South Frontenac Council - September 7, 2021

Wilma Kenny | Sep 15, 2021

Councillor Revill spoke to his motion supporting Lennox & Addington’s request that the Minister of Education rescind approval of a proposed development charge to cover the costs of land acquisition and site development for a French language public school in the west end of Kingston. Revill said he was concerned that this development charge could be used by any board to build a facility, and might be a form of downloading from the province.

Mayor Vandewal noted that not all municipalities imposed development charges, but they aren’t new to South Frontenac. “This is a one-time fee applied to new housing, and (Councillor Revill’s objection) would be no different from saying the new homeowners might not benefit from their fees supporting fire services and roads, etc. He added that he did not feel comfortable saying there shouldn’t be this development fee toward schools.

The motion was defeated with only one councillor other than Revill in support.

There are currently 125 students from South Frontenac on a waiting list (12) or attending JK-Grade 12 programs (104) with the CEPEO school board.

In response to SFCS’ request for $750,000 toward building costs for the expansion and upgrades to the Grace Centre, Councillor Sutherland said he would like a debate in Council before making a decision. Mayor Vandewal suggested a staff report could present options and highlight risks and benefits of supporting funding; CAO Carbone said this could be available for discussion at the October 12 COW meeting. Council was in agreement.

Tenders for Arterial Snowplowing Sanding and Salting

In January 2021, Council formally approved the in-house delivery of snowplowing and sanding/salting of the majority of the Township’s arterial routes. That in-house model, set to begin in November of 2021, left two (2) arterial routes to be contracted out in order to provide a manageable balance between in-house and contracted winter control services in the initial years of the new model. Tendered route 504 includes sections of Desert Lake Road, Bauder Drive, Westport Road and Burridge Road (80.6km.), and route 429 includes the full lengths of Battersea Road, Moreland-Dixon Road and Sunbury Road for a combined length of 74.0km. Services under the proposed contract include labour and equipment for plowing, sanding and salting roadways. Materials are otherwise supplied by the Township. Standby allowances are considered standard practice within the industry.

The sole bidder was K. Mulrooney Trucking, which had provided these services for the last 5 years. Last winter’s rates had been raised to $180/hr and $500/week for standby. Tendered bid fees are $225/hr and $100/day for standby. Staff have reviewed the current bid and recommend the Township proceed with the award of contract at the new rates.

“It’s highway robbery, but do we have any options?” said Sleeth. Deputy Mayor Barr noted that last year, there were several increases to accommodate the rise of fuel prices.

Staff said that last year’s review of pricing showed that compared to Kingston and some of the neighbouring municipalities, South Frontenac’s rates were lower, and the bid price for next year is lower than Kingston’s rates. There seemed general agreement in Council that bringing all winter road maintenance services in-house was a good idea, but more information was needed before committing to the attendant increases in staff and equipment.

CAO Carbone recommended a three-year tender: one full operating year followed by the option of a 2-year extension. Council agreed.

Winter Maintenance

Council approved the following:

• Local Roads: ten local road routes: two each to Larmon and McNicols; one to K Mulroney, and five to Percy Snider. These all showed a ‘modest increase’ over the previous four-year contracts.
• Sidewalks: Cost Per Trip, 2021-2024
• Percy Snider: Sydenham/Perth Road, $290; Harrowsmith/Hartington, $268; Verona/Bellrock, $192. Larmon: Battersea, Inverary & Sunbury, $950.

Hinchinbrooke Road

Budget approval of $225,000 to advance placement of double surface treatments on Hinchinbrooke Road within the 2021 budget year: this estimated budget shortfall of $225,000 is to be fully funded from forecasted surplus from the Carrying Place, Bunker Hill and Deyos Road projects.

Three Lake Ecosystem Grants

1. Battersea Loughborough Lake Association: a project to survey users of the Perth Road boat ramp to see where they had been with their boats and whether they washed their boats before and after entering a lake. They would also gather information about installing a boat washing station at the ramp. ($8,500)
2. Fourteen Island and Mink Lakes Watershed Association: a project to help fund a Scoped Dam Safety Assessment which is needed to obtain the necessary permits for repairing the dam on Fourteen Island Lake: ($10,000)
3. Wolfe Lake Association: a project to fund buying back lead fishing tackle at local retail stores: ($6,000)

Councillor Sleeth questioned buying back lead tackle without an accompanying educational component. Claire Dodds, Director of Development Services explained that when anglers turned in lead tackle, they would receive vouchers for non-lead alternatives: these vouchers would reimburse the retailers from whom the anglers obtained the non-lead products, thus incorporating an information/educational component.

Sleeth said that had this info been provided, he would not have objected.

A second intake will issued later this fall to allocate the remaining funds of $35,500.

Planning Report

Planning brought a recommendation that Council direct staff to move forward with the process of closing and transferring ownership of a portion of unopened road allowance to enlarge an adjacent parcel of land municipally known as 5356 New Morin Road (near Knowlton Lake).

Director Dodds cautioned that if this unopened allowance were to be sold, it would be essential to ensure long term right of way access for neighbouring properties. Councillor Leonard agreed; “It would be a mistake to move forward without full agreement (between neighbours).”

Dodds assured Council that this formal initiation of the road closure process was a first step, necessary to bring all the interested parties to the table, and to set up a public meeting.

Final Notes:

Troy Dunlop said the Rideau/Seeley’s Bay Cottagers’ Association had been “phenomenal to work” with in planning Thursday’s overnight road closure in order to replace a road culvert, and safeguard emergency services.

Councillor Leonard, who was participating online, thanked Mayor Vandewal for his visit and the fruit basket from Council and staff, during his recent hospital stay.