South Frontenac Council - Mar. 15/11

Jeff Green | Mar 17, 2011

Recreation bites South Frontenac Council

South Frontenac Council ploughed through a heavy agenda at their only formal council meeting this month. Then they put the brakes on public works spending in anticipation of tackling the entire public works budget next week (March 22) in the context of a draft budget that calls for a 26% increase in taxation, an increase that a number of councilors indicated they would be chopping considerably.

And just when everything on the agenda had been reconciled nicely, a dispute over recreation raised the temperature in the room.

Planning issues:

The zoning for the subdivision in Sydenham on Rutledge Road, west of Stagecoach Road, which will create 20 building lots and eight seniors’ housing units, received final approval. At a public meeting, one member of the public argued that the engineers who had prepared supporting documentation for the application regarding the water levels at the lower end of the property had underestimated the extent of the flood plain in a wet year, but council passed the zoning nonetheless. The plan of subdivision still needs to be approved for the project to move ahead.

Scott Asselstine's proposal to alter a site plan agreement with the township in order to build storage units on his car wash site on Road 38 south of Hartington was also approved, with the deadline for construction being set for October.

 A subdivision, long in dispute, on Collins Lake in Storrington, has been approved as well, after the developer and his neighbour, who farms, came to a settlement after several years of acrimony. “If they are both happy, then I am happy,” said Councilor Ron Vandewal.

Finally, the zoning was approved for an office building on Rutledge Road near Boundary Road

Council also approved a tender by Upper Canada Stone House Group for the shoring up of the bell tower at the Hartington Schoolhouse at a cost of $14,396.

Public works:

Public works Manager Mark Segsworth received Council's blessing to enter into an agreement with Ontario Electronic Stewardship, which will allow the municipality to receive a rebate for electronic waste that is properly handled and sent to an approved site. The first site to be listed under the program will be Keeley Road, but others will follow. The plan should save the township some money.

Segsworth also received approval to hook into an electronic based re-use strategy that will be housed at a new web address southfrontenacreuses.com. The site can be accessed directly or through the township’s web site. There is no cost to the township to use it for one year.

In other matters, ones where there was a cost involved, the public works manager was asked to wait until the budget is finalized.

He proposed awarding the contracts for the engineering and design of four bridges to four different consulting engineers with a view towards doing construction in 2012 or later.

The bridges in question are Clair Road Bridge #36 ($17,488 in engineering costs), Petworth Road Bridge #35 ($13,750), Maynard Bridge #48 ($22,000), and Hardwood Creek Bridge ($27,920)

“Is there any danger in us waiting until after our meeting next week before deciding to award these contracts?” asked Councilor Larry York after a number of councilors suggested they wanted to look at the entire Public Works budget before approving anything.

“I'll sleep very well until next week,” Segsworth said.

Finally, an $818,000 paving contract with Smiths Construction was also deferred until the budget.

Recreation woes – The ongoing relationship between the township, public works, the district recreation committees and the central recreation committee blew up last week over a proposal to tender the maintenance of the grounds and buildings in Portland District, leading a member of the Portland Recreation Committee to resign in anger.

Council bandied the issue around and was on the point of sending it back to the Portland Recreation Committee for clearer direction when Clerk Wayne Orr, who seemed to be feeling the heat himself, explained in detail how the decision to tender the job had come about.

Council approved tendering out the work, with both Portland councilors voting against the proposal.