The Township of North Frontenac has asked Frontenac County to consider making changes to its plans for the construction of a fire hall/ambulance base in Ompah.

The project, which is jointly sponsored by the county and the township, with each paying for the costs associated with their own portions of the building, is slated by the county to be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building and to be constructed with the assistance of a project manager.

In a report to North Frontenac Council, the township’s Chief Building Official George Gorrie questioned the value of LEED and the need for a project manager, and the added cost that both will bring to the project.

LEED is a points-based system where points are awarded for different features. Some of those points are not reasonable goals for the kind of building that is being constructed, according to Gorrie.

He pointed out that one point is awarded for having a bicycle storage rack, and one point is awarded for public transportation access, and one point for using alternative fuel vehicles.

“The list of requirements does not work for small buildings that are to be occupied on a limited basis as this fire hall/ambulance station would be. The extra cost and limited usefulness of these features would not make any economic sense,” Gorrie said.

In terms of the project manager, Gorrie said, “The proposed building in Ompah is a fairly small, simple building. I see no real need for a project manager for this project … In my view it would add an unnecessary level of supervisor.”

After receiving Gorrie’s report, North Frontenac Council passed a motion directing township staff to negotiate with Frontenac County “based on the facts LEED standards and the Project Manager are not legislated, not applicable, nor appropriate, for this minimal project and limited usage, etc. and the township cannot afford them.”

As Frontenac County Council prepares to consider this motion at their meeting this week (October 20), county staff prepared a response to George Gorrie’s report and North Frontenac Council’s motion.

In the report, which was prepared by Paul Charbonneau, the Director of Emergency Services, LEED is characterized as having been “endorsed by county council though the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. They have become the standard for all recent projects and have been the standard used when funding applications have been submitted.”

Charbonneau referred to a report that “indicated LEED-certified buildings can save 7-12% in net income through a reduction in operating costs … A simple evaluation of the construction budget versus the value of LEED is short-sighted.”

In terms of the project manager, Charbonneau said, “The county has consistently invested in the services of a project manager. This investment has proved cost beneficial in the short term and will likely prove to be so in the longer term.”

Even in a relatively simple “design-build” project such as the one that is being contemplated, Charbonneau argued that a project manager would be useful.

“In the absence of a project manager, there is a total reliance on the construction company, whose first interest is its bottom line, not that of the client,” he said.

The North Frontenac Township’s stance in regards to LEED standards not being appropriate for this project does have some support in the burgeoning green building community.

North Frontenac Not-For-Profit Housing, which is constructing a five-unit housing project in Central Frontenac, opted out the LEEDS program for their project in favour of another program, Green House Certified Construction.

“We found that for our project the Green House Certified construction standards, which focus on energy use, water use, air quality, and construction materials are more applicable in a rural setting for a smaller project. LEED carries a lot of administrative costs, and other related costs that made it unworkable for us,” said Cam Allen, the project manager for the Central Frontenac housing project.

“For larger commercial and institutional projects LEED is very good, but not for private homes or small commercial projects” he said. “LEED is not the only way to be energy efficient.

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has not made a commitment to LEED for the new headquarters they are planning to build.

Paul Charbonneau estimates that LEED will add approximately 10% to the cost of the fire hall/ambulance station in Ompah and project management will add another 5-10%.

At the conclusion of his report, Charbonneau asked county council to “provide staff with direction as to how to proceed with future negotiations with the Township of North Frontenac for the Joint Land Ambulance Fire Station Project.”

 

Addington Highlands – Incumbents lose in Ward 1

By Jeff Green

Most of the candidates for council in Addington Highlands, along with acclaimed Reeve Henry Hogg, had gathered in the council chambers at the Flinton Rec. Centre by 8 p.m. on Monday night, when the polls were supposed to close.

The door to the council chambers was closed, so as not to interfere with the bingo that was going on next door. Then the news came that the polls were remaining open for an extra hour, setting up an hour of polite chat as candidates waited to find out what their fate would be, with the only one who was truly relaxed being Henry Hogg.

When the vote came in shortly after 9 it revealed that voters in Ward 1 (Denbigh) wanted a change. Two new candidates, Adam Snider (404 votes) and Tony Fritsch (343 votes), won spots, with incumbents Janice Kerr (270 votes) and Eythel Grant (184 votes) both going down to defeat. Yvonne Rosein (115 votes) rounded out the field.

Bill Cox, a former councilor, will be back on council in Ward 2 (465 votes) and he will join the only incumbent councilor to be returning, Helen Yanch (365 votes). The other incumbent, Louise Scott, did not run (Scott was in the other room playing bingo). Mary Ann Tryon (328 votes) and Larry Pealow (314 votes) were the other candidates in Ward 2.

Reeve

Henry Hogg Acclaimed

Ward 1 Denbigh

Adam Snider             404

Paul Fritsch               343     

Janice Kerr                  270

Eythel Grant                180

Ward 2 Kaladar

Bill Cox                       465

Helen Yanch               360

Mary Ann Tryon           328

Larry Pealow                314

Central  Frontenac Township

Election Night in Central Frontenac

by Julie Druker and Jeff Green

Tension gathered as the clock ticked down in Oso Hall on election night and the seats quickly filled before the first poll was tallied and posted on the screen.

The majority of candidates running were present and most of them either stood, paced or talked with supporters, colleagues, friends and family members with their heads oriented to the front screen, allowing for a quick glance from time to time.

The first results came in at around 10:30pm and defined certain leads that would remain until the bitter end roughly one hour later.

Frances Smith in Oso ward and Tom Dewey in Kennebec ward both took early leads and kept them till the very end. In the mayoral race after the first poll the three candidates were separated by roughly 300 votes each, with Janet Gutowski in the lead, followed by Logan Murray and Douglas Lee.

The second set of results saw Logan Murray closing the gap with Janet Gutowski, but only slightly. Soon afterwards, the game appeared over when the next set of results saw Gutowski pull ahead with a total of 1459 votes, with Murray next with 985 and Lee in third with 361.

The final tally was Gutowski 1713, Murray 1161 and Lee 434.

Janet Gutowski (photo left) was thrilled.

“I'm very happy about it and am very pleased with the people who stood by me and supported me and I'm looking forward to a very bright future for the area.”

As far as the numbers went she said, “A lot of people got out and voted which is great and I have to think that democracy is always right.” She added with a laugh ”and for me in particular it worked out rather well.”

Logan Murray said, “I'm definitely disappointed but people get the government that they elect.” He continued on in a more positive note, saying, “I gave it my best shot and talked to between 2000 and 2500 people of which at least 1500 told me I had their support.”

Will he give it another shot?

“Definitely not,” he said, “Even if I'd won this one I wouldn't have run again.”

Gutowski will be joined by five returning and three new councilors.

In Kennebec, Jeff Matson (552 votes) was returned, and he will be joined by Tom Dewey (664), who replaces Gary Smith. Smith did not seek re-election. Other candidates in Kennebec were Tom Waller (275 votes) and Britian Wilson (111 votes).

In Olden ward, incumbents John Purdon (439 votes) and Norm Guntensperger (410 votes) will both be sitting on council again, and Justin Gray (216 votes) finished in third place.

In Oso ward, Frances Smith (615) was the most popular candidate. Wayne Millar (414 votes) won the seat that was vacated by long-time council member Bob Harvey. Carol Coupland (298 votes) and Rick Greenstreet (259 votes) rounded out the field.

Finally, Hinchinbrooke ward was where one-term incumbent Philip Smith went down to defeat. Smith (440 votes) finished third, behind Heather Fox (499) and returning incumbent Bill Snyder (515), who will add another term to his 29-year council career.

Mayor

Janet Gutowski   1713

Logan Murray        1161

Douglas Lee            434

Councillor Ward 1

Tom Dewey            664

Jeff Matson            521

Tom Waller               275

Britian Wilson          111

Councillor Ward 2

John Purdon                439

Norm Guntensperger  410

Justin Gray                     216

Councillor Ward 3

Frances Smith               615

Wayne Millar                  414  

Carol Coupland               298

Rick Greenstreet             259

Councillor Ward 4

Bill Snyder                      553

Heather Fox                    499

Philip Smith                      440

Lanark Highlands Township

Short and sweet in Tay Valley

Incumbent Roxanne Darling (443 votes) and former councilor Mark Burnham (328 votes) were elected to Tay Valley Council from South Sherbrooke ward. Dave Campbell, (213 votes) finished in third place. All other candidates in Tay Valley were acclaimed, including Reeve Keith Kerr and Deputy Reeve Susan Freeman. The only other ballot in the Tay Valley election was for Upper Canada District School Board Trustee. In Tay Valley, Stephen Day (604 votes) received more votes than the incumbent Bill MacPherson (457) but the election took place throughout Lanark County, and in the overall vote, MacPherson was returned to the board by a vote of 3426 to 2920.

Mayor

Peter Mclaren                1882

Bob Fletcher                   1007

Cory Donaldson                412

Ryta Dulmage                   294

Ward 6

Brian Stewart                     516

JoAnne Wheeler                  308

School Board Trustee Lanark and Tay Valley Upper Canada District School Board

Bill Macpherson               3426

Stephen Day                      2920

(Note – in Tay Valley - Day  604 Macpherson  457 – In Lanark Highlands -  Day 811   Macpherson  1382)

North Frontenac Township

Clayton beats Beam in North Frontenac

By Jeff Green

When North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire announced he was not going to seek re-election, the current deputy mayor, Jim Beam, a one-term councilor, seemed to have a strong chance at the job. Beam announced his candidacy early in the year, and campaigned all summer.

It was only as the nomination deadline was approaching that Bud Clayton (photo left), who served two terms on council (2001-2006) and then ran for mayor and lost to Maguire in 2006, decided to throw his hat into the ring. During the campaign period the battle between the two men took a bitter tone, leading up to an exchange at the final all-candidates’ meeting in Cloyne. Bud Clayton had been running a campaign based on his leadership skills and experience, and at his final opportunity to speak, Beam effectively called Clayton yesterday’s leader. “He talks about leadership in the past,” Beam said, “whereas I’m providing leadership right now and can provide it tomorrow.”

During the campaign Jim Beam had talked about the level of commitment he has shown as deputy mayor, citing the example of the Clarendon Central School chili cook off. “So he was at the chili cook-off,” Clayton scoffed after Beam had made his comments about leadership. “What does that have to do with providing good government?”

Flash forward to the Clarendon/Miller Hall in Plevna on Monday night. By 10 p.m. there were three or four euchre tables going. Bud Clayton was sitting at one end of a long table, and Jim Beam’s wife Vickie and his daughter were sitting a few seats over. Jim Beam was at the township office working as a scrutineer. Of the 30 or so people in attendance, the majority were candidates or candidates’ family members. And, a full two hours after the polls had closed, not a single result had come in.

Finally the phone rang and the results of the first of seven polls was delivered by Township Clerk and Chief Returning Officer Brenda Defosse. Clayton had a sizeable lead, about 200 votes. At more or less regular intervals the phone kept ringing and the numbers came in. Within an hour the lead had changed hands a couple times as votes from across the township, including Jim Beam’s home district in the Ompah/Snow Road area, came in. Sometime after 11:15 Jim Beam arrived at the Hall, his scrutineering responsibilities having been completed. At this point the two candidates had about 900 votes each, and it was unclear which ward the final results were going to come from. Clayton seemed to be winning in Ward 3, Barrie Ward, which has the largest population, while Beam was cleaning up in his home ward. In Ward 2, the results had been mixed.

Then the phone rang. Final results: Clayton 1170, Beam 1061.

In the races for council, the Ward 3 contest for the second seat was a see-saw battle between Shawn Gray and the incumbent Wayne Good, with the fourth candidate Lorraine Garey also gaining with each set of results. In the end Wayne Good (420 votes) held on to his seat over Shawn Gray (387 votes) and Lorraine Garey (352 votes). Fred Perry (577 votes) topped all vote getters in Ward 3.

In Ward 2, newcomer Gerry Martin (420 votes) and incumbent Lonnie Watkins (404 votes) will sit on the new council. The other incumbent Elaine Gunsinger (255 votes) fell short, as did Karin Ferguson-Reynolds (213 votes) and Paul Thiel (61 votes).

Finally, in Ward 1, two new councilors were elected. John Inglis received the most support (355 votes). He will be joined by former councilor Betty Hunter (249 votes). Incumbent Bob Olmstead (184 votes) lost out, as did Robin Riddell (126 votes).

When the new council is sworn in on December 1, only three of the seven members of the current council will be sitting around the table.

When interviewed the day after the election, Mayor-elect Clayton said he is “optimistic that council can work well together as a team.” He said he would be meeting with each of the members of the new council “to find out what they heard going door to door during the campaign and to find out what their strengths are.” He said he would likely be looking to maintain and strengthen the committee structure on council.

Mayor

Bud Clayton  1170

Jim Beam        1061

Councillor Ward 1

John Inglis        355

Betty Hunter      249

Bob Olmstead     184

Robin Riddell       126

Councillor Ward 2

Gerry Martin                         552

Lonnie Watkins                    468

Elaine Gunsinger                   255

Karin Ferguson – Reynolds   213

Paul Thiel                                 61

Councillor Ward 3

Fred Perry                              577

Wayne Good                          420

Shawn Gray                            387

Larraine Garey                        352

 

South Frontenac Township By Wilma Kenny and Jeff Green

Election night this year in South Frontenac lacked the drama of the old chalkboard days, with results shifting throughout the evening as the polls came in. However, an anxious crowd of candidates, supporters and political junkies at the township hall did have the suspense of having to wait an extra hour for the results, due to a slow-down in the system. According to Chief Election Officer Wayne Orr, this problem wasn’t peculiar to South Frontenac. Computer voting throughout portions of Eastern Ontario was brought to a crawl by the heavy influx of last-minute voters. As a result, the poll was kept open until 9 pm, and results were published a few minutes later.

It turned out be a pretty good night for the incumbents, in particular Mayor Gary Davison (photo left). Davison received 4460 votes, a comfortable margin over his opponent John Fillion, who received 2979 votes.

The campaign centred on some questions about direction that had dogged South Frontenac Council for the past four years. During the campaign, John Fillion charged that the amalgamation of township services led by Mayor Davison had been a mistake, and also questioned why council had rejected the 0% budget increase that he had proposed in 2010.

In response, Davison supported the 1.92% increase in the 2010 budget as “the cost of doing business”, defended the amalgamation project, and talked about the success the township has had in obtaining infrastructure grants for bridge work, and a new library and ambulance base.

“I feel re-charged by the confidence that people have placed in me to carry on in the way we have been working,” Davison said when contacted by phone on Tuesday (Oct. 26), “and it looks to me like we will have a very good council moving forward.”

Davison said Council would be faced with a major challenge “maintaining the infrastructure and programs that we have now without some added assistance from senior levels of government.

“They loaded us up with all sorts of added responsibilities and we are going to have to work hard to convince them they need to come through with added support - or else we are going to have a lot of trouble keeping taxes from going up and up.”

There will be some new faces at the council table in Sydenham starting on December 1. In Bedford District, incumbent Del Stowe (715 votes) will be joined by newcomer Mark Tinlin (821 votes). Tinlin is replacing David Hahn who did not seek re-election. The two incumbents in Loughborough District, Ron Vandewal (1240 votes) and Allan McPhail (969 votes) were re-elected, while in Storrington incumbent Larry York (1008 votes) will be joined by first-time councilor Cam Naish (1305 votes). Naish will take the seat that was vacated by John Fillion.

Portland District saw the only incumbent go down to defeat. One-term incumbent Jim Hicks (708 votes) lost out to long-time councilor Bill Robinson (842 votes) and John McDougall, a popular community activist from Verona who received the most votes of any council candidate in the township (1305 votes).

Another incumbent who did not fare well was the Limestone District School Board Trustee from South Frontenac, Barb McLaren (2747 votes), who was defeated by Suzanne Ruttan (3129 votes).

Mayor

Gary Davison   4460

John Fillion        2979

Councillor, Bedford District

Del Stowe            715

Mark Tinlin          821

Pat Barr                             662

Councillor, Loughborough District

Ron Vandewal     1240

Alan McPhail          969

Fran Willes               883

Randy Ferguson      688

Councillor, Portland District

John McDougall   1309

Bill Robinson          842

Jim Hicks                708

Doug Lovegrove                 659

Councillor, Storrington District

Cam Naish            1305

Larry York             1008

Peter Roos             932

Wayne Clancy        856

Limestone District School Board

Suzanne Ruttan          3129

Barb Mclaren               2747

Tay Valley Township

 

In Ward 6 of Lanark Highlands, incumbent Brian Stewart (516 votes) defeated challenger Joanne Wheeler (308 votes). In the Lanark Highlands mayoralty race, incumbent Bob Fletcher (1008 votes) lost out to Peter McLaren (1882 votes)Reeve

Keith Kerr acclaimed

Deputy Reeve

Susan Freeman - acclaimed

Councillor  - South Sherbrooke

Roxanne Darling        443

Mark Burnham           328

Dave Campbell          213

 

 

 

Editorial by Jeff Green

In considering the results of the municipal election in the four townships that we cover regularly (three in Frontenac County and Addington Highlands), the initial impact in all the townships should be minimal. There were a number of staff members, particularly in South Frontenac, who may have been dusting off their resumes in the run-up to the election, but with three incumbent mayors returning and a number of returning councilors who are not opposed to the general direction each of the townships is moving in, those resumes could be gathering dust again for four years.

And while Bud Clayton is a new mayor-elect in North Frontenac, he did not make any promises to challenge the status quo in North Frontenac; in fact he shared the credit for the initiatives that were taken during the six years he sat on council.

In Addington Highlands, there will be three new councilors, but Reeve Hogg is still in place, and one of the new councilors, Bill Cox, was on council recently. While the new councilors from Ward 1, Adam Snider and Tony Fritsch, presented some new ideas, neither of them ran as anti-council candidates. Addington Highlands remains stable.

Frontenac County Council may be another case altogether. Because of re-structuring, and the fact that the longest-serving member of the council, Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek, went down to defeat to Dennis Doyle, county council will become an eight-member body with six new members. The two returning members, Janet Gutowski and Gary Davison, were the rookies last time around. Not a single member of the 2011 county council was sitting at the county table in 2006.

County council has long been the whipping boy for township councils in Frontenac County. The expression “empire builders” was the most common description of the county during the all-candidates meetings, and it was used by a number of people who will likely end up sitting on county council when the townships choose their second representatives in early December.

The paradox is that at the same time as local politicians slam the county, they recognise that the Frontenac townships are too small to deal with all the infrastructure and service responsibilities they are facing on their own.

Figuring out how to make Frontenac County work with the local townships is an absolute necessity for all involved, and the key to making that happen is for the county council to develop its own priorities for the future. Up to this point the county’s priorities, as far as I can tell from observing the meetings for eight years or so, are brought to the table by county staff based upon the staff’s understanding of the provincial regulatory framework.

County council has been a reactive body, which to a certain extent all councils are, and it has also been a forum for divisions between its member townships at times.

The Green Energy initiative, and the K&P trail committees have been exceptions to this trend, and they bode well for the future of the county.

But there are large hurdles to be overcome before Frontenac County is seen in Plevna, Sharbot Lake, and Sydenham as a part of the solution to the problems faced by township councils instead of one of those problems.

Sorting out the Ompah ambulance base/fire hall issue will be a severe test of the new county council, and it will not be easy because it involves money, territory, and history, as well as the safety of residents for the next 40 years or so.

The Ompah ambulance base / fire hall issue will take a lot of political skill, patience and good will to solve, and if the art of compromise is going to be a feature of Frontenac County politics over the next four years, it will start with this issue. 

OMPAH AMBULANCE BASE/FIRE HALL

“I'm very disappointed with the way this project is being carried out,” said North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire when a report by Paul Charbonneau about the Ompah ambulance base/North Frontenac fire hall was brought forward. “North Frontenac entered into this project for cost reasons and for reasons of efficiency and economy of scale, but the costs that are being talked about are way beyond our means,” Maguire added.

Based on the costs that are being incurred at the Sydenham ambulance base, which is currently under construction ($172 per square foot), Charbonneau estimates the cost of the Ompah building at $774,000, plus about $70,000 for project management and an additional amount for energy and environmental elements in line with the LEED program that the county has adopted as the standard for new construction.

Charbonneau is also working under the assumption that since the ambulance base will occupy 1/3 of the space, the county will pay 1/3 of the cost.

North Frontenac has budgeted $300,000 for the project, based on a cost of $80 per square foot, which is a figure that is in line with the cost of the fire halls recently constructed in Mountain Grove and Sharbot Lake. The township argues that LEED provisions are beyond its means and that project management is unnecessary.

“The way this is going I'm thinking we should each build our own building on the site,” said Magure.

“I think we cannot afford not to have a project manager,” said Frontenac Islands Mayor and County Council member Jim Vanden Hoek. “We'll get much better value and a much better project, and will avoid pitfalls. We are building a significant piece of infrastructure for the future. But I question the estimated cost for project management. For the Howe Island fire hall, project management is costing less than $10,000, not 10% of the project cost.”

County Warden Gary Davison spoke out in defence of LEED provisions. “The LEED provisions will make for cheaper operations in the long run,” he said, “I really don't quite get why we are going south on this at such a late hour. I still think we should go in a direction of one building on one site.”

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski pointed out that a co-location provision was key to the county approval of the project in the first place.

“These are long-term decisions that need to be carefully thought out. If North Frontenac is not prepared to partner with the county, then the county should consider relocating the ambulance base. I point out that the second part of the motion that we passed calling for a co-location project in Ompah calls for the Parham base to be moved towards Highway 7. If North Frontenac pulls out of this, then the whole motion will have to be reconsidered,” she said.

“I don't think there is any urgency to this right now,” said Mayor Vanden Hoek. “I think it can go back to North Frontenac to have another look at this.”

County council decided to defer any further comments on the matter until receiving further information from North Frontenac.

The matter will be discussed at a North Frontenac Council meeting this week.

Green Energy Task Force -

John Kittle from Snow Road, a community member of the Frontenac County Green Energy Task Force, and South Frontenac Councilor David Hahn, presented a report on the progress that has been made over the past year by the task force.

Aside from playing a role in promoting solar generation projects by each of the Frontenac townships, the task force has been active in preparing an easy to follow step-by-step guide for private sector individuals who wish to enter into the world of micro-fit solar power generation.

“A number of retirees, who have a bit of money to invest, are finding the return of 12% very attractive. There are a number of these people moving into the county. If we can help them along ... “ said David Hahn.

Private sector involvement in Green Energy was seen as key to the success of the task force by Mayor Vanden Hoek. “Until there is involvement in this by the private sector it will go nowhere,” he said.

“One of the things we have talked about, which has been adopted by EcoPerth, is a buyers' club to help keep costs down,” said John Kittle.

County council endorsed the request by the task force to continue on after the new council takes over.

“That's as much as we can do,” said County Warden Gary Davison. “It will be up to the new council to decide.”

Rural Routes gets a smooth ride -

Don Amos from Northern Frontenac Community Services, flanked by David Townsend from Southern Frontenac Community Services, made a presentation concerning the progress that has been made by the Rural Routes Transportation Collaborative in developing a county-wide service.

In order to further the process, a group from the Queen's School of Business has come forward to do an analysis of the service and develop a business model for integration.

“A word of caution,” said Jim Vanden Hoek, “Queen's will inevitably take your project on and give you a positive report.”

“We are working with Susan Beckel (Deputy Clerk) and Marian Vanbruinessen (Treasurer) from the county to develop a terms of reference. They will keep it grounded,” said Amos.

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski and North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire both expressed their support for the program, as they have many times in the past.

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison, who has expressed many doubts about Rural Routes, said, “Thank you for this report. I was an advocate for making sure there was some sort of a business plan for this service, and that's what I'm seeing, I just wanted to make sure you were being efficient with our money. I would think that at the next budget you may well be looking for a modest increase from the $80,000 we provide to you, and it may well be there.”

 

Saga of Ompah fire station/ambulance base continues

At their meeting last week, on October 28, North Frontenac Council again addressed the Ompah Fire Hall/ambulance base issue, which has been the subject of a back and forth debate with Frontenac County in recent weeks.

Mayor Maguire described how members of Frontenac County Council had shown support for the county staff's position that the project should be built using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building standards points system, and should make use of a project manager.

County council did not go so far as to make any recommendation about the issue, leaving North Frontenac Township and county staff to continue working on the details.

And the details are daunting.

The township has put $300,000 into a reserve fund for the project, and based on an estimated cost of $80 per square foot they thought they would be able to cover their own share of the project costs.

However Frontenac County staff estimate the project costs at $172 per square foot for construction alone. With extra costs for LEED upgrades and project management, the cost will likely reach $200 per square foot.

This costing, according to Frontenac County Emergency Services Manager Paul Charbonneau, is based on the costs the county is incurring right now as they build an ambulance base in Sydenham.

For the township to do this within the current budget they would have to limit the fire hall portion of the project to 1,500 square feet, roughly 1/3 of the size that the Ompah fire department says they need.

Councilor Wayne Good said, “I now think the only solution for us right now is to consider building the fire hall in stages, so we can limit our costs and raise money to finish the building off in a couple of years when we have the money.”

Fire Chief Steve Riddell was in attendance at the meeting, and he did not express an opinion about Good's multi-stage building proposal. He said it would have to be brought before the Ompah fire crew, and a meeting with the fire crew and the three members of North Frontenac Council who were re-elected, Wayne Good, Fred Perry and Lonnie Watkins, as well as Township Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson, will take place tonight (November 4) in Ompah.

In the meantime the township passed a motion to accept the county’s insistence on LEED standards and project management, and ask the county to keep in place the $300,000 that they have committed to the project, so that the details can be worked out over the winter.

Other items from North Frontenac:

CAMPING FEES TO GO UP – Fees for campsites managed by the township under the Crown Land Stewardship program are going up. Corey Klatt, who manages the program for the township, reported that the Crown Land Stewardship Program “has enjoyed continuous success throughout the past few years and I have been reluctant to suggest any increase in fees, but with the HST we have no choice now.”

Klatt recommended that camping passes go from $20 to $22 a day (for up to six campers), and from $15 to $17 a day for non-profit groups, and from $20 to $22 for a weekly road permit.

“Were the numbers for the program up again this year?” Councilor Perry asked Corey Klatt.

“They were up early in the season but I don't have the final numbers yet,” Klatt said.

The website that books sites and road permits for the program will stay open year round from now on, even though the township renews its land use permit with the province on an annual basis. Further information is available at Northfrontenacparklands.ca

 

Denbigh School purchase “imminent”

One of the hurdles to establishing a satellite medical clinic in Denbigh is about to be removed. The Limestone District School Board sent a letter to Addington Highlands Township last week formally offering to sell the Denbigh School to the township for $75,000 on an “as is” basis.

The board has received certification that all of the remaining asbestos in the building has been removed.

With the purchase of the school now imminent, although a final date for the transaction has not been indicated, the township will be contacting the retired school custodian in Denbigh who has been monitoring the building to see if he is willing to continue to do so for the township. As well, snow removal and water testing will need to be arranged.

Other items from Addington Highlands Council:

PINE MEADOW FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN:

Pine Meadow will be starting up a $50,000 fund-raising campaign to support the redevelopment project. The township has allowed the Pine Meadow Management Committee to put up a thermometer sign at the Flinton Hall to mark the progress of the campaign.

KALADAR WASTE SITE – Works Manager Royce Rosenblath informed Council that the Ministry of the Environment is requiring that no less than 15 different issues need to be resolved at the Kaladar waste site. He will provide details as to cost.

BRUSHING – In response to a letter from Skootamatta resident Rosemary Teed complaining about the brushing job that was done on her road, Rosenblath said that the brushing is designed to limit growth in future years, even though it looks messy at the time.

 

New planner in the works for Central Frontenac?

By Jeff Green

Central Frontenac Council received a letter from their planning consultant, Glenn Tunnock, this week, advising them of his pending corporate move to North Bay.

As of December 1, Zanderplan Consultants of Perth will handle smaller planning issues, while Glenn Tunnock or his associate David Welwood will handle major projects such as Official Plan or Zoning Bylaw updates.

In receiving the news, members of council began to consider whether they might look to a new direction when the retainer contract with Tunnock Consulting ends at the beginning of January, 2011.

“We are in a position to make a decision as to whether we could get a staff person to do the work or hire a consultant,” said Councilor Norm Guntensperger.

“Perhaps a community such as North Frontenac would like to consider partnering with us, to see if an in-house planner is something we both want to look at. They use Tunock as well,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski.

Council passed a motion asking staff to prepare a report for the new council to look at, outlining the amount that is spent on planning consultants each year.

BRIDGEN’S ISLAND – Council received information from Frontenac County about the proposed resolution of a zoning issue on Bridgen’s Island. Bridgen’s Island is an island on Eagle Lake that has been collectively owned since the 1970s. It is on the verge of being carved into 14 separate lots in a plan of subdivision. But it is a bitter pill for four of the former collective’s members, because although the 10 lot owners who have built cottages/cabins will be able to keep them, the four lot owners who have not built will never be able to.

In order to comply with development limitations imposed on Frontenac County and Central Frontenac Township by the province when Eagle Lake was designated as a “trout sensitive” lake, the four undeveloped lots will be deemed as “privately owned open spaces that cannot be developed as building lots”.

“I have met with the property owners from Bridgen’s Island,” Mayor Gutowski told Council, “and while this was not their first choice, they will accept it.”

OSO WASTE SITE – The township has been informed that it is not in compliance with its certificate of approval (C of A) for the Oso Waste site on Wemp Road on a number of fronts. The non-compliance problems range from the bureaucratic - the C of A needs to be amended when the hours of operation at the site change - to some more serious issues, such as the township not covering the site with fill as often as is required by the Ministry of the Environment guidelines, which could lead to increased rodent and other animal populations at the site.

Public works Manager Mike Richardson said he would be working to ensure the township complies with the C of A. The report from the ministry estimates 11 years of life remain at the site, but a detailed analysis of remaining life will be done next year, Richardson said.

SPEED LIMIT SIGNS NEAR SHARBOT LAKE - Council received a letter from John Hawley, who has a cottage just south of the bridge at the foot of Sharbot Lake Village. Hawley said that cars travel that section of road at excessive speed, causing a hazard at the turnoff to the beach, Family Health Team and Maples Restaurant. Hawley said cars routinely travel well in excess of the speed limit.

Members of Council agreed with the concerns expressed in the letter, and said they will consider starting the 60 km zone further south on Road 38 so people will know the village is coming up.

“Speed limit signs are only as good as the enforcement,” said Councilor Bob Harvey.

Enhanced railway crossing on Crow Lake Road -

Canadian Pacific has applied for funding from Transport Canada for the construction of a wing arm gate and lighting system for the railway crossing on Crow Lake Road west of the hamlet of Crow Lake. There have been accidents at the location in recent years, and the sight lines are poor. Transport Canada will cover 80% of the $249,000 project and CP is willing to pay 7.5%, leaving Central Frontenac with a cost of $31,000 or so.

Some councillors thought they could negotiate a better deal with CP, but Councilor Gary Smith pointed out, as did Public Works Manager Mike Richardson, that by federal law, railways are a primary use for land, so the road is in the way of the rail line and not the other way around. “It is our problem, not theirs,” said Smith, “so any money they are willing to contribute is a bonus.”

$31,000 will be put in the preliminary 2011 budget for the project.

CROSS ROAD CLOSING - CP has also informed the township they will doing some work on their line near Crow Lake on Monday and Tuesday of next week, and the Cross Road will be closed for those two days.

BUILDING RESULTS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS – Permits for 42 new homes have been taken out in Central Frontenac for the first 10 months of 2010, a jump from the 26 that were taken out by the end of October in 2009, and 12 more than the 30 that were taken out at the same point in 2008.

The total value of construction is also up, now standing at $7.24 million with two months to go as compared to $5.19 million at the same point in 2009, and $6.4 million in 2008.

This year’s numbers are comparable to those in the boom years of 2005 and 2007. In 2005 a total of 49 new homes were built, and in 2007, 40 were built. The highest total construction value year in the township’s history was 2007, when it was about $8.8 million (including the $1.5 million Family Health Team Project)

 

Central Frontenac Council Support Reintrocuction of Snow Drags

by Julie Druker

Dustin Kehoe, a member of the Skills Link group in Sharbot Lake, presented the group’s plan to reintroduce and organize snowmobile drag races this February 18 and 19 in Sharbot Lake. The races, which have been successful in the past, were halted due to a lack of volunteers. Kehoe outlined the benefits that the event will bring to the businesses and organizations in the local community as a well-attended winter event and tourist attraction.

Councilors offered their advice to the group and suggested contacts for the group to approach to help them in the proposal. The group was pleased with the council support and will spend the next three months planning the event.

Davy Road Woes - Mark Montagano, who lives on Davy Road in Piccadilly, requested maintenance to a 1.5 km section of that road, which is regularly used by 20 residents, but has become almost impassable. After much discussion as to why that was and the standard of service that should apply, council invited Public Works Manager Mike Richardson to weigh on the matter. As per his recommendations, council passed a motion to remove brush, and provide gravel and maintenance for safe passage.

PST cut on Hydro bills? Councilor Frances Smith brought to council's attention a correspondence from the Municipal Taxpayer Advocacy Group who were looking for support on a motion to remove the PST portion of HST on Hydro Power bills. Smith said, “My concern is for people on very low fixed incomes who might be disconnected from their hydro services because they cannot afford to pay the bill.” Council passed a motion supporting that motion. Councilor Gary Smith wondered if the same might be done for PST on all winter home heating sources.

Multi-Use Centre - Council passed a motion to support a $16,000 grant application for the Creative Communities Prosperity Fund to undertake a cultural needs and assessment project ($2000 of which will come from the township). Mayor Gutowski said that the grant would allow for a cultural mapping of the entire municipality and that the project will have value for many years.

Out of County expenses? Outgoing councilors Gary Smith and Bob Harvey drew up a motion to explore how other municipalities go about reimbursing councilors who attend regular meetings out of the county. Gary Smith explained, “Sometimes we can travel five to seven hours to and from certain committee meetings that we regularly attend every month so it would be interesting to explore how other municipalities deal with it.”

Council supported the motion.

 

Bill Cox, representing the Mazinaw Powerline Snowmobile Club, brought a request that council give a letter to the club confirming that it can use the O’Donnell Road bridge providing the club brings it up to snowmobiling standard and the bridge is signed as being for snowmobiles only, not for vehicular traffic.The question arose about whether vehicular traffic included ATVs, but Cox pointed out that ATVs are not allowed on snowmobile trails.Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch said that she is concerned about the bridge being closed to vehicular traffic; she thinks the bridge should be repaired and opened to vehicular traffic.Cox responded that that could be looked at in the spring after the snowmobile season has ended and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) has taken its insurance off the trails.Council agreed to provide the letter.

A second letter was received from ratepayer Rosemary Teed about the work done by a brushing machine on the Jacques Bay Road. The letter reiterated points of complaint that were contained in Teed’s first letter and said, “…to cut the Jacques Bay Road and leave it in is this condition is a travesty; to continue to employ this machine in other areas is beyond comprehension…”.Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch said that she has received quite a few phone calls about the brushing job and she feels that there are safety and liability issues with the brushing work that was done. She brought forward a motion to halt the use of the use of the machine until the township could find a “better way” of doing the brushing.Councilor Louise Scott agreed with Yanch, saying that the road had been left in a dangerous condition, with tall stumps and debris.Councilor Eythel Grant said that the township has used the same machine for years.After more discussion, Reeve Hogg called for a vote, but as only Yanch and Scott supported the motion, it was defeated.

The township has been waiting for a report from Jewell Engineering about the Beattie’s Curve Road. A resident approached the township in the past asking for maintenance on the road in order to provide access for oil delivery trucks. Clerk Jack Pauhl confirmed that the road is a township road.Deputy Reeve Yanch said that her position on un-maintained township roads is well known – that she feels the township should provide ratepayers on un-maintained roads with some maintenance, such as an occasional load of gravel or a new culvert. The remainder of the present council has always taken the position that changing the policy of not providing any maintenance would be too expensive for the township.The township will look for the report from Jewell Engineering.

 

In the final meeting of the current incarnation of Central Frontenac Council, the members kept debating to the end, and their Committee of the Whole meeting extended past its two-hour time frame.

The first item on the agenda was the consideration of a request by Miller Surveying of Stirling to place a receiver on the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake to complete a precision GPS (Global Positioning System) network in Southern Ontario. The network will provide precise information, within 2-3 centimetres, for business clients, surveyors, or municipalities. The receiver, according to Paul Miller, “is smaller than a shoebox.” Miller added that all that would be required is a high-speed Internet connection and power, which his company would be willing to pay for.

Council had no objections in principle to the idea, but concerns were raised about the location. “I think we should have our IT department look at this and bring back a report,” said Deputy Mayor John Purdon. “Security might be an issue in this hall.”

“The risk is all theirs, not the township’s. If they are comfortable, why should we worry about it?” said Councilor Frances Smith.

Most of council agreed with Purdon, and a staff report will be prepared. The new council, which will meet in mid-December, will consider the matter.

ELECTION SUMMARY – A summary of the recent election was presented to council by Chief Administrative Officer John Duchene, with a request that council consider Internet/telephone voting next time around because of the added burden on township staff that the mail-in system entails.

“An election represents a significant event for the clerk and his/her assistants during the pre-election period and consideration should be given to examining other voting methods for the 2014 election,” Duchene wrote in his report.

The turnout for this year’s election was 46%, down from 51% in 2006. Duchene pegged the cost of the election at $18,484, with an additional $2,000 estimated as the cost of the work time spent by salaried staff in the township office processing ballots and making additions/deletions to the voters’ list in the run-up to the election.

“I heard from several people that the Internet system didn’t work so well in South Frontenac,” said Councilor Bob Harvey. “I like our method of voting.”

“I see no problem investigating other options,” said Councilor John Purdon.

In considering how the recent election went, John Duchene said there were some problems with the preliminary voting list that was supplied by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). “In hindsight, when the list came out we should have dedicated a staff member, or an intern, to go through it carefully,” he said.

“You would think that if MPAC is able to put people on the tax roll they could put them on the voters’ list. We should talk to them about what they are doing,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

ROAD EMERGENCIES

Public Works Manager Mike Richardson reported on two washouts that occurred after heavy rains caused beaver dams to give way. Ardoch Road was closed Wednesday morning, Nov. 17, and re-opened by 4 p.m. to one lane of traffic. It was rebuilt by 4 p.m. the following afternoon.

The Arden Road was closed on the same day, but traffic was only stopped for a short time and the road was completely re-opened by that evening. Both roads will need re-paving next year.

Richardson also brought forward the Echo Lake Road situation. That road washed out during the summer and a temporary repair was done, but that repair is now unstable, and a permanent solution, which calls for two six-foot diameter culverts at a cost of about $170,000, is recommended.

With the council in what is called a ‘lame duck’ status currently, because fewer than ¾ of the current members will be on council as of next month, there was a question as to whether the expenditure could be approved. It is over $50,000 and the project was not in the 2010 budget.

John Duchene pointed out, however, that the township’s procedural bylaw permits the mayor and CAO to approve an emergency expenditure if there is an identified risk involved.

“There is a definite risk here,” Richardson said.

“My position is that we are not going to go to council to approve this,” said John Duchene. “It is something that is being approved by the mayor and myself”.

Given that, council accepted Mike Richardson’s report on emergency road work.

NEW CBO TO BE HIRED – With the death of Ian Trickett, the chief building officer position will be advertised starting next week, with a closing date of December 21. Alan Revill, the CBO of South Frontenac, is covering the job in the interim. Revill was already listed as the township’s Deputy CBO to cover for any illness that might occur, so no change was required for him to step in.

Honing in on Zoningby Julie Druker

A series of public meetings were held to finalize considerations for applications for Zoning By-law amendments.

The first one was for Bridgen’s Island on Eagle Lake, which has been before council on several occasions. The township’s planning consultant Glenn Tunnock brought a letter from Vincent Fabilli of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to council’s at-tention. The letter said, “It is regrettable that this office and our partner ministries have not been appropriately pre-consulted during the preparation of this zoning by-law amendment.”

In response to Fabilli’s complaint Tunnock said, “I did not personally pick up the phone and talk to the ministry because we don’t typi-cally do that and I would not have done it in this particular circumstance because as a profes-sional I believe that what is being proposed is reasonable in this particular circumstance.” He added, “I also want to point out that the prov-ince has never, ever shown their true hand on what they feel about this particular proposal as to whether they think it complies with the Official Plan and the Provincial Policy State-ment and I think they have been unfair to this council.”

Nonetheless Council heeded the ministry’s re-quest and deferred the zon-ing bylaw amendment until a meeting with the ministry can be arranged.

Garrison Shores

Glenn Tunnock made a presentation regarding the condominium application for the Garrison Shores prop-erty development, an issue that has been before council for years. A number of the Garrison Shores lots will ex-tend to the shoreline of Garrison Lake. 

One of the Garrison Shores property owners, Jeff Dubois, addressed council. “The objection that I’ve been making for eight years is that a narrow strip around the shore line should remain part of the common element and I’m here seeking information and would like to clarify once and for all whose decision is it to create lakefront lots at Garrison Lake.”

“The interest of the municipality has always been to protect the water quality of Garrison Lake by imposing certain set back require-ments consistent with the shoreline policies of this municipality,” Glenn Tunnock responded.

Paul Chaves, the presi-dent of the Garrison Shores Association, spoke next and outlined the reasons for the changes to lot sizes over the years. “As a condomin-ium association we hope to finally be able to make this thing work,” he said.

Council passed a resolution to go ahead with the preparation of draft conditions of approval for the Garrison Shores Condominium Development as outlined by Tunnock Consulting. The matter will then be forwarded to the county.

Adieu, Adieu to you and you and you

Council said an official thank you and good-bye to councilors Bob Harvey, Gary Smith and Philip Smith, and Mayor Janet Gutowski presented each with a gift and plaque com-memorating their work on council.

 

Photo: Front row: Brenda and Mayor Ron Maguire. Back Row: Lonnie Watkins, Bob Olmstead, Elaine Gunsinger, Wayne Good and Fred Perry.

After losing out in last month’s municipal election, Councilors Bob Olmstead and Elaine Gunsinger participated in their final council meetings on Nov. 18, while Deputy Mayor Jim Beam, who lost out to Bud Clayton in the race for mayor, was absent.

But the major event of the meeting came when the outgoing mayor, Ron Maguire, said goodbye to council and township staff after seven years as the head of council.

“I have had several careers in my life. I am now embarking on the next one,” Maguire said, “and I want to wish you all the best. I would like to mention, in particular, Cheryl Robson and Brenda Defosse, who have been very professional and helpful to me over the years, and have fostered a team relationship between council and township staff.”

At the end of the meeting, a stone bench was presented to Maguire and his wife Brenda. The bench will be placed on the rustic golf course he has built at their Mountain Road property.

Before all of the presentations and thanks were expressed, a business meeting of council took place.

WASTE SERVICES TO NORCAN LAKE.

North Frontenac received a letter from the Township of Greater Madawaska giving 60 days notice that the Black Donald Waste site will no longer be available to residents of North Frontenac. A number of North Frontenac residents, who reside in a subdivision in the vicinity of Norcan Lake, use that waste site. They access their properties from the north, and are over an hour’s drive away from any North Frontenac site. As was pointed out in an administrative report to council, Norcan residents will either have to drive to a site in North Frontenac, or take their garbage home – that is, if they have another home to take it to. The state of fire service in the region is also an issue of concern and the NF Fire Department has been trying to contact the Greater Madawaska department.

“I voted against extending that subdivision, for these reasons,” said Councilor Wayne Good. “I don’t think we should allow any further growth up there until this is resolved.”

“That doesn’t matter,” said Councilor Lonnie Watkins. “We need to provide services for the people living there, no matter what we think.”

The issues will go to the new council for consideration.

REPLACEMENT ON COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT – With Committee of Adjustment member Gerry Martin’s election to council, the alternate member of the committee, Frank McEvoy, will replace Martin as a permanent member of the committee, and the township will advertise for a new alternate member.

DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF RESIGNS – Steve Dunham, the Deputy Fire Chief in Ompah, will be resigning his position on January 1, but will be remaining as a member of the department.

When contacted by the News, Dunham said that his decision to resign as deputy chief was taken over the summer and had nothing to do with the ongoing issue of the new fire hall/ambulance base at Ompah.

“I am resigning as deputy chief because of the amount of paperwork required on the job in a time when I have to deal with increased pressures from my own bussing business,” he said.

Dunham said that the township had an excellent meeting with members of the fire department about the Ompah fire hall project a couple of weeks ago, and the firefighters are committed to working with council to find a solution to the issues that have been raised.

BUILDING NUMBERS UP BY OVER $1 MILLION

A report by Chief Building Officer George Gorrie showed that as of the end of September, $7.2 million in new construction had been commenced in the township this year, up from $6.1 million at the same time last year, and $124,000 in permits had been sold, as compared to $102,000 at the same time last year.

The inaugural meeting of the new North Frontenac Council will take place on December 9 at the Plevna Fire Hall.