"Built Form" and Transit

As you may have heard, Pelham Council recently discontinued the transit service that we had contracted with Welland Transit for one year. While we said no to that particular service, we also asked staff to recommend alternatives at Council’s July meeting.

The total cost of the service for 2008/09 was budgeted at $90,000, with the Town’s share being approximately $60,000. The other revenue was derived from Gas Tax, rider fares, and investments from Brock and Niagara College Student’s Unions.

In the spring of 2008, Council decided not to conduct an expensive survey that would supply the Town with the views of you and other residents regarding the need for transit. Instead, we invested those dollars into “rubber on the road” and pledged to gauge support that way.

So, on June 1st of this year, staff reported that the “Pelham Link” averaged 10.2 riders per day. Based on ridership and expecting an increase in costs in September – to $67,000 per year – staff recommended that the service be discontinued.

So, do we know why the transit test fell short?

Some said that the bus wasn’t frequent or convenient enough. While Pelham staff and Welland Transit staff attempted to give residents the best system with the amount of funding available, perhaps it could have been better.

But, perhaps there is a more profound reason.

You see, last week I had the honour of being one of the Region’s representatives at the 2009 Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference.

I attended several presentations about transportation and transit from all parts of the country. These presentations showed that while convenience and the quality of service are important elements for successful transit, the foundation lies in the “built form” of the community.

What does that mean? Built form is how a community actually exists “on the ground” and functions.

In this case, the theory states that the more dense a community – the higher the level of residential homes/units and jobs per acre – the greater the ability and willingness to use public transit.

While that’s intuitive, I had never heard it stated with so much authority nor seen it engrained in transportation policy before.

But, changing the built form of a community can take years. It is guided largely by the Official Plan and other planning rules.

In the meantime, I look forward to examining short- and medium-terms options for Pelham Transit when Staff presents recommendations to Council in July.

Unprecedented investment will allow Pelham to complete two projects worth $8.7 million

On Friday I heard from both Dean Allison, our MP, and Minister Jim Bradley, MPP St. Catharines, that the Town of Pelham had been awarded $5.66 million from both the Federal and Provincial Governments through the Building Canada Fund and the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. Together with the municipal share, this will allow the Town to complete two projects worth $8.68 million.

This level of investment by the Federal and Provincial Governments is simply unprecedented in Pelham.

I deeply appreciate this shared investment because it will provide a much-needed construction boost while allowing Pelham to build a lasting foundation for our Town’s future.

Under the Building Canada Communities Component, the Provincial and Federal Governments will each invest $1.84 million in the reconstruction of Haist Street. The Town will invest $2.03 million in the $5.71 million project.

As one of Pelham’s most-used collector roads, two kilometres of Haist Street from Canboro Road to Welland Road are in desperate need of reconstruction. Not only have the road and sidewalks deteriorated significantly, the water system needs upgrading.

The reconstruction will rehabilitate sidewalks and create a more efficient road system that includes bicycle lanes, improved sightlines, and traffic calming measures. The replacement of the cast iron watermains will improve water system resiliency and the project will dramatically improve the control of storm water.

Instead of digging up small sections of Haist Street over three years, this Federal and Provincial funding will allow us to accelerate the work and do it all at once. Construction will now begin as early as October 2009.

The Provincial and Federal Governments will also invest $990,000 each from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund to replace Pelham Fire Station #2. Based on a complete functional analysis, the $2.97 million replacement fire hall will provide sufficient space for firefighters to work safely around the department’s equipment, store bunker gear in a separate area, and provide hands-on training and host fire-related meetings and events.

Parts of the current fire hall are showing significant cracks and other signs of deterioration. There are also significant safety concerns with the firefighters backing fire trucks into the station after each call.

The replacement Fire Hall will include very high standards for energy conservation and sustainable design. We hope to achieve long term operating cost savings while facilitating smooth and unobstructed movement of Firefighters and their equipment.

You Can Help Redesign Our Downtowns

It was my pleasure to finally meet Larry during the weekend.

You see, several years ago Larry developed a series of drawings of how downtown Fonthill could look. In essence, he used a standard theme and drew new facades on each of the buildings of the day.

What happened with the drawings and his vision? They became a rallying cry for people who wanted to see a more standard and beautified downtown.

But, quite frankly, not much else happened with the drawings. Until now, that is.

Now, I’m pleased to let you know that through the leadership of this Council, the Town is ready for that vision. We are also ready for the strategies to make design guidelines happen.

How?

It began with a community meeting regarding Pelham’s downtowns that Council and I called in the spring of 2007. At that meeting, an ad hoc, community-based committee was established to move the issues forward. Shortly thereafter, those citizens approached Council to become an official Town committee; Council agreed and established the Downtown Beautification Committee.

As I have written here before, that Committee has actively advanced beautification of our downtowns by encouraging Council to undertake and develop a Community Improvement Plan (CIP). Through assessment adjustments and grant incentives, this CIP will encourage property owners to upgrade their properties.

Council also set aside funds – up to $50,000 – for incentives for property-owners to beautify their properties in designated areas. This final CIP report could be adopted by Council as early as July.

But, in what way should downtown property-owners improve their properties and buildings? What should those improvements look like? And, how do you ensure that improvements follow a certain look and feel?

We need your help to do that. That’s why I am writing to invite you and your neighbours to participate in three workshops to help form special Design Guidelines and strategies for our downtowns. These guidelines will “provide an urban design vision and guidance for the Downtowns by addressing the nature, intensity and quality of development in both the public and private realms.”

The workshops will run from 6:30 PM on June 9 at Town Hall, and on June 10 and 11 at Old Town Hall. Please check the following link for further details: www.pelham.ca/designworkshop.pdf

Whether it’s Larry’s vision or your vision, I hope you can participate in the workshops and help Pelham’s downtowns become beautified and revitalized.

2009 Final Tax Rates & Property Assessments

You may recall that in January, I wrote here about how Market Value Assessment was only one half of the property tax equation. I explained then that the amount of property tax you pay to the Town of Pelham, to the Region, and to the Province (for Education) is based on the Market Value Assessment of your property multiplied by the tax rates.

Further, I suggested that you “stay tuned” until all three entities set their final tax rates.

Well, during our regular meeting last week, Council approved the 2009 Final Tax Rates. Despite Pelham Council approving our budget in February, we were not able to adopt these final rates until now – that is until after the Niagara Region and the Ontario Ministry of Education set their final rates.

Your Assessment:
Your assessment is solely set by MPAC. The Town and the Region cannot change any element of this assessment. It is mandated by the Province, who has established a separate corporation – MPAC – to administer it.

In Pelham, the average residential property increased by 5.78%. Does that mean that your taxes went up by that amount? No. Because your property tax depends on both your assessment and the tax rate.

Property Taxes = Assessment X Total Tax Rate

Tax Rate:
Your tax rate is set by the Town, the Region, and the Province (for the Education portion). Here are the final rates for 2009.


Municipalities set the tax rate based on the total assessment for each of the tax classes – residential, multi-residential, commercial, industrial, farm/managed forest, pipelines.

So what happened to your assessment and your tax rate?
The average residential property in Pelham had a market value assessment of $235,000 for the 2008 tax year. For the 2009 tax year, that increased by 5.78% to an average of $248,583.

At the same time, the Pelham tax rate decreased by 3.9%. Therefore, the Pelham portion of your residential property taxes increased by 1.7%.


When homeowners received their property reassessments in the fall, some worried that Pelham might take advantage of the increased assessment to hike property taxes. Instead, quite the opposite occurred.

I hope you will be pleased to know that the final property tax increase of 1.7% is the second lowest increase in Niagara Region this year!

Inaugural Mayor’s Gala Promotes Pelham

As you may have heard, the Inaugural Pelham Mayor’s Gala was an overwhelming success! Because of the generosity of local sponsors, the sold-out event netted $21,700 for Project Pelham Cares.

As participants arrived, Peninsula Lakes Golf Course staff shuttled them to the Clubhouse door courtesy of Central Golf Cart Services. Inside, all were welcomed by the wonderful music of Pelham’s own Glissandi – classical harp and violin courtesy Deborah & David Braun. The wine tasting was courtesy Niagara College Winery, the Seafood Appetizers were sponsored by Accipiter Radar Technologies, and the Hors D’oeuvres by Canadian Tire Financial Services.

Angela Carter, whom you may recall as volunteer chair of the 2007-08 United Way campaign, emceed the evening. She welcomed the Shatford Family to perform the National Anthem a cappella; they later performed “Working in our Town” about Pelham Cares based on the Carter Family classic “In the Highways.” Tim Hartwick, of Personal Touch Home Improvements, offered the blessing.

It was then my honour to bring greetings to the nearly 200 gala participants. I thanked the sponsors and silent auction donors for their generosity, and encouraged all to generously support the event. I also acknowledged those elected members of our community present including Malcolm Allen, Welland Riding MP (and former Pelham Councillor); Peter Partington, Regional Chairman; Brian Baty, Pelham Regional Councillor; Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne; Dave Emmons, Pelham Deputy Mayor & Councillor; Peter Papp, Pelham Councillor; and Jim Lane, Pelham Councillor. I also thanked the Gala Committee – Jean Bancroft, Ian Hamilton, Carolyn Mullin, John Nicol, Paul Winkler, and Jordan Arcaro – for their dedication and significant work.

Then Gail Hilyer, President of Pelham Cares, expressed her appreciation and spoke about the ongoing commitment of Pelham Cares to support the most vulnerable. She also explained the dire need for a more permanent home for Pelham Care’s services.

Just as the sun set over Pelham’s short-hills, all enjoyed the exquisite buffet dinner which was sponsored by Meridian Credit Union, Lafarge, and the Planning Partnership. Later we delighted in dessert courtesy of Indulgence. Finally, after the silent auction and raffle, Introduction, a Pelham-based band that was sponsored by Walker Industries, entertained the crowd.

As you can imagine, it is gratifying to host such a signature event that not only raised funds to support Pelham Cares, but that also showcased some of the best specialty services, businesses, and entertainment serving Pelham. Thank you to all participants and donors for your generosity.

Shared Investments in Pelham?

The last couple of weeks have been especially busy in the "municipal world." On April 15th we received word from the Honourable John Baird, Federal Minister of
Transport, Infrastructure & Communities, and the Honourable George
Smitherman, Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy &
Infrastructure, that they would receive applications for infrastructure stimulus funding until Friday, May 1st.

As you may know, under the Canada / Ontario Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, all three levels of government contribute one-third of the total eligible project cost as long as the approved project can be fully completed by March 31, 2011. This funding will not only provide much-needed stimulus to the economy, it is also intended to help municipal governments meet our infrastructure needs.

So, for which projects has Pelham applied, you ask?

First, under the Building Canada Communities Component (communities under 100,000), we applied for a shared investment in the reconstruction of Haist Street. As one of Pelham’s most used collector roads, two kilometers of Haist Street from Canboro to Welland Road desperately requires reconstruction. Not only have the road and sidewalks deteriorated significantly, the water and waste water systems need upgrading.

The $5.71 million reconstruction will rehabilitate sidewalks and create a more efficient road system that includes bicycle lanes, improved sightlines, and traffic calming measures. The replacement of the cast iron watermains will improve water system resiliency and the project will dramatically improve the control of storm water. Federal and Provincial funding will allow this multi-phase, multi-year project to be dramatically accelerated and completed by December 2010.

Second, the Town applied for $2.32 million to revitalize Fenwick’s Downtown Core. You will recall that we were declined funding for this project in the fall because it was seen as a separate project to Fonthill’s downtown revitalization. Now, we are proposing similar urban design improvements which will calm traffic, protect heritage streetscapes, widen sidewalks with safe crossings at key areas, and provide decorative lighting.

Third, we applied for a $2.97 million replacement of Pelham Fire Station #2. Based on a complete functional analysis, the replacement firehall will provide sufficient space to park and work safely around the department’s equipment, a bunker gear storage area, and sufficient rooms for hands-on training and fire-related meetings / events.

Finally, the Town applied for $1.25 million to replace the Maple Acre Library Branch. Based on current usage and growth estimates for the Town and using a functional analysis, this replacement, rural-village branch library will provide much-needed, fully accessible space for library resources, programs, and community development.

We await word from the Federal and Provincial governments on these shared investment projects to improve our Town.

Downtown Revitalization Update

Last November I wrote here about the Town’s multi-million dollar application to revitalize Pelham’s downtowns. I am writing now to provide you with an update.

As you will recall, last September the Federal and Provincial Governments announced the Building Canada Grant Program for communities under 100,000 people.

The Town of Pelham submitted an application to the program requesting a total of $7.1 million to revitalize downtown Fonthill and Fenwick. In December, the Building Canada program deemed our submission to be two separate projects and the Town had to choose one project over the other. The Town amended the application to fund the downtown area of Fonthill – the larger and more expensive of the projects (at more than $4.6 million).

In February, 2009, I was informed that the Town would receive $852,572 from each level of Government for a total of $1.7 million. Based on the amended application, this left a shortfall of nearly $1.3 million in funding from the two levels of Government.

Later, Town staff was informed that Building Canada deemed burying of the hydro lines, and the purchase of benches and planters as “ineligible expenditures” under the program. While the cost for the benches and planters are minimal, the cost to bury the hydro lines (including contingencies, engineering and Environmental Assessment costs) was budgeted at approximately $1.9 million (for all three levels of government)!

On March 17, the CAO and I met with representatives from the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs in Toronto. We not only sought clarification on these exclusions, but we also implored them to agree to fund expenditures relating to the burying of the hydro lines.

While we were again informed that the burying of hydro lines was not an eligible expenditure, Ministry representatives indicated that very small pockets of funding may be available once the Town finalized the design. An eternal optimist, I continue to be hopeful in this regard.

In the meantime, Council recently awarded the contract for the engineering and infrastructure design of both Fonthill’s and Fenwick’s downtowns. We continued to include Fenwick’s downtown in the contract to get better pricing and so that we will be "shovel ready" for any further grants. This engineering design will not only advance the projects but will also provide an accurate cost to bury the hydro lines in both our downtowns.

I will continue to keep you informed on our progress.

Public Utility for Regional Water & Waste Water?

During some Regional meetings last week, I was reminded of the quote, “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink” from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” There we were, after several deferrals and much debate, discussing the Regional water and waste water rates for 2009.

You see, since the fall the Region has been working on a new way to charge for water and waste water services.

The Regional side of your water and sewer rates pays for both the water and sewer treatment costs and any delivery costs to the 11 Towns, Townships, and Cities that have retail water services. In fact, last year 75 million cubic meters of water was treated at the Region’s six treatment plants. In addition, 91 million cubic meters of wastewater was treated at nine sewage treatment plants.

But, essentially, the Region is the wholesaler of water to the municipalities. Up to this year, the price was based on a three-year rolling average of a Town’s or City’s usage. However, under that system, the Region accumulated an $18 million deficit over the last five years for water charges! (That’s on a base of an annual water budget of approximately $41 million.)

How could that happen?

Well, in some respects, it’s really some good news. You see, water consumption has significantly decreased over the last number of years. We were told that the drop in consumption was due both to increased conservation by users (great work everyone!), and to wet summers in 2008 and 2006. As the numbers show, the trend is quite clearly for decreased water usage. (And, I argued that the Region clearly wasn’t budgeting properly for the decrease!)

So, the Region proposed instituting a 50% fixed water charge because the service has “between 60% and 90% fixed costs.”

Various municipalities – the retailers of the water to you and your neighbours – disagreed. They argued that such a high fixed-price component would jeopardize efforts to conserve water.

Finally, after many meetings over many months, a compromise was reached.

First, the fixed component was set at 25% for the next two years.

Second, staff will present options for linking the “wholesale” and “retail” components together. We suggested researching a common regional water rate structure, or even a separate, public utility model for regional water delivery! While this may take some time, I wanted you to know about the direction we are investigating at the Region.

Development Charges: Paying for Growth

Over the next few weeks you may be hearing a more about “Development Charges.” What’s that, you ask?

Under something called the Development Charges Act, the Province allows Municipalities to collect fees to help offset the “costs of growth.”

You see, new growth – residential, commercial, or industrial– applies additional pressures on municipal infrastructure. For example, new residential development areas often require additional water and waste water services. Or, if hundreds of new homes are built, new residents place pressures on roads and other Town services – everything from recreational services, to library usage, to fire protection. This “pressure” means additional costs to add trunk water lines, widen collector roads, or renovate or build new facilities.

Many years ago, an existing property tax-payer would have paid for additional municipal infrastructure and services that were required for new developments. Many felt that that lacked fairness, and that “new growth should pay for new growth.” On the other side of the argument, many felt that new growth should pay no more than its fair share.

Thus, a balance is sought where new growth should not create a financial burden on existing residents of the community while the existing residents should not enjoy a financial benefit at the expense of new residents.

The Town of Pelham has been setting and collecting development charges on development and re-development for some time. Development Charges were also previously known as Impost Fees or Capital Levies and have been in place at the majority of Ontario municipalities for several years. The current Development Charges by-law was adopted by Council on August 16, 2004 after an in-depth Development Charges Study conducted by an independent consultant. The by-law lasts for five years and is set to expire this August.

Some steps have already been taken to update the Town’s Development Charges by-law.

First, pursuant to the Development Charges Act, an independent consultant has prepared a Background Study – which was made publicly available on March 6.

Second, staff met with representatives of the development industry on March 9 regarding the Background Study and the proposed new by-law.

Third, a Public Meeting has been called for Monday, March 23 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers of Pelham Town Hall to present and obtain public input on the Town’s proposed by-law and underlying background study.

If you are interested, please join us that evening. For more information please contact the Town Clerk at 905-892-2706 or at clerks@pelham.ca.

Keeping An Open Mind

Perhaps you heard that the Honourable Gilbert Parent, Member of Parliament for 22 years and former Speaker of the House, passed away last week. You may recall that he represented Pelham in the “Niagara Centre” Riding from 1997 to 2000.

Mr. Parent began his career in education and when defeated in 1984 by the Mulroney sweep, he returned to teaching. In 1986 he taught me religion at Notre Dame, and I fondly remember many of his lessons.

One of his lessons stood out for me this week. I recall Mr. Parent analyzing the quote “The problem with an open mind is it lets in too much garbage.” He explored the quote by asking “If you truly have an open mind, how do you know an idea or concept is garbage before you scrutinize it?” Instead, he taught about the virtues of keeping an open mind. Only then should one weigh all the options.

And, so I try to keep an open mind on all matters – including recreational facilities.

That’s why I reported to Council last week about a recent meeting between representatives of Welland, Niagara College, and Pelham.

You see, Welland’s studies indicate that they need either a three-pad arena or a four-pad if they stop using the Welland Arena. While they preferred to locate it on property they own at Woodlawn and River Road, their second preference was Niagara College.

Why potentially the Niagara College Campus? Since the College already hosts several community facilities— Niagara Centre YMCA, Children’s Safety Village, NRP Training Facility, Ball Hockey International – there is a potential for a similar free-property arrangement.

So, if Welland needs three-plus ice surfaces and if Pelham needs more ice, a Niagara College location could have other potential advantages: usage by students during off-peak hours, sharing of existing parking, appeal for fundraising and funding from other levels of government, and efficient use of public resources and funds.

It also would have potential challenges: complex negotiations and agreements, the potential “loss of identity”, and a potential resident backlash.

While such a potential partnership is clearly not the only option, I wanted to ensure that our minds were still open to the concept. And, while Welland is moving quickly, Pelham’s own Recreational Facilities Committee still has to formally analyze this and other options.

Rest assured that I will continue to keep my mind open and analyze all options for your benefit and that of your Pelham neighbours and friends.