by Connie Tabbert
Editor
Cobden — Councillor Daryl McLaughin believes one council meeting a month is not enough, especially at times when some items may be time sensitive.
“There have been times in the last three months when we needed to have a second council meeting,” he said at last week’s committee-in-council meeting. “We’ve always had two council meetings in the past.”
He suggested there be a short council meeting the first Wednesday of the month prior to any committee meetings being held.
Councillor Charlene Jackson said the procedural bylaw states that if a special meeting needs to be called, it’s allowed. It doesn’t even have to be prior to a committee meeting, she added.
She said prior to changing the procedural bylaw to commit to this second council meeting, she would like to see how council is managing things by fall. With most of council just learning how to deal with township stuff and extra meetings due to budgets, she would like to wait.
“Let’s wait a year and see how we fair out,” Coun. Jackson said. “I’m hoping things smooth out and we move forward.”
Mayor Hal Johnson agreed.
Beachburg Arena gets first shot at the grant
Chief Administrative Officer Christine FitzSimons advised committee the township can only apply for one accessible grant application per year. Cobden Recreation Association is part of the audited financial statement for the township while Beachburg Recreation Association is not. Therefore, the township could apply for two accessible grants this year. However, those issuing the grants most likely will not look favourably at an application coming from the same region, she added.
The funding application deadline is April 27 and she questioned which will council apply for.
“Both buildings need significant accessible improvements,” she said.
Councillor Dave Mackay said Cobden’s arena is in more need than Beachburg. Cobden needs an elevator while Beachburg’s is for an accessible washroom, lowering the snack bar and getting an automated door, he explained.
CAO FitzSimons said an elevator will be more than $100,000. She noted the funding is equal or greater than 35 per cent of the project.
Mayor Johnson said even with grant funding, the elevator would not be put in this year
“Let’s apply for Beachburg,” he said.
The projects must be “shovel ready,” he noted, so whoever puts the grant together the fastest wins.
It was agreed that since the committee is recommending the Beachburg project be applied for funding, township staff work on the application and the drawings and prep work begin right way, prior to receiving council approval.
“If we’re going to have a fighting chance of getting funding, we need to start now,” CAO FitzSimons stated.
Chief Building Official Doug Schultz said he will talk to the architect who did the drawing for the tourist booth, to see if he’s available to do the drawings for the Beachburg Arena.
Mayor Johnson questioned if the drawings and everything required for Cobden is ready by next year, would there be a similar funding program.
CAO FitzSimons said she wouldn’t guarantee anything from the provincial government.
It was agreed to apply for the Beachburg arena accessible grant funding and the rest of the money could come from the Ontario River Power Corporation fund.
It’s important council and staff ensure the necessary work is done prior to the grant announcements, CAO FitzSimons said. She noted there’s usually just a short time between when the grant funding is announced and the deadline.
“If we’re not ready when the grants come through, we will miss out,” she said.
She recommends that over the next few years, work be done to get the engineer drawings on the shelves for various projects, so when the grants are announced, the project’s paper work is ready.
Mr. Schultz agreed asking council give direction as to what buildings should be next so the drawings can begin.
Coun. Jackson said the projects will be known once the budget is approved.
Assuming Roads
There are a few roads in the township to be taken over by the township once nicer weather arrives and it’s ascertained they are in the shape required for the take-over, Mr. Misener told the committee. He noted there are currently two roads the township is maintaining, even though it doesn’t own them, as per instructions from the previous council.
He also said the owners of those roads are not being charged for the township maintaining them.
Coun. Jackson said there is liability for the township for maintaining roads that do not belong to it.
“I caution you to not do that without an agreement from the developer and that they pay for it,” she said.
CAO FitzSimons said once the issues are resolved and the roads assumed, she’s hopeful the township will not be in a situation again for assuming roads prior to an agreement being made between the township and developer.
Mr. Misener also provided the committee with the forecasted work for this year.
“I’m giving you an idea of what we are looking at and the funds needed,” he said.
CAO FitzSimons said the roads are part of the Asset Management Plan (AMP), which should be looked at as a living document. It’s a tool to allow staff to assess the assets and know what shape they are in, she explained.
The AMP was mandated by the provincial government which was to be completed by 2013, she said.
CAO FitzSimons said, “The first round of plans are not perfect. There were a lot of things that were missed. There are more updates that are going to have to happen over the years.
“Based on that, no one’s pointing fingers,” she stressed. “It’s not a perfect document, and there are some things that got left off — it was a beginning.”
Councillor Cathy Regier remembers when she joined council that there was a roads tour which “was very informative.” She suggested council consider doing a roads tour once the roads have dried up.
However, CAO FitzSimons said if council goes on a bus for this tour, it’s constitutes a meeting and the public must be invited.
Mayor Johnson, who noted he has been on these road tours when he was roads supervisor, said decisions would not be made but there would be discussions. He recalled presenting an agenda and the public was notified of “exactly how we were going to drive the roads.
“I agree with Cathy, we should be driving them.”
Coun. Jackson suggested instead of the township trying to do one whole road, that it be broken down into sections. She was surprised when what she thought the cost provided was doing all of Grants Settlement Road, only to find was actually only a 5.5 kilometre stretch.
Mr. Misener said, “We would not afford to do that whole road in one year.”
Coun. Jackson said township staff will “just have to start attacking the roads. We can’t continue to ignore them. Sometimes we are going to have to bite the bullet even if it messes with the Asset Management Plan. There are some nasty areas of roads in our township.”
Coun. McLaughlin said in order to know which roads are to be done first, there has to be traffic counts.
“We have to decide which are our main roads and put emphasis on those,” he said.
He questioned if Mr. Misener had purchased the speed sign which will also count traffic.
“We need those numbers to make firm decisions,” Coun. McLaughlin said. “We can’t keep ignoring them and we can’t fix them all.”
Fire Wardens Approved
There was discussion about how many fire wardens are needed for the township.
It was noted the idea was to have Joey Trimm, Vince Gervais and Daryl McLaughlin along with township staff and the chief and deputy-chief to issue special permits.
Fire Chief Wayne Heubner said the township staff do a great job. He said people are educated enough to know to contact the office between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. if they need a fire permit.
There are no firefighters who are interested in being fire wardens, he said.
While it’s great township staff can issue the permits, Mayor Johnson said it’s quite a distance for people in La Passe and Westmeath to go for a permit. And even though permits are online, he noted not everyone has a computer. It would be nice to have Mr. Gervais and Mr.Trimm issue permits for those areas.
“Vince and Joey know what they are doing,” he said, with the Chief agreeing.
Coun. Jackson was in favour of just municipal staff handing out fire permit.
“The people will get used to it,” she said. “We are not paying these people (Mr. Gervais, Mr. Trimm) , they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart.”
The chief said, “I’m all for making it easier.”
While there are times when permits are issued the chief and deputy-chief haven’t been forewarned, usually that’s not the case, Chief Heubner said.
When a permit is issued, it’s usually faxed to the chief and deputy-chief so that when a 911 call comes in, they are aware it’s a controlled burn.
The chief noted that when firefighters show up at the hall, they must still be paid.
Coun. McLaughlin feels if people have to go to the office to get a permit, they won’t.
“The more convenient it is for the people, the better for the township,” he said.
It was agreed that fire wardens would be Mr. Gervais, Mr. Trimm and Coun.
McLaughlin. Chief Heubner suggested this information be included in the next tax bill.
One Month
Parking Trial
Mr. Schultz advised that following a meeting with the principal at Cobden and District Public School and bus drivers, a one month trial will be held regarding parking.
The buses will go behind the school for loading and unloading students with parking spaces moved to allow for this.
Public works manager Bill Misener will review where the current no parking signs are and if need be, move them.
