Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Greater Napanee’s A.L. Dafoe Purification Plant was given a pop quiz recently and passed with flying colours.
Kristie Kelly, Greater Napanee’s manager of environmental compliance, gave a brief overview to council on the results of an unannounced compliance inspection performed at the water treatment plant, which is located on Mill Street. She submitted the report during the March 9 council meeting held at the Selby Community Hall.
“We received a final inspection reading of 100 per cent and there were no non-compliance issues or actions required,” said Kelly. “There was one recommended best practice and that is in draft form and will be finalized later this year.”
The province performed the unannounced inspection on Dec. 9 of last year. Greater Napanee’s Sandhurst Shores plant was also tested late last year and passed as well.
Water treated at the A.L. Dafoe plant is drawn from Lake Ontario, pumped underground 16 km before it reaches the plant. From there it is treated and then distributed throughout the town.
-Seeking to limit outsiders from dumping non-tagged garbage in community waste bins, council has voted to try locking them.
Councillor John McCormack made the motion to attach locks to the bins, which was one of five possible solutions offered by town staff.
There are six identified community waste bins within Greater Napanee, some that serve as little as two houses while others serve up to 90 seasonal residences. The bins are currently used on an honour system but recently there have been issues with improperly tagged waste, which has led to the waste being refused for collection. That leads to town staff and by-law enforcement officers being tasked with the investigation, removal, cleanup and disposal of the uncollected waste.
“That wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last,” McCormack said of people misusing the bins. “I’d like to cut to the chase and recommend that we go with locks. That would prevent people that have no right to dispose of their garbage in our bins. The bins are constructed and paid for by the residents road association and we maintain them.”
Councillor Terry Richardson agreed.
“I think this is an extremely low cost way to try and deal with the problem,” Richardson said of the locks. “Obviously if things start getting dumped along side the bins it’s going to have to be investigated and that’s where we have to get involved in enforcement. This is a low risk, high reward way of dealing with this problem and I’m hoping this is going to make it away.”
Councillor Ellen Johnson supported the motion, but cautioned a similar approach was attempted in the downtown core. That simply led to people leaving trash outside the locked bins.
Now that council has given town staff direction on the bins, the town’s by-law will be updated to cover community waste bins.
-Greater Napanee has entered an agreement with Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Public Health to allow for the Strathcona Paper Centre to be used as a mass COVID-19 immunization centre.
The agreement lasts until Dec. 31 of this year for a nominal fee of $24 per annum.
Currently the vaccination centre will be held to the banquet hall, but the option to expand to an ice pad if need be is listed in the agreement.
Greater Napanee manager of facilities Chris Brown presented a report on the agreement with council. Brown noted an important date to keep in mind is Aug. 28. If Public Health required the use of the ice pad passed that date, the town would be unable to offer its usual ice rentals, which could result in revenue losses of about $14,000 per week.
Greater Napanee mayor Marg Isbester recognized some councilors were concerned with the potential revenue loss but added the vaccinations needed to go forward.
“We got to beat this (pandemic),” said Isbester. “And if beating it means vaccinating, than this is probably a whole lot less expensive than filling our hospitals or having places have to shutdown. I realize it is probably going to be revenue neutral.”
Isbester added the cost of another lockdown would be much worse.
“We’re trying to be good to the taxpayer as well who has been hit hard in many ways but they’ll be hit harder if we can’t keep this as a green zone,” she added.
Council passed the motion to enter the agreement with KFLA Public Health.
-Brown also updated council on an opportunity to save $13,350 on their infrastructure services budget by switching lights at five buildings within the municipality to ballast-free 14w LED bulbs.
If the town were to make the switch at South Fred, town hall, 12 Market Square, North Fred Hall and the Napanee library, they would account for a combined savings of $13,350.
Council passed the motion to allow staff to go ahead and make the switch when convenient.
-Isbester officially congratulated John Koenig, who has been named Greater Napanee Emergency Services fire chief. He has been officially promoted after serving as acting chief.