Ontario Parks nixes winter operation of Bon Echo Park

It took the better part of a year for the Director of Ontario Parks, Bruce Bateman, to respond to a report from Addington Highlands that was focused on the opportunities that would come from Bon Echo Park opening for winter recreation opportunities.

When the response came last week, it was as short as it was long in coming.

“While we are very interested in the results of the report, the opportunity for a winter operation at Bon Echo is not being considered at this time,” Bateman wrote.

He went on to say that the park has been “continuing the expansion of the roofed accommodations and supporting park infrastructure to support shoulder season visitation.”

Bon Echo Park is scheduled to be open for camping between May 13 and October 16 this year. When contacted, Park Superintendent Clark Richards clarified that by shoulder seasons Bateman was referring to the 2nd Friday in May until mid-June, and after the Labour Day weekend until the Park closes on the Sunday after Thanksgiving Monday.

“While Ontario Parks is not considering extending the operating dates for Bon Echo Provincial Park at this time, if successful with increasing visitation within the current operating season and if there is customer demand, we are not opposed to expanding future recreational opportunities,” Richards said in an email.

While waiting for the response from Ontario Parks, Reeve Hogg brought up the idea of winter opening to the minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport at a municipal conference in February.

“The minister thought that Bon Echo was open in the winter,” said Hogg.

Canada 150 fund

The township received notification from MP Mike Bossio that applications are being accepted for grants under the Canada 150 fund until June. According to Bossio, “The Canada 150 fund can support projects across a broad range of subject areas, including but not limited to: arts and culture, environmental stewardship and connecting with nature; sport, health and active living; history and heritage; science and technology; and civic engagement.”

Councilor Tony Fritsch offered to look into possible projects and consult with the public before coming back to Council.

Councilor Kirby Thompson wondered if everyone on Council would have to grow a beard and wear a top hat during the centennial year to mark the occasion, to which Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch said, “I am not going to do that.”

Winter, spring, winter again and beaver dams

Roads Superintendent Royce Rosenblath said crews dealt with issues after all the rain late last week, and were getting ready to shovel snow again this week, if necessary.

He also said he has been in contact with the Ministry of Transportation over the potential impact on Hwy. 41 should a beaver dam, located near the highway at Mazinaw Hill, be taken out by township crews before it eventually gives way and releases a large amount of water, which it is now holding back.

“We have not heard from the MNRF [Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry] and the dam is on Crown land under their control”, said Rosenblath, “so there is nothing we can do. Maybe the MTO will be able to pressure the MNRF on this.”

A cottage is located on low land between the highway and Mazinaw Lake and the township is concerned about damage if the dam, which is 15 feet high, should give way.

Requests approved

A request from the Flinton Rec. Club to sell advertising on the boards of the Flinton rink to help cover operating costs of the rink was accepted. A request from the Mazinaw Powerline Snowmobile Club to store a new groomer in unused township garage space was also accepted.

It has been a number of years since absenteeism among paramedics at Frontenac Paramedic Services and both nursing and non-nursing staff at Fairmount Home was flagged as above the industry targets for those sectors.

The County's human resources staff have been gathering data on absenteeism ever since, in an effort to determine if absenteeism mitigation efforts have had an effect. The latest rolling average suggests that Fairmount Home staff are still off sick more often than the target, which for nursing staff is 10 days or less off sick per year for 80% of employees and for non-nursing staff is 7 days off sick per year for 80% of employees. 67%% of nursing staff and 71.5% of non-nursing staff met the target. The 67% figure for nursing staff represents an improvement over the 64% figure from the previous period, but for non-nursing staff it represents a drop from the previous period, when 86% of staff met the target.

As for paramedics working for Frontenac Paramedic Services, who have a target of 12 sick days for 80% of employees, the numbers continue to lag. Only 58% of paramedics met the target, down from 65% the last time around.

In presenting the numbers to a meeting of Frontenac County Council a couple of weeks ago, CAO Kelly Pender said that specific circumstances, such as a flu outbreak that sent a number of paramedics home in the middle of their shifts last December and lasted three to four more days in most cases, “had a significant impact on the statistics”.

For their part, Frontenac County politicians wondered what they can do with the numbers.

“I'm not sure what these numbers are telling us,” said Councillor John Inglis.

Measures taken to mitigate against sick time have had mixed success. After paramedics were approached to discuss sick time last May, 12 paramedics launched grievances that are now in arbitration.

Waste management measures deferred

The waste management committee of the township met recently and discussed two potential changes. One would decrease the amount of waste going into the sites and the other would increase revenue.

The first measure is to stop allowing all construction waste at dumps. Instead, the committee contemplated allowing only a single truck or trailer load, and to have that material tossed into a bin and hauled away rather than filling up the waste site itself.

“That would result in people dumping in their backyards; at least that's my opinion,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

The second idea was to eliminate the practice of allowing a free bag of dumping for every box of recycling that people bring to the dump. Recycling would still be free, but it would cost $2 per bag of waste.

“I don't think there are too many places where you don't have to pay something to dump garbage,” said Councilor Bill Cox.

“We already have the free bag in place, and it's hard to change something that people like and are used to. If we do, I would like at least one of you to come with me to each cottage association meeting,” said Reeve Hogg.

“People are paying extra in taxes because of the free bag, but the cost is hidden so they don't mind,” said Cox.

Council decided just to receive the waste management report, and Councilor Fritsch indicated he would bring the issues back to the table through a notice of motion at a future meeting.

Organisational review

Craig Davidson from Hybla Consulting brought a preliminary draft of an organisational review. He recommended establishing a chief administrative officer/clerk treasurer position as a new senior staff position, who would supervise a public works manager, the fire chief, and a chief building official/bylaw officer/facilities manager, as well as a deputy clerk/office manager.

“My concern is that once we have a CAO and a bunch of managers, we will end up with names on the Sunshine List in a few years, and that is something we cannot afford,” said Reeve Hogg.

(The Sunshine List contains names and salaries of public servants in Ontario who earn over $100,000 per year)

Bill Cox pointed out that change is needed in some of the township's operations. “We have council members managing buildings, ordering repairs, such as the Denbigh Community Centre and the Family Health Team in Northbrook, and that is not what Council should be doing,” he said.

Davidson said he would consult with Council and staff and will bring back a further draft proposal.

Budget yikes

The preliminary draft budget that was presented at a special meeting before the regular council meeting by Clerk/Treasurer Christine Reed, included a 5.5% increase in operating costs, due in part to increases of $107,000 (a 17% increase) in OPP billing, and a new budget line of $80,000 to go towards loan payments for the Northbrook fire hall.

However, it was the capital budget that caused the most concern. That budget includes a rolloff truck ($250,000), a backhoe ($150,0000), a cardlock fuel monitoring system ($120,000), and other items, for a total cost of $550,000.

Those expenditures led to a total budget increase of $430,000, almost 18%. Reed said when contacted the day after the meeting that the number did not go over well with Council. She said she received instructions to change the equipment purchase portion of the budget. As she had noted in the budget document, at least one item, the rolloff truck, could be struck from the budget and the amount put in reserves for a purchase at a later date. That, in itself, would cut the increase to under 10%. Further budget meetings are set for April, with adoption scheduled for May 2.

K&P Trail update

Trail proponents and the county's economic development department have a goal of completing the K&P Trail as far as Sharbot Lake by Canada Day, 2017, Canada's 150th anniversary.

The trail is now complete from the bottom of the county at Orser Road, just east of Road 38, all the way to Tichborne. However, to complete the last eight kilometres of trail will be more complicated than the first 50 or so were.

While the section of trail that is now complete was (almost) entirely owned by the county after they purchased it from Bell Canada, who acquired it from Canadian Pacific, the section now being looked at was sold off to private owners. There are 22 land owners who own sections of the former K&P rail line, some who own a few metres and some three or more kilometres.

Marcel Giroux and Wayne Robinson, who both have decades of history in the Tibchborne to Sharbot Lake corridor, have volunteered to meet with landowners and negotiate agreements.

In her report to County Council, Anne Marie Young notes that Robinson and Giroux “feel every person will want some kind of consideration/ compensation for the value of the trail they own.”

She said that a draft appraisal report has been completed to determine fair market value to establish a figure that can be used as a basis for negotiation. “Expropriation is also an option if need be,” she noted, and added that a meeting has been held with the county’s solicitor to determine a plan if that becomes necessary.”

For his part, Marcel Giroux is optimistic that amicable arrangements can be made with most of the landowners, but accommodations, not only of the financial kind, will need to be made.

“There are some places where houses have been built over the trail, or septic beds are on or near the trail, so we will need to find alternate routes,” said Giroux, in a telephone interview after the Council meeting

Giroux added that the most of the landowners who have been approached have been either supportive or at least neutral towards the idea of allowing a trail to go through their land.

He said that as negotiations continue, those pieces that have been secured will be completed to the high standard of the rest of the trail.

“We want to create some more momentum if we can,” he said.

There is an initiative aimed at consolidating the K&P trail north from Sharbot Lake through Central and North Frontenac into Lanark and Renfrew. A meeting was held in January with officials from the other counties, and further meetings are planned.

Upgrades to county offices

A report on necessary and desired upgrades to the county offices, which are located in what is called the “Old House”, was presented to Council. The “Old House” was originally constructed in 1919 by Colonel William H Fair, and is attached to the Fairmount Home and the offices of Frontenac Paramedic Services.

The report says there is ample floor space in the building for the current and future space needs of county staff. However, since it is a house and not an office building, much of the space is wasted and there is a lack of privacy in many of the offices, which are located in converted bedrooms, family rooms, etc.

Of the 13 issues of concern raised in the report, the most immediate has to do with washroom facilities and accessibility issues, which need to be addressed in order to comply with the Health and Safety and Accessibility acts. Other than that, the issues are more those of efficiency and costs of operating an older building.

Staff put forward eight wide-ranging options for Council to consider, from doing nothing, to decommissioning the building and constructing new offices, possibly within Frontenac County.

Council favoured the middle of the range, asking staff to come back with costing for option 4, “renovate for washroom accessibility and improved reception and improved productivity” and option 6, “Old House conversion to new use and addition to accommodate accessibility and productivity needs.”

North Frontenac tax increase sneaks in at under 3%

It was only by the slimmest of margins, but in spite of an increase in OPP costs of $173,000, which in itself represents an increase of 3.16% of the overall North Frontenac budget, staff managed to bring in a budget with an increase of 2.98%.

Although the OPP increase was offset by a $75,000 increase in provincial transfers, flat-lining the rest of the budget took months of effort from staff as well as council, which met numerous times in the fall of 2015 and again this winter to fine-tune the numbers.

By partnering with Frontenac County for IT services and waste management consulting, and Central Frontenac for building services, cost savings have been realized. There was also a reduction in heating costs.

The township was also one of 77 municipalities in Ontario (out of 144) to receive a grant under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund this year. The grant of $288,000 will cover 90% of the cost of a new culvert on Buckshot Lake Road. The township will also purchase two pickup trucks and a Sterling tandem truck.

The planned re-build and renovation of the township office is not included in this year's budget. The project will remain in the design stage this year.

Community Improvement

Once Council had approved their 2016 budget, Anne Marie Young and Reid Shepherd presented the final version of a Community Improvement Plan, which will be available for businesses in the entire township.

The program will include funding under four different categories: facade improvement, accessibility enhancements, commercial space funding, and municipal fees granting program. While in other Frontenac townships, individual hamlets were chosen for funding, such as Verona in South Frontenac and Sharbot Lake in Central Frontenac, all businesses in the Township of North Frontenac are eligible for funding support for improvements to their business location, including renovations and expansions of existing buildings. However, the program does not apply to new construction. There is a $2,500 limit for any single project, and an additional $2,000 for grants to cover municipal fees, such as building permits, for renovations and expansions.

Frontenac County is providing a $70,000 pool of money for the program, which will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis for projects that fit the criteria of the program. Once that money is spent, the township may choose to invest its own money to extend the program. Most of the grants will require matching investments from the businesses involved. The Community Improvement Plan also includes municipally generated projects. For further information, contact the township.

Electoral reform – North Frontenac style

Based on a request from Mayor Ron Higgins, a document was received by Council about reviewing municipal ward systems by Quinto Annibale, a Toronto-based planning consultant.

Higgins said that if the township is interested in changing the current system, they need to do so by the end of 2017 in order for the changes to come into effect in time for the 2018 municipal election.

“Although I think we are striving to work together towards a common goal at council, and I have found this council has made great strides in that direction, I don't see us abandoning the ward election system,” said Higgins. “What we might do is cut down to one member from each ward, and a mayor and deputy mayor elected at large, by the entire township.”

Since there are two representatives for each of the three North Frontenac wards, and Barrie Ward is home to more than twice as many people as Palmerston Ward, Councilor John Inglis said, “What we could do is have two representatives from Barrie Ward, and one each from the other two, and the mayor elected at large.”

The matter was deferred.

Independent Electricity Service Operator (IESO)

North Frontenac will take the lead in the municipal response to the IESO regarding mandatory municipal support for renewable energy projects. Last week, the locations of wind and solar projects that were awarded contracts under phase 1 of the Large Renewable Procurement process were announced. Consultations are getting underway to determine the rules for phase 2, a process that will take over a year.

Mayor Higgins has been asked to develop a position paper on behalf of a number of townships, and Council gave him leave to do that work.

“The main goal is to ensure that municipalities have a veto over the location of wind or solar projects within their boundaries,” said Higgins.

Resistance from South Frontenac

Mayor Higgins said that it caught him by surprise when, at a meeting of Frontenac County Council, the mayor of South Frontenac did not want to allow him to report on the activities of the Rural Mayors’ Forum of Eastern Ontario, a group that Higgins founded.

“He seemed to feel that we were undermining the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, and I explained that we are not trying to do that; and that we are working collaboratively with other organizations on a set of common issues,” said Higgins.

County Update

County Warden Frances Smith and CAO Kelly Pender presented an update of the County’s current projects and priorities This was followed by a brief discussion of problems caused by servers not sharing cell towers. Councillor Sleeth asked about planned upgrades of the County offices: Pender said that the building itself provides plenty of room but the current layout is awkward and there is no accessible washroom on the main floor. Upgrades will address these issues.

Lowered Cost of Closed Road Allowance

Planner Lindsay Mills asked Council’s direction on setting a fee for an ‘orphaned’ piece of closed road allowance on Concession VIII, Storrington. In most cases, road allowances within 300 feet of water are priced at $2.41 per square foot, the same as if they had water access. (Total cost of this land would then be $41,000.) However because this is a backlot, and to facilitate its becoming attached to one or more of the neighbouring properties, Council agreed to compromise and set the fee at the commercial lot price of $1.03 per square foot.

Recreation Facility User Fees

CAO Orr and Tim Laprade, Township Recreation Supervisor, asked Council for direction in sorting out the question of user fees for halls and sports facilities throughout the Township.

Since its introduction in late 2013, this has been a controversial issue which South Frontenac’s Recreation Committee has not been able to resolve. Some of the challenges have included:

• Most historical agreements are vague and unrecorded.

• Inconsistency in who pays fees for use of halls and fields, and how (in kind, donations back to community, set rates, etc).

• fees don’t reflect the true cost of maintenance and operation of facilities (and to what degree should they?)

• fear that fees would be a barrier to participation.

• fee-payers might demand higher levels of service and maintenance.

Acknowledging that any recommendation will be to some degree controversial, Council agreed to ask Orr and Laprade to study the present situation (how much money in fees is currently being collected, vs the costs of maintaining Township facilities), and bring to Council recommendations re a consistent and fair fee schedule.

CF Council expands CIP to include entire township

Following a presentation by Reid Shepherd, community planner with the County of Frontenac regarding the Central Frontenac's Community Improvement Plan (CIP), council passed a motion extending the availability of the program's grants and loans to the entire township.

The change was motivated by a motion to include other communities, which was put forth by councilors Jamie Riddell and Victor Heese back in April 28, 2015 at a regular council meeting. When the CIP was first adopted back in August of 2012, the program was available only in Sharbot Lake. Council members were unanimously in favor of extending the boundaries and widening the scope of the program, though many differed about who exactly could apply and whether the program should be restricted to business owners or include institutions like churches and also residents who may want to improve their properties.

To date, of the $80,000 that was initially available in the program, ($70,000 through the County and $10,000 through the township), $27,150 in funding remains. A total of 11 projects have been approved, seven of which have been completed and four still yet to be. The CIP offers a number of incentive programs that include facade improvement, accessibility enhancements, business start-up funding, a community improvement loan program and a municipal fees grant program. Council will have staff advise how the remaining funding could be best used.

Auditor's consolidated financial statement approved

Breanne Bradshaw, senior manager with the township's auditors, KPMG, presented the 2015 consolidated financial statements for the township. Bradshaw was accompanied by Vicky Leaky and township treasurer Michael McGovern.

In the report's highlights, Bradshaw said that the township “is in a net debt position”, suggesting that the township “has financial capital purchases and future obligations”. On the topic of tax assessment and tax arrears, the taxable assessment for the township was up 5.4%.

In a summary of the report, Bradshaw said that the municipality received an “unqualified clean" audit opinion.

In ending her summary Bradshaw reported that council “will have opportunities in the future to consider setting capital levy as a percentage of operating expenses; developing a long-term financial strategy to fund projects using debt if the project meets specific criteria; and developing a reserve/reserve fund policy that provides guidelines for staff on the acceptable limits that council approves”.

Cost for toilets and storage at Oliver Scott Memorial site

Council received a letter from Lesley Merrigan who is heading up the Sharbot Lake rink project. She said the site is in need of storage and washroom facilities since the existing facilities are slated for demolition. Merrigan said because construction at the site is expected to begin this summer, a storage unit and two portable toilets are needed, which will cost $1380. She also asked council's permission to begin the demolition of the existing facilities in preparation for this year's upcoming baseball season. Council accepted the request for information and directed staff to report back to council regarding the viability of the request.

Re-Use Centre postpones proposed May opening

The Re-Use Centre Committee, which has met four times to discuss a mandate and its terms of reference, is currently in the process of approaching Community Living-North Frontenac with the hopes of entering into an agreement of cooperation with the Treasure Trunk, which is currently undergoing an operational review. The Re-Use Centre committee is preparing a presentation to the board of directors of CL-NF at their regular meeting on March 30 to better understand the future plans of the Treasure Trunk so that the committee can hopefully move forward with the plans for the center.

New organizational chart approved by Council

Council approved recommendations by Clerk/Administrator Cathy MacMunn and the Human Resources Committee to reflect the recent changes in positions and shared services with the County and other townships. The changes were made in two township departments. The building and planning departments have morphed into Development Services, and include a manager of Development Services/CBO and a Development Services assistant. The latter will also act as the secretary treasurer for the committee of adjustment. Further, public works has a new administrative assistant position.

Public Works administrative assistant appointed Cathy MacMunn updated council on the fact that Heather Robinson, a staff member at the township, has been offered the position of public works administrative assistant. A new front counter receptionist will be hired to fill Robinson's former post.

Housekeeping Amendments to Zoning By-law

Planner Lindsay Mills recommended a number of zoning by-law amendments to ‘correct minor errors/omissions’ in both mapping and text of the document. During the public meeting, several present expressed concern about Mills’ proposals in relation to existing buildings within the required 30 metre setback. Section 5.10.2 addresses the degree of renovation allowable for such a building, which on occasion has included building from the foundation up on the same footprint. Mills revision clearly says that reconstruction is prohibited: “once the walls of an existing structure within the…30 metre setback have been removed, the land is deemed to be vacant and the structure may not be reconstructed within the 30 metre setback.” He also proposed removing section 5.11 which permits replacement of a legal non-conforming structure under certain conditions such as destruction by fire, flood, etc.

During the discussion that followed, Councillor McDougall suggested using the Committee of Adjustment to decide individual situations. “They have a legal, thoughtful way of dealing with such issues.” Others suggested postponing a decision until summer, when cottage owners could be present. Mayor Vandewal said this was too long a delay: “It would just open the floodgates and everyone would start to build right away (while they still can).” Jennifer Garrah of Fotenn said any decision would be premature until there was a full review and consultation process: “This should not be just a formalization of what the planner has always done.”

In the end, Council passed all of the motion except for the issues related to buildings existing within the 30 metre setback, which were deferred for two months for further consideration.

Electric Vehicle for Township Fleet?

Deputy Mayor Sutherland’s notice of motion that staff recommend to Council “how best to integrate an electric vehicle into the Township’s fleet” was passed after having been amended to read that “staff evaluate the merits of integrating an electric vehicle…”

2015 Deficit Addressed

ln 2015 expenses came out $429,214 over budget. This was increased to $517,011 after the year end surplus of $87,797 from the 2015 Winter Maintenance budget was transferred into the Winter Reserve. The cost overruns for upgrades and preparation to Centennial Park were funded from the working funds reserve and the remaining deficit was covered by reductions in the Public Works 2016 budget. the major savings was accomplished by deleting the $400,000 Westport Road Culvert project. Only the Culvert design will be kept in this year’s budget.

Arena Board Loan

Council approved a short-term loan to the Arena Board, which will enable them to do major work over the summer ‘down time’ before they are able to access their reserve funds in early September.

Petworth/Jackson Quarry Expansion Rezoning Approved

Because of the unusual nature of this quarry (no blasting and no increase in tonnage) this zoning will permit residential development up to within 150 metres of the quarry property.

Anderson Road Reconstruction Nearing Completion

Segsworth reported that this emergency work is expected to be accomplished for less than the originally estimated $50,000.

Sydenham Village Parking Restrictions

The current “Wild West” style of parking in Sydenham Village will soon be a memory, with hefty fines in store for the sidewalk-in-front-of-the-bank parkers and hydrant-blockers. Council passed the parking by-law proposed by Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth, which will include a handicapped parking space near the drugstore, and turn Cross Street into a (the Township’s first?) one-way street. Segsworth said that two problem areas remain to be reviewed further: Rutledge Road in front of the High School, and George Street between Bedford and Wheatley.

Plan to rationalize the Harrowsmith intersection to two roads

Anyone who has ever driven north or south through Harrowsmith has experienced the confusion of roads that come together at the foot of the village. At Tuesday night's (March 8) Committee of the Whole meeting of South Frontenac Council, Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth presented a proposal to turn the six-way intersection into a simple two-road intersection by having only the Wilton Road reach Road 38.

“There have not been many accidents at that intersection but anyone you talk to can tell you about near misses, and when we looked at the school bus traffic there it was pretty scary,” said Segsworth.

The plan that Segsworth is recommending, and will bring to a public meeting at the S&A Club on March 21, will see Wilton Road intersect with Colebrook Road to the west of the intersection, and will see Ottawa Road become a dead-end road that no longer reaches the intersection. To the east of Road 38, Colebrook Road (east) will also be turned into a dead-end road. (see diagram)

“We are going to be meeting with everyone who is affected by this, including the store that is located at the intersection of 38 and Colebrook [Wilton Creek Fabrics] to see that we can accommodate their needs,” said Segsworth.

“We also have an opportunity to improve pedestrian crossing and improve the potential for a trailhead pavilion where the Cat and K&P trails meet just south of the intersection,” he added

The Public Works Department has reached out to the Cataraqui Conservation Authority and Frontenac County to talk about potential changes to the trailhead.

Township representatives met with Harrowsmith residents in September to talk about the process they were about to undertake to find a solution to the intersection.

Once the public is consulted again with a plan, public works will be back before Council to begin looking at the detailed engineering and environmental assessment work that will need to be done to make the changes. Wilton Creek runs under Road 38 at that location as well, and improving safeguards against runoffs into the creek will be an additional element to the project.

Coming soon to Sydenham – No-parking zones and parking tickets.

Area Supervisor David Holliday presented a proposal for parking restrictions in the Hamlet of Sydenham. The plan includes turning Cross Road into a one-way street with parking on one side of the road, as well as eliminating parking on one side of a number of roads, and in front of locations such as the Royal Bank. The plan also incorporates changes coming from the addition of bike lanes in the hamlet.

When the plan comes into effect there will be a grace period when vehicles will be warned but not ticketed. However, parking tickets will eventually be tucked into windshields in Sydenham.

Frontenac Law Enforcement, the bylaw enforcement company for the township, will be contracted to enforce the new parking bylaw when it is enacted.

For those living in other South Frontenac hamlets, who may feel left out, Mayor Vandewal said, “We are only starting in Sydenham. We plan to roll it out in other villages after that.”

Budget overage in 2015

Treasurer Louise Fragnito reported that township spending was over budget in 2015 by $429,214. The largest overages were in the public works department, where the roadside maintenance and safety and signage spending was $427,000 over budget and capital projects spending was $275,000 over budget.

The roadside maintenance came about because public works staff took on ditching work in November and December because the weather was so warm. The safety/signage overage is attributed to replacing guide-rails on Perth Road after an accident, and costs associated with two road closures. The capital budget overage is attributed to the unexpected need for blasting in one project; guide-rail upgrades on two roads; and widening of local roads.

Mayor Vandewal said that the overages need to be covered out of the 2016 budget, a feeling that was reiterated, though less forcefully, by other members of council. Works Manager Segsworth said he would bring some proposals for savings in the already approved 2016 budget to a future meeting.

The other overage that concerned Council was $118,000 in the Facilities and Parks Budget, which came from spending at Centennial Park that related directly to the Frontenac County 150th anniversary event in August. Treasurer Fragnito suggested the shortfall can be covered from the Parkland Reserve fund, an idea that was rejected by Council.

Councilor Ron Sleeth said the Parkland Reserve Fund is for the “entire township to use, not just one region, and it has been depleted enough in recent years. I have no problem with what was done at Centennial Park, don't get me wrong, but it must be covered in some other way.”

A number of councilors agreed with Sleeth, leaving Fragnito to look for another source of funds to cover that particular shortfall.

Council remuneration

Mayor Vandewal received $31,400 ($24,816 in honorarium and the rest for meetings, mileage and per diems) in 2015. Among Council members, John McDougall was the highest paid at $21,433 (he was deputy mayor in 2015) followed by Pat Barr ($20,750), Ross Sutherland ($19,800), Alan Revill ($19,600), Norm Roberts ($18,980), Mark Shjerning ($17,000), Bill Robinson ($15,950), and Ron Sleeth ($14,500).

Samsung solar farm

Mayor Vandewal said that a representative from Samsung met with him to talk about the next round of Large Renewable Energy projects, which will be announced in the near future.

“He said that the next time around they will not even consider building in townships where the Council is against the project, so he wanted to know, before they go any further, whether we are interested. They are going to go big, at least 500 acres, so I want to hear from Council tonight so I can tell them whether to put any more into finding a location in South Frontenac.

“I can't say until we see specifically what is proposed, just like last time. We approved most of them, but turned some down,” said Councilor Alan Revill, a viewpoint that was repeated by others at the table.

“You are sure you are open to a 500-acre solar farm in the township?” said Vandewal. “I don't want you all to say you are open to this, then delay forever and finally say no, like you do with subdivisions.”

When no one answered, Vandewal said, “Ok, I'll tell them you did not say no.”

8% increase projected in CF Budget

Michael McGovern's updated Council on some minor updates to the 2016 budget, which is set for an increase of 8% in the levy to ratepayers.

The two remaining budget items that were discussed were Councilor Bill MacDonald's request that $5,000 be budgeted for the MUCC committee (Multi-Use Cultural Centre) and councilors Jamie Riddell and Tom Dewey's request to support the window replacements at the Pine Meadow Nursing Home. Council then considered adding $12,500 to the 2016 budget, which would cover the cost of one window at Pine Meadow.

With both items being considered, it looks as though council might easily meet McGovern's forecasted numbers, which have changed since the initial budget meeting in January.

“We found some savings to accommodate the 2015 deficit of $415,000 and made about $292,000 in cuts, which resulted in $123,000 being added to the levy to get us a $532,000 levy increase,” McGovern explained at Tuesday's meeting.

The final numbers, he said, are waiting on the announcement of the education tax, which should be come out in the next week or two. When that number arrives, council could indeed be passing their 2016 budget at their next regular meeting this month.

Construction details

February's construction value numbers are significantly down and are sitting at $118,000 compared to $773,071 at this same time last year. The year to date numbers reflect the same trend and stand at $448,000 compared to $823,071 last year. comparable with the numbers from 2014 and 12015.

Roads and waste site report

Public Works Manager John Badgley reported to council that he and his team have been busy this month plowing, sanding and salting roads, and repairing signage in the township. Graders have also been out ice grading and patching potholes as well as doing the major clean up of downed trees and branches from the recent ice storm. When asked by Councilor Bill MacDonald about the large pot holes on Clement Road, Badgley replied that they had been dealt with.

On the topic of hard plastics, for which Badgley had earlier requested that council implement a $1 tipping fee, Badgley said that he had spoken to a company that could take these plastic items, mostly lawn furniture and large toys and that he is still working on the details.

Regarding Councilor Bill MacDonald's request that Badgley look into the annual costs if the township were to truck out its garbage, Badgley estimated the cost at $750,000 per year, adding “It is difficult to determine precisely as we do not know how many tons of waste we are producing per year, nor do we know how many tons of construction and demolition waste we are putting into the waste sites”. Badgley said he came up with the number based the average waste produced per household in the township and added that the $750,000 cost does not include the cost of closing down the township's two waste sites.

Summer public works work schedule approved

Council approved the township's Human Resources Committee's recommendation to continue the implementation of a summer work schedule for public works employees, with staff to work 10-hour days four days per week with Fridays off from May 1, to September 30, 2016.

Public Works Manager Badgley also proposed that in case of emergencies during this time period, one of the two township garage's foremen would be on call alternately each week, a proposal that council also approved.

Rob Moore, who headed up the talent show at this year's FHF talent show, along with FHF chair Janet Gutowski present a cheque to Kim Cucoch, chair of the North Frontenac Food Bank.Council approved the HR committee's recommendation to hire a public works administrative assistant. The position will be posted internally for 10 days from March 11 to March 21 and will be posted externally in local newspapers and on relevant websites.

New signage approved for the CFRHS

Sally Angle and Gary Giller of the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society outlined their plans to erect 12 new signs at the Central Frontenac Heritage Railway Park in Sharbot Lake. The new signage will be thanks to a grant from Trillium, which came about through the work of John Duchene, and a new society member and former Sharbot Lake resident, Gene Kirkham. The signs will feature historic photos of the railway site.

FHF makes cheque presentation to the North Frontenac Food Bank

On behalf of the Frontenac Heritage Festival, Rob Moore and Frontenac Heritage Festival chair Janet Gutowski presented a cheque to Kim Cucoch, chair of the North Frontenac Food Bank, in the amount of $615.