GRAVEL CRUSHING PRICE DOWN – There were few bidders for the Addington Highlands gravel crushing tender this year, but one of them, from Danfords construction, was more than a third lower than the price the township paid past year.

The price submitted by Danfords was $3.90 a tonne. This is down from the $5.98 the township paid last year, a price that was in line with what the township has been paying in recent years.

MATAWATCHAN SPEED LIMIT TO GO DOWN – the construction company that is upgrading part of the Matawatchan Road in the northeast corner of the township has proposed that the speed limit on the new part be dropped to 60km/hr from 80 for insurance purposes. Council decided to drop the speed limit on the entire road to 60km/hr.

SKATEBOARD PARK CLEAN UP – The roads department has done some maintenance work at the skateboard park in Northbrook, including filling in an old well that was a safety hazard, and has come up with a plan and some staffing to keep the Northbrook skateboard park clean. Works Manager Royce Rosenblath reported that the roof of the canteen at the park needs replacing. It was suggested that the township might supply the labour to replace it if the materials can be provided through fundraising.

REEVE STEELS HIMSELF FOR WESLEMKOON ASSOCIATION -

A seemingly routine invitation to the Weslemkoon Cottage Association Annual meeting, this year being advanced to “all those that are running in the upcoming municipal election”, brought a resigned response from Reeve Henry Hogg. “It says here 'they will have questions to be answered', and I'm sure they will,” said Hogg. “I hope everyone is up for a grilling.”

The meeting is scheduled for July 31.

COUNTY WANTS IN ON MUNICIPAL COMPLEX – Reeve Hogg reported that the Chief Executive Officer from Lennox and Addington County, Larry Keech, had approached him about the proposed new location for the Addington Highlands township offices and Northbrook Fire Hall, and asked if the county might piggyback on the project and put a new ambulance base there as well. “I told him there were no plans to proceed on that this year,” said Hogg, “but we should send them a letter asking for input.”

The township has purchased land on Highway 41 south of Northbrook for a new municipal complex but no money has yet been budgeted for construction.

JOINT COUNCIL MEETING - A joint Council meeting between Addington Highlands and North Frontenac is scheduled for later this month.

E-waste recycling coming to Central Frontenac

Central Frontenac was one of the first municipalities to have an e-waste recycling service up and running when the Frontenac E-Waste Recovery Centre (FEWR) opened in October of 2004. That innovative program combined e-waste recycling with a program to provide computers to schools and to third world countries.

But it was too for ahead of its time, and eventually fell by the wayside for lack of funding.

Now courtesy of government and industry creation Ontario E-Waste Systems (OES), a division of Stewardship Ontario, e-waste recycling is returning to Central Frontenac. Within the next month a depot will be set up at the Elbow Lake Transfer station on Road 38 south of Parham.

At their meeting on June 8, Central Frontenac Council approved a detailed 17-page agreement with OES that outlines what kinds of materials can be collected. Complete information will be available soon, but from the look of the agreement the standard kinds of items, TVs, desktop and laptop computers, video and DVD players, telephones of all kinds, radio and stereo equipment, printers, vehicle sound systems and more, will be eligible for disposal free of charge. The township will receive payment of $150 per ton of material that is collected, and OES will provide a roll off bin where the items will be stored.

SOLAR PANEL FEES – In bringing a routine amendment to the schedule of fees for building department services, Chief Building Officer Ian Trickett proposed a $100 fee for a permit for solar panel installations on buildings. Because the installations require a site visit by a building official, a permit fee is required, Trickett said

All costs of the building department are supposed to be covered by permit fees and not property tax dollars, according to the Ontario Municipal Act.

“Does the fee have to be $100?” asked Councilor Gary Smith. “Shouldn’t we signal that we want to be green by making it a lower fee, say $80?”

“I think we should wipe it out altogether. We want people to do this sort of thing. We should send a signal,” said Councilor Norm Guntensperger.

After further debate, Council decided to set the fee at $60.

$4,000 / WEEK FOR A COTTAGE IN ARDEN – A letter was received from Ken Clark raising a concern about several large luxury cottages on Big Clear Lake that were built for the rental market, and are rented out on a weekly basis at a premium rate, up to $4,000 or more per week in the summer (plus $300 for the use of a boat) and $2,000 in the off-season.

Clark wanted to know if these properties should be considered commercial and taxed accordingly.

In a report to council, staff pointed out that the tax rate for commercial and residential is the same, so there is no point making any change.

The report also pointed out that a tourist establishment is defined as a single lot containing four or more dwelling units, and that even though the cottages in question sleep up to 12 people, they are single units.

“That being said, I think when we review our comprehensive zoning bylaw, we could look at other issues relating to these kinds of properties, such as parking and noise concerns,” said Chief Administrative Officer John Duchene.

MANDATORY SEPTIC INSPECTION ON HOLD, VOLUNTARY PROGRAM TO BE EXPLORED –

A bylaw has been prepared that sets out a septic inspection program. Councilor Bob Harvey said it is a “bylaw that has teeth,” But, he asked, “Will it hold water?”

The bylaw would permit the township to compel residents to maintain septic systems to a certain level and submit to inspections. This would differ from the voluntary inspection programs that are in place in Tay Valley, North and South Frontenac townships, wherein property owners can refuse to let inspectors onto their property.

CAO John Duchene recommended deferring the mandatory aspect of the program after talking with Dave Cooke of the Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Health Unit. Cooke told him that the province is planning to bring new regulations next June which will provide for mandatory septic inspections to existing systems and the township would be better off to wait and ensure their own program dovetails with the new regulations.

“We can proceed to gather information this summer, particularly on trout sensitive lakes,” Duchene suggested.

Deputy Mayor John Purdon said, “If we are going to wait for the province, and we know what our neighbours have been doing for years, why should we reinvent the wheel? If it is not too late we should get a voluntary program started this summer.”

Purdon’s suggestion was adopted, and John Duchene will report back to the next council meeting if he can set up a program with one of the two agencies that provide septic re-inspection services in the region.

Village Beautification: Sydenham & Verona

Public works Manager Mark Segsworth reported that the Board of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation had approved a village beautification project. This will be a pilot project intended to improve the visual appeal of the business properties and downtown core of Sydenham and Verona. Painting and general maintenance of the exterior of business properties, property clean-up (no haulage) and flower basket planting will be offered to business owners in the downtown core on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In addition, there will be one week of ‘general village beautification’ completed in each village. The businesses will be responsible for all material costs: funding (provided by Frontenac CFDC) will cover labour, safety equipment, and mileage for a student who will be hired by the township, which will also provide safety training and supervision. There will be no direct expenditure by the township. After some discussion, Council agreed to support the project.

Policy re Setting Speed Limits

Council agreed to adopt the “Canadian Guidelines for Establishing Posted Speed Limits” as prepared by the Transportation Association of Canada in December 2009, to establish speed limits within the Township. They also agreed to a posted limit of 40 km/hr in school zones where there is pedestrian traffic. Councillor Fillion said he didn’t like this motion ‘to be written in stone’, and would have preferred the words “in principle” to be added to the motion. Mayor Davison reminded him that no speed zone changes would be made without Council’s approval. There was no support for Filion’s proposed wording change.

Township Vehicles

Mark Segsworth reported that he has been sharing use of the building inspection vehicle for the last year with the technical assistant. It has been heavily used: approximately 2500 km/month. The Chief Building Official has suggested that a smaller vehicle would be adequate for the building department, and he and the Public Works Manager have agreed that it might be a good idea for public works to pay the building department the depreciated value ($13,000) of the vehicle, which could be put towards the purchase of a smaller truck for the building department. Council agreed to public works’ purchase of the vehicle, but said the Chief Building Official would have to come to them with a separate request for a replacement vehicle for his department.

Waste Management RFPs

Mark Segsworth recommended that Council award the submissions to RFP 2010-01 for garbage and recycling collection for the 3 year period Sept 1,2010 to August 31, 2013 as follows: Garbage Collection: Percy Snider for Loughborough and Bedford, and Larmons Garbage Collection for Storrington: (Township staff do the collection in Portland.)

Recycling Collection: Percy Snider for Portland, Loughborough and Bedford, and WJS Renovations for Storrington. It must be noted that the collection areas are now designated AA, BB, CC, and DD, and although they correspond roughly to the district boundaries, many changes have been made to adjust for greater efficiency. Total annual cost will be approximately $810,000.

Segsworth said that Snider’s bid for Bedford recycling was the second lowest by a small amount, but he was being selected because the many challenges faced in extending waste collection into Bedford make it essential that the contractor work closely with the township, and having one contractor for both garbage and recycling would facilitate coordination.

In conjunction with a previous article about our recently acquired caboose, the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society (C.F.R.H.S.) also felt that it was important to update the community on the progress being made on the concept of building a replica of the former Sharbot Lake railway station to serve as a multiple use, cultural centre. Although it is seen as a long-term goal involving a rather lengthy process, the C.F.R.H.S. is excited by the formation of an ad hoc steering committee authorized by the C.F. Township council to oversee the proposed development of such a facility.

The Steering Committee meets regularly, and is presently identifying compatible users and ascertaining possible funding sources to hire a facilitator to provide co-ordination in creating a feasibility study/business plan. To clarify recent comments in the media, it is not our intent to duplicate existing facilities. Built as a replica of the former railway station, and thus being a unique “showpiece” and architectural attraction, it is envisioned that the cultural centre will house a variety of usages, some of which would be income-generating to help defer operational costs, making the facility both a vibrant and a viable hub of activity. Suggested uses at this point are: display space highlighting local history; a larger area for the library; additional space as required by the township; a large meeting room; an active studio/workshop and display space for local artisans and other cultural groups; an open air market for locally produced or grown items; year-round public washrooms; a staging area for Trans Canada Trail users; rental offices; and, space for any other uses deemed compatible with the concept. Being in the initial phase of its mandate, the steering committee is still in the process of determining such usage; however, the C.F.R.H.S. is adamant in its desire for the building to replicate the former railway station. Various partnership arrangements will reduce the actual building costs that would be incurred by the township, and thus the taxpayer. Obviously, the C.F. Council will make a final decision on the concept once all the details (including a feasibility study/business plan) are presented.

The chairperson of the C.F. Railway Heritage Society, Sally Angle, and her dedicated board of directors are to be commended for their efforts, and the society is thankful for the endorsement of the Central Frontenac township council through the passing of various motions of support and for the council’s sense of vision for the future of Central Frontenac. The society is presently in the process of establishing a partnership agreement with the township to both formalize its activities and to enhance access to funding sources.

One of the present concerns has to do with the land itself. An agreement to purchase the track bed and the former station site by the township is in place, but the transfer of the land has been delayed. The law firm overseeing the conveyance hopes that a resolution to the delay will take place within the year.

Once again, the C.F. Railway Heritage Society is extremely appreciative of the support it has received from the community and the council of Central Frontenac, and for the coverage this paper provides as we work towards our goals.

Deputy Mayor Vandewal chaired South Frontenac’s August meeting: both Mayor Davison and Councilor McPhail were absent.

Garbage Pick-up on Private Lanes?

The issue of garbage and recycling collection for private lanes in the township was raised by residents of O’Neil Lane in Storrington District. In the discussion that followed, Councilor Stowe noted that Council had agreed to limit private lane pick-up, and now that garbage and recycling services are to be offered equally to all of the township (Bedford will come on stream in late September), a decision to change pick-up in one area will set an expensive precedent for the rest of the township. Council agreed to ask Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth to provide recommendations for the next meeting which will address the concerns for safety and cleanliness at the junction of O’Neil lane and Perth Road. Fillion asked that at the same time, a motion be brought requesting the lane in question be grandfathered into the pick-up area.

Dangerous Intersections

A delegation asked for more stop signs at the corners of Railton and Stagecoach, Forest and Stagecoach, and Forest and Boundary: there have recently been two fatal accidents in this area south of Sydenham. Council asked Segsworth to study the area, and provide recommendations for their consideration at the next meeting.

Rezoning Application

Darryl Silver of Sydenham asked for commercial zoning on a portion of his property on the outskirts of the village, where he would like to construct an office building. He supported his request with letters from the Frontenac Community Development Corporation, which had received requests for office space in the village. Third and final reading of Council’s approval was withheld until a more specific site plan is developed.

Household Hazardous Waste Depot

Segsworth reported that the first tender call for construction of the HHWD site on Keeley Road got no bids: a second call received three. He recommended the lowest bid, from Shelley Home Improvements, for a total of $124,900. This is more than double the 2007 estimate of $50,000. It will be eligible for funding from gas tax fund, and should be recoverable over time, through the operation of the site.

Harrowsmith Speed Limits

Council approved Segsworth’s recommendation that speed be regulated on Wilton Road in front of St Patrick’s Catholic School, and on Colebrook Road in front of Harrowsmith Public School.

Sydenham Water Plant

Council awarded tender for the upgrades to Sydenham water treatment plant to DB Mechanical (Kgtn) Ltd in the amount of $1,009,881.

The upgrades include: more energy efficient low lift pumps, improved switching and valves, ultraviolet disinfection, introduction of chloramination to reduce disinfection byproducts, and granular activated carbon to provide seasonal taste and odour control. XCG Consultants designed the upgrades and prepared the tender documents: Hargrave & Co were retained to provide peer review on the design.

Next Meeting

Next Council meeting will be Tuesday September 07.

Zoning by-law change an “honest mistake”

It was an honest mistake, according to Central Frontenac staff, but concerned residents living on or near the Westport Road remained suspicious when they came out in force to an open house about revisions to the township’s comprehensive zoning bylaw last week.

The mistake that concerned them was a proposed change in zoning for a site owned by Shea Construction on the Westport Road near the border with South Frontenac Township and 13 Island Lake. As reported in the News last week (Municipal composting controversy surfaces again in Central Frontenac), one of the proposed changes to the 191-page document would have allowed the property in question to accept organic waste from outside the township for a large-scale open composting operation.

Two years ago Shea Construction applied for the change in zoning, as they were embarking on what ended up being a failed attempt to win a contract for the composting of waste from the City of Kingston's Green Box program.

The zoning application did not go though, and no further action was taken, by Shea or the township, but the alternate wording Shea had proposed ended up in the proposed comprehensive zoning bylaw.

Glenna Asselstine sent an email to Central Frontenac CAO John Duchene last Tuesday, pointing out the wording change, and she received a reply before the end of the week.

In it, Duchene said the change was an error and had been removed. In the version of the proposed bylaw that is now posted on the township website, the offending wording is gone.

Asselstine, along with 21 other people, were by far the largest group to attend the open house on Saturday, August 7 in Sharbot Lake.

“We went to the meeting, even though we had been informed about the correction, because we wanted to know how it could have happened,” Glenna Asselstine said afterwards. “There was quite a heated discussion.”

Members of the township's planning staff, in addition to Mayor Janet Gutowski and Hinchinbrooke Councilor Philip Smith were on hand at the open house.

According to Glenn Tunnock, the planning consultant who prepared the document, the mistake was a simple administrative matter. “When we started going through the exercise of amending the zoning bylaw, we looked at all of the amendments that council had approved in the six years since the original bylaw was adopted, and the person that put this one in did not realise that it had not been adopted. There was no attempt to try and sneak anything into the bylaw. It was a mistake and it has been corrected,” Tunnock said.

“The fact that it has been captured at this early stage is a good sign,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski. “It shows that the system is working. Council just received the document at our last meeting, so we have not had a chance to point out errors yet. There was the Open House today, and a public meeting is scheduled for September 14, so the document will be well vetted before it is accepted.”

“If this was a mistake then someone should take responsibility for it,” Glenna Asselstine said. “I didn’t hear that on Saturday. I'm still not convinced it was an 'innocent mistake'. I believe it was an attempt to slip something through.”

One thing that did come out of the discussion at the open house, according to Glenn Tunnock, was an understanding that the kind of waste that can be composted on the property needs to be better defined.

Leaf and yard waste is acceptable, not the kind of kitchen scraps that go into backyard composters.

“We will be tightening up that definition in the new bylaw,” said Tunnock.

Property standards bylaw deferred

Most members of Central Frontenac Council don’t want to go anywhere near the potentially thorny subject of property standards in the run-up to a municipal election.

The only exception is Kennebec District Councillor Gary Smith, who is not running for re-election.

Smith proposed that an ad hoc committee, with Council and public representation, begin meeting to consider property standards bylaws from other municipalities. “In the interest of the future and in the interest of economic development, I would like to see us launch this,” Smith said.

Township Chief Administrative Officer John Duchene said that he has contacted other municipalities, including Mississippi Mills, and obtained copies of their bylaws. “In Mississippi Mills the bylaw works pretty well. It is a complaint driven process. Complaints are submitted in writing, and are kept anonymous,” Duchene said.

“I think the timing is wrong for this kind of debate. It is definitely something the community has to consider as we move forward, but these bylaws have a lot of implications, and they can make tempers flare. I will not support this at this time,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski.

“I don’t know how many times a property standards bylaw has come up,” said Oso Councillor Bob Harvey. “If you are going to do this you have to consider whether to restrict it to hamlets or not. I think it needs a whole lot more input, as the mayor said.”

A motion to table the discussion to an unspecified future date was accepted, with Gary Smith casting the only dissenting vote.

ARENA BOUNDARY ROAD UPSET

During his monthly report, Public Works Manager Mike Richardson mentioned that all of the planned surface treatment (paving) projects would be completed this year, with one exception. Although extensive work is being done on the Arena Boundary Road, it will not be surface treated this year.

The reason for the delay, Richardson explained, is to coordinate with South Frontenac, which is looking at working on their portion of the road next year.

“Mark Segsworth, the South Frontenac Public Works Manager, wants to bring his road up to the same standard as ours, and pave them both at the same time, which makes sense,” Richardson said.

This did not sit well with Hinchinbrooke District Councilor Bill Snyder. “I’m totally dissatisfied,” he said. “I was led to believe that it was going to be done this year. I’ve even told some people it was going to be done this year. I don’t know why all the work is being done in Oso and some in Olden again this year. It’s not fair.”

Editors note – subsequent to the Council meeting, the township released the following statement on Thursday morning, August 12 Please find below a statement from Mike Richardson.

[Mayor and Councilors

I would like to make a correction to a statement I made at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, I said that Arena Boundary Road was not going to have the surface treatment done this year. This is not correct. The surface treatment will be done and is in the contract along with the other roads for this year.

I had originally not planned to surface treat the road but the cost estimating at budget time showed that we could afford it so the work was added to the tender.

I apologize for my absent mindedness. I hope this clarifies any confusion.

Mike Richardson, Public Works Manager.]

MOUNTAIN GROVE PARK VISIONING – A document that came out of a series of meetings during the preceding eight months about potential elements in Mountain Grove Park, a piece of land that is bordered by Land O’Lakes Public School, the Olden Fire Hall and Mill Street.

The number one priority of the community visioning document is the relocation of the Olden Ball field from its current location next to the Olden dumpsite and works yard, to the new Park.

Other elements in the visioning document include a canteen, a multi-purpose court, nature trails, a toboggan hill, picnic areas, and more.

At this point the township has not been asked for any significant funding to develop the site, and the Olden Recreation Committee will consider the document next.

Once the document has been fine-tuned into an action plan, the committee will set up a fundraising campaign and will likely seek some funding from the township as well.

A vision statement for the project had been developed. “Mountain Grove Park is an appropriate place for the ball diamond and a site to provide recreational opportunities for the Mountain Grove area in a safe place for all ages to be active.”

by Julie Druker

David Welwood from Tunnock Consulting made a presentation to council with recommendations on an application by Liscobrike to rezone a piece of land owned by Camp Oconto to be sold to private owners who want to purchase the land as a parking area for their vehicles and trailers to access Eagle Lake.

Tunnock found that the application meets the official planning policies for the rural area and shoreline protection as well as complying with the zoning bylaw since there was an earlier agreement that no dwelling or septic system would be built, that there would be no storage of toxic material on the land in question and that the area cannot be expanded.

The report was accepted by council, and staff were directed to prepare an amending by-law to be presented at the next meeting

LDSB REQUEST FOR PARTNERSHIP

Councilor Gary Smith brought to council’s attention a letter received from the Limestone District School Board regarding possible partnership opportunities in the planning and building of the new K-12 school facility in Sharbot Lake and the importance of responding quickly. Councilor Frances Smith suggested offering a council member to be part of the planning committee. Mayor Janet Gutowski advised a letter of response be sent as soon as possible showing council's interest and said, “This is an opportunity that comes along very rarely, once in 50 years and we want to ensure that it’s an opportunity to take advantage of on behalf of the community and we want to make sure that it is done right.”

KFLA'S NEW FEES

Councilor Bill Snyder questioned the KFLA Public Health Unit’s new land development and septic system fee schedule and asked how the fees had been set. Mayor Janet Gutowski said that the fees had remained the same for years and were no longer covering the actual costs of delivering the services. The fees are formulated to be revenue neutral. In March 2010, 11 new fees ranging from $100 for a certificate of approval to $850 for an application for a permit for the construction, installation or alteration, extension enlargement or alteration of a Class A system, were put in place.

OTHER DISCUSSION

Councilor Gary Smith asked, “Does this council have to give approval to public works managers participating in County Council meetings regarding county roads?”

Mayor Gutowski gave the background and responded saying, “ Council does have the perogative to not allow our pubic works manager to discuss roads with County Council but that is not the direction I would take and I don't think that direction would be in the best interest of our citizens.”

Councilor Frances Smith thought there would be benefits to having public works managers meeting together.

Councilor Gary Smith said, “We are responsible for how our staff use their time so it seems if other people are taking our people away from their jobs here we should at least be informed and have a say.”

Mayor Gutowski said she would take that concern back to county council.

ADOPTION OF FIRE MASTER PLAN

The township’s Fire Master Plan, which was in the works for at least two years, was presented to Council and formally adopted. The plan includes profiles of the community and a description of the activities of the fire department. It also includes an inventory of fire equipment and a replacement schedule. Looking forward, it envisions the completion of a superior water supply accreditation in the near future, which will bring better service and lower house insurance costs for residents. As well, it proposes that a new station be built in Hinchinbrooke ward within the next three to four years.

Council discussed starting to put money aside for the new station, and the mayor suggested that a reserve fund be established for that purpose.

Mayor Gutowski said she was pleased that the fire plan was adopted during this term.

“I think it's a very well done plan and I think we are very fortunate that our fire chief and deputies had the competency to this level to put the document together. I think it is a very valuable document that will serve council well into the future.”

A request was received from Tanglewood Marina for permission to bring a load of loose garbage – i.e. garbage that was not in bags - to the dump. Apparently animals had gotten into the garbage.Council refused the request, citing that the waste site attendant would have to do extra work in order to deal with the load and also that the township needs to keep track of the volume of garbage that is brought into the dump. Council voted to send a message back that all garbage has to be in the prescribed clear bags.

Council voted to support a petition from the Town of New Tecumseth for the Ontario government to rescind the HST.

Councilor Janice Kerr reported that the Canada Day celebrations and the two “Music in the Park” events have been well attended. She said that people are already gearing up for “Countryfest”, a 3-day celebration coming up on September 17, 18 & 19.

Reeve Henry Hogg reported that he had met with Dr. Tobia to discuss plans for the Northbrook Family Health Team to establish a five-day a week satellite medical clinic in Denbigh. The plan is to house the clinic in the Denbigh school and Hogg said that the clinic would likely be self-supporting, as the ongoing expenses of maintaining it would be offset by the rent, which would be approximately $18,000 a year from the family health team and $10,000 from the doctors. However, the unknown factors are the cost of renovating the school to turn it into a medical clinic, and also, the status of the school itself, which the township is hoping to buy from the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) for a nominal fee.Council has been waiting to hear from the LDSB and voted to request an answer from the LDSB once again.

Councilor Eythel Grant deals with nuisance beavers for the township and was told by owners of a property on White Lake Road that they did want their beavers trapped. The beavers in question are plugging up a culvert on the road. Council voted to send a letter to the property owners that they would have to keep the culvert clear themselves if they do not want the beavers trapped.

Council passed a by-law to establish the speed limit on the Matawatchan Road from Vennachar to the intersection with the Renfrew County Boundary as 60 kilometres per hour.

Council passed a by-law to establish a policy of notification of limited municipal services when building permits are issued for dwelling units on lots of record that are accessed by water or by un-maintained township roads. Building permits for water-access lots will have the wording: “The Township does not assume the responsibility for access to this lot or for the provision of emergency services”, and building permits for lots accessed by un-maintained township roads will have the wording “The Township does not assume the responsibility of maintenance on this road. The provision of emergency services (fire, police and ambulance) may also be limited.”

Davison/Vanden Hoek on County Roads – Don’t ask for money from townships.

In July members of Frontenac County Council put a stop to a comprehensive transportation plan, at a cost of over $100,000, which was proposed by County Sustainability Planner Joe Gallivan.

Gallivan was asked to come back with a more modest proposal that focussed on the arterial roads within the county that are within the jurisdiction of the individual Frontenac townships. He was also told to keep his proposal within the $40,000 cost that had been approved in the 2010 budget.

In receiving the terms of reference for that more limited roads management plan at the meeting of County Council on Wednesday August 11, at least two of the four members of the current council served notice of the limits of their support for a comprehensive county roads system.

Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek said “I’m fine with common standards, about seeking grants, etc. but I think it will be a long time before I support any kind of financial requisition from the townships for a regional roads system. In the deliverables for this project, it says ‘A vision for a Frontenac County road network’. I would prefer if it said ‘a vision for a road network in Frontenac County’. It might seem like semantics, but I am not entirely comfortable with what’s on the table at this time.”

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski did not share Vanden Hoek’s concerns. “Any financial plan would be a long term, 20-year model,” she said.

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire said the new proposal was an improvement over the earlier version. “I would expect that whatever comes of this will bring equity across the County.”

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davision shared Vanden Hoek’s unease with the direction of the plan. “I too have concerns about where this long term plan is going because we cannot afford the roads we have now. When the county spends money a lot of it comes from my own constituents. In South Frontenac we are already looking at 18 kilometres of Road 38 that is a monster that is about to bite us.”

Joe Gallivan said that the roads management plan that he envisioned bringing forward would be rather open ended, leaving decisions about funding it to members of county council. “Our expectation is that a number of models will be brought forward,” he said.

He then took up Mayor Davison’s concern over Road 38. “It was never right for a road like 38 to be paid for by an individual council in the first place,” he said.

Gallivan got the go ahead to prepare a request for proposal for a consultant to consider a number of models for developing a regional roads system.

GIS SPECIALIST TO BE HIRED – County Council approved the creation of the full time position of Global Information Systems (GIS) specialist at a pay rate of $26 an hour. The position will be reviewed after four years.

PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT – The Provincial Policy statement is a document that is used by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) to curtail some of the initiatives that municipalities in Frontenac County would like to see in their own Official Plans. Currently North, South, and Central Frontenac are all locked in stalemates over their Official Plans with the MMAH over certain kinds of development the townships would like to permit but the ministry will not accept.

Development on private laneways is a case in point. The MMAH would like to see it prohibited, based on their own interpretation of the Provincial Policy Statement, a move that both North and Central Frontenac fear will curtail their already limited growth potential.

The Provincial Policy Statement is undergoing its own review, and Frontenac County is making submissions to that review with a view towards establishing “clear and consistent policy on the development and extension of private roads.”

The County is making 10 other recommendations to the policy statement review, on topics such as limits on the location of small-scale renewable energy projects, clear policies for lake trout lakes, and others.

North Frontenac backs away from satellite medical clinic

The promise of a satellite medical clinic in Plevna in partnership with the Northbrook-based Lakeland Family Health Team is not likely to be delivered.

A their meeting on August 12, North Frontenac Council approved the following motion: “Be it resolved that the Council of the Corporation of the Township of North Frontenac, at this time, cannot financially fund the building of a health clinic in Plevna without adequate provincial funding.”

North Frontenac Council had been optimistic about the prospect of a satellite clinic at first, but a number or factors ended up weighing against them supporting one.

One of them is cost. The township is faced with a $300,000 investment in a building as well as the annual cost of administrative support. The doctor or nurse practitioner who would work out of the clinic would hopefully cover maintenance costs for the building.

Another factor is access. Only individuals who agree to be rostered at the new clinic would be eligible to use it. This would cut off all of the seasonal residents in the township, and force people currently rostered at the Northbrook and Sharbot Lake clinics to change their medical practitioner.

Last month councilors said they would canvass the idea of the township funding a new clinic with their constituents. “For the seasonal residents, the fact that they would have to pay for a clinic they would not have access to made them less likely to support it,” said Councilor Fred Perry, who has been the Council liaison person to the LakeLand Family Health Team.

Before making their decision, Council met with Doctor Tobia and Janice Powell of the Lakeland Family Health Team.

WASTE MANAGEMENT PAYBACKS –

North Frontenac Council has invested heavily in waste management over the last several years, and last week they received an administrative report on some of the revenues they are now receiving from the provincial government and Waste Diversion Ontario.

BLUE BOX FUNDING: Based on recycling levels in the pervious year, the township receives a rebate from Waste Diversion Ontario. With recycling levels increasing, that has risen from under $5,000 in 2004, to over $40,000 in 2010.

2004 - $ 4,541; 2005 - $ 5,055; 2006 - $ 7,490; 2007 - $23,696; 2008 - $37,444; 2009 - $40,340; 2010 - $41,578.

Under the new Ontario Tire Stewardship program the township received $1,222 for collecting 1,111 tires between September 2009 and June of this year.

The township received over $4,000 to pay for roll off bins for the collection of glass from Waste Diversion Ontario, and $5,000 for a Blue Box communications plan.

The township also receives money from Stewardship Ontario to cover costs related to the collection of Household Hazardous waste, up to $40,000 in 2010.

AMBULANCE BASE/FIRE STATION - The tender documents are being prepared by North Frontenac Fire Chief Steve Riddell and Frontenac County’s Land Ambulance Manager Paul Charbonneau for the combination ambulance base / fire hall in Ompah

At a special meeting on July 26, Council granted the tender for an addition to the Barrie Fire Hall to Bel-Con Design/Builders Limited.

Editorial by Jeff Green

A few weeks ago South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison was talking at Frontenac County Council about a county roads management plan.

He expressed the concern, which we will hear again and again as the push and pull between local townships and Frontenac County Council continues to be a feature of local politics, that money from his local ratepayers could be requisitioned by the county for roads in other Frontenac townships.

That debate will play out over the next couple of years. Would a county roads system be more efficient to administer, or would it merely add a layer of unnecessary bureaucracy and cost? Would putting all the roads together make it cheaper to maintain the key arterial roads or would it merely transfer money from the haves, such as South Frontenac, to the have-nots, such as Central and perhaps North Frontenac?

This is why Davison feels obligated, as any mayor from South Frontenac would, to put the concern about sending money to the county for roads at the forefront of any conversation that includes the words “county” and “roads” in the same paragraph.

The other thing that Davison said was that South Frontenac will be facing the re-build of 18 kilometres of Road 38 in the coming years. “We are just now looking at the 18 kilometres of Road 38 that is a monster that is about to bite us,” he said at the county meeting on August 11.

If Bill MacDonald takes a break from planning his campaign for the provincial Liberal Party nomination, that statement by Davison should make him smile just a little bit.

South Frontenac has been blissfully ignoring Road 38 ever since amalgamation in 1998, and now the road is like the proverbial chickens that are coming home to roost.

Back in the mid '90s, Road 38 was a provincial highway, but downloading was about to take place. The part of Road 38 that passed through what was then Portland Township and is now South Frontenac, was rebuilt by the Ministry of Transportation before the road was downloaded. The rebuild ended at the border between what became South and Central Frontenac. Phil Leonard, then Reeve of Portland and later Mayor of South Frontenac, has been given credit for helping the ministry see the value of investing in the portion of Road 38 that ran through his jurisdiction just before the road was downloaded.

After amalgamation and downloading, Central Frontenac was faced with their crumbling portion of the road, which arrived with a sum of money that was less than it would ultimately cost to rebuild the road. Bill MacDonald was Mayor of Central Frontenac for its first nine years, and he spent that entire time seeking money from the province to cover the cost of fixing Road 38, a sum that was greater than his township’s annual budget. It took about nine years of cajoling and complaining and even whining a bit, but the money eventually came and the road got rebuilt.

Meanwhile South Frontenac was sitting pretty on the smooth portion of the road.

While South Frontenac has been enjoying their road, time has crept up on it. Roads don’t stay smooth forever, and now they see a big, bumpy, cost coming their way - $10 to $15 million or so. They have put no money aside for that rainy day, and as Davison said, that day is now coming.

Up in North Frontenac, the township embarked on a paving program, a few kilometres a year, on their downloaded roads (Hwy. 509/506). The money that came with the roads covered that cost for several years and since that money ran out North Frontenac ratepayers have been covering the incremental costs each year.

South Frontenac Council has been meeting every week for years, talking about amalgamation, development, parks and recreation, waste management, etc. They have passed budget after budget, 13 of them since amalgamation, but they have no plan, no plan at all, for Road 38.

And guess what - the Province is not likely to come to the rescue any time soon. All of the infrastructure money is gone. While South Frontenac ratepayers got a library and an ambulance base for cheap because of infrastructure grant money, they are looking at paying for Road 38 themselves. That is, unless a county roads system can be put in place and the cost can be spread out over the ratepayers from all across the county.

Maybe the mayors from the other townships should be even more worried about that county roads plan than Mayor Davison is.