Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Napanee Royal Canadian Legion Branch 137 and the Napanee Business Improvement Area are seeking town funds to assist in a new project that will shed light on local veterans.
The two organizations teamed up to submit a correspondence for information, which was read at Tuesday’s council meeting, requesting $3,000 to purchase banners to hang from light standards. The request mentioned there are currently 30 poles in town that have banner fixtures. In the future they’d like to add more along the annual Remembrance Day parade route that leads from the Napanee Legion to the cenotaph outside the Lennox and Addington County Courthouse.
Council agreed to receive the information but didn’t make a decision on the funding request.
“I think it’s a great thing to support but I think it might be something to look at in a different way,” said mayor Marg Isbester, noting they could consider staggering the funding as opposed to providing it in one lump sum.
Deputy mayor Max Kaiser agreed that it is something the town should consider supporting, suggesting perhaps they write a letter of support and passing the request onto the Community Foundation for Lennox and Addington, which has previously been appointed by council to handle grant requests.
Council will discuss the matter at a later date as they continue to work out the specifics of the 2019 budget.
-Council authorized town staff to begin mapping for potential cannabis retail store locations, which would be submitted to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Council heard that staff intended to follow a similar template to that of Kingston and Niagara Falls, which had listed ‘sensitive’ land areas in which they requested the province not allow cannabis stores to be established. Ultimately the town will have little say as to where the stores can be established, but they hope the province would take their suggestions into consideration.
-A by-law to adopt the 2019 utilities operating and capital budget was approved by council. This will result in a 1.85 per cent increase to municipal water and wastewater rates for the coming year. The average customer can expect a $3.43 increase to their bi-monthly bill.
-Council is considering adopting a new loitering by-law in an effort to resolve an issue that has arisen at a walkway near Belleville Road. Last month council heard from homeowners that the walkway was being occupied by teenagers who exhibit rude and destructive behaviour. Town staff notified council that there had been a meeting with KFLA Public Health, the OPP, the town’s by-law enforcement officers, members of council and staff of the nearby Napanee District Secondary School. From that meeting it was agreed that closing the walkway would simply relocate the problem, leading to the solution of imposing a new loitering by-law to be recommended. Council will vote on the new by-law at the March 26 meeting.
-Councillor John McCormack made a notice of motion, proposing that council move the start time of one council meeting a month to 4 p.m., up from the regular start time of 7 p.m.
“Council and staff might consider having one meeting a month at 4 p.m., rather than 7 p.m.,” said McCormack. “Do that as a trial and see how that works.”
Council will vote on the motion at their next council meeting on Feb. 26.
-Tuesday’s council meeting was held at 3 p.m. as a result of the inclement weather that was forecasted for later that evening.