South Frontenac Council - Oct 15/24

Jeff Green | Oct 23, 2024

Public Meeting – A proposal for an exemption to the size limitation of 300 square feet for a sleeping cabin on a cottage property on Whiskey Point Lane (Bobs Lake, Green Bay) was the subject of a meeting. The owne proposes to build a 2 bedroom, 450 square foot cabin, with a bathroom but no kitchen, on the property, which already has an existing cottage. Although Bobs Lake is classed as an at capacity trout lake, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority raised no concerns about the proposed amendment. The township planner pointed out that a sleeping cabin is an approved use, and it is only the size that requires an exemption. One neighbour spoke to the matter, asking about the height of the proposed structure, which is one storey with a shed roof. The planner said that as far as he had been informed, the intention of the family is to use the cabin for relatives and not for commercial rental use.

The matter will come back to council at a future meeting.

Sydenham Water – all systems operating

Council received a report from Heather Roberts from Utilities Kingston regarding the operation of the Sydenham Water systems. No significant issues of concern were noted

Climate Change Action Plan Survey

Julie Gonyou from Strategy Corp presented a draft version of the climate change survey that the township will be circulating in the coming weeks. As Gonyou pointed out, the survey is intended to gauge the public's awareness and interest in climate change actions undertaken by the township in its own operations.

“It is not a survey about community actions around climate change,” she said, “that would be something different. This survey is about what the township has been and will be doing with its buildings, fleet operation, etc.”

Areas where the township has been active in terms of climate change, include infrastucure and energy efficiency though lighting and adding heat pumps to new and renovated buildings. The township is also exploring hybrid vehicles in some cases and electric ice resurfacing, and there are plans to set up charging stations in the township. Emergency planning is being reviewed in light of climate related events. Both in decision making, and asset management, climate action is being integrated.

In terms of the survey, these actions will be listed, and the question for the public will be whether these actions have been effective or not.

The survey will also ask the public to weigh in on how much the township should be looking at mitigating climate change or adapting to climate change.

The matter of costs was of interest to council. The survey attempts to get at whether residents are willing to pay, in the form of increased taxes, for further climate initiatives.

Council wanted to see that question be more specific.

Councillor Ruttan said that he would like the question to inlcude real numbers as well as percentages.

“If we ask people if they would be willing to pay 1%, or 2%, or 3% more, they don't necessarily know what that means. They might think it means 1% of the value of their house, and not just the $35 or whatever the number is, as a tax increase. So I think we should include dollar values,” he said.

Mayor Vandewal said “it makes a difference what else is in the tax bill, however. People may say 1% is ok, but when we have all these other pressures, as we do now, and they are already looking at a big increase, do they want it to be 1 or 2 per cent higher?”

Chief Administrative Officer Louise Fragnito said that the comments from council will be incorrporated into the final survey, which could be ready as soon as this week. The survey period will likely run about 3 weeks, and it will be available online, as well as in a paper version. Fragnito said tht recent township survey's have resulted in about 400 responses, so she hopes the results this time are similar.

Emergency Generator at Storrington Centre

Council authorised staff to submit an application for a Community Emergency Preparedness Grant (CEPG) in order to purchase a 400 amp generator to power the Storrington Centre for public use in case of an emergency. The grant is for a maximum of $50,000, and the cost of the generator is $85,000, so if the grant is successful council approved taking the money from reserves. The township has generators at a number of facilities, such as the Keeley Road office, and the firehalls, but those are intended to maintain the township's operations and not for use as emergency shelter for residents.

“Are we not going to have to look at this, regardless of whether we get the grant,” Mayor Vandewal asked of Director of Public Services Kyle Bolton. “And what about other facilities. Are we looking at all our facilities, across the township.

Bolton said that this question has come up, and in addition to the Storrington Centre, the Gledower Hall would be another location that would cover off another part of the township.

The grant application will go in.

Grant for Verona Lions Club

Council approved a $2028 grant, from the community grant portfolio, for air conditioning repairs.

Grant application for Harrowsmith Centennial Park.

The township will be applying for a grant, from the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, for $1,330,000 for three projects at Centennial Park. The projects are slated to be completed in coming years already, but if the grant comes through they would be moved forward. The projects include accessible pathways ($30,000), a new community use building with year round washrooms, a water filling station, and space for community use ($700,000) baseball diamond rehabilitiaiont and recreation amenities ($260,000) and some other new walkways ($240,000)

Grant for Road 38

As reported last week, the township will be applying for a provincial grant for $7.9 million for the Road 38 reconstruction program between Murton Road at the foot of the township and Kingston Road in Harrowsmith.

Lake Ecosystem Grants

Council approved a grant application to the Lake Ecosystem Grant program for $9,340 from the North and South Otter Lake Association for a Love Your Lake Shoreline Restoration in conjuntion with Watersheds Canada, including work to restore habitat that was damaged for road work at the culvert on Salmon Lake Road. Volunteers have commited 130 hours towards the project.

A second grant, for $10,000, was approved for Watersheds Canada Natural Edge program to carry out 10 narualised shoreline projects in the township. The project will restore 500 metres of shoreline and 1200 square metres of riparian habitat. 750 plants, shrubs, and wildflowers will be planted on 10 separate properties.