Body: Council Type: Minutes Meeting: Regular Date: October 11, 2018 Collection: Agenda Attachments Municipality: Frontenac County
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Minutes of the Community Development Advisory Committee Meeting October 11, 2018 A meeting of the Community Development Advisory Committee was held in the Bud Clayton Memorial Room, County Administrative Office, 2069 Battersea Road, Glenburnie on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. Present: Robert Clinton, Chair Barrie Gilbert Wilma Kenny Tracy John Councillor John McDougall, Council Liaison Warden Ron Higgins Regrets: Ella Vanderburgt Betty Hunter, Vice Chair Staff Present: Alison Vandervelde, Community Development Officer Jannette Amini, Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk (Recording Secretary) 1.
Call to Order
The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. 2.
Adoption of the Agenda
Moved By: Seconded By:
Councillor McDougall Warden Higgins
That the agenda for the October 11, 2018 meeting of the Community Development Advisory Committee be adopted. Carried 3.
Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
There were none.
4.
Adoption of Minutes a)
Minutes of Meeting held August 9, 2018
Moved By: Seconded By:
Ms. John Councillor McDougall
That the minutes of the Community Development Advisory Committee meeting held August 9, 2018 be adopted. Carried 5.
Deputations and/or Presentations
Reports to the Community Development Advisory a)
2018-121 Community Development Advisory Committee Frontenac Ambassador Program, Second Year Review
This report is for information purposes only. With respect to a question on why Ambassadors felt they were not involved, Ms. Vandervelde noted there are specific Ambassadors involved with specific goals that may not have responded to the survey. She did caution that the survey questions are open to interpretation. With respect to growth in the workforce, it was noted that transportation has been identified as an issue in retaining staff as people cannot afford the cost of transportation when working minimum wage. The Committee also had a discussion around the effects that minimum wage has had on the job market, both positive and negative. In addition, it was noted that ethics in the younger generation have shifted as people now prioritize quality/family time over part-time work. With respect to urban migration, discussions from local realtors indicate this migration is coming, specifically from Ottawa. As a result, staff have suggested businesses might appreciate a 5 to 10 year economic outlook specifically for Frontenac. Warden Higgins highlighted the work being done by the Eastern Ontario Warden’s Caucus (EOWC) through the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) with respect to internet and cell gap coverage. The conversation led to the public push for recreational facilities in their own municipalities so that families do not have to travel to Kingston. Examples were splash pads and skateboard parks which attract young families. If the County is serious about tourism, the department will require additional staff in the next few years. One suggestion was that the County invest some funding in a Masters Community Development Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes October 11, 2018
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student who would do the majority of the work; however this does require a lot of coaching and mentoring, and is not usually associated with task-oriented projects. With respect to staff time, given the issue of limited resources, decisions need to be made on which projects to focus on. b)
2018-122 Community Development Advisory Committee Open Farms in Frontenac 2018 Moved By: Ms. John Seconded By: Ms. Kenny Be It Resolved That the County of Frontenac continue to coordinate the “Open Farms in Frontenac” event in 2019; And Further That $4,000 be included in the 2019 Economic Development budget to address costs associated with coordinating and marketing the Open Farms event. And further that given the success and projected growth of the open farms and its alignments with the Economic Development Charter, that Open Farms be considered a priority in the 2019-2022 Economic Development Work plan Carried As Amended (See Motion to Amend below which was Carried) Motion to Amend Moved By: Seconded By:
Warden Higgins Ms. Kenny
And further that given the success and projected growth of the open farms and its alignments with the Economic Development Charter, that Open Farms be considered a priority in the 2019-2022 Economic Development Work plan Carried Ms. Vandervelde provide the Committee with a debrief of Wednesday night’s meeting with Open Farms participants as this information was not included in the report. Comments included: Everyone liked the signage as one component of the overall effective marketing campaign. Seemed like most visitors were locals and would like to focus next year on drawing out the Kingston consumers. Visitors tended to be mostly young families and the foodie crowd but they would like to shift this more to the foodie market for next year. Regarding the date for next year, it was suggested to combine Open Farms with the plowing match to compliment Open Farms, and boost attendance at the plowing match. Staff will create an online survey to get individual feedback from participants before confirming the 2019 event date.
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Sales were very good across all locations. Following the success of Open Farms, some producers ran short on products for their regular customers the following week. Next year, they will plan for packaging specifically for Open Farms so as not to impact their regular sales. Attendance ranged from an estimate of approximately 250 to 600-700 at some locations. There was a lot of conversation among the participants around logistics and how to better handle these types of crowds next year. Staff have also heard from other farms that want to be involved next year. Comments regarding the videos were great and the farms want to do them again next year as it portrays the comradery of the farming community to the audience. There were positive comments around the t-shirts noting that they added to the feeling of consistency across locations, which visitors really seemed to appreciate. They were also highly visible, making farm staff and volunteers easy to identify. It was felt that the cost of staff time should be shown in dollars so that the full cost to the County is shown. Council needs to see the impact to work plans when staff focus on specific projects that take up significant time. Regarding comments about offloading this project externally, staff cautioned that having a coordinator is what really made this project work. Without a dedicated coordinator, the event will eventually fizzle. c)
2013-123 Community Development Advisory Committee Ferry by Foot
Moved By: Seconded By:
Ms. John Warden Higgins
Be It Resolved That the County of Frontenac continue with the Ferry by Foot Campaign in 2019; And Further That Social Media Marketing of $250 for the Ferry by Foot program be incorporated into the 2019 Economic Development tourism development budget; And Further That the County of Frontenac seek partners to operate the Big Sandy Bay Shuttle Bus on weekends through July and August of 2019 and report back to Council in Q2 of 2019. Carried It was questioned if staff were aware of how many people chose to use the bus as a result of hearing about this on social media, to which staff noted that a survey of passengers was considered; however this year, staff wanted to keep it simple. Staff will consider using a quick questionnaire on the shuttle bus next year. It was questioned if staff could make better use of the electronic signs already at the ferry dock to better explain the ferry system; staff noted that currently, the dock area is overwhelmed with signage which is why staff focused on the social media campaign.
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d)
2018-124 Community Development Advisory Committee Investigation into the Establishment of a Frontenac Arts Fund
Moved By: Seconded By:
Councillor McDougall Ms. Kenny
Recommend That staff continue to coordinate with the Kingston Arts Council in regard to the development of a program to support the arts in Frontenac and report back with recommendations as part of the 2020 budget process. Carried The Committee suggested adding the Grace Centre to the artistic platforms and outlets in Frontenac. 7.
Communications
Other Business
Ms. Vandervelde noted the Festival of Small Halls concert series, which is looking to seriously grow through Eastern Ontario, hosted two concerts at venues in Frontenac this year. Organizers have confirmed that due to this year’s success, they will use the Grace Centre in Sydenham and the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith for concerts again next year as well as a potential to expand to Verona. Many of the attendees to the concerts came from Kingston and further away. 9.
Next Meeting a)
The next regular meeting of the Community Development Advisory Committee is scheduled for Thursday, December 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the County Administrative Building. Adjournment
Moved By: Seconded By:
Warden Higgins Mr. Gilbert
That the meeting hereby adjourn at 12:19 Carried
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