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PRESIDENT’S REMARKS
Our Association has had a successful season. The Regatta was well attended and the competition was evident in the different events. A few new things were tried and they seemed to have been welcomed. KAPOA now has its own website, and we look forward to communicating more effective -ly and efficiently with our members. The Corn Roast was another winner and served as a fitting close to our season. We continued to benefit from the efforts of our volunteers, from those who worked hard to clean up Hinterland Beach at the start of the season and kept the beach sand raked periodically, to others who laboured to assure the success of the different projects. The Board has functioned well and with enthusiasm. To all who have contributed in any manner to the work of our Association, please accept my profound gratitude. But we cannot stand on our accomplishments, and so between now and next season your Board will be most active in preparing a challenging agenda and course of action for the future. Part of it is shared in the article on Water Testing and for those on the Internet, there will be an opportunity for an ongoing dialogue on relevant cottage issues. Much more will offered in the Spring
Newsletter, and then presented at the next Annual Meeting, scheduled for Saturday June 30. It is our hope that the enthusiasm of our Board members will become contagious among many of our cottagers, especially among the younger adults who are the sons, daughters, and relatives of those who first built cottages on the Kamaniskeg water system. There is one thing that I would like each of you to do. Please check on whether you have paid your yearly dues. It is only $10.00, but paid member-ships are an indication that you are with us in our endeavours to develop a truly vibrant Association. A strong healthy Association is the best guarantee for the long-term wellbeing of our waterways, and ultimately for the financial value of your own lake property.
Send your cheques to KAPOA, c/o Carol McNamee, Box 297, Barrys Bay, ON K0J 1B0. – Brian Johnston
2000 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The 2000 Annual General Meeting of KAPOA was held on Saturday May 20 at the Madawaska Valley Area High School at 7 pm. President Brian Johnston called the meeting to order and after opening remarks he introduced our two speakers, Reeve Bill Schweig of Radcliffe Township, and Reeve Brent Dalgleish of Bangor, Wicklow & McClure Township. Reeve Schweig explained that the Township workforce wages are a 50:50 split between local and provincial governments, affecting ambulance costs, social housing costs, assessment services, policing up to $90/household, maintenance & local roads, waste management and education. He stated that 80% of property tax is directly due to policies set by the provincial government. He went on to outline the amalgamation that will take place next January 1 (and fully outlined later in this Newsletter). Reeve Dalgleish, in also speaking about the amalgamation, stated that our new Township will become the largest in Hastings County, and will have 500 km of paved roads. He went on to explain that the paving of Kamaniskeg Lake Road will be approx. 4 to 4.4 km beginning at Siberia Road and to beyond Hinterland Beach. Altogether 6.2 km of paving is planned for the Township, and will likely commence later in the season to minimize disruption to cottagers. He went on to say that a new facility, a Seniors Home, will open in Bancroft in about a month. Recycling, with blue & black boxes, will begin this summer and will be on Tuesdays, the same day as garbage pickup. In response to a question, Dalgleish stated that he would check to see if Hinterland Beach could be included in the garbage pick-up. He also asked, in response to a question about getting a “911 #”, to have the person call him directly for his help. He also stated that he would support and assist KAPOA with raising the issue to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) about fixing the Hinterland Beach boat ramp. Our MNR contact for the beach is still George Oram. Cottagers having further questions are asked to contact Dalgleish by Email at bnkd@sympatico.ca. The Membership Report, Financial Report and Election of Officers and Board Members are provided elsewhere in this Newsletter.
OTHER BUSINESS
President Johnston spoke about Fire Pumps, indicating that the last pump will shortly be installed on Bill Jones lot on River Road. It was stated that the Blackfish Bay pump may be used at any time although it doesnt belong to KAPOA. It was suggested that the “911 #s” be included on future maps, indicating the location of the Fire Pumps. Another suggestion was to mark dangerous rocks and shallow points on such maps. It was proposed that our membership give careful consideration to its priorities in spending the $2,800 that we now have in our bank account. A number of ideas were mentioned, and finally it was suggested that we poll our members in the next Newsletter about their individual interests. There were strong indications that the membership wants the Board to secure a water-testing kit, available from FOCA for $150. There was discussion relating to the poor attendance at this years Annual Meeting, with many comments about the need for better communication. President Johnston thanked the members for attending, and on a motion to adjourn, declared the meeting closed.
P.S. At its meeting on Sept.2, the Board set the date for next years Annual Meeting for Saturday June 30. Mark your calendar now.
ANNUAL REGATTA
The 2000 Regatta was held on Saturday August 5, and from a weather point, it was the opposite of a year ago. In 1999 we had few rainy days, but because of rain we had to re-schedule the Regatta for the next day, Sunday. This year we had many rainy days, but on the day of the Regatta the weather was perfect. And everything else went very well. We had 53 girls and 49 boys register for the different swimming and canoe events, plus nearly 25 tiny tots and younger children involved in the Treasure Hunt, and over 30 men & women who were in the Mixed Tug-of-war competitions. This year we introduced two new events: Noodle swimming races for 6 and 7 year olds, and Kids Mixed Tug-ofwar competitions. These will be repeated again next year. The trophy for most points earned in all events, both swimming and canoe races was awarded to Rachel and Jeff Mickalecki, who were tied for points. For swimming events among girls, Kalli Buchanan and Rachael Roth were tied; and among boys, Sean Ralph was the winner. Each of these winners will have their names inscribed on the appropriate large trophy, and also receive a smaller trophy for their own keeping. We hope to list the winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) for the individual events in the Spring 2001 Newsletter, when space is not expected to be so tight. The success of the Regatta was due to the dedicated efforts of ever so many persons, who have to be unnamed because of the real fear of leaving too many out. But your Board of Directors wants all those who helped to make this event such a success to know that their help was deeply appreciated. Finally, the Board of Directors held a business meeting on September 2 and reviewed the Regatta in some detail. We plan to introduce more changes next year, and these will be announced in the Spring Newsletter.
CORN ROAST
The Corn Roast was held on Saturday September 2, and this event too, was in sharp contrast from the last two or three corn roasts. For the previous 2 or 3 gatherings, we had the benefits of a full moon and almost unseasonably warm weather, but this year it was touch and go whether or not we would be rained out. Happily, it didnt and so everything went off smoothly. The crowd was slightly lower than last year, perhaps due to the overcast weather, but the mood was great. Many felt that the weather this summer had not been the best we had seen, but theres always next summer.
KAPOA FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Balance forward Jan. 2000 – $ 2,201.75
Deposits – 3,047.31
Petty Cash – 40.00
Total Revenue – $ 5,289.06
Expenditures
FOCA Dues – 411.95
Fire Pumps – 126.77
Advertising – 53.92
Regatta – 49.25
Hinterland Beach – 100.00
School Rental – 68.69
Corn Roast – 45.00
Insurance – 729.00
KAPOA Web Site – 177.50
Misc. Expenses – 102.77
Total Expenditures – $ 1,864.85
Current Account Balance – $ 3,424.21
-as of Sept. 30, 2000
The KAPOA website has been completed and can be accessed at www.kapoa.net. Information regarding KAPOA association events, newsletters and local news can be accessed on the website. Members can provide applicable news, photos or other materials for posting. Send materials to kapoa1@hotmail.com. All materials sent for posting will be approved by our board of directors before posting.
LAKE LAND STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP
On Saturday September 30, two of our Board members, Jamie Nielsen and Tom McKennell, joined with 125 other cottage association executive members in Apsley for an inaugural Stewardship Conference. It was a full-day conference, organized and hosted by several central Ontario cottage association executives, FOCA, and the Stewardship Councils in Bancroft and Peterborough County. It was designed to benefit lake association executives within the Counties of Hastings, , and Victoria, as well as Bancroft and Haliburton areas. It was organized as a means of addressing a wide array of issues that are of increasing concern to cottagers, water lot owners and related organizations. Some of these concerns focus on:
- declining water quality
- increasing rate of septic failure
- increasing number and type of lake users
- declining native fish and wildlife populations
- increasing incidence of problems caused by weeds
- fluctuating lake levels and impacts of climate and weather change
Each participant received a huge 3-ringed binder notebook with information on a wide array of ecological programs and services, as well as on other topics that we deemed critical to the success-ful creation and management of programs for cottager associations such as KAPOA. The Work-shop also featured exhibits from FOCA, the two Stewardship Councils, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the Ministry of the Environ-ment (MOE), and others. Staff at these exhibits were helpful in explaining their activities and in answering questions. The Workshop involved a total of eight short presentations, and this was followed by four breakout groups. Each group spent some time in identifying key concerns, issues and interests as they relate to lake stewardship. KAPOAs two representatives came away from the Workshop with the strong feeling that it had been a day very well spent, and we are now eager to share this information with our fellow-cottagers, and to begin to implement some of these programs.
WATER TESTING
This is part of Ontarios Lake Partner Program. The goal of this program is to create a long-term database to track the nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) of Ontarios inland lakes. The level of participation that KAPOA initially anticipates will involve taking a water sample to measure total phosphorus, shortly after ice-out, and secchi disc readings at a minimum of every two weeks, all summer. Total phosphorus and secchi disc readings provide long-term trend information. Annual trends will reflect land use changes around our lake and in our watershed, and will assist in our efforts to rehabilitate, conserve and protect our wider Kamaniskeg Lake area. Since our water area is quite sizable, we will seek the counsel of MNR staff as to the number and location of readings that we should take. We could be involved in taking as many as a dozen readings from May to September, so volunteers will be needed. The real value in monitoring our lake will become obvious over a period of several years.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
There will be Municipal elections held this Fall in our area of cottage country that will be of signif-icant interest and importance to homeowners for two reasons. First, these are the initial elections to follow the earlier decision by the Ontario govern-ment to amalgamate a number of townships and municipalities to create larger units of local government. Secondly, there have been some changes in the voting procedures that will facil-itate the opportunity of cottage/property owners to exercise their rights to vote in such elections. An explanation of how our KAPOA members can become involved in the voting process is compli-cated by the fact that some cottage owners are located in the Township of Bangor, Wicklow & McClure in Hastings County, while others are located in the Township of Radcliff in Renfrew County. Before outlining and contrasting voting procedures, let us now outline the makeup of the two new municipalities. The Township of Bangor et al will amalgamate with the Township of Herschel and the Township of Monteagle to form the new entity of the Township of Hastings Highlands.
The Township of Radcliffe will amalgamate with the Township of Sherwood, Jones & Burns, and the Village of Barrys Bay to form the new entity of the Township of Madawaska Valley. Voters in each of the two new entities will proceed in the forthcoming election to elect a Reeve and a Deputy Reeve at large; and will also elect two councillors in the Township in which their property is presently situated. Each of the former Townships and the Village of Barrys Bay will now be called a Ward. The real importance and significance of this election for homeowners in each of the two new Townships is that in the case of the Township of Madawaska Valley, Reeve Bill Schweig, currently the Reeve of Radcliffe Township, is running for Reeve; and similarly in the Township of Hastings Highlands, Reeve Brent Dalgleish, currently the Reeve of Bangor et al Township, is running for Reeve. The importance of having a Reeve in each of the new entities who is already known to us cottage owners, and is familiar with our concerns cannot be understated. Each of these two Reeve candidates has been invited to provide us with a short statement of why they want to be elected and why we should vote for them. Both the new Townships will also elect, as stated above, a Deputy Reeve at large and two council-lors from each of the former municipalities, now Wards. These candidates are very likely not well known to us at this time, but again a convincing case can be made for each of us to take the trouble to exercise our right to vote. If a goodly number of cottage owners vote, then we may expect the suc-cessful candidates to listen carefully to our com-ments on critical issues which may develop. If we dont bother to vote, the winners may feel that they have little to lose by ignoring our views. Its as simple as that. The two new Townships will have dramatically different approaches on how their elections will be held. In the case of the Township of Hastings Highlands, homeowners will receive in the mail in the latter days of October a ballot with the names of the candidates, and the date (November 13) by which the completed form must be mailed or returned. With this procedure, there will be no need for Advance Polls. In the case of the Township of Madawaska Valley, homeowners may vote at Advance Polls on October 28 and 30, and on November 4 . The Polls will be at the Barrys Bay Arena and the Senior Citizens Centre in Combermere. In addition, voters may request a Proxie Form which will list the candidates for the different offices, and as well, the name of the individual who will exercise their proxy vote, and have it entered by election day, November 13. This process seems unduly cumbersome, but presumably it will be changed by the time of the next elections. Now we are pleased to include the statements prepared by Reeve Brent Dalgleish and Reeve Bill Schweig:
Brent K. Dalgleish B.A.,M.B.A.
I have had the pleasure of being involved in municipal politics for 6 years – 3 years as a Councillor and the last 3 as Reeve of Bangor et al. Our Council has been able to accomplish many goals over these 3 years. As a Reeve of 3 united townships, I know a lot about the challenge of balancing the different interests from each township and that experience will be most beneficial for the new municipality of Hastings Highlands. My academic background includes an Honours B.A. in Economics and a Masters degree in Business Administration – both from McMaster University in Hamilton. My work experience includes 5 years with the Hamilton Board of Education, and I have now had my own business as a Tax Accountant for close to 20 years. I offer the municipality excellent administrative, financial, and people skills. My style of leadership is to develop a team approach and as well make municipal government user friendly. I delight in finding ways to make local government work and to help people. I have a number of goals that I would like to achieve in this first term of Hastings Highlands. My top goal will be to hold the line on taxes in the face of further provincial downloading and reduction of grant support. Second, the paving of roads needs to be kept as a top priority as well. In the last 3 years in Bangor et al, we were able to pave approximately 20 km of road, and we need to continue that level, or higher, of capital construction in the future for all 3 Wards. Third, we must strive to improve the efficiency of operation and delivery of all our municipal services, including road maintenance, waste management, office & administration, etc. Fourth, we must make a special effort to improve communication with our ratepayers, especially in the next 3 years. Ratepayers must be kept informed, and have an opportunity for feedback. Finally, I want to see local municipal government be user friendly to our ratepayers. From the Reeve to Councillors to employees: Office staff, Road Personnel, Waste site attendants, & the Building Inspector. Everyone must be dedicated to making local government work for the people. These are exciting days for our new municipality. But it will take wisdom, understanding, and patience to work through the challenges and hurdles that will arise over the next 3 years. I have a fresh vision for our new municipality and I bring administrative, financial, and interpersonal skills to the office of Reeve. I ask for your vote in this upcoming election.
Bill Schweig
This is a message to the Ratepayers of the Town-ship of Madawaska Valley. I appreciate the opportunity to share my position on some of the many issues facing our new municipality, the first and most important of which is the continued financial wellbeing of the Township. As Reeve, I will review with all employees how they do their jobs, to determine if there are efficiencies to be found in the way we do things. I want to develop a cooperative and productive work environment. In anticipation of a decrease in funding support from the Province of Ontario, we need to carefully review the ways in which we spend taxpayer money – every penny counts. The operating costs of the Township will be closely examined. My goal will be to reduce costs without reducing the level of service. For example, if we can save $1 per day from an operation, that would result in more tax dollars saved in a year than what is paid in taxes on a $100,000 assessed home for local purposes in either Sherwood Jones and Burns, or Radcliffe Townships. In the Township of Radcliffe, when I became Reeve, the cost for cold patch material to mend pot holes was close to $20,000 per year. We identified the roads that were of a high maintenance cost, and resurfaced them first. Our cost for cold patch material last year was reduced to $2,500. With the money we saved we can pave an extra kilometer of road. The average municipal paved road lasts for 20 years. That is why my goal is to repave 5% of our higher maintenance cost roads every year. If we dont, our maintenance costs will continue to go up, and our roads will fall into a substandard condition.
Waste Management
The cost of operating our landfill is estimated to climb to $1 million annually. Clearly a different approach to handling our waste is urgently needed. We must enhance our recycling programs, inclu-ding our organic waste that is the cause of leachate into our ground water. The poisoning of our ground water must be prevented; and I will hold public meetings with wide input from taxpayers and environmental authorities.
Economic Development
We will continue to aggressively present this area as an ideal retirement and recreational community. Community members will sit on an Economic Development Committee, to bring recommendations to the Council for implementation.
Recreation
Recreational activities are vital to the health and well-being of our community. I hope that we can all work together in providing many opportunities for people of all ages to participate in a wide range of affordable recreational and leisure activities. Community participation, cooperation, and hard work are a must.
Planning
In the next two years, Renfrew County will implement a county-wide Official Plan, with an excellent opportunity for us to review with you our zoning bylaws and our planning needs. It will be a time for us to ensure that our community can grow without undue burdens placed on Township taxpayers. Solid long-term financial planning must be adopted by the new council to ensure that resources are available to sustain our valued infrastructure and lifestyle. Lets get started on the right track! I am asking for your vote as Reeve of the Township of Madawaska Valley in the forthcoming election. Thank you. – Bill Schweig
