Building permits, volunteer recruitment, waste site monitoring and daycare name changes on the slate of Rideau Lakes Township councillors
Here are nine quick news bites from the latest community services meeting of the Township of Rideau Lakes held on Monday, Jul. 8, 2024.
Returning to pre-COVID numbers
The building department is seeing a return to pre-COVID numbers on applications. There has been a downward trend, Malcolm Norward, manager of development services shared with council on July 8 during a regular meeting of the community services committee.
For June, just 130 building permits have been issued, compared to as high as 260 for the same time frame in 2021, and 197 in 2022. This equates to a construction value of $13,722,561, down from $18,879,788 in 2021, and $17,737,796 in 2022. Fees collected in the township this year equal $178,188, compared to $369,582 in 2021, and $347,276 in 2022.
In Westport and Athens, there have been 34 permits issued, valued at $2,485,157. Fees collected equals just under $54,000.
Coun. Paula Banks asked if those applying for secondary units could be identified, and Norwood said he’d look into that.
Lower Beverley Lake Association shoreline cleanup
The Lower Beverley Lake Association is organizing its annual lake clean-up day on Saturday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. A rain date has been set for the next day, Sunday, Aug. 11. Any volunteers who wish to participate in this event are asked to meet at the Delta Mill Creek boat ramp at 10 a.m. A coordinator from the Lower Beverley Lake Association will be there to organize. In the past, this event has been well attended, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance has declined.
Hazardous waste days
The first household hazardous waste day of the year took place on Saturday, July 6, at
the Lombardy Fairgrounds. If residents missed this one, there are two more household
hazardous waste days — Saturday, Aug. 17, at both the North and South Leeds County Patrol
Garages, and on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Spencerville Fairgrounds and the North Grenville Patrol garage.
Monitoring of waste sites
The township will now report to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, monitoring results of the closed landfill site on Harts Gravel Road. Due to general dry monitoring of this site, a limited compliance assessment can be made. No remedial measurements are required at this time. The township pays about $100,000 annually to minor four waste sites twice a year. Spring monitoring costs were: Portland, $36,460, and Delta, $8,480, which are both transfer stations; North Crosby, $4,060, this cost is split with Westport, and on Summers Road in Elgin, $2,500.
Waste vehicle replacement RFP
An RFP will go out for a new waste collection vehicle — a 2024 Ford F550 diesel. The cost is $260,000 and will be paid for through the 2025 budget process. The township has maintained a waste collection vehicle fleet made up of four Ford F550s with Haul All Dual Stream Collection Boxes on the back. At the tail end of 2023, two new replacement waste collection vehicles were received, and the oldest and most worn out of the old collection vehicles were auctioned off through GovDeals. A third new truck was ordered last summer, and it will be delivered later this year, replacing another of the old and worn-out trucks. One of the other older waste collection vehicles was rear-ended last year and is still awaiting the installation of a new collection box.
What’s in a name?
The Westport Daycare, a private daycare in North Crosby, is looking to add a sign and a track to the North Crosby facility. The request is to add a gazebo, open shed, perimeter track and building face sign. The daycare received funding from the county to complete the project, but it needed municipal approval before moving on it.
Coun. Sue Dunfield asked if the name of the facility could be changed as it’s not located in Westport.
Coun. Paula Banks asked if ‘Supported by Rideau Lakes’ could be added to the sign they’re proposing for the front of the building.
A condition of approving the motion will be for all fixed assets to remain with the property belonging to Rideau Lakes Township upon the end of a lease agreement.
New roof for Red Brick School House
The Red Brick School House in Elgin will get a new duel-grey-toned roof at $26,400. Seamless Sheet Metal of Richmond was the lowest of the five companies that bid on the RFP. The bid was nearly $5,000 under budget. The project will likely start in the fall and take a week to complete.
Gallagher Property RFP awarded
A request for proposals was advertised looking for a qualified designer to provide the necessary professional services to provide concept designs for the future use of the former Gallagher Property in Portland. The winning bid of 12,800 was from Bell + Associates Architecture from Ottawa. There were eight bids received, the highest at $49,173.33. Council approved $20,000 for Architectural Services in the 2024 budget. The proposed submission is under budget by $6,974.
Special meeting Aug. 6
There will be a special MSC meeting held on Aug. 6 at 5 p.m. to review the RFPs received regarding the municipal offices in Chantry.
“We have to finally get off the pot, get at it and get it done,” said Coun. Jeff Banks regarding taking a look at costs to renovate the municipal offices.
Councillors will have the opportunity to review the staff report at that time.