Pelham
Council decided during our regular meeting on Monday, September 16, 2013, to
temporarily postpone the revitalization of Downtown Fenwick from the fall of 20
13 to early 2014.
You
will recall that Council budgeted $2.1 million to revitalize Downtown Fenwick
in 2013. The improvements were intended to help make the area more pedestrian
friendly, bury the hydro lines, and enhance the historic flagpole (thanks to
funds raised during Fenwick’s 150th celebration).
We
had a wonderful celebration of Fenwick’s 160th Anniversary in the
spring (thanks to a number of very committed and community-minded volunteers).
And, thanks to the work of the Pelham Heritage Committee, Council officially
designated the Fenwick Flagpole as a significant heritage structure in May –
the first flagpole so designated in Ontario.
So,
why have we agreed to postpone the reconstruction and revitalization of
Downtown Fenwick?
Council
made this decision after receiving a staff report outlining the complexities of
the project requirements, including: total road reconstruction to address storm
water and soil conditions; and reconfiguration of overhead utility wires to an
underground system
In
essence, to deal properly with the storm sewers and to tie them correctly into
the systems on adjoining streets, construction crews will have to dig fairly
deep; with a high water table and poor soil conditions, the best time to
undertake that work would be in the winter months. Second, the requirement to
bury the hydro lines and other overhead utilities means that the Town must work
closely with Ontario Hydro; Hydro had said they could not undertake that work
until 2014.
As
a result, the Town cannot complete the project before the end of 2013. Council
felt that there was no reason to dig up the road now to bury the storm sewers,
only to have it a mess until the utilities could be buried next spring.
Council
also directed staff to firm up the revitalization schedule so that any negative
impact can be kept to a minimum and to also give the community plenty
opportunity to plan and prepare for any potential disruptions.
Finally,
the planned work may require additional finances. I understand that staff may
also be submitting an additional budget request to Council for consideration
during the 2014 capital budget deliberations.
I
want to assure you that Council remains committed to revitalizing Downtown
Fenwick. Instead of starting construction now and impacting the downtown all
winter, we intend to start early in 2014. We are all looking forward to it!
