Work on K&P to Snow Road Station to begin with land acquisition

Craig Bakay | Apr 21, 2021

Frontenac County is preparing to complete the Clarendon Station to Snow Road Station portion of the K&P Trail, Richard Allen, manager of economic development, told North Frontenac Council at its regular (online) meeting Friday.

“I’m going to start making phone calls as soon as I sign off,” he said.

He said several sections of the old railway are owned by the Township (lands and/or road allowances) and as such the County would like to work with the Township but “it’s not expected that the Township will have to pay for maintenance.”

He said much of the expected increase in federal gas tax revenues will be devoted to trail development because “in 2018, County Council affirmed its desire to connect the K&P from the northern boundary to the southern boundary.”

He said that since much of the land required is now in private hands, the work may take two to three years including purchase of lands from existing owners, assessment of trail infrastructures, including bridges, development and remediation of trail infrastructures and installation of wayfinding signage, parking, trail counters, rest areas and other amenities.

“What happens if somebody says ‘no’ (to selling their land)?” said Coun. Wayne Good.

“We’ve had that situation before, between Tichborne and Sharbot Lake” Allen said. “In some cases we were able to use an alternate route but that can increase the cost by up to four times.

“Three of the 33 transactions were by expropriation and they represented less than a kilometre of trail.”

Allen said there was “explosive growth in trail use,” due in part to the covid pandemic. It is expected to continue through the summer of 2021.

He said the K&P connects with three other regional trails and bicycle adventurers have already identified a 350-kilometre loop of rail trails in Eastern Ontario which runs from Harrowsmith north through Calabogie, to Renfrew and Arnprior, back south to Mississippi Mills, Carleton Place, Smiths Falls to Harrowsmith.

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In consideration of several objections as well as a petition on Facebook, coupled with Township policy not to sell road allowances that lead to water, Council denied Doug Philp’s request to purchase part of the road allowance running across his property to Benny’s Lake. The road allowance is often referred to as Wickware Lane and is located behind the Pioneer Museum in Cloyne.

The Township had looked into alternative access points to Benny’s Lake but no suitable location could be found.

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Just as Central Frontenac had done earlier, Council decided to lend its support to South Frontenac’s admonition letter to Premier Doug Ford concerning Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP Randy Hillier’s behaviour during the covid-19 pandemic.

Hillier has been openly vocal about opposing the government’s mask mandates and social distancing requirements.

Coun. Fred Fowler, while supporting the measure and saying he opposed Hillier’s actions as much as anyone, wondered aloud about the possible political motivations involved in the Township’s support of South Frontenac’s actions, even suggesting a conflict of interest in that Mayor Ron Higgins has already expressed his intention to seek the Conservative nomination to run in the next Provincial election.

“There’s no conflict,” said Higgins. “I haven’t yet been selected as the candidate.”

“I think he’s (Hillier) a danger to my personal health,” said Coun. Vern Hermer.

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Council rejected Mayor Ron Higgins’ request to provide a $200,000 line of credit to the Eastern Ontario Leadership Council, a council Higgins co-chairs.

When asked for an opinion from staff as to whether or not the Township should approve the request, CAO Cheryl Robson said: “You can legally do it but it is a political decision.”

“I just have a bad feeling that it would set a precedent, and invite other groups to make similar requests,” said Coun. Fred Fowler. “I don’t think we’re in the banking industry.”

The proposal lost 4-2, with Higgins and Coun. John Ingles voting yes.