The Sharbot Lake Dental Clinic is the only rural clinic in Frontenac, L&A and western Lanark counties. It was opened many years ago by Dr. Richard Dale, and as he approaches retirement age, Dr. Dale has recently ensured the future of the clinic by selling the business to Dr. Amir Faizi, a dentist based in Kingston who is finishing up his military service later this year.

Dr. Dale will keep working at the clinic for up to two years, but Dr. Faizi has already had an impact on the service. He is now opening the clinic on Fridays and selected Saturdays and has added root canals, perio (gum) surgery and complicated extractions to the clinic's list of services.

Amir Faizi graduated from Dental School at the University of Toronto and signed up with the Canadian military after that, eventually being stationed in Kingston. As he contemplates a future after his military service is complete, Dr. Faizi started looking around for a dental practice.

“I started looking around for a dental practice that would be reasonable, and this seemed like a good practice in a good area, so I gave Dr. Dale a call and he was interested,” he said.

That was in late November, 2015, and within two months the sale was made.

“He said that he had been thinking about selling the practice within the next couple of years, so my timing was good. We met and I found him very trustworthy and straightforward, and the staff are very good and experienced. It was a pleasure dealing with everyone,” he said.

The transition took place on February 2, and while Dr. Dale continues to see patients Mondays to Thursdays, Dr. Faizi has been coming in on Fridays to do the newly added procedures. In order to do the new procedures, new equipment has been purchased, and four or five root canals, for example, have already been done. In the future the clinic will be adding more services, such as IV sedations and implants, once the necessary equipment has been purchased.

“For our patients who don't want to have to go to Kingston or Perth for a range of procedures, we will be offering them,” he said, adding that the fee for service at the Sharbot Lake clinic follows the guidelines suggested by the Ontario Dental Association fee guide, keeping to the lower end of the scale.

Dr. Faizi lives in Kingston with his wife Padina Pezeshki, and their six-month-old daughter, Liah. Padina is a bio-medical engineer who has had success in using radio frequencies in the treatment of cancer. A short description of her work can be found on Youtube – www.youtube.com/watch?v=68rzgFLVcNo.

CF Council expands CIP to include entire township

Following a presentation by Reid Shepherd, community planner with the County of Frontenac regarding the Central Frontenac's Community Improvement Plan (CIP), council passed a motion extending the availability of the program's grants and loans to the entire township.

The change was motivated by a motion to include other communities, which was put forth by councilors Jamie Riddell and Victor Heese back in April 28, 2015 at a regular council meeting. When the CIP was first adopted back in August of 2012, the program was available only in Sharbot Lake. Council members were unanimously in favor of extending the boundaries and widening the scope of the program, though many differed about who exactly could apply and whether the program should be restricted to business owners or include institutions like churches and also residents who may want to improve their properties.

To date, of the $80,000 that was initially available in the program, ($70,000 through the County and $10,000 through the township), $27,150 in funding remains. A total of 11 projects have been approved, seven of which have been completed and four still yet to be. The CIP offers a number of incentive programs that include facade improvement, accessibility enhancements, business start-up funding, a community improvement loan program and a municipal fees grant program. Council will have staff advise how the remaining funding could be best used.

Auditor's consolidated financial statement approved

Breanne Bradshaw, senior manager with the township's auditors, KPMG, presented the 2015 consolidated financial statements for the township. Bradshaw was accompanied by Vicky Leaky and township treasurer Michael McGovern.

In the report's highlights, Bradshaw said that the township “is in a net debt position”, suggesting that the township “has financial capital purchases and future obligations”. On the topic of tax assessment and tax arrears, the taxable assessment for the township was up 5.4%.

In a summary of the report, Bradshaw said that the municipality received an “unqualified clean" audit opinion.

In ending her summary Bradshaw reported that council “will have opportunities in the future to consider setting capital levy as a percentage of operating expenses; developing a long-term financial strategy to fund projects using debt if the project meets specific criteria; and developing a reserve/reserve fund policy that provides guidelines for staff on the acceptable limits that council approves”.

Cost for toilets and storage at Oliver Scott Memorial site

Council received a letter from Lesley Merrigan who is heading up the Sharbot Lake rink project. She said the site is in need of storage and washroom facilities since the existing facilities are slated for demolition. Merrigan said because construction at the site is expected to begin this summer, a storage unit and two portable toilets are needed, which will cost $1380. She also asked council's permission to begin the demolition of the existing facilities in preparation for this year's upcoming baseball season. Council accepted the request for information and directed staff to report back to council regarding the viability of the request.

Re-Use Centre postpones proposed May opening

The Re-Use Centre Committee, which has met four times to discuss a mandate and its terms of reference, is currently in the process of approaching Community Living-North Frontenac with the hopes of entering into an agreement of cooperation with the Treasure Trunk, which is currently undergoing an operational review. The Re-Use Centre committee is preparing a presentation to the board of directors of CL-NF at their regular meeting on March 30 to better understand the future plans of the Treasure Trunk so that the committee can hopefully move forward with the plans for the center.

New organizational chart approved by Council

Council approved recommendations by Clerk/Administrator Cathy MacMunn and the Human Resources Committee to reflect the recent changes in positions and shared services with the County and other townships. The changes were made in two township departments. The building and planning departments have morphed into Development Services, and include a manager of Development Services/CBO and a Development Services assistant. The latter will also act as the secretary treasurer for the committee of adjustment. Further, public works has a new administrative assistant position.

Public Works administrative assistant appointed Cathy MacMunn updated council on the fact that Heather Robinson, a staff member at the township, has been offered the position of public works administrative assistant. A new front counter receptionist will be hired to fill Robinson's former post.

A trio of young, primarily urban-based artists, are planning to bring some local K&P railroad history to Toronto.

The trio, architect/sculptor Noah Scheinman, and photographer/film makers Adam Biehler and Allan Poon, will be participating in the annual "Grow Op" show, which will be held at Toronto's Gladstone Hotel from April 21 to April 24.

All three have been in the area doing site research and talking to locals about the old K&P railway, which has inspired them and will be the subject of their installation at the show.

Scheinman, who now resides near Perth Road village, has long been visiting his family cottage on Bobs Lake and said that he has always been fascinated with the old K&P railway.

He shared that interest with Poon and Biehler and the trio will be producing artwork based on their findings from the research they have been doing in the area.

This will be the fourth installment of the Grow OP show at the Gladstone Hotel. “The show typically focuses on the responses of the participating artists to different landscapes and spaces in and around the GTA but I wanted to represent a different landscape, one that people may not have experienced before, with the aim of linking them to the history of this old railroad, which many people likely know nothing about,” Scheinman said.

“Personally, I am really interested in the old K&P station names and sites on the map and it has been really interesting traveling to those places, seeing what still is and what is no longer there. For the show I will be primarily working with a construction technique known as rammed earth to construct and locate the aspects of the old K&P station sites in the actual space of the gallery,” he explained.

Rammed earth is an ancient building technique for constructing walls, foundations, and floors using natural raw materials like earth, chalk, lime or gravel. The construction method has seen a revival in recent years as people seek out more sustainable building materials and construction techniques. Biehler and Poon will be using their expertise behind their lenses to create different impressions of the landscape using their preferred digital mediums.

The three, who are all working professionals, managed to get hold of Sally Angle, former chair of the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society, who agreed to meet with them at the society's caboose and museum at the Railway Heritage Park in Sharbot Lake.

The three were mostly interested in the old time artifacts and stories as well as the “then and now aspects of the trail, both what is used to be and what it has become,” said Angle.

She said she was not surprised by their interest because, “The K&P fascinates many different kinds of people and it has a certain romance about it, I think, that can especially attract artists. And in fact, some of the people you would never suspect to be, are real railway enthusiasts.”

For more information about the Grow Op show, visit www.gladstone hotel.com

On March 6, representatives from the Canadian Cancer Society of Frontenac Lennox, Addington and the Waterways were atthe Oso hall in Sharbot Lake for a dual event whose aim was to recognize the many dedicated local CCS volunteers and to kick off their 2016 campaign.

Doug Kane, a community office manager with the CCS, made a PowerPoint presentation outlining the many fundraising opportunities, programs and services that the CCS offers in this community, which covers an area roughly 100 kilometres in diameter. He stressed how community volunteers, by reaching their prescribed fundraising goal of $1 million, enable the community to receive over $6 million in CCS research dollars.

Kane also spoke of the Society's “Wheels of Hope” program, which helps rural cancer patients get to treatment centers. Kane said that for the 5200 trips that were funded in 2014 through “Wheels of Hope” in Frontenac Lennox and Addington, no fewer than 45 drivers traveled over 157,700 kilometres.

“A lot of people think that most of what we do at the CCS is research, but in fact, many of our services help in very practical ways, like our volunteer driver program which, especially in these rural areas, is a very important service.”

Kane also mentioned the advocacy work that the Cancer Society does, with their advocates speaking to MPs and MPPs about changing laws regarding tobacco use, tanning beds and other important cancer prevention efforts.

April McCann, volunteer engagement coordinator with the CCS, also spoke at the event. She recognized the many faces and stories in the room that day, and said their efforts “really help us to raise dollars for research and produce more and more cancers survivors. We cannot do what we do without our volunteers.”

For the awards section of the event, Lesley Merrigan, a CCS volunteer and former long-time chair of the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, along with caregiver Wendy Drew, were recognized with the CCS's Impact in Community Leadership awards. Merrigan said she was pleased to see so many volunteers appreciated by the CCS.

Many local volunteers were presented with special service awards, including Pam Giroux, Charmaine Jones and Carolyn Hasler (5 years); Linda Myers and Rick Brown (10 years); John Lee and Ruth Cooke (15 years); Ann Grantham (20 years); Alvin Lake (25 years); and Norma Granlund (40 years).

A number of cheque presentations were also made at the event. Marcel Giroux presented a cheque for $2,000 to the CCS on behalf of W.A. Robinson Asset Management Ltd., who is the presenting sponsor for the North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life. A second cheque for $3,227 from Chantal Villeneuve was also presented on behalf of the Ontario Breeders Association.

Norma Granlund of Crow Lake, who received a 40-year service award, is the longest serving volunteer in the community. Granlund, who has been canvassing door-to-door for the Cancer Society for four decades, said she was inspired by her Aunt Eliva, who in her words, “was a beautiful helper of people and who passed away from cancer". Granlund also spoke of Mary Howes of Parham, also a long-time CCS volunteer, who recruited Norma as a canvasser decades ago.

The Cancer Society is always looking for volunteer drivers for their “Wheels of Hope” program. Anyone interested can call 613-384-2361 or 1-866-877-0309.

The year 2017 will mark the 150th year of Canadian confederation. What better excuse for a good party? Major anniversaries like this are a way to recognize the efforts of those who went before us and enjoy the benefits of what they achieved. What might be more important, they give incentive to look forward to the things that might yet be accomplished.

In Oso Hall on March 9, a public meeting was held to launch Central Frontenac’s celebration of Canada 150. More than 30 people were present and they were a wonderful cross-section of our community. They represented service clubs, church groups, heritage societies and recreation committees. Villages Beautiful was represented, as was Branch 425 of the Legion, and the Parham Agricultural Society. Community service organizations such as NFCS and the Adult Learning Centre were there, as well as the seniors’ groups and the Friday Night Ladies. It was great!

The meeting started with a few people sharing their views of Canada, the place of our community in it, and what Canada 150 might be. Well-known citizens Janet Gutowski and Sarah Hale spoke, as did Dave Limber, drummer for the Feral Five, and Councilor Victor Heese. But the show was stolen by 13-year-old Hazuki Ono, who concluded a personal and very touching talk with, “Let’s have maple syrup all year. Eh?”

In the general discussion that followed, lots of people had good suggestions on what we could do to make a great celebration. Heritage elements got a lot of play but there were other ideas as well, ranging from fitness to festivals to forests. A committee was formed to start gathering ideas and information on available support and what’s happening in other places. One of their first tasks will be to find a slogan for the program.

Members of the initial committee are Dave Willis, Linda West, Justin Riddell, Lesley Merrigan, Dave Limber, Victor Heese, Ray Fletcher, Rosemarie Bowick and Bill Bowick. Bill Bowick was appointed chair of this committee of council and Councilor Victor Heese volunteered to be the committee’s council liaison. The committee will no doubt change with time. A couple of people were volunteered after they left the meeting and there will no doubt be others who come forward to serve. However, this is an excellent start and they have already had one meeting.

As per directive, a major agenda item of the committee’s first meeting was getting a slogan. It was decided to run a contest and announce the winning choice at Canada Day 2016.

Details of the contest will be announced soon but in the meantime, you can get your thinking caps on. “Paradise with Bugs” has already been rejected.

David Yerxa has once again taken to the pool in Perth in an effort to raise funds for the annual Swim-a-thon fundraiser for the Clifford Bowey School in Ottawa. The school, which caters to students aged 4 to 21 years who have developmental disabilities, teaches them independence, and helps them develop their communication and mobility skills to their maximum potential so that they can live and participate to the fullest extent possible at home and in their communities.

The annual fundraiser is close to David's heart since as a young adult he attended the school for three years. He said that there, he learned how to cook for himself, learned computer skills and also about the school’s recycling program. The latter has since become a focal point and a big part of his own Sharbot Lake Office Supplies business, which he currently operates from his home.

This is the third consecutive year that David has participated in the swim-a-thon and he said that he begins training in October every year leading up to the event. He also swam in the summer months this past year in Maberly at the pool of former Community Living-North Frontenac staff member Tamatha.

The swim-a-thon took place at the Perth pool on February 17 and David raised $927. He swam a total of 22 laps in half an hour, the maximum time permitted for the swim. Last year David raised $1300 for the cause and the year before, $570. Also, every year in June, David returns to the Clifford Bowey School to hand out a recycling award to one of the students.

The turnaround was pretty quick at Granite Ridge Education Centre last month. Principal Heather Highet, who oversaw the construction of the new school and remained at the helm for two years after it opened, found out in January that she would be moving to Bayridge High School in Kingston for the second semester of the 2015 - 2016 school year.

In her place, the Limestone District School Board decided to install the school's vice-principal, James McDonald, as acting principal until the end of the school year, when he may become the school's principal on a full-time basis.

For McDonald the new role is his fourth in the so-called northern reaches of the Limestone board. He taught at Clarendon Central in Plevna for six years when he first came to the board, then worked as vice-principal with Emily Yanch at Hinchinbrooke and Land O'Lakes Public Schools. When Hinchinbrooke and Sharbot Lake public and high schools were closed, and Granite Ridge was opened he became the new vice-principal.

“Heather and I worked on the direction of the school,” he said last week in an interview at his office. “Our school goals haven't changed: increase literacy, increase math skills and student engagement. These are fairly standard and important goals.”

There are mechanisms to evaluate progress that the school uses, such as report cards and province-wide EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability) testing to evaluate literacy and math skills in students, and Granite Ridge also employs other benchmarks to monitor student progress in these areas.

As well, beyond measuring and teaching skills, Granite Ridge has been working at creating a culture of reading in the school.

“GREC Reads is a program where at a certain time in the school day, every one of the students, from K-12, spends 20 minutes reading. Students get a wide variety of choice; the idea is for them to read out of interest. The program culminates in a book talk. As the program has developed, there has been a remarkable increase in our students just reading for the love of it, and some have indicated a connection between their interest reading and required reading,” McDonald said.

There are also reading groups in the school, which are designed to help students work on specific skills together, with the help of trained staff.

McDonald said that in terms of administrative style he prefers to use a collaborative rather than a top-down approach. “I see myself working with the teachers and staff here, not over them in any way. We all have different roles, of course, and I am adjusting to my new role. There is a great deal of expertise in this building; it is really truly phenomenal. My role is to foster that, to provide the circumstance to make it all come together.”

One example of teacher innovation comes from grade 3/4 teacher, Scott Flegal. Flegal has his students working with a tablet-based app called “explain everything”, which enriches all the material they access on their tablets with a click through to a wealth of background material.

Flegal's classroom is also unusual, almost borrowing a page from surrealist artists. The desks are there; there is a bank of computers by the window and the walls are covered with charts and student art and posters. Everything looks just like a busy grade 2 class, except that in place of chairs there are large blue balls. “The students sit on the balls instead of chairs so they are able to rock, to move their body while staying in place. It's something that has been tried elsewhere. Mr. Flegal wanted to try it in his class and he has had some success. We went to the school council for some funding and we found the rest in our own budget.”

Some of the older students have been involved in the development of an aquaculture project using the two ponds on the school property, and there have been a number of initiatives directed at providing opportunities for elementary and secondary students to learn together.

“It all comes down to building a school community,” said McDonald. “When we all came together we were having to develop a brand new culture of learning here, based on the needs of the students and a collaborative approach by staff. When Sharbot Lake High School was here there was a sense of family. Everyone talked about it, and that's something we have been building on now that we are Granite Ridge.”

8% increase projected in CF Budget

Michael McGovern's updated Council on some minor updates to the 2016 budget, which is set for an increase of 8% in the levy to ratepayers.

The two remaining budget items that were discussed were Councilor Bill MacDonald's request that $5,000 be budgeted for the MUCC committee (Multi-Use Cultural Centre) and councilors Jamie Riddell and Tom Dewey's request to support the window replacements at the Pine Meadow Nursing Home. Council then considered adding $12,500 to the 2016 budget, which would cover the cost of one window at Pine Meadow.

With both items being considered, it looks as though council might easily meet McGovern's forecasted numbers, which have changed since the initial budget meeting in January.

“We found some savings to accommodate the 2015 deficit of $415,000 and made about $292,000 in cuts, which resulted in $123,000 being added to the levy to get us a $532,000 levy increase,” McGovern explained at Tuesday's meeting.

The final numbers, he said, are waiting on the announcement of the education tax, which should be come out in the next week or two. When that number arrives, council could indeed be passing their 2016 budget at their next regular meeting this month.

Construction details

February's construction value numbers are significantly down and are sitting at $118,000 compared to $773,071 at this same time last year. The year to date numbers reflect the same trend and stand at $448,000 compared to $823,071 last year. comparable with the numbers from 2014 and 12015.

Roads and waste site report

Public Works Manager John Badgley reported to council that he and his team have been busy this month plowing, sanding and salting roads, and repairing signage in the township. Graders have also been out ice grading and patching potholes as well as doing the major clean up of downed trees and branches from the recent ice storm. When asked by Councilor Bill MacDonald about the large pot holes on Clement Road, Badgley replied that they had been dealt with.

On the topic of hard plastics, for which Badgley had earlier requested that council implement a $1 tipping fee, Badgley said that he had spoken to a company that could take these plastic items, mostly lawn furniture and large toys and that he is still working on the details.

Regarding Councilor Bill MacDonald's request that Badgley look into the annual costs if the township were to truck out its garbage, Badgley estimated the cost at $750,000 per year, adding “It is difficult to determine precisely as we do not know how many tons of waste we are producing per year, nor do we know how many tons of construction and demolition waste we are putting into the waste sites”. Badgley said he came up with the number based the average waste produced per household in the township and added that the $750,000 cost does not include the cost of closing down the township's two waste sites.

Summer public works work schedule approved

Council approved the township's Human Resources Committee's recommendation to continue the implementation of a summer work schedule for public works employees, with staff to work 10-hour days four days per week with Fridays off from May 1, to September 30, 2016.

Public Works Manager Badgley also proposed that in case of emergencies during this time period, one of the two township garage's foremen would be on call alternately each week, a proposal that council also approved.

Rob Moore, who headed up the talent show at this year's FHF talent show, along with FHF chair Janet Gutowski present a cheque to Kim Cucoch, chair of the North Frontenac Food Bank.Council approved the HR committee's recommendation to hire a public works administrative assistant. The position will be posted internally for 10 days from March 11 to March 21 and will be posted externally in local newspapers and on relevant websites.

New signage approved for the CFRHS

Sally Angle and Gary Giller of the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society outlined their plans to erect 12 new signs at the Central Frontenac Heritage Railway Park in Sharbot Lake. The new signage will be thanks to a grant from Trillium, which came about through the work of John Duchene, and a new society member and former Sharbot Lake resident, Gene Kirkham. The signs will feature historic photos of the railway site.

FHF makes cheque presentation to the North Frontenac Food Bank

On behalf of the Frontenac Heritage Festival, Rob Moore and Frontenac Heritage Festival chair Janet Gutowski presented a cheque to Kim Cucoch, chair of the North Frontenac Food Bank, in the amount of $615.

The Lions Club is inviting everyone to attend a Meet & Greet at the Oso Hall on March 24 from 7 to 8 pm to learn more about how they serve the community. There is no admission charge and they will be serving free coffee & desserts. The Sharbot Lake & District Lions Club was chartered in 1951 and has been serving here for almost 65 years. Lions Clubs International is the largest community service organization in the world with more than 1.5 million members. Their official Motto is “We Serve”.

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged all Lions to become her “Knights of the Blind in the Crusade Against Darkness.” We take that challenge very seriously. The International Club works constantly toward the elimination of blindness around the world. Locally, we are proud of our ‘Vision & Hearing Screening’ program. Since 2004 we have been testing the eyesight, and lately also the hearing, of kindergarten and grade one students in our local schools, including Plevna, Mountain Grove, and Sharbot Lake. We use high-tech equipment purchased with the monies we have collected through our various fund raising activities. In another program called ‘No Child Without’ we have worked hand-in-hand with the Medic Alert Association to provide every child in our area with the Medic Alert bracelets they may need to keep them safe at school, at home and everywhere in between.

We also like to serve our senior citizens. In mid-June each year we go to a seniors’ home to barbeque hamburgers and hot dogs for the residents and their families. Also, each October for the past 39 years we have invited all local seniors to a wonderful evening of entertainment, prizes and good things to eat. We even provide buses to bring folks in from all over the district.

We are also proud to support Adopt-A-Highway, our pavilion at the Oso Beach and the parades at Christmas and Canada Day. Over the years we have purchased equipment for the medical centre and provided financial support to the Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Salvation Army, the Canadian Diabetes Association, the food bank, and many others, including local people with specific needs within our own community. We could do none of this without the support of local folks like you! We are always seeking new members who have a desire to serve their fellow man and improve our community and the world we live in. Membership in a Lions club gives people the chance to meet with other volunteers and work together toward the common goal of helping those in need. The satisfaction gained by being a part of these efforts is one of the big rewards of being a Lion. For younger members there is the opportunity to develop leadership skills while older folks often join as a way to redirect their lives in retirement. We also enjoy the fun & friendship of the group as we involve ourselves in club activities. For more information please visit: www.sharbotlions.com , check us out on Facebook or call 613-539-8190. We serve!

Husband and wife duo Diana and Jerrard Smith, a.k.a. TRXTRS, delighted the capacity crowd at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn's Crossing Pub in Sharbot Lake on February 25 with their eclectic set, which captured the crowd and no doubt garnered them a new slew of music fans. The Feral Five followed and got the receptive crowd up onto the dance floor. Next up for Music and Friends will be special guests The Bedhead Buskers (Gabby White and Nathan Paul) who will open the show on Thursday, March 24 with their folk, bluegrass and east coast-inspired repertoire. The show starts at 7:30 PM and dinner reservations can be made by calling the Sharbot Lake Country Inn at 613-279-2198.