Longstanding South Frontenac Township program snags award at AMO

Jeff Green | Aug 19, 2020

The South Frontenac Private Lane upgrade program was originally brought in for Bedford District back when each of the former townships that made up Frontenac County had their own roads budgets. The Bedford District Councillors at the time were Del Stowe and David Hahn. There were many private lanes that had been put in over the years by cottage owners wanting to access their properties. As other cottages were developed, informal arrangements between neighbours for the maintenance of the roads were made.

Over the years the number of cottage homes that have been upgraded to become year round residences had been increasing every year. For safety reasons upgrading these informal private lanes so they can provide year-round access for property owners, fire and paramedic services had become a priority.

The private lane upgrade program started up when Bedford District residents approached township councillors Hahn and Stowe, asking for loads of gravel to be dropped off at the end of their road so they could make their roads better.

Recognising that there is a general benefit if the township provides kicks in some support for waterfront residents, who happen to pay a fair bit of taxes each year, and that those residents were willing to put in the labour, the two councillors started to put money aside for this purpose.

Soon after that South Frontenac fully amalgamated its roads department and budgets, and the concept was extended to all private lanes in South Frontenac. The program has become more formal over the years, but the application form that private lane associations or individuals need to fill out is not long or overly complicated. The turnaround period is short and the work is all done over the summer months.

This spring, the township decided to let the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) know about the program by submitting it for an award.

AMO took notice. At their annual conference this week, which as is the COVID-19 norm, took place over zoom, South Frontenac Township was recognised. The AMO release is reprinted below.

Peter J Marshall Innovation Award

The Peter J. Marshall Innovation Award Jury presented a Certificate of Merit to the Township of South Frontenac for its innovative approach to helping residents upgrade private lanes to improve access. The certificate was presented at the 2020 AMO Conference, held online.
 
South Frontenac provides residents with a 50% subsidy, up to a maximum of $7,000, to upgrade private laneways. This helps improve access for emergency vehicles for improved public safety. Established in 2007, it is unique in Ontario in that it goes beyond simple maintenance to address capital improvements.
 
The program demonstrates many of the P.J. Marshall Award’s criteria: innovation, tangible benefits to the community, improved efficiency, and the ability for other municipal governments to use the project’s concept.
 
“As more of our traditional cottages convert to year-round homes, there has been more and more pressure to deliver municipal emergency services in areas with tough access,” said South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “Over 13 years, this program has increased emergency vehicle access to thousands of homes. It has also improved our local infrastructure, strengthened our relationship with residents and increased local property values.”
 
”By being proactive and innovative, South Frontenac has enhanced its community across a number of fronts,” said Brian Rosborough, AMO Executive Director. “The P.J. Marshall award is all about creating win-win-win situations and this program certainly does that.”
 
The P.J. Marshall Award is an annual competitive process to acknowledge municipalities who have had creativity and success in implementing new, innovative ways of serving the public. It is sponsored by AMO, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks & Treasurers of Ontario, the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships, the Municipal Finance Officers’ Association, and the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association.
 
AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments.  AMO supports strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political system.