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Jeff Green | Apr 20, 2006

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Clar-Mill HistoricalArchives a reality:North Frontenac Council,April 13, 2006

byJuleKoch Brison

OPENING OF CLAR-MILL HISTORICAL ARCHIVES: A grand opening of the new Clar-Mill historical archives is scheduled for May 9 at 6:30 pm. at the Plevna library. The collection is the work of Bethany Armstrong, whose historian father Charlie was the author of the book “Away back in Clarendon and Miller”. The archives have been funded by the sales of the book, and the public library has donated space for the collection.

COUNCIL OPEN HOUSE: Council agreed to hold an Open House on June 17 from 9 am to noon at the Clar-Mill hall in Plevna. Local business owners, community groups and lake associations are all invited to attend. Councilors will give short presentations on issues such as waste management and the Crown Land Stewardship program, and listen to ratepayers’ concerns and ideas. Councilor Clayton expressed hope that, as North Frontenac does not have a chamber of commerce or a businessmen’s association, the meeting would foster co-operation among local businesses.

NEW FIRE HALL: Council passed a bylaw to sign a contract with Millenium Construction for building a new fire hall.

COMPOSTING PROGRAM: The township has started a program to sell backyard composters to NF ratepayers for $20, and to provide free under the counter compost buckets.

HARLOWE CLUB: The Harlowe Community Rec. Club has raised the funds to install central air conditioning in the Harlowe hall at no cost to the municipality. Councilor Fred Perry expressed concern that although the club has invested an enormous amount of work and money in the hall, still, in the near future when the township hires a new staff person to manage the community halls, they would have to pay to rent the hall. He suggested that the club receive some kind of credit for the $5,000 - $7,000 they will be spending on the air conditioning unit.

Clerk Brenda DeFosse asked how that would be monitored, and other councilors pointed out that many groups have invested much work and money in the halls.

Council denied the request for permission to install the unit, asking instead that the club obtain three quotes for the work from a licensed contractor with liability insurance, and work with the building inspector.

CONTAMINATED SOIL GOES TO LANDFILL: About 100 tonnes of gasoline-contaminated soil from a business in Plevna that has closed down, will be accepted at the Plevna Waste Site for a fee of $20/tonne. The Ministry of the Environment does not deem the soil to be hazardous waste; Councilor Clayton said that the gasoline simply evaporates when the soil is spread thin. Dale Gemmill, the contractor who removed the underground gas tanks, said that the tanks were not leaking; the gas was just from spills at the pumps over the years. The MoE was present when the tanks were taken out. Soil samples were taken and only one in six came back contaminated.

RURAL ROUTES TRANSPORTATION SERVICE: Mayor Maguire gave council an update on the newly formed Rural Routes Transportation Service. “It’s going to be a very, very good service,” he said after attending the inaugural meeting last week of Rural Routes’ advisory board, on which he sits. Maguire said that the service will provide rides to anyone in its catchment area that needs a ride for any reason. Volunteer drivers will pick up people from outlying areas and transport them to Sharbot Lake to link up with Rural Routes’ vans. Fees will be charged for the trips, but if anyone can’t pay, Ontario Works will cover the cost to a certain maximum.

“The program is in very good hands with organizer Jane Drew,” Maguire said.