North Frontenac Council - Feb. 24/11

Jeff Green | Mar 03, 2011

LOLTA looking to community revitalization -

The Land O'Lakes Tourism Association (LOLTA) has been serving a diverse group of tourism-related member businesses in Frontenac and L&A Counties and the Municipality of Tweed for over 60 years.

It receives funding from membership fees and contributions from local municipalities, and periodically runs granting programs from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs - Rural Economic Development Program (OMAFRA-RED).

Currently, a program that is tied in to the provincial government’s priority of accessibility for physically handicapped people, the “Accessible Wilderness” initiative, is helping to fund construction of accessible infrastructure for LOLTA members.

As that program winds down later this year, LOLTA is looking towards a new two-year “community revitalization” initiative. This idea is currently being floated to member municipalities.

In a letter from LOLTA General Manager Ken Hook that made the rounds of local councils over the last two months, the tourist association asked some easy questions, and one harder one.

First, the easy ones. Would the townships welcome LOLTA creating a full-time position of Community Events/Festival Co-ordinator “to help retain and develop new events and festivals in the nine municipalities that we serve” at no cost to the municipalities?

As far as community revitalization projects are concerned, Ken Hook asked the townships to identify projects that they would consider supporting, which amounts to putting together a bit of a wish list for local communities.

Then the costing questions came in. First the councils were asked if they would be willing to contribute 60% of the costs for identified projects, and then they were asked, “Over a two-year program, what dollar amount would you be interested in obtaining?”

At North Frontenac Council, this last question was problematic.

“How do we answer this?” asked Mayor Bud Clayton. “Does it mean we have to commit money in this year's budget?”

“There might be money that we already spend that would count towards our 60%,” said Treasurer/Administrator Cheryl Robson. “The letter mentions upgrades to community facilities, even ones that are going to be required anyway under new legislation.”

Robson suggested that Cory Klatt, the recreation/facilities co-ordinator for the township, contact Ken Hook and find out what counts as a municipal project.

When contacted, Ken Hook provided some clarification about the money question. LOLTA is not looking for any kind of formal budgetary commitment at this point.

“We just want to have some idea about how much the townships might be looking at spending, just so we know how much to apply to OMAFRA for,” said Hook. “There is no financial commitment involved at this early stage.”

Police Advisory Committee for North Frontenac – Mayor Clayton advised council that he has contacted representatives of the OPP from the Sharbot Lake and Kaladar detachments to participate in a community policing advisory committee, which is set to meet in May and September of this year, and about three times a year thereafter. There were five applicants from the public seeking to represent the township on the committee.

Frontenac County Strategic Planning Day -

Councilor Inglis made a report on the outcome of a strategic planning day that had taken place on February 23 at the Frontenac County offices. The eight-member county council was joined by eight county staff members in a six-hour session that was led by Rob Wood, an outside facilitator. Inglis and Mayor Clayton are the North Frontenac council members on the county body.

“The county basically runs two large operations, the Frontenac Land Ambulance Service and the Fairmount Home,” said John Inglis, “but that was not what we talked about yesterday.”

Inglis said that the day focussed instead on some of the initiatives that are included in the “Directions For Our Future” booklet that was produced in conjunction with the county’s sustainability plan two years ago.

“We came to a list of six or seven items that we want to proceed on,” said Inglis. “It was a good session over all. One of the biggest pushes seems to be for a county Official Plan.”

“There is a real push for that,” agreed Mayor Clayton. Clayton said that Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski and County Warden / South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison both seemed supportive of the idea.

North Frontenac Clerk/Planning Co-ordinator Brenda Defosse was surprised by this development. “A few years ago the county had a choice between doing an Official Plan or an ICSP (Integrated Community Sustainability Plan) in order to decide how to spend the gas tax money they receive. They decided on the ICSP. Now they want an Official Plan. I don't understand that,” she said.

“They seem to want one,” said Bud Clayton.

John Inglis has posted an account of the session on his blog site “JohnInglis.net”. In the blog post he makes reference to some of the negative perceptions about Frontenac County that prevail at the township level.

He also wrote the following more optimistic comment: “On the other hand, there is a dedicated and talented staff available down there in Glenburnie, and they do need a direction. There seems to be a feeling around the council table that this new group of eight people is working better than expected. No fights, no lines of division, many different ideas, not even a split of power between mayors and second members,”

Ompah ambulance/fire hall question going back to Frontenac County – Mayor Clayton said that the question of how to sort out a cost sharing agreement between Frontenac County and the township for construction of an ambulance base/fire hall in Ompah will be going back to Frontenac County Council in March.

The county and the township agreed on the joint project last February, but the project has been delayed. The township balked at a county directive to hire a project manager for the building, and to make it compliant with the LEED Energy/Environmental standards. The township has now agreed to both of those conditions, leaving one remaining matter to resolve: who will pay what percentage of the costs?