Nf_council

Jeff Green | May 03, 2007

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North Frontenac Council meeting, April 26, 2007

by Jeff Green

Malcolm Lake Association Ron Higgins, a resident of Malcolm Lake, which is located near Ardoch, told council of the pending establishment of a lake association that he hopes will be established on May 19. In appearing before council, Higgins was seeking some pertinent information that will be of interest to the association.

The first thing he wanted to ask about was future prospects for development on the lake. Clerk-Planner Brenda deFosse said that all of the properties on the lake are currently zoned residential-waterfront, and any individual planning a commercial development on their property would have to make an application for a change in zoning, a process which would include a public meeting.

The only exception is the Malcolm Lake trailer park, which is zoned commercial. The trailer park was in existence when the township was established, and was accepted by the township at that time. DeFosse said that unless the trailer park’s owners attempt to upgrade the facility, the township has no way of knowing how many trailers are on the site.

Higgins also wanted to know about a proposed development on Ardoch Lake, a.k.a. Green Lake.

Last year, there was a delegation to council concerning Ardoch Lake. A sketch of a proposed subdivision of lots along the lake was brought before council. “I recall they were proposing a great many lots, and they backed down immediately when we looked at the sketch, saying it was only preliminary,” said Mayor Maguire.

In order to create a subdivision of lots, a process involving the County of Frontenac must be entered into.

“Thus far we have not heard from the county that an application for subdivision has been received for Ardoch Lake,” said Clerk-Planner Brenda deFosse.

Higgins’ final question concerned the Ardoch dump. He was told that the dump has an estimated 26 years of life left in it, and that it is regularly tested for leachate and other potential environmental impacts by the Ministry of the Environment.

Tomvale Runway As part of the agreement between the township and the Tomvale Airport, the runway was ploughed after the most recent snowstorm in April. The ground was soft at the time, and damage was done to the runway and the ground near the runway.

Claudio Valentini, the airport’s owner, sent an email to the township saying he had told the contractor not to plough the runway in this case, “knowing that it is soft at this time of year, and that the snow would soon melt. He informs me that you instructed him to do so in any case.”

Valentini then said that the runway has been trashed and wanted to know how the township would like to proceed.

After considerable debate, during which Councillor Olmstead argued the township should get out of the agreement with Tomvale entirely, it was finally decided that the township should deliver 7 tonnes of cold patch material to Tomvale as was agreed initially, and should pay for the contractor’s time to complete the repair.

Taking recycling in-house Council discussed a report from Public Works Manager John Ibey concerning the recycling system. Currently the township is employing the services of Frazer Hauling to bring recycled material to a depot in Napanee.

While there has been a problem over the past two summers with recycling pick up being sporadic, leaving large amounts of material lying about, it was the previous contractor, MANCO, that was responsible for the problem, and Frazer Hauling has been more reliable.

“In fact it was Frazer who bailed us out when MANCO couldn’t do the pickups,” Ibey said.

Nonetheless, in consideration of the different bin sizes the township is now using for recycling, the overall cost of hauling, and the fact that the township does not currently receive payment for any material of value, Ibey recommended that the township purchase a hoist system to be attached to one of its trucks so both sizes of bins can be taken by the truck, and hire a driver to do the hauling of recycling.

Council discussed the matter for a time. Finally, Deputy Mayor Beam asked John Ibey, “Are the savings in hauling costs going to pay for this new employee?”

Ibey said yes and the proposal was approved.

Beaver Dam committee A task force has been set up to look at the township’s responsibilities in regards to beaver dams on township lands. The issue was brought to council recently by the Fergusons, who live on Ardoch Road, and have been subject to flooding.

The budget is coming CAO/Treasurer Cheryl Robson informed council that she would have a draft budget available by next week. Council has scheduled special meetings, starting on May 8, to go over the budget and order changes if necessary.