NF Mayor Saves Strategic Planning For County Council

Craig Bakay | Mar 01, 2023

After a long public meeting on a potential rezoning of a property in Cloyne, an information session on electric vehicles and a presentation on the services available from Frontenac Business Services, North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty pulled the plug on an information gathering session from Explorer Solutions regarding the County’s Strategic Plan at North’s regular Council meeting Feb. 24 in Plevna.

It started out innocuously enough, with Explorer’s director of economic development Jason Kipfer outlining the goals and objectives for Frontenac County’s Strategic Plan, but when the “Focus Group Discussion” aspect of things showed up, it was clear Lichty wasn’t having it, at this meeting at least.

“We’re really having some issues here, if this (this particular Council meeting) is the right place to do this,” Lichty said, while suggesting they set up a separate meeting to go through the exercise.

Lichty wasn’t alone in not being in the mood for County strategic planning on this Friday morning.

“There are seven questions here, each of which deserves input from seven of us,” said Dep. Mayor John Inglis. “We haven’t really gotten into the meat of our meeting and it’s after 11.”

Coun. Wayne Good did offer: “I have a big problem with the broadband and cell service in my area.

“I had to put a $600 booster in my house to get cell service.”

Lichty instructed the clerk to schedule a special meeting to discuss the County strategic plan.

Zoning Application

Prior to the actual Council meeting, a public meeting was held as part of the process to have a property on Jewel Road in Cloyne rezoned to Hamlet from Hamlet Exemption Zone 1.

The H-X1 zoning doesn’t allow for a residential structure to be built there but there is a garage on the property as well as a 12’ x20’sea container.

Owners Nicholas and Sarah Sproule indicated they are seeking the rezoning to potentially add a residential building in the future or an addition to the garage.

Neighbour Scott Maudsley told the meeting he opposed the zoning changes, for “a host of reasons,” not the least of which is “so the property does not continue to be used as a dumping ground.”

Planner Dmitry Kurylovich acknowledged Maudsley’s allegations, that the property has been used for the placement of fill and various refuse since the 1970s including spent herbicide and pesticide containers, paint cans, furniture and building materials.

“It is important to note that this claim has not been verified and County planning staff have contacted the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks for input on this matter.

Sarah Sproule did acknowledge that since they got the property, people have put their garden clipping and such there and they have allowed this. Mary Kelly said she has done this in the past.

Land Disposition

Council received for information a staff report on fee amendments for the sale and disposition of land policy (bylaw to be considered at a future meeting).

Under the new fees, the land administration fee would increase to $1,200 from $1,000; land costs would increase to $0.55 per square foot from $0.15 per square foot for shore road allowances and other road allowances within 66 feet of a water body; land costs would increase from $250 flat fee for the first linear 500 feet or less plus $3 for each linear foot thereafter (33 feet width) to $5 per linear foot and there woud be a reactivation fee of $250.

Crown Land Stewardship

The North Frontenac Crown Land Stewardship Program, which includes the North Frontenac Parklands camping area brought in $84,845 in excess dollars of revenue over expenditures in 2022, Manager of Community Development Brook Hawley told Council. That’s up from the $69,300 in 2021but not quite as much as the $92,192 in 2020, when the pandemic was in full swing. The funds are placed in the Parklands Reserve Fund and shall only be used on future parklands expenses, as per an agreement with two provincial ministries.

Dep. Mayor John Inglis said that at the last economic development committee meeting, there was some discussion as to the possibility of using those funds to establish a second such operation but Hawley said the agreement only allows for the one but “expansion is definitely possible.”

Mayor Gerry Lichty said some lake associations oppose the commercial use of the campground.

“We have an operator who provides fishing gear, bait and boats and then gets the campsites from us,” he said.