Feature Article - October 12, 2006

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Feature Article - October 12, 2006

ATVbylaw approved in CentralFrontenac

byJeff Green

Central Frontenac Council passed a bylaw this week approving the use of licensed, insured, single seat, four-wheeled All Terrain Vehicles on all municipal roads in the township.

The bylaw mirrors similar bylaws passed in South and North Frontenac, and ATVs can now be legally driven on all roads in Frontenac County .

Debate on the bylaw itself was muted, since the matter was discussed at the previous meeting when a motion came forward to instruct staff to prepare the bylaw.

At that time the main objections were raised by Councillor Logan Murray. When the bylaw came forward, a resigned Murray said “I’ve said what I have to say. I do not support it. I have received no calls from people who do support the bylaw and several from people who don’t. I point out that Napanee is looking at rescinding their bylaw, and that I know a lot of people who own ATVs who oppose this.”

Councillor Jack Nicolson said, “This is an excellent bylaw, but who is going to enforce it?”

Mayor Bill MacDonald said, “I want to see this go through. There is nothing to stop a future council from rescinding it if it doesn’t work.”

They bylaw was approved by a vote of 7-2, with Councillors Murray and Nicolson voting against it.

Other Council items A tender was granted to Gray Brothers Construction to upgrade the septic system for the Sharbot Lake Medical Centre. The medical centre is undertaking a $1.6 million expansion in line with its new status as a Family Health Team as approved by the Ministry of Health. The septic upgrade will cost $23,320 and is to be completed before freeze up.

2006 shaping up as decent building year New building regulations have put a damper on building in the township this year, but the numbers are comparable with other years. As of September 30th, permits have been issued for a construction value of $5,304,000, down from $6,636,000 in the first three quarters of ’05, but higher than the $4,842,000 for the same period in ’04.

The number of new residential units has dropped, however. There were 38 at this point in ’04, 39 in ’05, and only 26 thus far this year.

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Feature Article - October 19, 2006

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Feature Article - October 19, 2006

Ompah helipad causes trouble for neighbour

by JuleKoch Brison

Jamie Hahn, whose property abuts North Frontenac’s helipad in Ompah, appeared before council at Thursday’s meeting. Hahn read out a letter detailing the reasons he was asking council to pay for an assessment of the value of trees on his property.

In October 2005 the township had informed him that trees on his property were blocking the path of the helicopter and would have to be cut down. Initially Hahn assumed that only a few trees were blocking the helicopter, but subsequently learned that the flight path was basically in his front yard, and almost an acre and a half of trees would have to be cut down. The township had considered purchasing the portion of Hahn’s property in question, so he engaged a company to do an assessment of the value of the standing trees and also the replacement value of planting new trees. According to the assessment, the replacement value alone was $364,000.

Hahn offered to lease the property to the township, but council refused, saying they were looking at other options, including moving the helipad. Hahn made it clear that his problem was not with the helipad --he himself had been airlifted from there a few years ago; his problem was the $964 bill for the assessment, and he asked council to pay the invoice, saying that it was their responsibility to manage the helipad, and that the situation was something that he had not wanted in the first place.

Council reluctantly agreed to pay half of the bill.

Later in the meeting, council discussed a plan to move the helipad to Tomvale Airport on Road 506, which is owned by Claudio and Cathy Valentini. Several times over the years, without asking for any payment, the Valentinis have allowed air ambulances to land at Tomvale, and have even driven the flying paramedics to accident sites when they landed without directions or the means to get there. If the helipad were moved to Tomvale, the helicopters would be able to land on the existing runway, so the township would have to fill in potholes only once a year and provide snowplowing. The township would be added to the airport’s insurance policy and the contract is being reviewed by the township’s insurer.

The township will also write to the Ministry of Health, urging them to establish better procedures and communication between the air and land ambulance services.

1 North Frontenac and Addington Highlands Townships are partnering to invest in the construction of two cell phone towers along Hwy 41. North Frontenac is applying to the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation for a $20,000 EODP grant to help fund a cash incentive to attract a cell phone provider (see also Addington Highlands Council report).

2 The Waste Diversion Task Force has not entirely given up on exploring thermal processing (incineration) as an option for waste disposal in North Frontenac. A few months ago, a consultant’s report, the Jacques-Whitford report, had all but nixed incineration because it would be too expensive, but Councillor Bud Clayton, in giving a report from the task force, said incineration would be better for the township than an engineered landfill site, and with a larger base the costs could come down considerably. He said that the Township of Greater Madawaska was interested in joining the task force. However, the task force’s report recommends that for the time being the township explore the two medium term options presented by the Jacques-Whitford report: engineered landfill sites (sites with physical buffers to contain leachate) and trucking the wastes away.

3 A forgotten resolution made by North Frontenac’s council in 1998 to reduce building permit fees for churches by 15% will give a windfall to churches that have taken out permits since then. The building permit bylaw was not amended in 1998 after the resolution was passed, with the result that neither the present Chief Building Official nor the CAO were aware of it. The matter was recently brought to council’s attention because Councillor Clayton requested that council waive or reduce the fee for a renovation permit for the Plevna Anglican Church, pointing out that the fee was approximately $500 and the work to be done was worth approximately $500. Deputy Mayor Gleva Lemke then recalled that permits had been reduced in the past, and staff investigated the matter.

Council decided to reimburse 15% to the churches retroactively from 1998 to August 2005, when building permit fees increased. The reduction rate for churches will be increased to 25%, retroactive to August 2005.

4 The renovation of the municipal council chambers to create an additional office and lunchroom for staff leaves council without a place to meet. They met in the Clar-Mill hall during the summer, but the hall is used by many groups during the rest of the year. They have booked the Harlowe Hall has for the remainder of the 2006 meetings.

5 There is mould and other moisture damage in the basement of the Barrie Hall due to a water leak, and the township hired an industrial hygienist to determine whether the upstairs of the hall can still be used. The basement has been sealed off and the hygienist reported that the main levels of the hall are safe to use. Outside excavation and drainage work, possibly costing around $20,000, may need to be done to correct the problem, but the township will wait to undertake any expensive work because of possible upgrades to Hwy 41.

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Feature Article - October 19, 2006

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Feature Article - October 19, 2006

Addington Highlands Council

by JuleKoch Brison

Paul Isaacs, a private citizen, appeared before council to give his feedback on an administrative review that the township had hired a consultant to complete. The review stated that it was apparent the township had to be restructured and had to hire a CAO.

Isaacs heavily criticized the review, saying that that parts of it, such as the section dealing with land ambulances and OW are not applicable to AH and could be misleading. He said the consultant had failed to prove that AH needed a CAO, as opposed to making other changes, such as hiring a deputy clerk, and that its conclusions were inconsistent. The review stated, for example, that hiring a CAO should be left to the new council, but also that the job should be advertised immediately.

Addington Highlands and North Frontenac are partnering together to find a cell phone provider who would construct two towers along Hwy 41. Addington Highlands has circulated requests for Expressions of Interest (EOI) with a closing date of Oct 24 to various companies, and should know soon if there are any takers, although they may have to extend the deadline.

AH and NF are offering a cash incentive of $50,000 to any interested company, and have each applied to their respective Community Futures Development corporations for a total of $40,000 in EODP (Eastern Ontario Development Program) grants to help fund the incentive. If the towers are not built, the funding would be returned to the pool.

Quinte Eco, a consulting firm hired by the township to monitor its waste disposal sites, is recommending that AH look into acquiring land around the Denbigh waste site and then seeking a certificate of approval from the MoE for expanding the site. Reeve Hook said that seemed backwards if the MoE refused to issue to C of A, the township would be stuck with the land. Township Clerk Jack Pauhl said the ministry seems to be supportive of expanding rather than mining the site (to reclaim recyclables), but the matter would have to be coordinated.

Trailers are chattel, not property, and cannot be taxed, was a judge’s decision this month in the case of one campground versus MPAC. Reeve Hook said that didn’t seem exactly fair, as trailer occupants use township facilities such as roads and dumps, just as well as seasonal residents do. In order to collect reimbursement from trailer occupants, the township has to bring a trailer bylaw into effect and council passed a motion to set the process in motion.

Council also expressed concerns about MPAC’s decision to start checking properties every six years instead of every twelve years and to spend millions in hiring more staff. Reeve Hook said that would surely drive assessments up.

AH will look into buying or leasing to own its own sidewalk plow, as no tenders were received on a call for plowing. The plow would also be used for sweeping in the summer.

The deadly collapse last month of an overpass in Laval , Quebec , prompted a discussion about the safety of bridges in rural areas. Reeve Hook said that rural municipalities don’t have money to maintain bridges, but counties get funding easier. Renfrew County looks after all the bridges for its municipalities. This prompted Councilor Bill Cox to ask humorously, “How do we download bridges to the county?” Reeve Hook answered that being part of county council, AH can make suggestions.

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

Lame duck AHcouncil can't hire chief administrative officer

by Jeff Green

Addington Highlands Council recently decided to increase the size of its office staff by one third, by hiring a chief administrative officer. A consulting company was hired to develop a job description and conduct a hiring search.

However, when it came to doing the hiring this week, it was too late. During a closed meeting before their regular October council meeting this past Monday, council determined that they could no longer do the hiring.

With the September 29th close of nominations for the upcoming municipal election, Addington Highlands became a lame duck council, able to carry on the township’s business but unable to initiate new spending, fire or hire new people.

“Since there is no guarantee that 75% of the current council members will be on council after the election, we determined we could not do the hiring,” said outgoing Reeve Ken Hook during the open session of council.

Council was, however, able to approve the job description for the new position, which can only be filled when a new council is in place at the beginning of December.

Waste Issues Deirdre Johnson, a scientist with Quinte Eco Consultants, has had a look at the Denbigh waste disposal site, and determined that the site could be extended to the south, and that mining/compacting the site is also a possibility. In a letter to Jon Morrish, a Senior Environmental Officer with the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) in Kingston , which was copied to the township, Johnson requested that a deadline to complete documentation regarding an amendment to the ministry’s certificate of approval for the Denbigh site be extended until December 1st.

Council is hoping that the new documentation will persuade the MoE for an increase in the life of the site.

Mileage rate held at 40 cents Last month council deferred a proposal to increase the mileage paid to councilors and staff to 45 cents, because gas prices seemed to be easing after remaining above $1 per litre throughout most of the summer. With prices having moderated further since September, council decided to maintain the 40 cent rate.

Comprehensive Zoning bylaw In a review of the draft AH comprehensive zoning bylaw, Mississippi Valley Conservation recommended several changes, but Reeve Hook said it should still be possible for the bylaw to be passed by council before the end of their term in late November.

Election Forum The first opportunity to hear from the 11 people who are running for office in Addington Highlands will take place on October 12th at the Business Breakfast sponsored by the Addington Highlands Economic Development Committee. Candidates will be allotted two minutes each to speak on Economic Development.

All-candidates meetings have been scheduled for Monday, October 23rd at the Denbigh Hall, 7 pm, and October 26th at the Flinton Recreation Centre (downstairs) also at 7 pm.

The official candidates are: Bill Cox and Henry Hogg (Reeve), Eythel Grant, Janice Kerr, and Faye Mieske (Ward 1) and Ibra Cuddy, Larry Pealow, Louise Scott, Charles Snider, T.W. (Tommy) Thompson, and Helen Yanch (Ward 2)

There are two candidates for school board trustee (Limestone District School Board) Ann Goodfellow and Jamie Riddell.

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

Loughborough Lake residents oppose Hydro One pesticide application

by Jeff Green

Residents living on the north shore of Loughborough Lake gathered last Sunday at the Loughborough Lake bridge for an information demonstration in response to a herbicide spraying program being undertaken by Hydro One Forestry under hydro lines adjacent to their properties. In some locations, the spraying is taking place within 15-20 metres of the shore of the lake, and along wetlands that feed it.

Although residents have made little headway in trying to get the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to step in, South Frontenac council did take action this week.

The herbicide triclopyr, under the brand name Garlon 4, is used by Hydro One to kill unwanted broadleaf plants under their lines. It is often used when brushing is taking place to suppress grow back. Garlon 4 is commonly used throughout North America on pastures, woodlands and rights or way.

Susan Radford, of Long Pond Farms on North Shore Road first found out that spraying was taking place on Monday, September 25th. She immediately approached a Hydro One Contractor who was doing the spraying and asked him to stop, which he did.

Radford told the News that she communicated with several officials from Hydro One last week.

“They told me that they would try to avoid spraying on my property, and on properties whose owners contact them to ask them to stop, but that they have permission from the MoE to spray under their lines, and that they aren’t harming anything. The problem is that Garlon 4 is not safe when used around lakes or wetlands. It even says so on the label.”

A Hydro One worker gave a label from the herbicide package to Susan Radford. The label says that “Garlon 4 is not registered for application to water surfaces including lakes, ponds, and streams and is highly toxic to fish, aquatic plants and aquatic invertebrates.”

The label goes on to stipulate buffer zones around such sensitive areas.

Even though residents say the spraying is taking place within extremely close proximity to wetlands, Christine Brown from the Kingston Office of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MoE) said that, “Hydro One has informed the ministry of the surface water setback in this case and this is acceptable to the ministry.”

In response to repeated requests from residents to inspect the North Shore road spraying program, Brown said that the MoE has conducted a site visit and has reviewed Hydro One’s pesticide application, including on the North Shore Road and has not seen evidence of impact from the spraying operation.

Susan Radford, and the people who conducted the protest last Sunday, argue that there are potential impacts from this kind of spraying, including impacts on well water, and Radford points out that if she had not intervened, spraying would have taken place on her land where her son has a bee keeping operation.

Although Garlon 4 is commonly used throughout Ontario and Canada , there have been cases where it has been prohibited on environmental grounds.

In 1997, its use was prohibited by an environmental tribunal in a case in British Columbia because of fears over its impact on groundwater. It cannot be sold in five states in the United Sates, including California .

Council weighs in

At the Sunday afternoon protest, Councillor Peter Roos, Deputy Mayor Ron Vandewal and Mayor Bill Lake were in attendance, and Ron Vandewal raised the matter at the October 3 council meeting.

“Why don’t we ask AMO [The Association of Municpalities of Ontario] to look into whether there is an alternative to pesticide spraying in Hydro right of ways?” Vandewal asked.

Peter Roos suggested that the township use bulk mailing to send a letter to everyone in the township who lives on a road that is scheduled for spraying, to inform them that Hydro One will refrain from spraying on hydro rights of way on or adjacent to their properties if they make such a request.

As Roos’ proposal was being written up as a motion, township Public Works Manager Bill Blum said that council could decide to tell Hydro One not to spray in South Frontenac at all.

“If that’s what council wants to happen, it would be the simplest measure,” Blum said.

So, a motion was prepared rescinding permission for Hydro One to spray Garlon 4 in South Frontenac.

Before a vote was held on the motion, Portland councillor Don Smith asked, “If they are only hand spraying, then they spray right on the plants that they want to get rid of. So what’s the problem?”

The motion was approved, with only Smith casting a dissenting vote.

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

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Feature Article - October 5, 2006

North Frontenac Council looking for a place to meet

by Jeff Green

The staff complement at North Frontenac township has increased over the past several years, and with limited space being available in the township office, the Council chambers were turned into office space this past spring, forcing Council to meet at the Clar/Mil Hall in Plevna.

This was no problem in the summer, but in the fall and winter months the hall is very busy on the days that Council meetings are held, on the second Thursday evening and the fourth Thursday morning of each month.

This put council into a potential conflict with the Craft Group, who use the Hall each Thursday during the day, and with the Pioneer Club who use the Hall every Thursday night.

Although staff were given a directive to approach both groups to see if they might consider switching the day they meet, the groups seem to have heard that they were going to be forced to vacate the hall once a month.

So, when Council met in Plevna last Thursday morning, (September 28th) there were over forty people in attendance, most of them wanting to discuss the use of the Clar/Mil Hall on Thursdays.

It became clear very quickly that the two groups did not want to change their schedules at all, and Council asked the township staff to prepare a report on options for meeting dates and locations to the next meeting, which will be held on Thursday, October 12th, 7 pm at the Ompah Hall.

JEPP application Council authorised Fire Chief Steve Riddell to apply for funding under the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) for a $10,000 field exercise in the event of a pandemic to test the townships emergency response plan capabilities, including a review of the emergency operations centre. Council also approved a JEPP application for $23,958 for a fire tower. Council can decide whether to proceed with the projects if and when JEPP funding support is secured.

Fire Hall Grand Opening On October 21st at 11:00 firefighters from all North Frontenac Stations will assemble in full dress uniform at the new fire hall on road 506. They will be led into the new hall by a piper, thus inaugurating the hall. Other festivities will occur, and there will be a lunch provided by the Ladies Fire Auxiliary. The public is welcome to attend.

The township also thanks Francis L. Manion Limited for a donation to the fire hall building fund.

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Feature Article - November 23, 2006

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Feature Article - November 23, 2006

Ompah helipad to be reconsidered:NorthFrontenac will consider formal agreement with Tomvale airport this week

by Jeff Green

The honeymoon was indeed short for North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire this time around.

Just a week and a day after being re-elected, and a full three weeks before his new council is sworn in, he was facing an angry crowd of 125 people at the Ompah hall. The issue at hand was the future of the Ompah Helipad.

The meeting had been called by Barbara Sproule, the former Reeve of Palmerston/Canonto (now Ward 3 of North Frontenac). At the start of the meeting, Barbara Sproule explained some of the history of the helipad.

It was built by the Ompah Snowmobile club, using volunteer labour, and maintained by the club for many years. “The community built the helipad, that’s why we are so attached to it,” she said.

When the snowmobile club disbanded, the helipad was turned over to the township, and the township has invested in maintenance, putting up a fence and upgrading the site. Problems surfaced a little over a year ago, when representatives from the Air ambulance service contacted the township to inform them that helicopter pilots no longer wanted to use the helipad at night because the view of the reflective material on the pad was obstructed by trees on a neighbouring property.

The township entered into negotiations with the neighbour in question, who eventually produced an estimate of the value of trees that were involved - $364,000. Alternatively, he offered to accept a payment of $35,000 plus $600 per month.

Council was loath to accept this proposal. An alternate site, which has been used for helicopter landings on an ad hoc basis, the Tomvale Airport on Hwy. 506 near Fernleigh, was proposed, and at a meeting scheduled for this Thursday, Council is poised to give Mayor Maguire the go-ahead to complete an agreement with Tomvale Airport for helipad services. The agreement will entail the township providing some cold patch for the private road into the landing pad, and snow clearing as well, at a cost of approximately $10,000 per year.

At the meeting, incoming councilor Jim Beam reported that he has contacted Martin Boucher, from Canadian Helicopter Services, who told him that if an alternate approach to the Ompah helipad is found, the helicopters that are dispatched will be able to land at Ompah, even at night.

... “If that approach respects the numbers for our nights criteria ... the municipality can at their wish change that approach,” Boucher wrote in an email to the township on Tuesday morning.

“That is not the information that we previously received from Canadian Helicopters” said Councillor Fred Perry, who was in attendance. “The guy who talked to us before, a Mr. Pascale, said nothing about alternate approaches to the helipad. He only said the trees had to be removed.”

“Mr. Boucher is Mr. Pascale’s boss,” said Beam.

“Before we can do anything about the Ompah helipad, we need Mr. Boucher to meet with members of council at the helipad; we need assurances that what we come up with be acceptable and the helicopters pilots will agree to land at night. Otherwise, we can’t do anything,” said Perry.

Several members of the boisterous audience spoke passionately about the necessity of maintaining helipad services at Ompah, noting the distance between Ompah and the Tomvale airport.

“I think it’s a great thing to put a helipad at Fernleigh or Plevna, but we don’t want to lose ours,” said Barbara Sproule

Barbara Sproule then asked Mayor Maguire, “Are you planning to pass a bylaw on Thursday to close the Ompah helipad, or will that be left to the new council?”

Maguire responded by saying the Ompah helipad will not be closed this week, and further, “The new council can set up a task force to try and solve the problem at Ompah.”

“Will you promise not to make an agreement over Tomvale?” asked an audience member.

“The two matters are not related,” Maguire replied. “We need to ensure a safe landing spot for night helicopters in North Frontenac, and we will be looking at an agreement with Tomvale Airport this week. If the new council can come up with a workable proposal for night landing at Ompah, we will consider that when the time comes.”

So, the new North Frontenac Council, which will be sworn in on December 14th, already has a pressing issue to deal with.

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Feature Article - November 23, 2006

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Feature Article - November 23, 2006

Safer crossing inNorthbrook

Crossing the street in Northbrook will soon be safer, thanks to a new traffic signal and APS (accessible pedestrian signal) on Highway #41. What started as a request to Addington Highlands Council and MPP Leona Dombrowsky back in 2001 from a group of seniors wanting a crosswalk has evolved into a high-tech traffic signal installation.

At that time, seniors felt they needed a safer way to cross the highway from Pine Grove Apartments to the Lions Hall. When council and MPP Dombrowsky approached the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) for assistance, the MTO recommended a traffic study be done to further investigate pedestrian and traffic flow on the provincial highway within the village of Northbrook . The intensive study in August 2001 recorded the movements of 117,400 vehicles over 7 days at 6 stations on Highway #41 in the village. In addition, pedestrian movements were also recorded over 2 days at 4 separate zones from Glastonbury Road to the Lions Hall. Collision records from 1988-2000 were also reviewed. The MTO explained to council early on that a pedestrian crosswalk on a provincial highway would not be possible.

The results of the traffic study showed the number of pedestrian crossings between the Bank of Montreal-IGA warranted a traffic signal, as this was the most heavily crossed section of the highway. It also presented the highest risk of pedestrian-vehicle collision due to the unstructured flow of vehicle traffic.

A public meeting held in August 2003 resulted in further discussions with stakeholders and eventual design of the intersection complete with traffic signal. As a move by the province to increase the accessibility for persons with disabilities, council requested that MTO install an APS signal in Northbrook at the same time as the traffic signal to assist the visually impaired residents and visitors.

The new APS will have a button for visually impaired pedestrians to push and a location sound to help find the button. Once the button is pushed, the traffic signal is activated. When traffic is stopped and it is safe to cross, a “bird chirping” sound will be heard by the pedestrian. The “bird chirping” will not be heard unless activated by the push button.

Residents will have noticed the great deal of work that has gone into the installation of the new signals. Work commenced just after Labour Day and continued into early November. New curbing, asphalt and street lighting were all part of the project. The MTO also provided additional modifications to storm drains at select locations to improve drainage in front of the IGA during snow melt.

This state-of-the-art signal is not common on provincial highways. Usually municipalities install the signals on municipally-owned streets within urban centres, paid for by the municipality. This provincially-paid installation in Northbrook is unique and was only possible with the co-operation of property owners, council, the MTO, the CNIB and the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario. AH Council would like to thank all of these stakeholders as well as MPP Dombrowsky for making the APS and traffic signal a reality.

AH Township is providing APS training for any visually impaired person on November 28. The training will be provided by the CNIB Kingston Branch and will be one-on-one. If you know of visually impaired persons who would benefit from proper free training, please call 613-336-3211 to set up an appointment on November 28 at the new traffic signal. Training should take under 30 minutes per person.

– submitted by Ken Hook

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Feature Article - November 30, 2006Nicol Reconsidersn

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Feature Article - November 30, 2006

NorthFrontenac Council

by Jeff Green

Even though its authority only extends for a few more weeks, the outgoing North Frontenac councillors found themselves working hard last week at their final meeting.

Ongoing issues ranging from the Ompah helipad to the Pow Wow grounds at Pine Lake dominated the agenda during a three-hour meeting, which culminated in the mayor and the chief administrative officer extending thanks to Deputy Mayor Gleva Lemke and the three other councillors, Betty Hunter, Bud Clayton, and Dave Smith, who will be leaving council in December.

The council meeting took place less than 48 hours after a public meeting on the subject of the Ompah helipad. At that public meeting Mayor Maguire had said that the Ompah helipad will remain open for the time being, to allow for a task force to determine how to ensure its long-term viability, but that an arrangement with the Tomvale airport will be completed in order to ensure at least one night landing spot for air ambulances in the township.

Such an agreement was prepared by the township’s solicitor, but Mayor Maguire said there were a few small matters that are still outstanding, matters which could only be discussed in closed session.

The matter was thus deferred to the new council.

Small grant application approved – Roger Millar, the township’s recreation/economic development co-ordinator, reported that an application for a $25,000 grant from the Bell Sports Fund, which would have been used to upgrade the Clar-Mill ice rink, had been turned down.

The news wasn’t all bad, however, because a smaller grant for $5,000 was approved. This money will be used for maintenance, and volunteers will be completing some repairs to the facility at a work bee, with the township supplying materials.

Bins for Kashwakamak and Ompah dumps – Councillor Wayne Good relayed the concern of a constituent from Kaskwakamak Lake about the fact there is no bin for recycling cardboard at the Kash Lake waste disposal site. Public Works Manager John Ibey said that he has sourced larger bins, which will be purchased for the Mississippi and Road 506 sites, freeing up smaller bins to be moved to the Kashwakamak and Ompah sites.

Council approved the purchase of the larger bins, and when they arrive the smaller bins will be moved.

Cloyne and Ompah transfer stations – According to clerk/planner Brenda DeFosse, approval is expected shortly for the operation of transfer stations at both the Cloyne and Ompah waste sites. The public will be notified when final approval is received.

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Feature Article - November 30, 2006

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Feature Article - November 30, 2006

Central Frontenac passes Official Plan amendments

by Jeff Green

At the final council meeting for at least four of the nine members present, outgoing Mayor Bill MacDonald thanked the township staff, his fellow councillors, and his wife Sharon for all of their support over the years.

He made specific mention of Chief Administrative Officer Heather Fox, who he said has been instrumental in the progress the township has made over the past nine years.

Fittingly, Deputy Mayor Frances Smith, who has served on councils with Bill MacDonald for most of the past 17 years, presented him with a commemorative plaque. Smith got in the line of the day when she noted that her political association with Bill MacDonald has “lasted longer than some of my marriages.”

Faye Putnam, Jack Nicolson, Bill Guigue, and Logan Murray, all thanked the staff and council in saying goodbye as well, although Murray ’s departure is by no means definite. Murray lost his council seat by a mere two votes to Jeff Matson and his request for a recount was accepted by council earlier in the meeting.

Heather Fox said after the meeting that she is hoping to conduct the recount soon. Both Matson and Logan Murray will be invited to attend, and they will each be permitted one scrutineer as well as legal council. Fox said she will be contacting Jeff Matson to see if Friday is a suitable day for the counting to take place.

Official Plan amendment approved The official plan amendment process took up most of 2006, and at it was finally passed without comment in a unanimous vote.

Zealand Women’s Circle wonders where the table went The township has replaced the old wooden tables at the Oso Hall with lighter plastic ones, but there is a problem. When the Zealand Women’s Circle asked the township office about the number of tables and their lengths, they were told there were 25 8 foot long tables. They got to the Hall for the 33rd edition of their annual craft fair to find only 20 6 foot long tables, leaving them scrambling to obtain tables from nearby churches.

Mayor MacDonald apologised to the Women’s Circle on behalf of the township, explaining that 25 8 foot tables had been ordered but were not available. Staff will endeavour to rectify the situation.

Construction catching up to ’05 After lagging behind last year’s record high level of construction all year, permits for almost $1.3 million were taken out in October, bringing the year to date total to $6,601,000, as compared to $7,157,000 at this point last year. By the end of October in 2004, permits for $5,241,000 in construction had been sold.

Inaugural meeting next Monday The new council will be sworn in on Monday, December 4th at 7 pm, at the Oso hall in Sharbot Lake .

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