The township of Central Frontenac has announced the upcoming appointment of Steven Silver as interim CAO.

The appointment will be formalised at the next meeting of Council.

Mayor Janet Gutowski stated: “Given the recent announcement and timing of Larry Donaldson's departure for a position at Tay Valley and the timing of the upcoming municipal election, council wanted to get this announcement out to staff and the public as soon as the arrangements were confirmed.”

Mr Silver has broad professional experience. He is retired from the position of CAO of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in 2012.

In 2011, he was received the Prestige award from the Association of Municpal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario in recignition of the work he had done while CAO of Lanark, Leeds and Genville, and earlier of Frontenac County in pre-amalgamation days.

He recently served as interim CAO in Bancroft. Residing in Kingston, he has been active with the United Way.

His appointment is set to last for six months and among the tasks he will oversee for the newly elected Council which will take office on December 1st will be the hiring of a new CAO and consolidation of the Public Works Department.

Mayhor Janet Gutowski and other members of Council have indicated that Kyle Labett, who has been the waste management co-ordinator, will be taking on the Puibcli Works Manager position on an interim basis.

Public Meeting over Condo Application

Over 60 people attended a lengthy public meeting to review an application for a plan of condominium development on the northeast shore of Loughborough Lake. One primary concern was the short two-week notice residents had in which to study the related documents and prepare a response: several asked for a second public meeting.

Mat Rennie pointed out that at least three of the lots had wetland as their waterfront, asking, “Won’t these people expect to get access to the lake from their property, through these wetlands that are supposed to be protected?”

Ed Koen said the monitoring test on his well was done in April, at a time when the well was not connected to his cottage, yet the report referred to fluctuations due to personal consumption: “Why weren’t these tests done in midsummer, when the water levels are at their lowest?” Another speaker begged the Township to stick to their stated goals and Official Plan: “There seems to be a lot of bending and variances to accommodate this development.”

Mike Keene, planner for the developer, corrected some issues: ie, the developer will be fully responsible for any alterations to Township roads which are needed to accommodate entrance requirements. He said he would need only two weeks to prepare responses to all other concerns raised in the meeting.

In the end, the present Council decided to defer any decision for three months so the incoming Council could deal with it, and recommended a second public meeting so all the residents’ concerns could be fully addressed.

Compensation Refused

Gail Dickenson, co-owner of Hillside Cafe came a second time to Council requesting compensation for loss of more than $12,000 revenue over the summer months due to construction on Rutledge Road. Council refused on the advice of their lawyer, who said that the Municipal Act forbids granting this form of assistance to commercial enterprise. The chief reason seemed to be fear of setting a precedent for both future and past projects.

Naish Resigns

Mayor Davison expressed regret over the resignation of Councillor Naish, Storrington district. Naish notified Council that he had moved outside the Township, so was no longer eligible to sit on Council. He will not be replaced, due to the short time left before elections.

Long Swamp Bridge

The Long Swamp Bridge has been deemed safe enough to be seasonally reopened for the next two years with a 5-Tonne single load limit. Segsworth said a full assessment is planned, to fully evaluate options for rehabilitation, replacement of removal of the bridge.

Reduced Speed Limits

On the recommendation of the roads department and the Public Services Committee, Council approved a by-law establishing speed restrictions on several roads in the Eastern part of the Township.

Museum Support

Council gave their approval to the establishment of the “Township of South Frontenac Old Stone School Museum” in Hartington, so the Historical Society can pursue further funding opportunities and partnerships. This approval is subject to being successful with the accessibility grant application.

Bubba Bowl this Thursday, Oct 9th.

Entry to The Point by foot traffic only.  

A dispute between Frontenac County Planner Joe Gallivan and South Frontenac Planner Lindsay Mills was played out once again on Monday night (September 22) at the Verona Lions Hall.
The occasion was the official public meeting on the third, and presumably final, draft of the Frontenac County Official Plan (OP), which is slated for a final vote by Frontenac County Council on October 15.
The issues raised by Mills, and supported by members of South Frontenac Council and Mayor Gary Davison, centre on specific wording in some of the clauses in the document.
Once passed, and approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the County OP will be the background document to which all of the local township plans will need to conform.
This represents a change from current practice, wherein the local OPs are approved directly by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs, an arrangement that has been frustrating to many local councils, because it
leads to delays, and the ministry is seen as being unyielding and too intent on imposing urban planning reality onto rural Ontario.
The reason this is such an issue for the county, the townships and residents, is that the County and township OPs are fundamental documents that ultimately determine the kinds of residential and commercial development
that will be permitted, in which locations, and under what conditions.
At the meeting in Verona, there were environmentalists, developers, and homeowners in attendance. Almost 100 people were there, and not because of the entertainment value of planning talk, but because of the ultimate implications for the future of Frontenac County.
Lindsay Mills’ concerns with the third draft are the same as they were with both of the previous drafts. “The document is too detailed and intrudes into local planning responsibilities in many areas,” Mills wrote.
A prime example of this is the statement in the document that waterfront development be subject to a 30 metre setback from the shoreline.
This is a concept that has been entrenched in the South Frontenac Plan since 2003, so there would seem to be no problem. However, Mills said that in the South Frontenac plan the setback is a norm; it can be altered with the permission of the township’s committee of adjustment.
“By making it a requirement in the County OP, there will be no more leeway for circumstances where the setback is too restrictive,” Mills said.
He also said that in some cases the wording in the document is vague and could ultimately be open to much interpretation.
If Joe Gallivan only had to work out his differences with Lindsay Mills and South Frontenac Council, he might be able to. However when the plan was sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for comment, the ministry suggested a number of changes. Some of them are easy enough to accommodate, but others would make the county plan more prescriptive than it already is.
This puts Gallivan, and the county, into a difficult position. South Frontenac will oppose the plan unless Gallivan pulls back the detailed, prescriptive language in the plan, and the ministry will not approve it if he
does not add more restrictions. This reality was noted by Lindsay Mills in his comments, but that did not convince him to alter his demands.
Through it all, Joe Gallivan remains optimistic about prospects for the document to be approved by the County in October and for the ministry to look favourably on it in the end. He said that if the ministry does not yield in the end, the county can appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, and he said he is confident the county’s arguments will stand up.
The public meeting leaves a number of questions unanswered. Given everything that has happened, it is unlikely that the mayor of South Frontenac will support the County OP on October 15. The County may approve it anyway because there are likely enough councilors who will support it for it to pass. The ministry, in spite of Joe Gallivan’s optimism, will likely demand further changes, which will lead to an OMB hearing.
That is when the opposition from South Frontenac will become a real problem for Frontenac County. The County needs to present a united front to the OMB in order to win an appeal. The trouble is, there is no sense that an accommodation between Frontenac County and South Frontenac is any closer now than it was after the earlier drafts of the OP were tabled.

New Parham fire hall in holding pattern until school property settled.

Central Frontenac Fire Chief Bill Young was asked by Councilor Phillip Smith where the planning stands for a new fire hall to replace the ageing one that is located next to the Parham fair grounds.

The exchange took place at a meeting of Council at the Piccadilly Hall on Tuesday afternoon (September 23). Bill Young said that money for the hall has been put aside but that settling on a location has been delayed, and the township is not in a position to make a decision on their own.

The reason is that the preferred location for the hall is on the corner of Long Lake and Wagarville Roads, on the former Hinchinbrooke School property, which is still owned by the Limestone District School Board.

Township Chief Administrative Officer Larry Donaldson said that staff sent a letter of interest to the board, on Council's instructions, earlier this summer.

“I just received an acknowledgement today that they have received our letter, and that they will not start talking to anyone about the property until October 14th, when the expression of interest period is set to end. We will then have to consider a number of issues, such as whether the building is in a condition for us to take it over; how much it will cost; whether the building and all the property must be sold together, etc.,” said Donaldson.

He added that since the school property is the preferred location, it would be unwise for the township to go ahead and build a fire hall at the other possible location, which is on the lot where the existing hall is, only to find out afterwards that the other property is available and affordable.

“We will have the money set aside for it next year, and we plan to build with the same design as the Mountain Grove Hall, so we are ready,” said Donaldson.

“I just wanted to make sure it is not on the back burner,” said Phillip Smith.

“Oh no, it's on the front burner, but there are too many unknowns with the school property right now,” said Bill Young.

K&P trail north of Sharbot Lake named for Harold Clark

Marcel Giroux came to Council as a delegate, but in keeping with his past as a municipal politician (his last term of office ended in 1985) he had with him a fully drafted motion, just waiting for a mover and seconder.

His proposal was to include the section of the K&P trail that runs from the Cannon Road in Sharbot Lake to Clarendon Station on Clarendon Road in the Frontenac County K&P Trail network.

“The trail is in use, and is in pretty good shape with the exception of a few spots and one hole - which I have a picture of - and will eventually be an asset to the entire trail network. I'm not sure of the legalities of ownership. I leave that to you,” he said.

He had one more recommendation in his motion.

“Harold Clark was the Reeve of Oso in 1980 and he insisted that we buy that piece of trail at the time, If all the other reeves along the trail had his foresight, the entire trail would be complete today. I think we should name that section of trail after him,” Giroux said.

Council took Giroux's advice, and the motion passed in short order.

The details will be worked out later.

The weather cleared just a bit and a warm front broke through the early fall chill at the Piccadilly cemetery on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 23. Before holding one of the final council meetings of the term in the nearby hall, members of council and staff of Central Frontenac Township joined with the family of the late Bill Snyder to dedicate a bench in his honour. Mayor Janet Gutowski spoke of the legacy left by Snyder, who died in February while still a member of Council, a position he held for 35 years. “Bill was dedicated to Hinchinbrooke and Central Frontenac Township and his beloved Piccadilly area. Bill was tenacious when he wanted to get things done, and he insisted that things were done properly. We won't see another like him,” she said.

A moment of silence was held to mark the occasion, then everyone walked slowly to the Piccadilly hall to carry on the business of the township.

North Frontenac Community Improvement Plan

Peter Young from Frontenac County appeared before North Frontenac Council this week to talk about a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for the township.

The county has set aside $70,000 to help fund a business-oriented improvement plan in each township. All the other townships now have plans in place; North Frontenac is last in line.

Part of the reason is that, based on research about these kinds of plans, which are common economic development tools in small eastern Ontario communities, none of the hamlets in North Frontenac has enough of a business core to be a viable location.

For that reason, Young suggested that North Frontenac might consider designating the entire township as an improvement area, to offer a helping hand to all business ventures in the township.

The plans that have been put in place elsewhere in the County are located in Verona, Sharbot Lake and Marysville on Wolfe Island.

The first one that was attempted, in Verona, has been a success. For every dollar invested in that plan by the county, $11 in private money has also been invested, Young reported.

“One of the projects in Verona was a large one, but even if you leave that one out of it, the ratio is still $4 to $5 in private for every dollar in grant money,” Young said.

All told over $700,000 has been invested in Verona, and the money has mostly gone to giving Verona's Main Street a much needed facelift.

There has been less of an uptake in Sharbot Lake thus far, but the plan has not been in place as long as in Verona. It has been used, however, for signage throughout the hamlet.

“We just got the plan underway this spring in Marysville, and we went door to door to introduce it to businesses. Now that the summer season is over, we are starting to hear from them,” Young said.

It will be up to North Frontenac Council to decide which kinds of projects to fund, although there are some standard rules. For example participants must invest at least as much as the grant, and the grants are limited in size.

“The plan is basically the township's to organize, the county just helps to fund it,” said Young.

Councilor Betty Hunter, chair of the North Frontenac Economic Development Task Force, spoke out in favour of the CIP.

“If we are going to stimulate economic development we are going to have to accept any help we can get,” she said.

Council decided to hold a special meeting on October 22 to get input from businesses and community groups in the township about what their plan should include.

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski said today that Tay Valley's gain in hiring Larry Donaldson is Central Frontenac's loss.

Donaldson was hired 14 months ago after a long search and brought stability to hte position after the previous CAO left abruptly after a difficult period.

“I got nervous when I found out last month that Tay Valley was hiring a new CAO, because I knew if Larry was working there he would save some commuting time,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski, who added “whole we are dissppointed that Larry is leaving we wish him well in the future. We were comfortable with him here.”

Donaldson lives in Stittsville and will have shorter commute to the Tay Valley township office on Harper Road near Perth. Donaldson wife Tammy-Kealey Donaldson is the Ontario Works manager for Lanark County, whose offices are close to those of Tay Valley township.

In a Frontenac News article from early August last year, whcih came out a few weeks after Donaldson took on the CAO position, he said the following: “When I first met the staff, on my first day on the job, the only question that was asked was if I was planning on staying.”

With Donaldson leaving, coupled with the retirement of Public Works Manager Richardson earlier this summer, there are now vacancies at two of the senior positions at the township as we enter the election period.

Donaldson is staying on at the township until the election is over. Hi last day will be October 31^st. Mayor Gutowksi said that at the next meeting the township will develop a plan for a new CAO search. Because all but one member of the current council is seeking a new term on Council, Coucil can operate as normal during the election perod.

Gutowski indicated that the announcement of a new Public Works Manager will take place soon.

Emotional council to consider naming conference room after Clayton - Sept. 3

Just two days after Warden Bud Clayton died, emotions were running high at a Committee of the Whole meeting of Frontenac County Council.

Councilors paid tribute to Clayton at the start of the meeting, noting his contribution to improvements at the county, his work for Pine Meadow Nursing Home, and his commitment to North Frontenac Township.

Deputy Warden Dennis Doyle then suggested that the conference room on the main floor of the county offices, which used to be used as a council chamber in the first few years following municipal amalgamation, and is now used as a committee and staff meeting room, be named the Bud Clayton room.

A number of councilors said they would support such a proposal.

Councilor John McDougall suggested that the proposal be deferred for a couple of weeks for council to consider any implications there may be to the naming, and for Clayton's family to be consulted. Council agreed and the matter was deferred to the September 17 Council meeting.

Six Sigma on a lean

There have been a parade of consultants to meetings of Frontenac County over the years, but very few, if any, have a black belt.

Dale Schattenkirk, the CAO of Learning to See Consulting out of Regina, Saskatchewan, is the exception. His black belt is not in Karate, however; it is in Lean Six Sigma, and it is actually a Master Black Belt.

Lean Six Sigma is not a college fraternity; it is a managerial concept that results in the elimination of waste in work processes. It is a system that was adopted by large industrial corporations in the 1980s and 1990s and has been applied to the public sector in the last 15 years or so.

The goal of Lean Six Sigma is the elimination of eight kinds of waste in institutional settings: defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, extra-processing, which are expressed in an acronym – DOWNTIME.

For a cost of $30,000, Shattenkirk brought a team to Frontenac County this summer to look at the county's procurement processes and at logistics within Frontenac Paramedic Services.

They found little to improve upon in the procurement end but as far as logistics within Frontenac Paramedic Services they found a number of what Schattenkirk called “opportunities to improve”.

Most of these have to do with better tracking of supplies used by paramedics on an ongoing basis, less extra driving by managerial and support staff to ensure supplies are in place, and better tracking of supplies to cut down on the amount of materials that end up being recycled because they reach their past due date before being used.

What Schattenkirk was more interested in talking about, however, was the work culture at Frontenac County, which impressed him.

“You guys are in a very good position in terms of quality improvement,” he said. “You have a group that is committed to improving the operation at all levels of the organization.”

He suggested training staff to do quality improvement, using the LEAN system to train a few key members of both the management and staff teams to a LEAN yellow and green belt level.

“The idea is to have everyone in the county actually engaged in how the county runs,” he said. “Within 18 months you should be completely independent. You won't need jokers like us to telling you what to do.”

He also said that the money charged by his company is offset by savings, either in “light green or dark green dollars” - light green dollars referring to time saved by staff that can be used for more productive work, and dark green referring to cash savings.

A proposal to extend the contract with Learning to See Consulting will be considered by Council later this month.

Hurdles cleared for Arden Court transformation

The Arden Court Group Home, which closed earlier this year, may be turned into a housing complex for seniors.

Central Frontenac Council approved an Official Plan amendment for the building and the lands adjacent to it, which make multi-residential use permissible. The rest of the large property will remain zoned as rural. This Official Plan amendment, in addition to a corresponding zoning amendment, has been requested by the property's current owner as well as a prospective new owner who is planning a new housing development in place of the group home.

“This will have the effect of dealing head on with our identified need for seniors' housing,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski in supporting the proposed amendment, “and it is being done by the private sector, which is ideal.”

The Official Plan amendment is going to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval, at which time the township will approve a zoning amendment.

Township applies for road grants in Sharbot Lake

Recently retired Central Frontenac Public Works Manager Mike Richardson came back to Council to talk about two grant applications he has agreed to spearhead for the township. The first one is for a change to the bridge on Road 38 in Sharbot Lake, just south of the high school, which goes over the former CP rail line. The bridge needs repair, which would cost $325,000. But even if that repair were done, the township is facing future maintenance costs on a bridge that is no longer necessary as the rail line is now only used as a recreational trail. The Small Communities fund, which would cover the repair, covers 90% of the cost of projects that are approved. Given that, Richardson recommended that instead of repairing the bridge, the township remove it, lower the road to highway grade, and install a large culvert to allow for crossing on the trail. That would cost between $500,000 and $900,000 depending on the mode of construction, but would result in a safer roadway for pedestrian traffic and a lower maintenance structure for future councils to maintain.

The second grant is for a long contemplated reconstruction of Elizabeth Street in Sharbot Lake. It is a $1.2 million project, which would cost $400,000 to the township if approved.

Council decided to apply for both grants, as recommended by Richardson.

Trouble with new fire hall construction in Northbrook

In a verbal report to Addington Highlands Council at their Sept. 2 meeting, Fire Chief Casey Cuddy talked about a disagreement that has emerged with the construction company, Task Force Construction, that is building a new fire hall for the township south of Northbrook. Some other issues with the company have emerged as well.

The dispute has to do with the wiring for an emergency generator at the new hall. To save money the township opted not to have Task Force put in a generator, which they had costed at $30,000 in their bid.

“They are saying that the $30,000 was for the generator and the wiring, and by opting out of one we were opting out of the other,” Cuddy said.

“The specs included the wiring. I think we should get Jewell Engineering to deal with this. That's what we are paying them to do,” said Deputy Reeve Bill Cox.

Members of council also noted that the project has not been proceeding as expected.

“They aren't there today,” said Reeve Henry Hogg, “and some of what I've seen is unusual.”

Hogg said that he saw insulation going in on a wet day.

“They said if the insulation is wet they will pull it out,” Hogg added.

Township to meet with ministry over Official Plan

Addington Highlands' five-year Official Plan review, which has not been ratified by the Ministry of Housing and Rural Affairs two years after it was first submitted, will be the subject of a meeting between the township and the ministry in late September.

The two sides are not close to agreeing on the final wording of the document.

“They are putting restrictions on waterfront lots in their wording, restrictions on hamlets; the whole document they are putting forward will tie our hands,” said Reeve Hogg.

“It looks like this review won't be complete until we have to start our next five-year review,” he added.

Grading, grass cutting have something in common.

Deputy Reeve Bill Cox reported that the library board has complained about the lawn mowing in front of the two libraries. “The boy gets heck if he cuts it too early, or if he cuts it too late. They need more things to think about.”

In his own report, Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath said he “knows how the grass cutter feels. You grade the roads too much for some people, not enough for others. Everybody complains,” he said.

On a more ominous note, Rosenblath reported that winter sand is being delivered to the Denbigh garage.

“Winter is coming,” he said.