Addington Highlands Council - Apr. 6/10

Jeff Green | Apr 08, 2010

Public Health to continue septic approvals

Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Public Health will continue to provide septic approval services for building departments in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties.

Senior staff at Public Health had been planning to pull out of providing the service, which is not offered by most other public health units in the province, and sent letters to local municipalities saying the service was going to be phased out by sometime in 2011. However, after a number of smaller municipalities and cottage associations objected, Public Health has backed down.

While Public Health Staff were moving ahead with plans to back out of the service, their board of directors had not made a decision.

One of the groups that spearheaded opposition to KFL&A Public Health getting out of the inspection business was the Skootamatta Lake Association in Addington Highlands. The township itself also wrote to Public Health saying they did not have the capacity to deliver the service themselves.

Janet Gutowski, who represents Frontenac County on the Board, and Helen Yanch, representing Lennox and Addington County, both committed to advocating for the service as an important rural outreach for Public Health, and at the February board meeting, they convinced their colleagues to stick with the service.

In a letter dated March 22 to Addington Highlands Clerk Jack Pauhl, Ian Gemmill, the Medical Officer of Health with KFL&A Public Health, said that the “Board of Health made the decision to continue to be the service provider for this program as a service to residents of the KFL&A area and to our municipal colleagues.”

Gemmill added that the Board of Health would be reconsidering the fee structure for the service, because the program does not recover all of its costs. Individuals who are putting in septic systems must take out a septic permit in addition to any building permits they require for new construction or renovations.

“I'm glad that is sorted out,” said Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg in receiving the letter.

Other items from AH Council

Addington Highlands wants to prepare an offer to purchase the Denbigh School House from the Limestone District School Board for use as a satellite medical clinic for the Lakelands Family Health Team. The board has not responded to township enquiries regarding the property and the township will be trying to contact them again.

PUBLIC WORKS – Work has begun on the renovations to the Denbigh garage.