Mayor Doyle invited local artist Nancy Steele to address Council concerning a
Pop -Up Art Show Proposal for Marysville.

“When we heard that Pat Sandford was giving up the Stone Heron Gallery this summer, Barb Halliday and I talked about a Pop up gallery around Marysville. So that’s how the idea started.

Our thought is to have a ‘pop up” in different places in Marysville , during the summer, appearing to be very spontaneous but really very well organized so every one knows when they will happen and they are not a surprise,” she said. ”We would have a representation of island art in the pop-up (tent) acknowledging the island’s large art presence as well as offering other information about things going on. We’ve talked to a number of places on the island, the Grill, Boat Club, the General Wolfe, the Bakery, all who see this as a good idea.”

Ms. Steele indicated that there would be approximately six to eight events organized and scheduled over the course of the summer and the various business owners they have spoken to all have no objection to having the gallery at their locations.

The township endorsed the proposal and agreed to assist with advertising the times and locations of Pop-UP events.

Steele’s presentation was followed by another with island resident Diana Moore concerning the use of the Wolfe Island Community Hall in a cooperative venture from mid June to mid September as a Co-Op Art Gallery.

The proposed opening date of the Gallery is scheduled to coincide with the June 15th Wolfe Island Garden Party. It would operate separately from the island’s Craft shop. Once again council endorsed the proposal and the use of the Community Hall.

The terms of the lease agreement (cost, shared use, availability of the hall etc.) will be determined by the township and presented at the May 14th Council meeting on Wolfe Island. The Co-Op development group has asked to be heard at that meeting to outline how they propose to operate.

Frontenac County Planner Joe Gallivan and Megan Rueckwald, M.PL. Community Planner attended the Frontenac Islands council meeting to present an Official Plan amendment proposal to increase the number of severances allowed in the rural designation from three to four from any lot on Wolfe Island as it existed Jan. I, 1985. (The thought originally being that keeping that date might be restricting development on the two Islands). In this instance the recommendation excludes Howe Island.

“About a year ago council asked us to look at severances on both Howe and Wolfe Islands. You now have a detailed report before you with recommendations,” Gallivan said.

“ Since we set up our county GIS services we didn’t have any information prior to 2009. We wanted to go back as far as 1990. With no assistance from MPAC Frontenac Islands staff members and county planning staff went through every file to come up with the information to that time.. It is also important for you to note that the recommendation made in the report is a temporary one. It is a short term remedy to be revisited at such time the Secondary Plan for Wolfe Island is completed indicating how you want to grow over the next 20 years. That is, with the understanding that a second ferry is coming. The province has been very clear that it wants to direct growth in villages. There are also going to be service issues . Once accomplished we will work with you to update the Official plan and zoning updates. At that point we will have a much clearer picture of how many residential lots should be allowed particularly on Wolfe Island.

Megan presented a detailed outline of the work that was undertaken on behalf of the Township to present an Official Plan amendment for their consideration. It included a relevant Planning Policy Review (Provincial policy, County and Township Official Plans as well as planning analysis of vacant land. Consent applications from 1985-2016,(changing or upping the date) and consent potential.

Future considerations include a secondary plan for Marysville and a comprehensive review of the township’s Official Plan.

The proposed Official Plan Amendment would permit limited residential development and resource-based recreational uses in the Rural designation permitted by Provincial Policy . It will not affect agricultural activity and conforms to the County Official Plan and certain policies in the Township’s Official Plan.

The omission of Howe Island in this instance is based on the results of citizen participation in 2017 that expressly pointed out Howe Islanders do not support additional rural land severances until such time as ferry transportation concerns are dealt with.

Note: Public meetings will be held to receive comments on the amendment proposal on the following dates. Howe Island May 7th, 2018 at 6:30 pm. Wolfe Island May 8th, 2018 at 6:30 pm.

The Township of Frontenac Islands passed the budget for the year 2018 at the April 9th council meeting held on Howe Island. The tax rate in the Howe Island Ward is a 2.47% increase over the 2017 rate, and in the Wolfe Island Ward the tax rate is a 2.48% increase over 2017. Frontenac Islands Mayor, Denis Doyle, noted that at the outset of the budgeting process he had called upon staff and council members to work toward a budget with no more than a 2.5 percent tax increase.

“We had many meetings to achieve these numbers,” Mayor Denis Doyle said, before the bylaw to levy taxes in the township for 2018 was passed. Mayor Doyle also serves as Frontenac County’s Deputy Warden. Councillor Wayne Grant extended thanks to all involved, including CAO Darlene Plumley, Deputy Clerk Treasurer Carole Dwyre, and Administrative Assistant (Health & Safety) Theresa Quist, and Public Works Manager Rob Dillabough. Howe Island Fire Chief Mike Quinn and WI Chief Tim Hawkins were also involved in the process. “Every one was so helpful,” Deputy Mayor Nossal added.

According to the information sheet, issued by mail to all island residents, the average residential assessment on Howe Island rose from $531,368 in 2017 to $537,584 in 2018 and on Wolfe Island from $303,715 to $311,132. The amount to be raised by property taxes from both islands is $4,171,493 in 2018 with $2,225,935 to the township and the remainder towards Frontenac County and education. Roads will take up the largest share of the municipal property tax dollars followed by OPP costs , waste &recycling, fire, and administration

About the high OPP costs. The original plan, being implemented, was to phase in the new model OPP costing to municipalities over 5 years, starting in 2015. The township is now in the 4th year of increases, with one more budget year, 2019, to face an increase. Assuming it will be in the same range, the 2019 budget for OPP costs could reach $400,000…remaining as the second highest cost to the township.

Among the highlighted projects scheduled for 2018 is the first phase (of 3) planned for Howe Island’s Spithead and North Shore Roads and roads needs study is to be undertaken for each of the islands. The ferry dock rehabilitation will happen for both the Howe Island foot ferry dock, and the Simcoe Island dock at Wolfe Island. The foot ferry is scheduled to be out of service from April 16th to mid July 2018. There will be recreational expenditures as well as fire and emergency expenditures e.g. expansion of dry hydrants, etc., again on both Howe and Wolfe and…. So it goes on Frontenac Islands.