South Frontenac Council - Aug 13/24

Wilma Kenny | Aug 21, 2024

Draft Communal Servicing Policies

At the beginning of the Official Plan review process, communal servicing was only a concept. With the incorporation of the Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation late last year, it became apparent that the new Official Plan would need to include robust policies on communal services to make this type of development a reality in the Township. This public meeting was held to discuss proposed communal servicing policies in the third draft of the Official Plan. Seven members of the public were present, with concerns related to proposed developments in Hartington and Verona.

Currently, only the village of Sydenham has municipal water services: the Township does not have the tax base or growth rate to fund further full-scale service installations. However, the pending housing development in Verona is being considered for small-scale communal development of water and sewage services. This has become a possibility because in November 2023, the County and the four Frontenac Townships collaborated to establish a jointly owned public utility (the Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation).  

The intent is to find ways of providing communal servicing in higher density, multi-unit developments located close to existing village services (schools, food outlets, fire and garbage services, etc.) An interesting proposal titled ‘Subdivision Conservation Design’ suggests creating clusters of smaller than the current 2.5 acre individual lots, with more communal green space, shorter streets and access to communal water and sewage services. The municipality could encourage private developers to create this style of development by providing groundwater studies in and around current settlement areas.

Staff will bring back a final recommendation report in September, along with explanation of any other proposed changes additions to the Township’s Official Plan document.

Councillor Trueman asked who would be responsible for the maintenance of communal services; CAO Fragnito said that once the the development was completed and transferred from the developer to the system, the County’s Frontenac Municipal Services would become the operator.  Councillor Turcotte said he would support such a plan.

Sleeth noted “It currently takes 7 to 10 years to develop a property: could this be speeded up?” Fragnito replied that they anticipate that more developers will be attracted to this approach, and with the County’s participation, the process can be streamlined.

One speaker asked whether it might be possible to split the program, and have communal water but individual septics. Wade Leonard asked if a communal water system would require the closure of existing wells; the answer was yes.

Unopened Road Allowance Closure(s)

An application (accompanied by a survey) to close and sell a portion of the unopened road allowance between Concessions 11 and 12, part lot 22, Loughborough, was approved. This follows an unresolved application from 2008, and will clear a ‘cloud on title’, allowing the applicant to have clean title in order to address an estate matter. Purchase price with tax will be $4,411.66, because the lands are within 300 feet of a waterbody.

Later in the meeting, the clerk’s office submitted a 5-page draft proposal to standardize and streamline the practices and policies related to applications associated with unopened road allowances, with the goal of providing greater consistency and clarity. 

The Township solicitor has said that a public meeting is not required. Notice will continue to be provided on the Township website, in the Frontenac News, posted on the subject property and mailed to abutting landowners. Additionally, staff will circulate notice to Council to ensure that members of Council are aware of pending applications. Fees will be standardized, and subject to a 2% annual increase, with the minimum purchase price set at $2,500.

Councillor Morey said that if a proposal was controversial, he wondered if more time was needed for public information and comments. Councillor Leonard said he approves of the clarity and consistency of this proposal. Pegrum asked whether it could be reviewed in 6 months or a year; Deputy Clerk Hannah said that if there was a wish for review, it can be done. Mayor Vandewal said that this was a good policy; “No matter how many times you tell people something, some will say they didn’t know. Setting a fixed price makes the process fair, removes any sense of individual judgement.” 

This draft proposal for updating the policies related to sale of unopened road allowances was given approval in principle, and will come forward at a later date to be finalized. 

Speed Limit on Battersea Road

Morey asked again (see July meeting) why the entire Battersea road from Randy Clark to Welbourne could not be reduced to 60 km/hr: the answer was that this issue is being looked at, and a report is forthcoming.

Perth Road/Buck Lake Repairs

Concerning repairs required from the 2022 accident damage: Public Services are requesting authorization to Sole Source the repairs to the Hughson Group, which installed the temporary concrete barriers following the accident, and is the local steel beam guide rail contractor.  Staff seeks approval of a budget of $106,687, to be funded from the infrastructure reserve. All previous costs incurred in 2022/23 for the rental and removal of the temporary barriers have been invoiced to the insurance company, and a further $72,601 will potentially be covered by insurance.

Greer Galloway consulting engineers has completed a slope stability and natural hazard analysis of the area in 2023 and produced a plan for recommended repairs to the site, to include sediment controls, shoulder reinstatement, granular sealing for erosion control, and a new steel beam guide rail, as well as the replacement of an additional 12m of guiderail and a new end treatment on the north/west corner that is not associated with the accident but necessary to complete the guiderail system and make it safe to oncoming traffic.

Two Waste Disposal Sites Nearing Closure

Both Green Bay and Loughborough Waste Disposal sites are predicted to reach capacity within the next 1.5  to 2 years: both will require a closure plan and permission to operate as waste transfer sites. Funding for these plans will be drawn from the Landfill Closure reserves.

Building Permit Approvals

Sleeth asked why the time between an application for a building permit and its approval took so long; the answer was that this depended on the degree of completion of the submitted approval; any length of delay was usually the result of waiting for further information. Most fully-completed applications took no longer than a couple of weeks, although the lower number of wintertime applications meant they could be processed somewhat more quickly than the summertime ones. Vandewal asked whether there was a quick review at intake that would provide a list of missing information; this is done within 48 hours of application.

Township Relocations During Construction Year!

Main Reception and Treasury Department has been relocated to the Sydenham Library Community Room, Building and Planning will relocate to Storrington Centre (the space recently vacated by the firehall), and the coming year’s Council and Committee meetings will all be held in Storrington Centre starting in September, until further notice. 

The Storrington Centre’s community hall will still be available for community bookings, and Sydenham Library’s open hours will not change. Next Council Meeting is Sept 03, 7:00 at Storrington Hall, 3910 Battersea Road