News — In response to a request for answers to questions posed at a special Committee of the Whole meeting on the 2017 budget, Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth submitted a report at South Frontenac Council’s regular meeting last week in Sydenham.
Of those responses, street lights and salt dome doors generated the most debate.
Segsworth told Council that the cost to run a streetlight is about $0.13 per day per light.
“The majority of our lights are 43w or 0.043 Kw and run for about 12 hours per day,” he said. “At a rate of $0.25/Kw-hour that’s 0.516 Kw per day for an estimated cost of $0.13/day per light.”
He said enough money has been set aside for about three streetlights for intersection lighting along arterial roads based on a figure of $10,000 per light if no pole is present.
“We don’t have locations yet but there are lots of potential places for streetlights,” he said.
But doors for salt domes drew more response, especially when Segsworth noted that false rumours of $10,000 per dome were circulating.
“I’m not anticipating $10,000 for doors,” he said. “More like $5,000.”
Segsworth noted that they aren’t using the domes to store winter sand an salt any more, for example the OPP boat is stored at the Hartington dome along with some cold mix and other road supplies. However, the domes seem to be popular with pigeons and with no doors on them, the birds come and go as they please, leaving droppings in their wake. This creates health and safety issues, Segsworth said.
“They (the domes) were built without doors and I don’t know a more cost effective way of dealing with the pigeons,” Segsworth said. “We have big clay owls but the bottom line is the pigeons get in and they’re problematic.”
The report also pointed to several roads projects, such as Green Bay Bridge, Carrying Place Road and Deer Creek Road.
But the suggestion that the Township buy a new garbage truck with compacting capabilities didn’t sit well with Mayor Ron Vandewal.
Segsworth said they have one truck without packing capabilities that sometimes has to be emptied three times a day, meaning extra travel time for staff. He suggested trading that one in on a truck that has packing capabilities.
“The budget we were close to passing had these things taken out,” Vandewal said. “You’re going to get zero dollars for that truck.
“Let it go to its life spawn.
“As far as which road gets done, if the budget numbers are the same, I don’t care which road it is.”
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