road damages

Council received a number of before and after photographs from Denis Bedard, which showed, according to Bedard, that “no severe damage was done” to Norcan Lake Lane during the fall ATV run, “although in several corners the gravel appeared to be loosened.”

The firefighters who organize the fundraising ATV runs paid for damage to the lane after the spring run, and they said they would monitor the road during the fall run.

Councilor Hunter pointed out that in some cases the before and after shots were not taken at the same location.

Councilor Inglis, who told Council he has received a confidential complaint about damage from the ATV run from a resident on another road, said, “If it was my road I would be upset... When you do a fundraising activity, you don’t just collect money, you have to cover all your costs. One of the costs is putting things back exactly the way they were before the event.”

Council decided there was ample time to consider what kinds of measures they want to see in place before the next scheduled ATV run in the spring of 2013.

Special meeting – Council held a special meeting on Wednesday morning, October 11, to receive an audit report and finalise plans for an asset management plan, as well as to finalise the fire hall task force. The meeting took place after the News went to print.

Editorial by Jeff Green

It was several years ago now that Brett Colman, who was then working as a stewardship coordinator with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, appeared before North Frontenac Council.

He was there on a recruitment drive. Colman had just transferred to Kingston from southwestern Ontario and he was trying to find representatives for the Frontenac Stewardship Council from all corners of the county in order to bring it back from a moribund state.

Stewardship councils had been set up as a cost-cutting exercise by the ministry. Until budget cuts in 1995, ministry employees did the work of stewardship councils, providing information and resources to landowners who were interested in fostering a balance between their own land use and the long term viability of the rural ecosystem. Quite apart from the regulatory function of the ministry, which often puts the ministry in conflict with landowners, stewardship is all about cooperation and taking advantage of a common interest between individuals and governments in fostering a diverse and healthy rural landscape.

It took a while for the Frontenac Stewardship Council, which is a group of interested volunteers aided by a ministry employee, to get up and running. With the help of Colman, who took early retirement to work with his wife at Desert Lake Family Resort in Verona, and his replacement, Cam McCauley, the council has had active participation from members in all four Frontenac townships, with members from Frontenac Islands making extra efforts to get to meetings in Hartington or Sharbot Lake within the limitations of the ferry schedules.

Landowners from the Limestone, Canadian Shield, and Islands ecosystems have met together and talked about issues of concern across a vast and diverse territory. Slowly, through communications with county and township councils and staff, cottage associations, woodlot owners, farmers, and students, the Frontenac Stewardship Council has been working its way into the fabric of life in Frontenac County.

As we have chronicled in these pages, Frontenac County itself suffers from difficulties because of its landscape and political history as junior partner in its relationship to the City of Kingston. As the county prepares for its 150th anniversary in 2015, an opportunity to put its best foot forward as a modern, rural community of communities with a common future, the stewardship council was in line to be a key partner in some of the activities.

This is now in extreme doubt. With the Ministry of Natural Resources pulling away from the Stewardship Council program, the Frontenac Stewardship Council will be lucky to survive, and if it does it will likely be as part of a regional program.

As one of the pieces of Frontenac County's fragile public identity, the loss of the council is a loss for the county as a whole, and for all of us who live here.

David Townsend, Director of Southern Frontenac Community Services, presented Council with an annual report on the agency. He described the upgrading of the current facilities at Grace Centre (formerly Grace United Church), and outlined plans for future expansion that would see a variety of local social services and community resources located under one roof.

Many of the current services and programs offered for seniors are aimed at helping seniors remain comfortably in their own homes as long as possible. Family services assist township residents with housing (including fuel, rent, and repairs), food, tax returns and referral services. Council members thanked Townsend and his board chair, Joan Cameron, for their work.

Amendments to Burning By-law

Fire Chief Chesebrough addressed some recommended changes to the current burning by-law. Burning permits will no longer be issued, as the process only creates confusion. Instead, the details of defining and regulating open air burning will be clarified by the proposed updated by-law.

Chesebrough recommended including over-the-counter fireworks in the level one fire ban and total fire bans, with the township retaining the right to authorize commercial fireworks displays on special occasions. Mayor Davison questioned the township’s ability to enforce a fireworks ban, asking, “How many fires have been started, in recent years, by fireworks?” “None.” was the reply by Cheseborough.

The proposed by-law lists a variety of factors that are to be taken into account in the decision to declare a Total Fire Ban, including weather conditions and information from the MNR, Frontenac Park and the Fire Marshall.

Councilor Mark Tinlin asked why fire ban signs were not being used. Chesebrough said that after a review in 2008, all signs were removed and replaced with information on the website and a 24-hour phone info line.

Harrowsmith Post Office

Council received a long report from CAO Wayne Orr summarizing the major themes and points raised at a recent meeting in Harrowsmith concerning the placement of post office boxes. Mayor Davison said that this is not a Council issue, but the responsibility of Canada Post, which has agreed to maintain communication with Harrowsmith residents, in trying to reach a more satisfactory resolution for the community.

2013 Budget Direction Requested

CAO Orr outlined the process for developing the 2013 budget: capital budgets will be presented at Committee of the Whole meetings, and a full Saturday session will be set aside to discuss the operating budget, with the goal of setting the 2013 budget prior to year end (using estimates for some revenues and expenses such as ministry and County funding and Conservation and OPP costing). Orr asked Council to establish a 2013 budget direction.

Construction Activity

The third quarter report from the Building Department shows construction activity is down this year as compared to the last two years.

Mayor Davison said they are presently interviewing candidates for new Chief Building Inspector.

Township Fire Numbers in Chaos

Fire Chief Chesebrough reported that the township's civic address numbering system has not been well maintained, with the result that there is a lack of consistency between the property identifiers used by MPAC, the township, and Bell canada. This is complicated by the township having five Boundary Roads, and between five and ten different Mill Streets and Church Streets. In his 2013 budget submission, Chesebrough will be addressing a plan to get the system brought up to date and coordinated.

2100 litres of fuel stolen from AH works yard

“This was not just someone taking a few jerry cans with fuel,” Addington Highlands Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath told members of the township's council at their meeting on Monday, Oct. 1. “It was an organized theft.”

The theft came to light when, during weekly top up of fuel to the supply at the Northbrook works yard, the supplier found that the tank was just about empty.

“We had only filled up one tractor during the week, maybe a hundred litres, but the tank was empty,” said Rosenblath.

Further investigation revealed that fuel that had been stored in a small portable tank on a truck that is used to fill up township equipment in the field was also gone.

Rosenblath told council that the thieves had to have used some sort of pump to remove all the fuel.

“They could not have done this by siphoning,” he said, adding that the amount of fuel taken was also much more than would be taken by someone who was just looking for some free home heating fuel for the winter.

“This has been reported to the OPP, and they say it looks like an organized theft, and they might come back,” said Rosenblath.

New fire hall plans scrutinized – Fire Chief Casey Cuddy went over the preliminary drawings for a new fire hall with Council. A rough estimate on the cost of the hall, based on a cost of $120 per square foot ($185 per square foot for the finished spaces and about $100 for the garage space) would put the projects costs at $561,000, according to calculations done by Councilor Adam Snider.

Dear, Deer Rock – Former Addington Highlands councilor Eythel Grant, who remains the township representative to the Quinte Region Conservation Authority, reported that the lack of rain early this summer, in addition to causing low water levels all along the system, also cut the revenue stream from the hydro power generating station the authority runs.

Councilor Helen Yanch took the opportunity to once again ask if Grant might bring up a signage issue that has bothered her for years. The sign leading into Deer Rock Lake, which sits on conservation authority-managed land, says “Deerock Lake”.

“I don't know why they don't change it already,” Yanch said.

Deputy Reeve Bill Cox said, “Wasn't it called Deer Lake at one time?”

“Maybe it was misspelled on some earlier mapping,” suggested Councilor Adam Snider.”

“I don't know if it was or wasn't,” said Yanch, “but it is time they corrected it. Could you bring it back to their attention, Eythel?”

“I can do that,” said Grant, “you know I don't think I've ever been there, you know, I've never been to Deer Rock Lake.”

“You should go sometime,” said Yanch.