Mayor threatens to pull out of trails association if an agreement not forthcoming

Craig Bakay | Nov 04, 2020

A request from the Verona ATV Club for permission to use the Tay-Havelock Trail sparked considerable debate at Central Frontenac Councils regular (online) meeting Tuesday afternoon (October 27), prompting Mayor Frances Smith to wonder aloud if the municipality should pull out of the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance (EOTA) until such time as rival groups can come to some sort of agreement.

Coun. Tom Dewey started things off saying that the Verona ATV Clubs actions are counter-productive to a movement to establish a one-pass system all over Eastern Ontario.

“I don’t support any proposal being presented here,” Dewey said. “It’s not correct that the current licence agreement drops dead Dec. 31.

“It’s an automatic renewal (although any signatory can pull out of the agreement with six months notice.”

Dewey said he believes all the original partners in the agreement, including municipalities (mayors and CAOs) and the manager of the EOTA need to get together and work something out.

“The Verona club is an island unto itself,” he said. “This is undermining the one-permit system.”

“There is a meeting on Nov. 25,” Smith said. “If an agreement is not made, then maybe municipalities should pull out of the EOTA until an agreement is made.

“The residents of Central Frontenac have paid for this.”

Currently, the township budgets for a $10,000 annual grant to the EOTA. It is not a contractual obligation under the licence of occupation, but a discretionary grant approved with each budget.

Council deferred further discussion until after the trails associations meet, mostly likely its meeting on Dec. 8.

Regional approach to sewage inspections

Council approved in principle an agreement to begin a regional approach for sewage system inspection that would be administered by South Frontenac for all four townships in Frontenac County, authorizing CAO Cathy MacMunn to negotiated and sign the required agreements to authorize this and implement this. North Frontenac Township passed a similar resolution at its last meeting.

Dep. Mayor Tom Dewey was the sole voice of opposition to the move saying that he thought our local sewage installers would be well-represented in such a system.

“I think we should have our own system.”

Chief Building Official Andy Dillon said that while he is qualified to do the inspections, he didn’t feel he could add to his workload at this time.

Noise bylaw debate

Discussion of a proposed noise bylaw (which has been largely predicated by the noise produced by generators) brought out the inner hunter in several council members, led by Councillor Tom Dewey and Coun. Bill MacDonald.

“We have to be specific about zones here (quiet, residential, rural),” Dewey said. “If there’s no discharging of firearms in rural areas, you have all the hunters at your throats.

“I also can’t see only eight hours of construction during the summer.”

“I’d like to caution staff that there’s also a question of how you would enforce this,” MacDonald said. “I’d like to see a bylaw that recognizes the area we live in, the occupations that we have and our pursuits, such as hunting.”

Mayor Frances Smith said the two people that have contacted her are mostly concerned with the noise made by generators.

CAO Cathy MacMunn said that she put the bylaw on the agenda and was just looking for feedback.

“I’ve still got tweaking to do,” she said.

Hall openings?

Coun. Nicki Gowdy asked when Central Frontenac halls would start to open up.

“All of our neighbouring municipalities are opening up their halls,” she said. “I feel like we’re the marshmallow in the middle of a smores.”

CAO Cathy MacMunn said that she’s been looking at neighbouring municipalities’ plans and expects to have a Central Frontenac plan in place shortly.

“Except for Soldiers’ Memorial Hall where they’re still installing lights,” she said.

New bench for Shirley Peruniak

The Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society’s request to install a bench in memory of Shirley Peruniak was approved but a subsequent request to install more benches and waste receptacles will have to wait until it can be determined who would be responsible for emptying said receptacles.

School house up for sale

The Crow Lake School house is up for sale.

Central Frontenac staff received notice Sept. 1 that the Crow Lake Community Association, which had a lease agreement for tenancy of the school house, is winding down its organization as there are not sufficient volunteers and money to continue.

In a report, Dep. Clerk Cindy Deachman said: “While there is an opportunity for the hall to serve a cultural use should we retain it as a community hall, based on anecdotal information from the former tenant, there is very limited interest from community groups to use the hall.

“There would also be budget increases for heat, hydro, insurance, snow plowing, accessibility updates and septic system pumping (which) would most likely be substantially higher than any rental income received should we retain the property for a community hall.”