SF Council unanimously endorses Recreation, Parks and Leisure Plan

Wilma Kenny | Jun 15, 2022

Between the 255 page Recreation Parks and Leisure (RPL) master plan, and the equally-long Official Plan update, Council has had an enormous amount of reading to digest in the past few weeks. The meeting began at 6 to accommodate discussion of the RPL plan.

In introducing the document Tim LaPrade, Arena and Recreation Manager, described it as “a high-level document, to be used as a guide moving forward, to track progress, and intended to be reviewed and updated at ten-year intervals.”

Councillor Norm Roberts asked where the local recreation committees fit into the picture. LaPrade replied: “They are the conduit to the communities and will definitely be involved in recommendations and decisions.”

Councillor Ross Sutherland asked whether there was a budget for ‘quick fixes’ such as portable toilet at boat ramps and trail access points. He also mentioned that the large community of residents on Daly Road and Cliffside had no recreation facilities, and would benefit by having some sort of foot/cycle path connecting them to Bowes Park.

Councillor John McDougall said: “This plan is valuable! Four things stood out for me: The inventory (of facilities) is huge and involved; there’s a plan to approach the operating cost challenge; the plan for studies on the halls In Glendower, Fermoy, Verona and Hartington, and there is a cultural component.

“Very few levels of government know where to put culture - the Ontario government has lumped transportation, immigration and culture all together.. This expansion of recreation planning gets away from the silos in its discussion of trails, age friendly activities, transportation, arts, festivals, natural resources, heritage initiatives, libraries and seniors’ centres. We have a package to guide us for ten years, which can make a considerable difference in a lot of areas.

LaPrade said in his 22 years of experience, South Frontenac has a lot of support from both the municipality and the residents: “We are in great shape moving forward.”

Several spoke of the value of volunteers in almost all aspects of recreation.

Councillor Ron Sleeth said “Every group using Storrington Centre turns all the money they raise back into the community.” LaPrade said the current haphazard user fee systems are cumbersome and hard to administer: the processes need to be cleaned up.

Council unanimously endorsed the plan.

The full document is on the Township website, in the agenda for this meeting.

Deputy Mayor

Councillor Ray Leonard was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of term.

Resurfacing of Verona McMullen Netsport Courts

Council approved the bid submission from Jeff Wallen’s Construction in the amount of $184,800 in relation to resurfacing of McMullen Netsports Courts, to be done in spring 2023. The township will do the necessary demolition this fall, in preparation.

Private Lane Upgrades

Council approved the grant subsidies for the 2022 Private Lane Upgrade Assistance Program for the initial 23 recipients as outlined in the June 7th, 2022 report, totalling $98,460.01. These were approved to permit the applicants to proceed with their projects: three other projects are pending, awaiting completion of their applications. “This program is a win for all: it was Del Stowe’s idea, and has been a great program,” commented Mayor Vandewal.

Sydenham Parking Restrictions

Council agreed to a uniform 2-hour parking restriction on Sydenham Mill Street from Rutledge Road to George St 8am-6pm. This approach would meet the current bylaw intent of encouraging parking turnover in the core commercial area and would deter the practice of residential properties consuming parking spaces for extended periods during core business hours. Signage will be posted.

Staffing Updates

Council welcomed James Thompson as Deputy Clerk and Nicolas Hoornweg as Building Inspector.

The current Deputy Treasurer will be taking a leave in August for a period of 12 months. Emily Caird, the current Executive Assistant/Communications Officer applied and was selected as the successful candidate for the position. She will be starting as Acting Deputy Treasurer as of June 6th but will share her time between the two positions until a replacement for her position is found.

BILL 109

In response to a query from Councillor Morey, Clair Dodds, Director of Development Services described the Provincially required planning changes and associated funding penalties as “very impactful, with substantial implications.” She said that municipalities across the province are trying to work out how to address these, and she expects it will be necessary to pre-review applications prior to declaring them complete enough to enter the timeline for final approval .

Council Comments

Councillor Sleeth asked about centreline road marking: Dunlop said that the company doing the work travels from Carleton Place, and although they will complete the work on main highways in this and neighbouring municipalities in June, they are postponing work on the secondary roads until August, due to current high cost of diesel fuel. “That’s an issue,’ said Sleeth: ‘We are expecting to have a lot of recreation traffic during the summer this year.”

Several said the fire ban information needed to be consistent: whenever the Fire Chief calls a ban, the township website and offices need to be updated immediately.

“The Township website is not user friendly,’ said Councillor Ruttan; “The whole thing needs to be reviewed.”

Deputy Mayor Leonard asked who had been doing the spraying from a helicopter near Howes Lake; he had received several complaints. Mayor Vandewal said he thought it may have been the Ministry of Natural Resources. No one seemed certain.

Closed Session Questioned

Councillor Sutherland questioned having an unopened road closure and sale issue added to the closed session agenda. A lively discussion followed, with the result that the matter was removed from the in-camera session and resolved in public. Due to the historical nature of the problem, including the possibility that the applicant might have been paying taxes on a bit of Township property, a compromise price of $3000. was agreed upon.