North Frontenac Council Report
Additional Residential Units (ARU)
A public meeting was held as part of the October 2nd meeting of North Frontenac Council last Friday. The subject was a proposed amendment to the township’s zoning bylaw to permit up to two “Additional Residential Units” on rural and hamlet property lots, where homes are already located.
Currently, only one ARU is permitted per lot.
The plan, which was presented by Dmitry Kurylovich, Project Manager/Senior Planner with Frontenac County, is designed to increase options for residents to put in so-called granny suites or bunkies by renovating existing homes, or putting up new ancillary buildings.
One of the concerns that Kurylovich pointed to was the impact these new uses will have on the water and wastewater systems on existing properties, and for that reason recommended that a report on the capacity of those systems be required, before the third ARU is permitted.
He recommended that a holding symbol be applied to the lots in the township, regarding a third ARU, to be removed when the water and wastewater report is submitted and accepted by township staff.
Councillors expressed concern of the added red tape being applied to residents of the township, but Kurlyovich said that the holding symbol applies only to ARUs and no other use of a residential lot is blocked by it.
Members of the public also made comments. The information gathered at the meeting will be incorporated into the proposal, which will then return to Council for approval.
Noisy Hall to Remain So, For Now
The Snow Road Hall Committee is concerned that the popular hall, which hosts numerous gatherings as well as monthly concerts, is an echo chamber.
They sponsored an acoustical report, which concluded: “Based on typical absorption values for painted plywood, drywall, and glass surfaces, the estimated reverberation time (RT60) [in the hall] is approximately 2.9 seconds. This is highly reverberant for speech and can reduce intelligibility.”
The committee is planning to purchase twenty acoustic panels measuring 4 ft x 8 ft x 2” , to install on the ceiling of the building as a noise calming measure. The cost of the panels, which is between $1,770 and $3,000, will be covered by the committee, who will also handle the installation, after which the panels will be owned by the township, according to a motion that came before Council.
Councillor Wayne Good said the he was concerned about the weight of the panels and the potential for damage to the ceiling of the hall, and recommended amending the motion to require that that Staff look at the capacity of the ceiling to accommodate the extra weight before the volunteers are given leave to complete the purchase and installation.
There was some back and forth among councillors about whether this was a necessary step, who would do the assessment, and if a consultant would be hired if building staff were not able to make the determination on their own?
Clerk Tara Mieske then recommended deferring the main motion to allow Staff to look at the matter and report back to Council, and Council voted to defer.
Angela Sproule Award
Angela Sproule joined the North Frontenac fire department in 2018 and completed all the courses and served for a short time before becoming ill, then she died in 2020. Deputy Fire Chief Adam Robinson prepared a report about setting up an award in her name to annually recognise the outstanding contributions of a department member. Her daughter Katie Surra appeared before Council in support of the proposal, and she pointed out that even though her mother had a fear of water and fire, her commitment to the community led her to do the training and join the department, and serve. She also said that when Angela became ill, the department came through for her, when she required emergency services.
Council approved the motion to establish the award, as expressions of emotion slipped into the normally dry council proceedings.
Rink Board Advertisements and Rental Fee Structure for Plevna Rink
In advance of the grand opening of the covered rink at the Clar-Mil Hall, aka the ‘Plevna Multi Use Facility’, Council approved a schedule of ad rates for local businesses on the rink boards, at a higher initial cost, followed by a less expensive annual renewal cost. A second motion, to establish rental fees for the facility using the same rates that are applied for the township halls, was also approved.
Speed Limits through Ompah
Public Works Manager Darwyn Sproule presented a detailed ‘Ompah Speed Zone Review’ report that was prepared by Greer Galloway, a division of JP2G Consultants. The report looked at geometrics, alignment / profiles, sightlines, operating speeds, adjacent property use, entrances, existing posted speeds and transitions.
It looked at three sub-areas in the Ompah section of Road 509 and recommended some changes to the speed limit in all three. The report is posted on the township website. Council received the report, and will look at an implementation bylaw, at an upcoming meeting.
Once the bylaw is passed, and new signage installed, the speed limits will be enforced by the OPP..
