Dark Skies and Helipad in conflict -

The Dark Skies initiative, a cornerstone of the economic development plans of North Frontenac Township, is facing a new hurdle. At the most recent Dark Skies event in early August, participants arriving at the North Frontenac Star Gazing Pad on Road 506 saw lights that they were not expecting. A series of green lights were beaming up into the night sky, laid out around the rim of the air ambulance helipad that is located next to the viewing site.

ORNG, the embattled Ontario air ambulance corporation, has decided that all the helipads it uses across Ontario must be lit up at night.

On that August night, volunteers covered the lights with bags, but it was not a long term solution to the issue of light at the dark skies site.

The site is used for star parties put on by the township every few months, and also by star gazers from around the region on any given night.

“I have been contacted by a number of people, from Ottawa and beyond, who say they have heard about the site and have visited it. I have been surprised by how much use it is getting, since it is only its first year,” said Cory Klatt, Manager of Economic Development for the township.

Klatt also said that when the site was being contemplated for the Star Gazing pad, ORNG was approached about whether they had an issue with it being located near the helipad.

“At the time they said they did not intend to put the lights on,” Klatt said. “They had an accident and changed their mind, but there was no problem before that. It is the best site the township has for the Dark Skies initiative.”

A motion, proposed by Councilor Betty Hunter, asked Council to approach ORNG about considering whether night landings could be eliminated at the site on a temporary basis while the possibility of radio controlled lights at the site is explored. The motion also said that keeping the lights on might threaten the township's hard-earned dark skies designation from the Royal Astronomical Society.

Hunter pointed out that the Ompah helipad is not that far away and the 506 pad was only used once in the past year, and that was during the daytime.

“Most of the time the air ambulance goes directly to the location where the call comes from anyway, instead of to the Helipad,” she said.

Others on Council were not convinced.

“Ompah is only a few minutes but a few minutes is a long time in an emergency” said Councilor Gerry Martin.

“The whole thing comes back to not doing enough research in the first place. We run into things without doing research and it ends up costing us money. Nobody should turn off some lights just because someone wants to look at some stars, in my opinion,” said Councilor Wayne Good.

In a 3-2 vote, Hunter's motion was defeated. Lonnie Watkins was the only councilor to support her motion. Councilor John Inglis was not at the meeting.

Township to promote Hydro One program

On the urging of its Energy Task Force, North Frontenac will be publicizing a Hydro One program for low-income homeowners. The Home Energy Program provides a free energy audit as well as new insulation, window caulking and other measures, even providing energy efficient appliances to replace older models.

According to John Kittle, of the task force, the means test that Hydro applies is an annual family income of $39,000 or less for a family of 2, and more for larger households. Information will be posted on the township's website, or go to Hydroone.com and search Home Assistance for details.

Invasive Species – Zebra Mussels don't like NF lakes

Councilor Gerry Martin, the township representative to the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), has been looking into invasive species in North Frontenac lakes. He reported back that the spiny flea is a problem, but one species that is less of a concern is the zebra mussel.

“They don't make it to maturity in the Canadian Shield lakes apparently,” said Martin.

The MVCA has put up invasive species signs and information about how to clean boats at township boat launches.

Last week, Central Frontenac Council decided to stay an order to remove two miniature horses from a property on Clarke Rd. Margaret Mallory and Brian Skillen have been keeping the horses on their one-acre property and petitioned the township to allow them to keep them. Council asked township staff to report back on whether this constitutes an “agricultural use”, which would require a minimum lot size of four hectares (9.9 acres).

Council is considering changing the bylaw or fine tuning the definition of agricultural use to exclude animals that are being kept as pets, as the horses are.

Two people read the account of this debate with interest, for different reasons.

One of those people is Peter Lister, who was one of the very few in the audience at the meeting who was not there to support Mallory and Skillen. In fact it was Peter Lister who made the complaint that activated the bylaw officer to order the miniature horses removed in the first place.

“I have nothing against the horses,” he said later when interviewed at his home, which is next to the home of Mallory and Skillen, “nor do I have anything against the people living there. My problem is with the potential effect of those horses on my water and on the water in Big Clear Lake.”

As was reported last week, the Ministry of the Environment will be investigating the matter, not because of the bylaw but because the wellhead on the property in question is located in the same converted garage where the miniature horses, Teddy and Tommy, are stabled.

Lister's concern is based on the fact that his own well is the same depth as the well on the neighbouring property and he is concerned it might be the same vein that feeds both wells, making his well subject to potential contamination.

“I am trying to sell my house and if anything happens to the water that would be the end of my sale,” he said, “and I would be left with contaminated drinking water.”

Lister said that he has been testing his well water every week since the spring, when he became concerned, and thus far the tests have come back clean.

“The garage also backs onto a flood plain that drains directly into Big Clear Lake,” Lister said, pointing to the back of the properties, “and the animal waste can feed into the lake.”

We attempted to contact Mr. Skillen to comment on the concerns raised by Peter Lister, but were unsuccessful thus far.

If two horses are ok, what about six goats?

Shawn Blackburn also read the article last week, and called us to talk about his brush with the bylaw officer. Blackburn lives with his wife Julie and daughter Christina on Brock Road close to Mountain Grove. Last month he was served with an order from the Central Frontenac bylaw officer to remove the pet goats that he has had on his three-acre property for the past 18 months.

“I have permission from my neighbour to use 10 acres of his property, which backs onto mine, in order to get the township off my back,” he said, taking a break from doing some excavator work in preparation for putting up a fence around his neighbour's field. The order from the township requires that the animals are removed by August 23, and Blackburn does not know what will happen then. He has been working on a combine in Saskatchewan and will be flying back there to work until the season ends in mid-November. He is hoping the township will give him enough time to find a way to comply with the bylaw.

Blackburn does not know who complained about the goats, which he keeps in a penned-in yard next to his house. The six goats started off as two goats, Billy and Daisy, who were purchased as pets for Christina, but now there are six, two of which, twins Bob and Burt, are set to be given away.

“We're going to fix the males so we'll have four left,” said Blackburn, adding that the animals are kept entirely as pets, not for milk or meat or any other agricultural use.

“I'll do what I have to to keep them; my daughter is very attached to them. She pampers them; she feeds them by hand. We all do.”

Ompah fire hall renovations to cost $300,000

If all goes well, North Frontenac Council will not have to concern itself with the future of the Ompah fire hall/ community centre any more.

A proposal put forward to council this week by Steve Sunderland, the voluntary co-ordinator of the project, included three options for council's consideration.

Council accepted option 3, the most complete and most expensive, at a cost of $292,225. The option includes two additions to the original proposal: in-floor heating in the fire hall and a relocated washroom and shower unit for the firefighters.

The decision by council to add the two new elements came about after a flurry of correspondence between the Ompah Community Association (OCA) and the township in late July and early August.

Ultimately the OCA sent a letter to the township last week pledging a $50,000 donation to the project on the condition that the two new elements be included. The rest of the money will come from a number of reserve funds, chiefly the Ompah fire hall reserve fund.

When asked by the mayor, Fire Chief Steve Riddell said he was not sure that the in-floor heating was necessary, but his was the only dissenting voice on council.

The most vocal critic of expanding the project beyond the $180,000 approved in this year's budget, Councilor Wayne Good, from Barrie ward, was not in attendance, nor was Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, who had also argued for restraint. Good and Perry have gone so far as to question the need for the fire hall, given that there are fire halls in Plevna, 15 km to the west, and Snow Road, 8 km to the east.

The project is already underway, following a suggestion earlier this spring by Steve Sunderland that it be split into numerous sub-projects, which are being completed one at a time. This way of proceeding came about when the lowest of the tender bids for the entire project was $364,000.

However that was only the latest chapter in the saga of the Ompah fire hall, which has been at the council table for eight years or more. The township even purchased land across the road from the existing fire hall/community hall/library building, intending to build a brand new combined fire hall/ambulance base in conjunction with Frontenac County. Cost overruns related to the site and projected costs as well as an inability to agree on cost-sharing led to the demise of that project, which left the township on the hook for the cost of purchasing and re-mediating the site, which once housed a gas station.

After the latest series of letters between council, staff, Ompah residents and firefighters, which led to the proposal that has finally been approved by council, Mayor Clayton said in a letter to Rose Boivin of the Ompah Community Association, “No one will be happier to see this project come to a healthy conclusion than I.”

Other items from Council

Buckshot Lake cell tower lighting

For the third time, Buckshot Lake residents Dave Swanson and Marie Whiting came to Council about a recently installed Bell Canada cell tower on the shores of the lake. They are concerned about the lights on the tower, particular a red LED light that shines down on the lake.

“I have been talking to officials at Bell,” Swanson said, “and in order to follow the process to change the orientation of that light, the township first has to send a letter to Transport Canada, pointing out the problem. We can draft the letter and submit it to the township.”

Norcan Lake dogs Council again

The ill-fated Canonto Lodge subdivision on Norcan Lake, in the north-eastern edge of the township, was back on the council agenda this week. Earlier this summer, council decided to allocate the $30,000 remaining from what had been a $60,000 payment to them from developer David Hill. The money was to be paid back to Hill once all the conditions noted in a site plan agreement between Hill and the township were met. One of those is a laneway linking a number of lot owners' properties with a water access lot they all hold in common.

This laneway has never been constructed, and has been mired in controversy, leading a group of angry lot owners to seek redress from Council.

The latest problem arose when an engineer's report, commissioned by the township's public works manager, Jim Phillips, revealed that a stacked boulder retaining wall at the edge of the proposed lane could fail. The engineer recommended building a new wall and Phillips brought that recommendation to council. Phillips also recommended meeting with the affected landowners to discuss the matter.

A couple of Canonto subdivision land holders were present at the meeting. They wanted to address Council on the matter but had not registered as a delegation beforehand.

One of them expressed frustration at the further delay and added cost to the construction. “I don't know why the township didn't go right after David Hill for this. I don't know why we end up being treated like the enemy when all we want to do is make sure we have what we paid for in the first place so we can go ahead and build and pay taxes to them,” one of them said outside the meeting.

Recycling ratios remain steady

North Frontenac residents continue to recycle more bags of waste than they send "over the hill' into township landfill. Statistics for the 2nd quarter of 2014 show a consistent rate of just under 60% each month throughout the system, although the numbers vary somewhat from waste site to waste site.

The 2014 totals are almost 5% better than they were a year earlier, when the rate was about 55%.

Miniature horses get a 60 day stay from CF Council 

The Oso hall was packed to the rafters for the August meeting of Central Frontenac Council, not a common occurrence by any means.

The audience sat through numerous debates over whether to stop up and close road allowances and heard about the number of building permits issued last month. They even sat through the approval of the accounts and the discussion about failed tax sales and whether vesting properties is a viable option in those cases.

To their credit, no one closed their eyes through the entire first hour and a quarter of the proceedings, which is more than can be said of some members of the press, present company included.

They waited through all this because of their devotion to Tommy and Teddy, the miniature horses that are cared for by Margaret Mallory and Brian Skillen, on their property at 113 Clarke Road.

In mid-July, Mallory and Skillen were served a Notice of Contravention from the township's bylaw officer. The notice said they were in contravention of the township zoning bylaw because their 1 acre lot is less than the “minimum lot area for agricultural use”.

The trouble for Teddy and Tommy came about as the result of a complaint by one neighbour, which was enough to trigger the township bylaw, since bylaw enforcement in Central Frontenac is complaint-based.

Speaking on Mallory and Skillen's behalf, neighbours Glenys Coffin and Rebecca Kelsey asserted that Mr. Skillen is not operating a farm and that the miniature horses are not agricultural animals, but pets.

“There are a number of species of dogs that are larger than Tommy and Teddy. They are less than 3 feet tall and they weigh less than 150 pounds,” said Glenys Coffin.

Tommy and Teddy are well known around the region because Brian Skillen brings them to Legion events in Arden and Tweed, the Fun Fair at Land O'Lakes Public School, to children's parties as far away as Newburgh, to county fairs and parades, and they have even been brought into Pine Meadow Nursing Home.

A local foster family sent a letter of support, saying their three-year-old foster daughter has a terrible fear of animals, and Mr. Skillen brought his horses to their house every day for a time, until their foster child became accustomed to them and eventually began petting them and looking forward to the visits.

“She has even begun to get over her fear of other animals, thanks to Tommy and Teddy,” the letter concluded.

Faced with this, the debate among Council in response to the delegation centred on how to keep Tommy and Teddy in place while they looked for a permanent solution to the issue.

Mayor Janet Gutowski pointed out that “the Ministry of the Environment phoned the township today {August 12} expressing a concern about possible well contamination because the horses are being kept in a garage that is near the well on the property and they will be checking further on water regulations. This is just something else that Council needs to consider.”

The ministry's concern seems to stem from communication from the same complainant who made the initial complaint from the township. Mr. Skillen, who was in the audience at the meeting, said that no ministry official has visited his property thus far.

Councillor Tom Dewey proposed a motion asking staff to look into making changes to the bylaw to clarify the distinction between livestock and pets and report back to council within 60 days.

“The other thing we need to do is find a way to put a stay on the order to remove the horses from the property,” said Councillor Norm Guntensperger.

Councillor John Purdon suggested that the remedy for the problem may not involve changing the bylaw at all.

“By our definition of a hobby farm, this is not a hobby farm, and it all comes down to what we define as livestock. If we define these miniature horses as pets, we no longer have an issue,” he said.

After a break to discuss the wording of a motion, council proceeded to pass a motion asking staff to report back on the situation, including consulting with the Ministry of the Environment and the township's lawyer. They also put a stay on the order to remove the animals for 60 days. Chief Administrative Officer Larry Donaldson said that while staff will certainly be able to report back within 60 days, if it is necessary to change the bylaw it will take longer than that, because of the process that needs to be followed.

“But we can extend the stay if we have to,” said Councillor Heather Fox.

No dollar commitment necessary at this time

Council expresses interest in acquiring Hinchinbrooke Public School building

The Limestone District School Board has formally declared that the Hinchinbrooke School property is surplus and has approved the sale of the property.

Central Frontenac, on the urging of a community group called the Central Frontenac Community Recreation Centre Committee, has decided to put forward an expression of interest in the 13,870 square foot building and the 5.28 acres that surround it.

CAO Larry Donaldson said that he has contacted the board about the property.

“They are not looking for an offer to purchase right away. They will be inviting groups to come forward and will then walk everyone through the process and will share the most current information about the building and property so that when a decision is made it will be an informed one,” he said.

According to provincial regulations the board is required to offer the property first to all adjacent school boards, of which there are three, two French and one English Catholic Board, followed by post secondary institutions (St. Lawrence College, Cite College – Ottawa, Queen's University) the Ontario Infrastructure and Land Corporation, the Township of Central Frontenac, Frontenac County, and the federal government.

Speaking for the Recreation Centre Committee, Sue Leslie said there are at least a half a dozen community groups interested in using the space. They include the Parham Happy Travelers, Northern Frontenac Community Services, a local artists group, the soccer and baseball leagues, RKY camp and Community Living – North Frontenac.

“The library will also need space, and they have a policy of locating branches in community hubs, so this would be a good location.”

Members of Council asked if any of the potential users were in a position to pay rental or usage fees of any kind.

“Certainly Northern Frontenac Community Services is willing to pay for programming space, and others are aware as well, although they aren't necessarily in a position to pay a lot,” said Leslie.

She said that as far as she knew the cost of maintaining the building, which the school board has pegged at $132,000 per year, includes a full-time caretaker, which the community would not need to employ.

“There is a lot of square footage to the building,” said Councillor John Purdon, “and the library only needs about 1000 square feet of it and they are only open 6 hours a week. And the other groups will be using it only occasionally. Are you sure you have use for all that space?'

“There are lots of uses. If you build it they will come,” said Leslie, “and since we might have to limit ourselves to the main floor for public use because of accessibility requirements, we may have less space than we need.”

Councillor Frances Smith said, “To maintain it over the long term is going to be difficult, once the township owns it. The land itself is worth something to the Hinchinbrooke community, to all of us, since the fair ground, ball field and fire hall are adjacent to it. I think we should show an expression of interest for sure.”

Councillor Jeff Matson suggested that the other groups on the list should be contacted to see if any of them are interested in a joint venture.

CAO Donaldson said he would do that, and council approved a motion to let the board know they are interested in the property.

To date the township has not put any money aside for the project, nor have they made even an informal commitment to spend anything. The community group has indicated they will get involved in fund-raising for the project if necessary.

Norman Lane
Ron Kramer, representing the Norman Lane Association, appeared before Council to deliver a petition asking for help for winter road maintenance for members of the association. Norman Lane is located off Perth Road north of Perth Road Village. It leads to a number of smaller lanes that provide access to homes and cottages on Buck Lake.
Kramer said that the township has provided one or two truckloads of salt and sand each winter to the association, which the association applied themselves to their roads. They jointly pay to keep the roads graded and cleared of snow in the winter. According to Kramer the salt/sand has been delivered each year for at least the past 10 years.
This year when Kramer called Deputy Mayor Ron Vandewal about getting the loads delivered, Vandewal reportedly said he would arrange it, but that it would be the last delivery. From then on the residents would be on their own.
“We want salt and sand again and we also want the township to push the snow off the side of roads a few times each winter, because although we can plow, the road starts to get more narrow when the snow keeps coming,” Kramer said as he handed in the petition.
Mayor Davison said that the Public Works department is conducting a study of private lanes and what kind of support the township can offer the associations that maintain them.
“We are conducting a study,” said Segsworth, “but not on lanes that are located on private property like that one.”
“Our lane, at least the part we want help with, is located on township property, an old road allowance,” said Ron Kramer.
Mark Segsworth said he would look into the ownership of the road and consider adding Norman Lane to the others that are being looked at.
“We pay a lot of tax on that road,” said Kramer, not content to be added to the study, “and we want at least to get what we have been getting.”

LED lighting
Real Term Energy has made a proposal to the township that all 448 street lamps be changed over to LED lights. Although there would be an upfront cost to doing this, the energy and maintenance savings are significant. The average annual energy and maintenance costs are currently $177 per fixture per year and the cost with the LED lights would be about $50.
The township could spend $260,000 for the installation, and expect that money to be paid back in energy savings over 4.4 years, after which the savings would continue over the 10-year life of the fixtures.
The other option would be for Real Term to finance the project, which would mean no up front cost to the township. In that case the savings would be split; the township would receive 16% and Real Term 84%.
Mark Segsworth recommended considering the report at the Public Works Committee and returning to council in September.
A number of councillors said they preferred the option of paying $260,000 up front and realising all of the savings. The only question was why they were sending it to the committee instead of jumping in to the project right away.
“What exactly are we waiting for?" asked Councilor Bill Robinson.
“We could find the $260,000 somewhere and get on with this,” said Councilor Cam Naish.
Nonetheless the report was referred to the committee.

Development charges going up, but over time
A consultant's report has recommended that development charges, which are added to new construction costs to cover for future costs associated with increased infrastructure costs, should go up significantly.
The fee for new private dwellings, currently $4,000, would rise to $6,575, and the fee for commercial properties would rise from $4.26 per square foot to $5.22 per square foot.
As instructed by Council, Planner Lindsay Mills has prepared a phase in schedule for the new charges. They will rise gradually over 5 years, only coming into effect fully in 2018.
Council approved the proposal.

Rutledge road project increased in scope
Council also approved spending an extra $100,000, which will be taken from the public works projects reserve fund, on the Rutledge Road construction. $25,000 will go to putting patterned concrete in to mark the well used crosswalk from Sydenham High School to the parking lot across the road. The other $75,000 will go to new retaining walls on Mill street.

If all goes well - NF Township office to re-open in the fall

North Frontenac Council approved a plan to bring the township office back to where it was on a cold day in January when an oil tank leaked, contaminating parts of the building and relegating township staff to portables and parts of the adjacent fire hall.

Council was faced with three options at their meeting this week: 1) hire ServiceMaster, the company that has been working with their insurance company to assess the damage; 2) accept a settlement of $91,000 for construction to hire their own contractor to do the work; or 3) accept the settlement and embark on a number of upgrades to the building that were identified as necessary by an unrelated report into the future viability of the office.

“The report estimated the cost of all necessary work at $400,000, but only $100,000 to bring the building into compliance with the building code by putting fire separations, etc. in place,” said Public Works Manager Jim Phillips.

“Since we are considering going another route by building a new office, I think we should do the quickest thing and get Service Master to bring the building back to where it was before the spill,” suggested Deputy Mayor Fred Perry. “The new Council will decide what to do from there, but I think our office staff will appreciate returning to their old office space.”

“We have been able to function, although it has been pretty hot this summer,” said CAO Cheryl Robson, “but even with its limitations we would be happy to be back in our old offices.”

Council approved the plan to let the insurance company hire Service Master to do the work. Robson said that it will take another week or two to finalise the estimates, and six weeks or so to do the work.

“But I can’t really say when it will be done; it’s still too early,” she said.

New furniture will be needed and there are many other costs to the small-scale disaster that came as the result of the oil leak, but all the costs will be covered by insurance, Robson said.

Osprey nests – not for everyone

The Conservationists of Frontenac Addington have put $1,200 aside for the installation of four poles to be fitted with platforms to attract Osprey nesting within the township.

“There is a gentleman who is willing to put the poles up. What we need to do is decide where we want to put them. I thought I would bring this forward, but so far I have had no response. There will be no cost to the township; it is free, gratis, if we want it,” Fred Perry said.

“It is for us to find a location. It has to be on township land, not Crown land, because that would require an agreement,” said Mayor Clatyon.

“Or we could seek permission from a landowner,” said Councilor John Inglis. “I would take one on my land. There are swamps nearby; it might be suitable.”

“I brought the idea up at our Malcolm Lake Association AGM,” said Councilor Gerry Martin. "We don’t want one. Ospreys eat too many fish.”

“We should be able to find spots for them, preferably in places that people can get to; they would be good for tourism,” said Clayton.

The township will look into finding locations, although not near Malcolm Lake or other lakes where the association objects.

Compactor needs repair – Council approved an expenditure of $34,200 to replace the radiator and engine of the trash compactor that was purchased in 2009 for $130,000. Maintenance costs since purchasing the compactor have been minimal, until now.

Province gives township the financial blues

With a number of members of the public in attendance, Mayor Clayton took the opportunity to point out that the provincial government's promise to eliminate its deficit without raising taxes is already resulting in a shift of costs to municipalities, “which means higher taxes or cuts in service.”

He said increased policing costs are part of this trend, as is a recent announcement that the province will no longer pay townships grants in lieu of taxes for hydro dams on Crown land with township jurisdiction.

“This will only cost us $8,000 but the policing will be another story,” he said “and there will be more coming.”

In terms of policing, Clayton said he has had informal talks about Frontenac County townships seeking a policing contract with the City of Kingston police force in the face of rising OPP costs.

“I have talked to the Mayor of South Frontenac about this, but not the Mayor of Central Frontenac.”

In order for a municipal police force to expand their service area, the new area they serve must be accessible. They cannot pass through an OPP-served jurisdiction to get to one that they serve. Central and South Frontenac would also have to contract with Kingston in order for North Frontenac to have an opportunity to do so.

Mississippi Bridge project gets the go ahead

A tender was granted in the amount of $2,167,000 to H.R. Doornekamp construction for the replacement of the one-lane bridge over the Mississippi River on Road 509 with a two-lane structure. The total cost of the project will be a bit higher, at $2,238,000. A grant from the provincial and federal governments will cover the bulk of the cost, $2 million to be precise. The rest of the cost is being covered by federal gas tax grants from the last few years, which have been held in a reserve fund, so the project will not have an impact on municipal taxation in 2015.

Funding for the project has been sought from provincial/federal infrastructure programs on at least two previous occasions, without success. Ratepayers may be thankful for those rejections, however, because the funding programs at the time covered only 2/3 of the cost of projects, whereas this one will be covering almost 90% of the total cost.

There will be minimal disruption during the construction, because the new bridge is being built just to the west of the existing bridge. Once it is completed the road will be rerouted and then the existing bridge will be removed.

Playground equipment approved, with some dissent.

In their 2014 budget, Council approved an expenditure of just over $44,000 towards an accessible playground structure at a site in Plevna that is also being contemplated for a war memorial and other public uses. The playground structure project was contingent on receiving a $25,000 grant from the Hydro One Power Play fund; however a few weeks ago Hydro One informed the township that they were only going to come through with $10,000 towards the project.

Cory Klatt, manager of community development, asked Council what he should tell Hydro One, leaving them with the option of finding another $15,000 for the project or turning down the $10,000 grant. According to CAO Cheryl Robson, there is enough money in the parkland reserve fund for ward 2 to cover the extra costs.

This brought up the question of how much use playground structures get in the Internet age.

“Will this be used?” asked Deputy Mayor Fred Perry.

“If you build something people will use it,” replied Councilor Gerry Martin.

“My concern is that the playground structure in Northbrook is never used,” replied Perry.

“There is equipment in Cloyne that nobody uses,” said Councilor Wayne Good.

“I understand what people are saying, but I think it is a gamble we should take, a leap of faith,” said Councilor John Inglis.

“We are lacking a lot of things, a doctor, a dentist, a bank, but let's start off with something,” said Councilor Lonnie Watkins.

In the end, the expenditure was approved 5-2, with Perry and Good being the dissenting voters.

Shabomeka beach privy

The township is looking at installing outhouses at five public locations in 2015, including three boat launches, the Cloyne Park, and at a proposed new public use site in Plevna. In response to a request from the Shabomeka Lake Association, Council decided to rent a privy for the Shabomeka boat launch this summer.

A number of councilors pointed out that the number of tourist-related boat traffic on township lakes was very high in late June and over the Canada Day weekend.

“These are not seasonal residents, they are families coming to fish our lakes, a response to the Fish TV episodes about North Frontenac, I think” said Mayor Bud Clayton.

“I agree, these are not local boats,” said Gerry Martin.

OPP costs may be less than first thought – Clayton

In his role as Frontenac County Warden, Mayor Clayton has learned that changes are being proposed to the OPP billing system that as of this spring was slated to raise North Frontenac's cost from just over $200,000 a year to over $1 million a year.

“They are now looking at a 60/40 split between the fixed asset costs and calls for service,” said Clayton, “as compared to a 73/23 split. And the talk is it will be phased in over four years as well.”

The split is important to North Frontenac because the fixed asset charge is based on the number of dwellings, including seasonal dwellings, which account for most of the dwellings in North Frontenac. Service calls in North Frontenac are historically very low. Council asked staff to prepare a report on the impact of this new scenario on the bill that North Frontenac will likely receive for 2015.

Financial Audit Report

Howard Allan, a Chartered Accountant from Perth, reviewed his company’s audit of South Frontenac’s 2013 finances. Mr Allan made it clear that his approach was broader than merely reviewing the financial statements; it included a thorough review of governance policies and administrative and decision-making processes relating to “The orderly and efficient conduct of the Township’s business.”

Although he made a few minor recommendations, Allan’s overall report was very positive. He complimented staff on their cooperation, high level of professionalism and well-maintained records. “The Township’s financial position is strong.”

Development Charges Update

South Frontenac is the only Township in the County that presently levies development charges. A development charge is a fee that may be added to residential building permits, to help offset the increased costs of providing services to the new residents. Although the highest percentage of the charge goes to public works (roads, bridges, equipment), money is also apportioned to fire protection, police services, general government, recreation and libraries. A public meeting to review the Ainsley Group’s background study and recommendations on the Township’s charges drew no comments from the floor. An updated fee schedule will be incorporated into a by-law this fall.

Proposed Signage By-law

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth brought a draft by-law intended to address the proliferation of signs within some of the Township’s road allowances. He said that the question of commercial signage (which includes the blue ‘government-looking’ tourism signs) will need further discussion: should the Township rent road allowance space, or restrict commercial signs to a specific distance from the road?

Long Swamp Bridge to Remain Closed for Now

The roads department has just received a draft version of the Long Swamp bridge assessment, and has not had time to thoroughly review it. The options listed are: 1) do nothing/confirm load posting, 2) remove bridge and close road, 3) strengthen existing bridge, and 4) replace with new structure. Projected costs of these options run from $5,000 to $200,000.

Council accepted Segsworth’s recommendation that the Long Swamp Road remain temporarily closed until this issue has been resolved. 

After concerns were raised last year about increased absenteeism at both Fairmount Home and Frontenac Paramedic Services, monthly updates were ordered by county council. Five months into 2014, indications are that the rate and costs of absenteeism are down from their historic 2013 highs.

If the rest of 2014 follows the pattern of the first five months, absenteeism at Frontenac Paramedic Services will drop below 19,000 hours for the first time in two years. The total in 2013 was almost 22,000 hours and in 2012 it was over 19,500 hours.

The absenteeism rate at Fairmount Home is down marginally from 2013, but it did drop in 2013 from its historic high of almost 15,000 hours in 2012.

In the County administrative office, the rate doubled in 2013 from 2012, up to almost 1,000 hours. In 2014, only 175 hours have been lost as of the end of May, on pace to drop below the level of 2012.

In terms of cost, because not all hours lost to absenteeism are replaced by replacement workers, indications are that savings of well over $100,000 will be realized in 2014 as compared to 2013 if the pattern of the first five months continues until the end of the year.  

A detailed population, housing and employment projections study, completed by Watson and Associates for the Frontenac County planning department, indicates there will be limited growth in the County over the next 20 years, and that growth will be centered in South Frontenac with most of the new residents living within commuting distance from the City of Kingston.

Although none of the information in the study is new, and there are some projections going forward that reflect some regional and provincial trends, the study does question some of the data that came from the 2011 census, and provides alternative information.

It also provides a 20-year picture of births and deaths in the County, and during the most recent five-year period for which data was available, 2006-2011, more people are dying than are being born in Frontenac County. The numbers, 1,338 births as compared to 1,402 deaths, reflect a gradual change in demograpics. Between 1991 and 1996 there were 1348 births and 884 deaths; between 1996 and 2001, 1044 births and 651 deaths; and between 2001 and 2006 886 babies were born and 823 people died.

Over that 20-year period, the population increase in Frontenac County was mostly due to increased migration to the county from elsewhere, which was responsible for a net increase in population of almost 5,300 residents over that time.

Not surprisingly given these figures, the number of young people in Frontenac County has been on the wane as the older adult and senior population has jumped. In 1981, 33% of the Frontenac County population was under 19, and that percentage has dropped to 22%. Also, in 1981, 22% of the population was between the age of 20 and 34 and that percentage is down to 12%. The percentages are correspondingly higher for those aged 45 to 54 and 55 to 74, which is now the largest group at 29%.

All of this puts talk of the ageing of the baby boom bump and the ageing Tsunami into context.

Based on demographic and economic trends and population, the Watson report projected slow economic and population growth in Frontenac County over the next 22 years.

Growth is projected to increase at a marginal rate of 0.7% per year over that time, with the bulk of the increase (67%) being generated by growth in the Kingston economy and a resulting increase in the commuter population in South Frontenac.

The total population is projected to reach 33,200 by 20136, up from 27,900 currently. When seasonal residents are added to the mix, the projection is a population of 64,200 by 2036, up from 57,500 currently.

Job growth within the county over that time is also projected to be modest, a net increase of only 800 jobs, from 3,900 currently to 4,700 in 2036, but more and more of those jobs will be home-based jobs in the knowledge economy as opposed to jobs in the retail and tourism sectors.

While the projections in the Watson report are clearly subject to revision as time goes on, Joe Gallivan, manager of sustainability planning for Frontenac, said that the study is a valuable tool in the development of a strategy for population and economic growth in the county, and for the development of services geared towards an ageing population,

One aspect of the study that Gallivan will use in the coming months is chapter 7, which deals with future housing possibilities in the county.

“It is anticipated that a significant share of future housing development will occur within the rural area, similar to historic trends” the study says in section 7-4.

“That is why it is important for us to impress upon the Ministry if Municipal Affairs that contrary to what the provincial policy statement says, orienting all housing development into the built-up areas is not a viable option in Frontenac County,” said Gallivan.

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison concurred. “Pushing development into hamlets that don’t have water and sewer systems in place is only going to cause more, not less, of an environmental risk,” he said.

Of more than a dozen hamlets in Frontenac, Sydenham is the only one with a water system in place, and even Sydenham does not have a communal sewage system.