| Sep 24, 2018


While Council did approve $1,500 to help the Malcolm and Ardoch Lakes Association get started with its battle against Eurasian milfoil and seems amenable to a further $10,000 to hire a grad student for the project at some time in the future, one of the potential weapons for the battle didn’t get approved.

Council decided that boat wash stations represented more potential issues than they might solve, not the least of which is cost.

“Didn’t we already decide this (boat wash stations) is too expensive?” said Coun. John Ingles at Friday’s meeting.

“To me, it would be too expensive,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “And how would you police it?

“Would we have to have an attendant?”

“The concern was that it would become a car wash,” said community development manager Corey Klatt. “I don’t think it would be as easy as putting up a building and having a pressure washer in there.”

Higgins suggested they would approve the province for assistance.

Coun. Wayne Good didn’t see much point in that.

“From what I’ve seen in presentations, there’s absolutely no way you can stop it,” Good said.

“It’s in about 10 areas of the (Ardoch) lake and in other lakes as well,” said Higgins.

Property standards bylaw doesn't fly in North Frontenac
It doesn’t look like there will be anything resembling a property standards bylaw in North Frontenac in the near future following last Friday’s regular Council meeting in Plevna.

Keeping in mind that Council will be the same with the exception of Fred Fowler replacing Denis Bedard for the next four years, it is unlikely Council would entertain something it appears to be against.

Mayor Ron Higgins served a notice of motion at the previous Council meeting to discuss the issue after the Township received a complaint from a resident that a neighbouring property was in disrepair.

“I’d like to see us come up with a bylaw to deal with properties in disrepair,” Higgins said. “Neighbours are concerned about property values.”

“Tough titty,” said Coun. John Inglis. “In most cases, people knew about the neighbouring properties before they moved in.

“In this case, it’s not dangerous, there aren’t health issues, the opposition is purely esthetic.

“Generally, with these complaints, it’s about low income people who can’t afford to make esthetic repairs although sometimes it’s a personal choice.

“It’s all part of the process of living with people who don’t have the same means as you do.”

“I’m against too much Big Brother being involved,” said Coun. Wayne Good. “What are you going to do — tell them they have to go into debt?

“We already have a safe properties bylaw.”

Some councilors noted how divisive an attempt to institute a property standards bylaw in Central Frontenac was.

“Some municipalities have a property standards bylaw but we don’t have the staff to administer one,” said CAO Cheryl Robson. “And you would have to set up an appeals body.

“You’d have to involve the fire chief, the bylaw officer and the chief building official.”

“Some guy builds a million dollar house next to a shack,” said Good.

Council instructed staff to look at a policy of sending a letter to ‘offending’ homeowners.

“I would just caution about a ‘letter from the Township,’” said Inglis. “That can be pretty scary stuff.”

 

Lamenting the loss of Firefighter Associations
Council approved the Clarendon-Miller Volunteer Firefighters Association’s plan to purchase chairs for the training room at the Clarendon-Miller Station and thanked them for the donation.

Coun. John Inglis noted that as of right now, the Clarendon-Miller association is the only one in the Township except for the ladies auxiliary in Snow Road.

Inglis asked fire chief Eric Korhonen if he saw a need for more firefighter associations.

“That is entirely up to the firefighters,” Korhonen said.

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