Waste_issues
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Feature Article - 31, 2007Waste issues dominate at Addington Highlands Council meeting
by Jeff Green
Waste issues dominate at Addington Highlands Council meeting
By Jeff Green
At the council meeting on June 4, Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch expressed her displeasure with the limited variety of items taken by Fraser Hauling, the company that handles recycling pickups at the township dump at Kaladar.
“I think we have to do something about Fraser Hauling. I don’t think we are getting very good service from them. If people in the County of Peterborough can recycle everything, why can’t we do the same in Addington Highlands?” she asked.
“It’s not the hauler,” said Reeve Henry Hogg,” we have to look at the recycler in Belleville.”
“They take just about everything in Denbigh,” said Councillor Janice Kerr. Recycling in Denbigh is trucked to a recycler in Renfrew.
“Exactly,” said Helen Yanch. “It’s a situation where we need to find other companies who are willing to do this.”
Council approved a motion, forwarded from the Waste Management Committee, calling for the township to “pursue other recycling companies for the Kaladar site.”
DENBIGH SITE Council has been pursuing setting up a temporary transfer station at the Denbigh site when it closes on July 1, pending an attempt to expand its limits and re-open it in the future.
The response from Jon Morish of the Ministry of the Environment, Kingston Office, indicated that the processing times for getting approval for a transfer station “have varied widely (up to a year or more) but I understand they are getting better.” Morish also wrote that there are costs involved, with the application alone costing about $900 and that design and operations reports and closure plans are required as well.
In the meantime, the hours at the Vennachar site, which is the closest alternate site, will be increased. Between July 1 and September 30 it will be open from 7-10 am Mondays, 2-5 pm on Wednesdays and 2-8 pm on Sundays.
COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD Larry Pealow from the Economic Development Committee (AHEAD) and Terry Shea from the Land O’ Lakes Tourist Association appeared before council to talk about establishing a community builder award for the township.
If established, the award would be given out annually to a resident of the township. Written nominations would be required, answering the question, “Can you describe the impact this individual has had on this community?”
Members of council, township staff, and AHEAD committee members would make up the jury. Unlike other kinds of awards, this one is not intended just for volunteer work, it also wants to award people for their entrepreneurial spirit.
“Voluntary risk in the interest of the economic development of the community may also be recognised,” said the literature accompanying Pealow’s presentation.
Council was receptive to the concept and it will be considered at the next AHEAD meeting.
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedFire_hall_approved
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Feature Article - August 30, 2007Mountain Grove Fire hall approved
by Jeff Green
Central Frontenac Council has approved the construction of a fire hall in Mountain Grove.
In a unanimous vote, Council granted the tender for the building to Wemp and Smith of Kingston, for a cost not to exceed $509,000. Sith other fees, the project will cost $532,000.
At a special meeting on August 29th, they also approved road construction for a portion of the Oak Flats road in the south end of the township, at a cost of $302,000.
While the fire hall was approved in a unanimous vote, there was one dissenting vote for the Oak flats road project. Councillor Frances Smith questioned why Council was spending “three quarters of our road construction budget on one single road" and voted against funding the project in a recorded vote. "We’d be better off doing more in the way of maintenance on all of the roads in the township,” she said.
Deputy Mayor Bill Snyder, on the other hand, had no trouble supporting the project, which he has been advocateing for since Central Frontenac township was created 10 years ago.
Both projects are expected to commence within two weeks.
Cf_council_meetings
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Feature Article - August 28, 2007Special meeting leads to … another special meeting
by Jeff Green
Central Frontenac Council met to deal with three matters on August 22, and left all three unresolved. Another special meeting was scheduled for August 29, in Mountain Grove, at 5:00 pm.
Tenders have been opened for construction of a new fire hall in Mountain Grove, but as John DuChene, acting CAO of the township, pointed out, a bore hole needs to be drilled to give geo-technical information about the proposed site of the fire hall. If water were found within 5 metres of the surface, it would complicate the project considerably. “It’s unlikely that the reading will be unfavourable, but we need to wait until next week,” Duchene told Council.
When contacted a few days later, on August 28, Duchene told the News that the bore hole has been drilled, and he has received an oral report about a favourable result. “We have not received the written results,” Duchene said, “but at this point it looks like we can move forward to award the tender at our meeting tomorrow [Wednesday, August 29].”
Three companies have answered the tender, and DuChene said the township has been in negotiations with the favoured bidder, but he did not announce any details about the bid, aside from indicating that the project will not likely be under budget.
Also at the August 22 meeting, a tender for construction on a 1.5 km stretch of the Oak Flats Road came in at $302,000 - $45,000 over budget.
DuChene asked for a week so staff could see if any savings can be found in other parts of the budget to help cover for the shortfall. Judy Gray, the township treasurer, returned from vacation at the beginning of this week, and year-to-date budget information was slated to be included incCouncil’s package for the August 29 meeting.
The third matter considered at the August 22 meeting took up over an hour of council’s time. Township Planning Consultant Glenn Tunnock made a presentation concerning a site plan agreement over a proposed cement operation on Highway 7 near Arden.
Final negotiations are envisioned, and the site plan will likely return to council for ratification at the first meeting in September.Look to this site on August 29th for a decision on the Oak Flats Road and Mountain Grove fire hall tenders.
Update: At their meeting on August 29, Council approved both projects. The winning tender for the Mountain Grove fire hall was $509,000 from Wemp and Smith of Kingston. The total project cost is about 532,000, $67,000 over wat had been budgeted. Money for the two overages will be found partially from the monies set aside for a new sal t dome, which will be deferred.
Pine_meadow
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Feature Article - July 26, 2007Pine Meadow Nursing Home seeking muicipal funding
by Jeff Green
The Pine Meadow Nursing Home in Northbrook shares many things with its more luxurious, municipally-owned neighbours to the south: the John Parrot Centre in Napanee and the Fairmount Home in suburban Kingston. It is a non-profit home serving an aging population, with a large percentage of residents that suffer from dementia; it receives funding from the Ministry of Health, donations and resident fees just like the other homes; and it serves the residents of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties.
But unlike the other two homes, it does not receive municipal funding. The home’s management board would like to change that.
Board members Ann Chisholm and Ernest Lapchinski made a presentation to North Frontenac Council last week. They outlined how the home, which serves 60 residents, has been seeking funding from the Ministry of Health for a much-needed upgrade. Currently the majority of the rooms in the home have four beds in them, and the current standard for a long-term facility is for two and one-bed rooms.
With the recent announcement that a new home will be funded in Tweed, Pine Meadow staff and management see that an expansion and upgrade of Pine Meadow is unlikely in the near to mid-term, and they have decided to work towards some more modest improvements to the home.
“We’re in desperate need of storage and activity space, and we’d like to put in a physiotherapy department,” said Ann Chisholm when contacted by the News earlier this week.
Pine Meadow has been tentatively approved for a long-term loan of $250,000 for the work from Infrastructure Ontario. Pine Meadow has decided to seek municipal funding for the first time, and they are seeking a small percentage of the funds that are already allocated to long-term care - some of the monies that are spent on municipally run homes that serve people in the southern parts of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties.
North Frontenac taxpayers pay about $125,000 annually towards the upkeep of the Fairmount home, where few, if any, North Frontenac residents live, Chisholm told Council. Pine Meadow is seeking $25,000 annually from Frontenac County.
“There is an issue of fairness here,” Ann Chisholm said. “Our taxpayers are funding a nursing home they are not using, and the home that they are using is receiving no funding from the municipalities.”
North Frontenac Council expressed sympathy for Pine Meadow’s situation, and the issue has been raised in the past by North Frontenac councilors at Frontenac County joint council meetings.
The Pine Meadow delegation will be taking their concerns to a meeting of the Frontenac County Council They will also be attending a meeting of Addington Highlands Council.
Letters
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Feature Article - July 12, 2007Letters to the Editor
Thanks for carrying local produce
I would like to thank the Trousdale’s Foodland in Sydenham for supporting the local strawberry producers. At a time when so many big supermarkets carry only California berries; it is refreshing to see our own local, fabulous tasting strawberries available on a daily basis in the same location that I buy the rest of my groceries.
Heather McNie
VandalismToday I lost my mailbox. It was almost a foregone conclusion that this was going to happen eventually. In fact I predicted it last night, June 28, after our meeting with the mayor and our councilors. A lot of people complained about the vandalism that has been going on for the last little while and I spoke out on the issue as it had also affected me.
When I first wrote about the vandalism in my column, revenge was very swift. The day after that column came out, these brave people waited until I was away and attacked my mailbox with a rock, causing severe damage. I straightened it out the best way I could and reattached it to the board where it was temporarily living until I could install the post it came with.
The next time I wrote about vandalism I found the mailbox door wrenched and the flag twisted out of shape. This time I straightened it out, but I knew that if I spoke out again the violence would escalate. And it has. This time the mailbox has been removed altogether and, in doing that, these unfortunate people have now become criminals. They have taken property that does not belong to them. And I am in the process of installing cameras around my property. The one thing I refuse to do is give in to bullies and stop writing about vandalism. You can count on that!
- Ina Hunt Turner (Arden columnist)
Death of a loonTragedy struck on the lake in Verona in the afternoon of July 10, 2007. A newborn loon was lost to injury and drowning.The worried parentsraced up and down the shoreline frantically calling and searching for their loved one. Their efforts were all in vain.I recovered the body of their loved one from my waterfront. I was unable to communicate to the distressed pair that their pride had been lost. The parents continued to call most of that afternoon and into the evening in the hope that they would get a familiar response. But, that was not to be! Now I understand what that mournful call ofour lake loon is all about.The loon parents take so much time of a short seasonand give so much of their energy to nurture their young to an early maturity.So, it is a real tragedy to have a young one taken away by misadventure. I did not see how this young loon became injured and died. But, I suspect that man had something to do with this young loon’s demise. Verona (Rock) Lake is a small lake and at times very busy with boats and water activity. We should all try to remember that the wildlife has a priority. They were here first.
David C. Salmond
Re: Arden Cement Operation
My wife and I bought a property in Central Frontenac about four years ago with the intention of establishing an upscale country inn that would operate throughout most of the year. We later purchased the adjoining Evergreen derelict motel complex. We have spent four years getting permits and working hard to clean up and improve the properties.
To date we have spent in excess of $200,000 of savings repairing both properties and building additions to accommodate paying visitors. We were expecting to open in 2008.
We were recently informed by a simple letter in the mail that the township of Central Frontenac was considering a change to the official plan and zoning to accommodate a cement operation on a property adjacent to us on Highway 7. This industrial facility located halfway between Arden and Mountain Grove would provide cement, water and aggregate to cement trucks between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday, from April to October.
At a Council meeting on July 9, 2007, the company, 1000 Islands Concrete, was thanked profusely by council for having bought the property (most likely for back taxes) and having bulldozed away the remains of the old Stinson garage and diner. Incredibly the owner of 1000 Islands was so confident that council would accept his operation that he requested that approval be given prior to approval by the Ministry of the Environment (on the basis that he had already bought the machinery required).
What does this operation bring to Central Frontenac? Maybe, in the future, three jobs for cement truck drivers, although it was not clear that this would not be filled by his people in Brockville. He would not service his trucks here or buy aggregate here but he would definitely buy gasoline locally.
What is the cost? Possibly the environmental integrity of the area. Only lukewarm assurances were provided that particulate and waterborne contaminants would not contaminate air or watershed of Lake Kennebec. And certainly a loss of trust in the
Council of Central Frontenac to establish a coherent plan for the development of the township. A cement operation here, a pulp and paper mill there, who cares? Anything is possible as long as it pays the taxes.
As far as we are concerned, cement operations and tourism cannot coexist.
All that glitters is not gold. 1000 Islands Concrete has invested almost nothing in the township and there will be almost no benefit from its being here. Others have invested heavily in the township and will almost certainly bring more business to the area in the long-term and without disfiguring the region.
Council preaches development of the township. Now it must decide whether it will back those who are actually developing the township. Will it go for the gold or just for the glitter?
David Daski
Garrison_shores
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Feature Article - July 12, 2007Garrison Shores mess heading for a resolution?CFCouncil, July 9, 2007
byJeff Green
It’s been over 25 years since people began purchasing lots in a vacation property development at Garrison Lake in the former Kennebec Township.
The original developer is long gone, as are many of the original owners of lots. The lots that were purchased have never been legal, because they do not conform to legal definitions, and property owners have found over the years that they cannot sell their properties because they have never been able to get proper deeds.
In the 10 years since Central Frontenac was created, a succession of councils has attempted to normalize the Garrison Shores development, and after their meeting this week they might just be on the verge of accomplishing that task. But pitfalls remain.
A draft decision by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) called for two wording changes to a proposed Official Plan amendment dealing with Garrison Shores.
While the township’s planning consultant Glenn Tunnock agreed with one amendment the MMAH had proposed, he did not agree with the second. However, the MMAH has indicated they now accept Tunnock’s argument, and the Official Plan amendment seems to have their blessing.
“At your meeting next month, you will have a zoning bylaw amendment before you, which, if approved, will allow this to proceed to the county for the condominium approval process to begin, and the members of the Garrison Shores Association should have their deeds by next year,” Tunnock said. “The zoning bylaw amendment you will see next month will be the most detailed you will ever see,” he added.
So, it seems everybody is happy. Except for Jeff Dubois.
Dubois owns a vacation property at Garrison Shores, and he has been a vocal critique of the proposed solution, an opinion he expressed once again to council this week. Chief among his complaints is the fact that some of the lots at Garrison shores will now include the waterfront, which he argues should have been held in common among the members of the association as it has been in the past.
Glenn Tunnock and Julian Walker, the lawyer for the Garrison Shores Property Owners Association, both said that the establishment of these lots is reasonable under the circumstances, and that access to the water is guaranteed for all property owners.
Dubois has indicated in the past that he is contemplating requesting an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on this matter, and at every stage in the process he has ensured that his contrary position has been presented to council, which is something the municipal board requires before it will order a hearing.
PORTABLE SKATEBOARD PARK – Lori Hamilton (youth co-ordinator) and Sue Leslie (Executive Director) from the Child Centre came to council with good news and a request. The Child Centre has received a $39,687 grant form the Ministry of Health Promotion for a youth initiative. Of that grant, $12,150 is for equipment.
The intention is to purchase a portable skateboard park, to be shared by communities in Central and North Frontenac. “We are looking for the townships to transport the equipment from community to community, provide a place to store the equipment in the off season, and provide insurance,” Lori Hamilton said.
Councilors wanted to know where the park is to be located.
“We are planning to leave it in each community or two weeks,” Hamilton said, “We were thinking of putting it in Plevna for two weeks, and in Arden where there have been problems with youth, and in Sharbot Lake.”
Councilors from Hinchinbrooke and Olden wondered about Parham and Mountain Grove, and Lori Hamilton said that could be done next year.
In the end, council agreed to do what was requested of them.
Resignations from Rec. Committee – Michelle Greenstreet, Ann Howes and Dave Willis all tendered their resignations to the Oso District Rec. Committee. In her resignation letter, Michelele Greenstreet, who has been chairing the committee, wrote, in part, “in my years on the committee I was hoping to see the four districts merge into one and start working together as a whole community. However, with the lack of concern and support of council I feel I am wasting my time on goals toward recreation in this community.”
In her letter, Ann Howes wrote that her volunteer hours have moved in a different direction. She also wrote, “I am also disappointed in the new council, as far as their lack of commitment to helping out numerous volunteers who sit on these rec. committees.”
The verbal resignation from Dave Willis, as well as the written ones from Ann Howes and Michelle Greenstreet, were deferred until the September meeting of the committee, on the urging of Frances Smith, the councilor assigned to the committee.
In an additional note to the minutes of the June 27th meeting of the committee, Frances Smith wrote that the committee is not interested in putting on next year’s Canada Day celebration. “Everyone is tired and frustrated and will take a break in 2008. If another recreation committee would like to take it on, great, if not, then it appears that a celebration may not happen.”
The council meeting ended before the letters and minutes were considered, and they were deferred until next month.
Addington_Highlands_Jul 3_07
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Feature Article - July 5, 2007Addington Highlands Council - July 3, 2007byJeff Green
Two high-ranking politicians, Federal MP and Deputy House Leader Scott Reid, and Liberal MPP and Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky crossed paths this week at a council meeting in of one of the smallest municipalities in their overlapping constituencies, Addington Highlands.
Dombrowsky, who was making what might be her last trip to Flinton before the upcoming provincial election, when she will be running in the new riding of Prince Edward Hastings, presented the Senior of the Year award to Flinton Community Club stalwart Carolyn Hasler.
Carolyn
Hasler was recognised for years of service to the club and other
causes. She said she didn’t mind working full time as a volunteer,
“because it doesn’t feel like work.” She thanked the other volunteers
in the community, and singled out her husband for his unending support.
Leona Dombrowsky said she is going to miss the people that she has gotten to know in her eight years representing Lennox and Addington and Frontenac Counties. “People here have also brought issues to me that were important not only here, but in the rest of the province as well,” she said.
Scott Reid is not leaving Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington. He has been acclaimed as the Conservative candidate in the riding whenever a federal election is called, and has already won two elections in the past three years. He came to council to outline the services his office provides, which include helping people to navigate federal departments such as Immigration and Revenue Canada, and helping people who are having difficulty obtaining passports.
“People who are the least likely to pose a threat through international terrorism are sometimes having g the most difficult time obtaining passports because they may be older and were born in rural places and never had a birth certificate. We are always happy to arrange passports for them,” he said.
His office arranges certificates to mark special occasions and he also works on issue advocacy, including some provincial issues.
Scott Reid is also known for buying defibrillators with the pay raise money he, and all other MPs, received in 2001. “MPs were making $109,000 at the time. If a single guy living in a small town can’t get by on $109,000, he’s not trying too hard,” he said.
In the past six years, defibrillators have been donated for hockey rinks, town halls, small police forces and others throughout the riding, and Reid said that a protocol is now being set up to make sure that communities that need the units will be receiving them. In addition to a portion of Scott Reid’s salary, an annual golf tournament has been established to raise money for this project.
Mazinaw Boat launch – John MacDonald from the Mazinaw Lake Property Owners Association brought a proposal to council that is aimed at resolving a problem of access for Mazinaw Lake’s 150 water access cottages that are in Addington Highlands.
In the past, the boat launch at the former Bon Echo Villa Store was used by people, but the store is now closed. There is a boat launch on the North Frontenac portion of the lake, and Addington Highlands has paid for half of all improvements at Tappin’s Bay.
However, John MacDonald said that Tappin’s Bay is overcrowded, “and North Frontenac has shut the door on any proposal to expand that facility.” He came to council to see if the township will lead a push to free up some waterfront off of Mazinaw Heights Road by seeking a land use permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources, which owns the property.
The property would be suitable for a dock, which would not be used for storing boats; it would only be for loading people and belongings from vehicles, which could be parked at the back of the lot. “The ministry said that they would look more favourably on the township seeking a land use permit than a lake association,” MacDonald said.
Two neighbouring property owners, who have cottages to the south of the proposed dock location, also attended the council meeting, and they spoke against the proposal. “This land use runs contrary to the enjoyment of my property,” said one of them, who quoted from the Official Plan in regards to competing interests in property use.
Council will look at the proposal.
Burn barrels – Council received a letter from Lennox and Addington Stewardship Council asking them to consider banning burn barrels on the grounds that they pollute the atmosphere because of low temperature combustion and the burning of recyclable materials.
Deputy Mayor Helen Yanch wondered, “Who are the stewardship council? Are they elected officials? Do they think that everyone lives in some fairy world?”
Fire Chief Casey Cuddy was in attendance, and he said that while he has not seen the letter he “has come to the conclusion that it is time to ban bun barrels. I’ve had 50 complaints about them in the past two years. They would be all right if they were properly set up, and they weren’t burning recyclables, but as it stands they are a hazard.”
Council decided to seek more information about the L&A Stewardship Council.
New pumper- Council accepted a recommendation from Fire Chief Cuddy, and approved the purchase of a Carrier Eone pumper on an International Chassis for $190,000 from Carrier Emergency Inc. for the Denbigh fire hall.
NF_Council_Jun28_07
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Feature Article - July 5, 2007North Frontenac Council - June 28, 2007
By Jeff Green
The uranium exploration issue came to North Frontenac Council last Thursday.
George White, the President of Frontenac Ventures Corporation, made a presentation to council about the benefits of the project, and Marilyn Crawford from Mining Watch Canada, and John Kittle, a concerned resident, presented information about the dangers.
George White talked about the many federal regulations that are in place at this time to make uranium mining safe, and talked of the opportunities for the township. He cited Cameco, a company with mines in Saskatchewan and Wyoming, among other places, as a successful uranium mining venture. He said the anti-uranium forces in the area are providing mis-information, which his company will counter in the near future. He called opponents of his company’s project “eco-terrorists”.
Marilyn Crawford pointed out that Nova Scotia has placed a moratorium on uranium mining because of concerns about the environmental impacts, and that in the Province of New Brunswick, some drill testing operations have been required to undergo closer scrutiny.
John Kittle is a resident of North Frontenac with a background in nuclear physics. He pointed out that certain primary cancers are considered as occupational diseases “among workers previously employed in uranium mining in Ontario”, and also said that even though he takes George White at his word on the environmental conscience of Frontenac Ventures, “the claim will potentially be sold to a larger mining company,” that is not so environmentally conscious.
TRUCK TENDER: Tenders for the purchase of a tandem truck were opened at the meeting. The lowest tender was from a company from Ottawa, which priced a Sterling truck at $113,000. The price was lower than the price that had been presented to Council after a request for proposal process a month ago, which council subsequently rejected, ordering that formal tendering process be carried out.
Public Works Manager John Ibey said that the trucks are all priced in US dollars and the current exchange rate is then applied. The Canadian dollar went up about 5 cents against the US dollar in between the two quotes. “On a $100,000 item, that amounts to $5,000 in savings.”
Council approved the purchase, subject to confirmation that it met the specifications in the tender, and the purchase of $85,000 worth of added equipment in order for it to meet the township’s needs.
Concerns about Pine Lake parking – Councilor Wayne Cole expressed concern that the Ministry of Natural Resources, in deciding to permit the development of a band office and Pow Wow grounds at the public boat launch at Pine Lake, may have eliminated the assurance of public parking at the site for people who access their properties through the boat launch. Although the launch is maintained by the township under a land use permit, that does not include the parking area.
“If people can’t park, what access do they have to their properties?” Cole asked.
Mayor Maguire agreed with Councilor Cole that it would be useful to hear directly from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) on this and other issues, and staff was asked to contact the MNR and request that someone attend the council meeting on July 12.
South_Frontenac_Council
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Feature Article - July 5, 2007SouthFrontenac Council - July 3, 2007by Wilma Kenny
WASTE MANAGEMENT: Council approved terms of reference to provide guidance and direction to Guy Laporte of TSH, who has been retained to undertake a Waste Management Master Plan Study. It is intended that this study consider waste management both from the perspective of how it is presently being handled on an area rated basis and how it could be managed were the responsibility for waste management to rest with the Township as a whole, and make recommendations for long term planning. An earlier draft of these terms of reference had been rejected by Council, on the grounds that the question of bag tags was not being addressed in sufficient detail.
BRIDGE TENDERS: Tender was awarded to O. Bettschen Construction, a local firm and the lowest bidder, for Mitchell Creek Bridge: $346,843. CEO Burns was authorized to approve the tender award for Rutledge Road bridge, if necessary to expedite the construction process, as Council meets only once a month during summer. Tender will not be called until the environmental assessment is completed.
DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL OFFICE/LIBRARY
Council approved the hiring of the firm of Shoalts & Zaback Architects to carry out a site plan review at 4432 George Street to determine the feasibility of consolidating Township offices in Sydenham and providing increased space for the Sydenham Library.
STUDY OF HOMELESSNESS IN FRONTENAC COUNTY
This summer Jeff Wood, a consultant for the United Way, is undertaking a study of homelessness in Frontenac County. He wants to talk to anyone who has ideas, suggestions, interests, or problems relating to the availability of safe, clean, affordable accommodation. A series of public meetings is being planned for mid-summer, but Jeff can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (all branches of the public library have public access computers) or by leaving a message for him at your nearest township office.Fire_hall_approved
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Feature Article - August 28, 2007Mountain Grove Fire hall approved
by Jeff Green
Central Frontenac Council has approved the construction of a fire hall in Mountain Grove.
In a unanimous vote, Council granted the tender for the building to Wemp and Smith of Kingston, for a cost not to exceed $509,000. Sith other fees, the project will cost $532,000.
At a special meeting on August 29th, they also approved road construction for a portion of the Oak Flats road in the south end of the township, at a cost of $302,000.
While the fire hall was approved in a unanimous vote, there was one dissenting vote for the Oak flats road project. Councillor Frances Smith questioned why Council was spending “three quarters of our road construction budget on one single road" and voted against funding the project in a recorded vote. "We’d be better off doing more in the way of maintenance on all of the roads in the township,” she said.
Deputy Mayor Bill Snyder, on the other hand, had no trouble supporting the project, which he has been advocateing for since Central Frontenac township was created 10 years ago.
Both projects are expected to commence within two weeks.
