Kingston city briefs: Marinas open; more affordable housing; park art – The Kingston Whig-Standard

KINGSTON — City-owned marinas will operate under new measures meant to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Marinas at Confederation Basin and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour opened for the season on Friday.

“For many weeks, we have been working to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for our seasonal boaters to the municipal marinas,” Lacricia Turner, director of recreation and leisure services, said. “Staff has been trained in health and safety protocols. Additionally, we are asking the boating community to adhere and respect our new COVID-19 guidelines.”

Day and transient boaters are still not permitted while physical distancing measures are in place, but may be considered once the marinas are opened and operational for seasonal boaters.

The Canada Border Services Agency is encouraging residents to alert it to suspicious boaters arriving in Kingston who may be violating cross-border travel restrictions. 

The Border Watch Line is toll-free, 888-502-9060.

Private marinas opened for the season earlier this month.

More affordable housing

KINGSTON — Forty housing units are to be built at a new mixed-income building on Wright Crescent.

The Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation broke ground earlier this week on the site at 27 Wright Cres.

“We are excited to have broken ground at 27 Wright Cres., especially during this challenging time when affordable housing has become even more important,” Mary Lynn Cousins Brame, KFHC’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “The public funding provided was essential to making this project happen.” 

The building is to include 10 rent-geared-to-income units, 13 affordable units renting for 20 per cent less than average market rent and 17 market rental units.

About $2.5 million in municipal, provincial and federal funding went into the project, along with a low-interest loan financing under the Federal National Housing Strategy. 

“Affordable housing remains a top priority for city council,” Mayor Bryan Paterson added. “The current state of the world has only reinforced how important it is that we continue to make progress on affordable housing initiatives.”

Recycling, household hazardous waste agreement

KINGSTON — City council is to consider renewing an agreement to accept recycling and household hazardous waste from Loyalist Township.

At its meeting Tuesday night, city council is to consider a new agreement with the township to continue accepting recycling and household hazardous material.

The new agreement would continue an arrangement that has been in place since 2006 and has functioned “with very few issues,” according to a staff report to council.

Kingston’s material recovery facility accepts recyclables from the city and Loyalist, South Frontenac, Frontenac Islands and Central Frontenac townships, and material is sorted and marketed for sale.

Last year, material from Loyalist Township accounted for a little more than nine per cent of the total tonnage processed by the facility. The township paid the city about $133,000 for the service.

In 2019, almost seven per cent of visits to the household hazardous waste drop-off were made by township residents. About $19,000 in fees were collected for those drop-offs.

The annual spring opening of the household hazardous waste drop-off has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic as physical distancing cannot be provided.

Art in Douglas Fluhrer Park

KINGSTON — The city is looking to make permanent a pilot project that offered artists a space to paint street art and murals in Douglas Fluhrer Park.

The retaining wall behind Rideaucrest has been used for mural pilot projects in 2014 and 2017.

The city is now planning to make the art location a permanent feature of the park.

“The nature of street art and legal walls is that they are fluid, ever-changing, transient spaces where artwork gets created and painted over on a regular basis. They exist as a shared community resource that enliven public spaces and attract attention because they are colourful, energetic and engaging in ways that deviate from more familiar forms of public art,” a report to council stated. “They also attract attention because they tend to change over frequently and reference current issues and events with greater spontaneity.” 

Since it began, there have been about 30 murals created at the space with only two minor vandalism acts in the past year.

The legal street art wall would require an exemption to be added to the property standards bylaw.

City staff estimate the site would cost about $2,000 annually to maintain.

City reverts to one-bag garbage restriction

KINGSTON — Residents will again have to pay for additional bags of garbage they place on the curb.

As of June 15, one bag can be placed out for collection without a tag, but any additional bags will require a bag tag.

Brought in as a response to the stay-at-home response to COVID-19 pandemic, the city since mid-March has permitted four untagged bags of garbage to be collected per week. 

“The four-bag limit was a temporary measure to help individuals and families that were self-isolating, and to provide relief to sick or symptomatic residents who were encouraged to throw any items in contact with their face into the garbage,” Heather Roberts, director of solid waste services, said in a statement.

Bag tags can be ordered online at the city’s website and delivered within seven business days.

Restrictions on the yard waste drop-off, in place since mid-April, are to be eased on July 6.

“The changes to the use of the yard waste site have been put in place to help address demand and safeguard the health of those who visit and work at the public drop-off depot,” Roberts said. “Starting July 6, residents will be able to drop off yard waste again Monday through Saturday and will no longer have to wait until it is their regular curbside collection day.”

Only eight vehicles can be in the drop-off area at one time so there may still be delays.