My 3-R Platform is:

• Roads

  • all residents rely on and expect a good roads network

  • we must continue to improve and maintain our roads

  • The annual plan for road work and improvements should be based on assessments that make use of technology

  • This should be known and easily available on the township web site

• Recreation

  • People are looking to do more locally

  • we need to be a destination of choice and keep people here for their recreation and leisure activities

• Responsiveness

  • residents should have an expected level of service for their enquiries

  • Planning and building needs to be easier, permits faster to get, and inspections easy to schedule and have completed on time

  • We must ensure that we are in compliance with all applicable acts, regulations and standards

ROADS

Our roads are the single largest asset that the township has. The roads network, which also includes bridges and large culverts, represent hundreds of millions of dollars. These all must be maintained.

Residents and visitors rely on our roads every day. This can be to drive to work, to go to a local store, make a delivery or take the bus to school.

Road maintenance and capital roads projects make up the largest portion of our annual budget. It is important that maintenance and preservation strategies are continually assessed and that the township is making the best choices possible.

Roads Plan

The township does maintain a plan for when roads are scheduled for repairs and upgrades. These can involve crack sealing, micro-surfacing, new tar & chip, all the way up to a complete rebuild.

The plan needs to be continually assessed and updated and it should be easily accessible for residents to see.

Road 38 is our busiest road and provides a critical north-south connection. Work required on #38 should be looked at and a joint Kingston/South Frontenac/Central Frontenac project (with provincial government involvement) explored.

Road Assessment

Roads are assessed for their condition and when they will require maintenance and repairs.

There are technologies that can be used to assess the condition of paved and hard topped roads. This involves driving the roads and taking a series of high resolution images that are then used to determine the state of the road. It also provides historical data that can be used to compare road conditions year to year.

The use of this technology should be explored.

Road Classification

The classification of roads is outlined in the Minimum Maintenance Standards of the Municipal Act.

This lists 5 classes of roads that are based on the average daily vehicle counts. The more vehicles using a road the higher the classification. Class 1 is the highest.

One thing that the classification determines is how winter maintenance is to be done. This uses the depth of snow and how long it should take to plow under normal conditions.

Roads classifications should be continually updated and the list easily available for all to see on the township web site.

RECREATION

We have a new Recreation Master Plan that outlines what residents are looking for.

We need to look to provide the facilities that people want and do everything possible to let them stay in South Frontenac to participate in their recreational and leisure activities.

Much has been done to centralize locations for various activities and to make improvements to facilities. This needs to continue.

responsiveness

SFT must be responsive to the needs of the residents.

We must also ensure that the municipality is doing all that it can to meet the various requirements that have been established by provincial legislation.

Building Permits and Inspection

Residents have expressed frustration in obtaining building permits and having inspections completed. This needs to be improved.

There should be levels of service for getting a permit issued and an inspection scheduled.

Improvements can be made to outline what the requirements are for a specific project and a step-by-step guide developed. People need to know what they have to have in place for a building project and what the associated fees are. They should also be made aware of any additional approvals that may be required (i.e. Conservation Authority) along with any costs. There should never be a surprise!

Building inspections not being done when scheduled can put a project on hold. This is very frustrating to the individuals involved and can delay the completion of a project by weeks.

Levels of Service

Residents need to know when they can expect a response to an enquiry that they have made to the township.

There should be established time frames to respond to a phone message or an e-mail.