Norcan Lake residents lobby for winter maintenance for their road

Craig Bakay | Oct 03, 2019

Norcan Lake Lane residents were at North Frontenac Council’s regular meeting Friday with a message — they want the 3.8 kilometer road maintained year-round.

Spokespersons Stephanie Walsh and Barb Young told Council that although bylaw 89-13, the level of service policy, lists Norcan Lake Lane as seasonal in nature and as such not maintained in the winter, there are in fact 14 residences in the subdivision that are “purpose-built winterized homes each with taxes ranging from $4,500 to $10,000 per year.”

The road was assumed by the Township in 2016 and is maintained for three seasons.

“We feel we shouldn’t be viewed as out of the way,” Walsh said. “Seven homes have full-time residents and we are a revenue source.”

Members of the Norcan Lake subdivision themselves pay to have the road plowed and sanded in the winter but, Walsh said, there are also other area residents who use the road regularly and the subdivision association has no way to compel them to pay for winter maintenance.

“We may not be central but we’re part of North Frontenac,” she said.

Coun. Fred Fowler pointed out that there is another concern for residents using the road in winter. Part of the road is used as a snowmobile trail and regularly groomed.

“This presents a hazard and people have gone in the ditch when they hit the groomed part because a ¾ ton truck with a plow can’t smooth that out,” Fowler said.

“There are times where I was generally concerned for the people living here full time,” said Walsh.

Generally speaking any road designated as a “lane” is a private road but Public Works Manage Darwyn Sproule said that’s not always the case in North Frontenac.

“We do have some, like Mosque Lake Lane, which are Township roads,” Sproule said.

“We won’t be able to make a decision today,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “We need to get some technical data from Darwyn (Sproule) and revenue information from (Treasurer) Kelly (Watkins).”

Snow Road Snowmobile Club wants to give shelter

Coun. Fred Fowler relayed a request from the Snow Road Snowmobile Club to be recognized as an emergency shelter.

“They’ve purchased a generator and have a roughed-in shower and would like some recognition as a designated shelter,” Fowler said. “They were very active during the ice storm.”

Corey Klatt, manager of community development, said that all community halls in the Township are designated shelters.

“I’m not sure we actually can because of the boundary,” Klatt said. “They’re not in our Township.”

Klatt said he would look in to the matter and report back to Council.

Building stats up

Looking at the monthly building permit stats, Coun. Gerry Martin had this to say.

“We’re up more than 35 per cent over last year. That’s amazing.”

So far in 2019, permits for over $6 million in construction value have been issued. At the same time last year, permits for $4.7 million had been sold. This year is shaping up to be the busiest of the last 5. The next best year over that time frame was 2016, when permits for $5.3 million on construction value had been sold by the end of August.