South Frontenac Council - May 5/26
True Friend Supported Independent Living
Julia Atherly, the President of True Friend Supported Independent Living has appeared before Council before. The fledgling organisation was, and still is, seeking to see the establishment of an independent living home for adults with developmental disabilities (IDD), in South Frontenac.
The township owns a property on Stagecoach Road, within the boundaries of the Sydenham water system, next to the Grace Centre. True Friend identified that property as an ideal site for a project they would like to see built. When they approached Council about the concept, they received a measured response.
While Council did not say they were opposed to the project, they said that the township is fixed on getting the 100-unit Verona Housing Project built before looking at any other residential construction project with township involvement. Verona Housing has a 2027 target date for the start of construction, after a protracted pre-construction process, and is hoping that a recent development, the requirement for a stage 3 archaeological study on a small portion of the Verona property, will not further delay the project.
Atherly acknowledged the Verona priority in her presentation, and pointed out to Council how much progress her organisation has made over the past year or so.
“We are now a registered charity. We have worked with a consultant to refine our project plan, have identified and met with potential partners, such as Habitat For Humanity and Lodestar Structures, and are ready to launch a fundraising campaign” she said.
True Friend is aiming to build a facility to house 4-5 adults, with a bedroom available for a 24-hour worker as well.
They are seeking a long-term lease or donation of 0.5 -1 acre of the lot that the township owns on Stagecoach Road, and exemptions from planning charges and development fees for the project. They will build, operate and maintain the facility.
“Everything does not move as fast as people would like, but we are definitely going to keep this all in consideration,” said Mayor Vandewal in response to the presentation.
Bellrock Hall
Debbie Twiddy appeared before Council on behalf of the Bellrock Hall. She asked for help, in the form of a grant, to remove 5 dead Ash trees on the hall property that need to be removed over the next few months. The cost is between $2,600 and $4,100, which the hall committee is not likely able to raise. They raise $4,500 to $5,000 per year to keep the hall open.
“That's a lot of bake sales, and pancake breakfasts," she said.
She said the hall committee is able to raise $1,600 and is looking to the township for the rest.
Mayor Vandewal said that there is a community grant program in the township, which was on the agenda at this meeting. Thirteen matching-grants, totaling just under $35,000 were being awarded. There is about $3,000 remaining in the budget for the community grants, and Vandewal thought Council could extend the grant application period for a week or so, to allow the Bellrock Hall committee to apply.
“We do not want to take over the hall,” Vandewal said, implying that helping it to remain independent is a good investment of public funds.
He asked if it might be prudent to hold off on the community grant approval at the meeting, but Chief Administrative Officer Louise Fragnito said the other groups “do not want to wait any longer for confirmation, so I suggest we go ahead tonight and deal with this afterwards.”
Council proceeded on that basis.
Open Air Fires Bylaw
Council approved the revised version of a new open air burning bylaw. A previous proposal, which came to Council last month, included the requirement for residents to take out a burn permit, and that was not well received by Council. The new iteration does not include a permit, but sets out restrictions regarding the kinds of fires that are permitted on properties of various sizes and locations.
As Councillor Pegrum pointed out, there are even some properties with so little frontage and distance separation from wooded areas, where even a small campfire will not be permitted.
Fire Chief Del Blakney said that the bylaw provides for some flexibility, but “there are some properties where open fires are not suitable.”
The bylaw includes a separation distance of 30 metres “from any building, hedge, fence, overhead wire, trees, or other combustible material, or the lot line,” for a brush fire, and the fire shall not exceed 3 metres in width, length, and height.”
Brush fires are restricted to 7pm -7am from April 1 to October 31, and are restricted to daylight hours in the late fall, winter season.
The bylaw includes provisions for restrictions on burning, based on specific conditions, as well.
Staff will work on a publicity campaign, culminating in the launch of a South Frontenac Fire app, so residents are aware of what kind of fire, whether it be a container fire, a camp fire, a brush fire or and agricultural fire, that they can have on their property and when they can and cannot burn.
After rejecting the fire permit-based bylaw in April, Council accepted this version, saying it seemed to be the right way to go, and can be tweaked over time.
Community Grants
The community grants staff report was adopted and 13 grants were awarded (as reported in the May 7 edition of the Frontenac News and online – frontenacnews.ca/article.php?id=19447
Bulk Water Rates
The township has established a fee of $4 per 1,000 litres as a bulk water rate for commercial or not-for-profit use of bulk water from the Sydenham water system
