Letters_09-34

Jeff Green | Aug 27, 2009

Generator Stolen From Verona Festival, Doug Lovegrove

Re: Mark Segworth's Warning, Bill Robinson

Where is the local talent?, Shawn McCullough

To the concerned citizen's from Clement Road, Jeff Green

Bad news from the festival. Just after the festival’s close down and clean up, a generator that was on loan from Bell Aliant to assist with power for the festival was stolen from the back parking lot at the Verona Free Methodist Church and was last seen Sunday August 16. The stolen generator is a gas-powered portable generator, model ONAN Pro 6000E, serial number I991986215. The Verona Community Association hopes that anyone who may have information on the theft or the present location of the generator would pass the information along to the local office of the OPP, 613-372-1932. They also may contact the festival manager, Wayne Conway, at 613-374-3807.

Doug Lovegrove

Yes there was an accident at the corners of Hwy 38 in the village of Harrowsmith and nobody was hurt, and nobody was charged. It was an accident and accidents happen on straight sections of highways all over the world.

The problem has been studied here at these corners for years.

Recently a traffic count was done for a different reason, the count was approx. 4500 vehicles a day

Why spend money on something we know already…. It is a bad situation.

My observations are my own, not the words of John Sherbino, who thinks differently, Also I would like to let him know the count of council was 7 to 2 against the spending $30 K.

Besides we have our own qualified engineer: About the $30K, we could spend that for a passing lane within the settlement area of the village. There is a young couple trying to start a business in the area, who are facing a $28,000 bill from the township for a passing lane. Perhaps the money could be used to help them out.

Councilor Bill Robinson, Harrowsmith

While reading through your paper I came across an article highlighting the entertainment for the up-coming Parham Fair, and couldn't help but wonder, "Where is the local talent?" 

There are a number of great local bands to choose from and yet the fair board seems to repeatedly hire from out of the area, ignoring the local bands. I am a musician born and raised in Parham and have been asked three times to bid on the headlining gig with our band, "Printers Alley".  All of our bids have been markedly lower than Ambush's and yet have been rejected every time. We were not contacted at all this year to bid. 

I have no problem with the boys in Ambush as I know all of them, but it feels like a slap in the face to our band and some of the other great local bands such as "Red Rose Express", "Tailgate, and "The Cellar Hounds", to name a few.  Whoever wrote the article is either just very opinionated or very assuming to write that "Ambush" is "our favorite group". "Our" meaning members of the board who vote against us local bands? Trust me, hire any one of these local bands I mentioned and you'll have as good a show or maybe even better. 

Remember, all of these men and woman are actively involved in our local charities and fund raisers such as "Relay For Life", etc.  I think our area residents would be very happy to see some of this great local talent. Perhaps we need a few more local people on the fair board entertainment committee. That might make a difference!!  Maybe the local musicians should consider putting on our own festival on …let’s say.....the last weekend in August next year in Parham!

As a community, we are encouraged to support local small business and agriculture, etc. But where is the support for musicians?  A local fair is a showcase for what that particular community has to offer, is it not?

Now that I've aired my opinion on behalf of all the local (very talented) musicians,  I'm curious to hear what the rest of the community has to say.

Shawn McCullough

As a member of the Board of Director's of the North Frontenac Not For Profit Housing Corporation (NFPHC) I take exception to some of the language employed in the “Open Letter to Residents of Clement and Wagner Roads” that has been circulated.

Included among the letter's assertions are the comment that locating rural housing 3.5 kilometres from Sharbot Lake is tantamount to “an ill-advised experiment in social engineering which will put fragile senior's into a forest ...”

I find that a bit rich.

Whoever wrote the letter, which is unsigned, may not like the proposal, and is fully within their rights to appeal the whole thing to the Ontario Municipal Board to be sorted out, even if it that means the housing corporation could lose out on some funding, face increasd costs, or lose the project entirely.

The letter is trying to convince the community that the objections are legitimate by including accusation that the whole thing was “railroaded” through Council, that there is “no local support for this project,” and that it is “something no one else could even hope to get through council” without presenting any evidence.

I must point out that the housing corporation has followed all of the rules that have been laid out before it, and has been open about our intentions and plans from the very beginning.

I recognise the neighbours to this proposed development have concerns, which were expressed at a meeting in which the Housing Corporation invited the neighhbours to discuss the project before it went to the township planning process.

The major concern that I came away with from that meeting is the fact there are problems with the entranceway to Clement Road, and the upkeep of the road itself, both of which are not highlighted in the letter.

I sit on the housing board. Although I am not speaking for the board in this letter, I would like to assure the public that our board is merely trying to fulfill our mandate in bringing senior's housing to our area, insteading of seeing it move to Kingston. We have no hidden agenda, and we have not skipped out on any of the procedural hoops that have been thrown our way.

Whilethe letter writer is happy to make use of his/her right of appeal, which is part of the process, but feels it is ok to say in the same breath that the rest of the process is unfair, that the whole thing is being “railroaded” through.

I have talked to many of the neighbours about this project, and have thought carefully about the concerns that have been expressed, particularly about the entranceway to the project.

But this letter only makes me feel angry that after approach everyone as neighbours, our board is being accused of manipulating a public process.

We are promoting a project we are convinced will be good for the community as a whole, in this location.

People have every right to oppose it, but this letter does more than that. It uses insult and accusation in place of information and well founded concern.

Jeff Green, Board Member(North Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing Corporation)