Finalizing Major Planning Elements

You will recall that last week I described some of the unprecedented infrastructure improvements that Pelham will enjoy over the next year.

This week, I would like to outline two of the major Planning elements we will complete over the next year.

Community Improvement Plan Designation & Design Guidelines:
While improving public infrastructure of a Downtown, what can a Town do to improve private elements like facades or signs? We can use a “Community Improvement Plan” (CIP) and Design Guidelines.

You see, under the Ontario Planning Act, a “CIP” allows a municipality to establish a certain geographic area that can receive special treatment. Focused on Fonthill’s and Fenwick’s Downtown cores, our Town’s special treatment might include grants or loans, an incremental tax increase plan, or exemptions.

For example, a municipality may offer matching grants (to a certain level) to businesses that fix-up their building façades. Or a Town may encourage improvements by exempting any Development Charges.

The Design Guidelines steer new developments or improvements to a certain vision. For example, should all the façades have a similar look-and-feel? What should be the long-term visions for the downtowns?

I understand from staff that you should expect a public meeting about the Community Improvement Plan in November, with a final report to Committee and Council in December/January. The Design Guidelines should come to Committee and Council in late November.

These policies should dramatically help to improve Pelham’s downtowns through partnerships and shared vision.

Official Plan:
Are you like my children’s dentist that loves playing SimCity? A computer program that starts off with empty land, SimCity allows you to build and position all public infrastructure like roads, hospitals, libraries, parks, power plants, and dumps. You can also designate housing, commercial, and industrial areas.

In real life, we build a Town through a planning document called an Official Plan (OP). The OP sets policies and locations for things like commercial development, agricultural lands, residential developments, and downtowns.

In process for several years, the Town last updated the OP in 1987. Over the last five years, however, Provincial and Regional policies (like the Greenbelt Plan, the Places to Grow Act, the Provincial Policy Statement, and the Regional Growth Plan) have impeded progress by dramatically changing the foundational rules.

I understand, however, that we are getting close to an updated Official Plan for Pelham; staff is planning a public meeting this fall and Council could enact a plan in early 2010.

These visionary planning documents will guide any and all future developments in Pelham.

Unprecedented Infrastructure Ahead!

No doubt, you’ve heard about some of the infrastructure projects for which Pelham has received Federal and Provincial support. But, since we announced each project as it became known, I thought you would like to know about all the projects together.

Unprecedented Infrastructure Investments:
Over the last nine months, Pelham has received unprecedented Federal & Provincial support toward $12.4 million of capital projects! To put this in context, this is more than double our normal annual capital budget; and, through the years the most Pelham received from upper levels of government has been $100,000.

Downtown Fonthill Revitalization:
The first reported investment was $2.5 million for revitalizing downtown Fonthill from College Street, across Regional Road #20 to Broad Street. This revitalization includes a new road, new water and sewer lines, and also a much-improved sidewalks and streetscape for a pedestrian friendly downtown. Burying of the hydro lines was not included in the funding, but staff is working diligently with Niagara Peninsula Energy to finalize costs, designs, and options. Staff anticipates public open houses in November and January 2010 for the final design, with construction from April/May to October/November.

Haist Street Reconstruction:
The reconstruction of Haist Street from Canboro to Welland Road has been a priority for many years. Now, the one-third Federal, one-third Provincial funding will allow Pelham to carry out the $5.7 million project in one year instead of over three years (as originally budgeted). The work will be extensive and includes a new road, new water and storm sewers, raised crosswalks (to help calm traffic), sidewalks, and room for cycling. Council just approved the sanitary sewer relocation which should begin by November. The rest of the work should be tendered in early January for construction from March to November 2010.

Replacement of Fire Station #2 (Fenwick):
Required for more than a decade, Federal and Provincial funding make the $2.9 million project possible now. The investments will replace the +60 year-old Firehall that is currently falling apart and too small for recent and expected population growth. Property issues have delayed the process, but all should be finalized this fall. The tender for the design could occur late this year and construction could begin in March / April at the earliest.

Nine New, Accessible Playgrounds:
Thanks to two-thirds funding, the $1.1 million project will replace and upgrade playground equipment in nine totally accessible playgrounds across the Town. The tender should be awarded this fall with the installation and finishing done from April to July 2010.

Town Hall Addition:
Work continues on the $260,000 addition to expand the “sardine can”. The design has been awarded and the work must be completed by March 31, 2010.

Police & Region Working Together

Last week, the Chamber of Commerce hosted the Mayor’s Breakfast at the Lazy Loon. I used the opportunity to update Chamber members on the coming year’s significant infrastructure improvements and major planning issues. I also spoke about the Niagara Regional Police Service.

As you may have heard, through great policing and involvement from the community, the NRP quickly arrested a suspect for the four armed robberies of local convenience stores. On your behalf, I offered my deep appreciation for their quick and excellent work.

I also thanked the Police for their help dealing with the pool vandalism from summer of 2007. As you may recall, the Police Service suggested the use of a “Community Justice Circle” to help resolve the matter once five young offenders had been caught. Last month, Town staff informed Council that all matters relating to the pool vandalism had been resolved; the youths adhered to a curfew, received counselling, completed 50 hours of community service (in addition to the mandated 40 hours for school), and financially compensated the Town for damages.

I am pleased because I believe that both the young offenders and the Town have received much more out of this process than we would have under the conventional court system.

Finally, I am pleased to let you know that I was honoured to have played a role in the recent resolution of the OCCOPS dispute between the Region and the Niagara Region Police Board. I made the motion that amended the staff recommendations and helped pave the way for an ultimate resolution.

No doubt the final resolution came about because of renewed talks between the Region and the Police Board. I commend the leadership of Regional Chair Peter Partington and Police Chief Wendy Southall in finally resolving the matter.

The way forward will allow for joint Police / Regional plan. The plan will provide the Police with the appropriate and best facilities that they need for effective and efficient policing. The plan will also allow for better managed financing – more respectful of your Regional property tax investment. Finally, the plan will allow for planning issues to be solved and potential partnerships to be solidified.

Now, the Police and Region can move forward together for benefit of all residents and taxpayers. Now, the NRPS can continue to do more of what they do best – service and protection.

Major Infrastructure & Planning Issues Ahead

For your information, here is a summary of the speech I delivered yesterday at the Pelham / Welland Chamber of Commerce Mayor's Breakfast.


Major Infrastructure Investments:
• Pelham received unprecedented Federal & Provincial investments – totaling $12.4 M in capital projects
• Context: Double annual capital budget; second best per capita in Niagara


Downtown Fonthill Revitalization: $2.5 M + bury Hydro
• Pelham Street from College Street, across Regional Road #20 to Broad Street – New road, water and sewer, improved streetscape
• Public Open Houses in November and January 2010
• Construct from May until November 2010

Haist Street Reconstruction: $5.7 M
• Priority project that with investment, doing three years work in one year
• New road, water, storm sewer, sidewalks, crosswalks, cycling
• Sanitary Sewer relocation – construction November 2009
• Rest of construction from March to ~November

Replacement of Fire Station #2 (Fenwick): $2.9 M
• Required for +decade; Fed. & Prov. support make possible now!
• Replace 60 year old Firehall that falling apart and too small for growth
• Functional analysis complete, property issues complete fall 2009
• Construction from March to October 2010

Nine New, Accessible Playgrounds: $1.1 M
• Replace and upgrade playground equipment in nine playgrounds across Town including: MSSP, Centennial Park, Harold Black, North Pelham, etc.
• Install totally accessible equipment and accessible flooring
• RFP awarded this fall; Installation & Finishing from April to July 2010

Town Hall Addition: $260K
• Add on to second floor of Town Hall to accommodate staff (sardines now!)
• Construction beginning in December and ending in March 2010


Major Planning Issues:

Community Improvement Plan Designation & Design Guidelines:
• CIP allows for establish area that can receive special treatment
o Incentives, Tax-Increment Plan, Development Charge exemption
• CIP public meeting in November, and to Committee / Council in December
o Budget implications for 2010?
• Design Guidelines:
o What will it all look like for façade improvements?
o What will be long term vision for downtowns?
• Design Guidelines report to Committee / Council in November
o Action Plan to achieve strategies

Official Plan:
• Policies for commercial development, agriculture, residential development, for downtowns, for growth
• Work of several years; last updated in 1987
• Work impacted by:
o Provincially imposed policies such as Greenbelt, Places to Grow, Provincial Policy Statement
o Regional Growth Plan
• Open House in October
• Public Meeting in November; Enact in January 2010?

East Fonthill Secondary Plan & Town-Owned Lands:
• Town-Owned Lands purchased as if designated and zoned a certain way:
o Province changed “Rules”; Secondary Plan process to Landowners
• Town-Owned Lands:
o Report for Workshop to Council in October
o Dependant on rest of Secondary Plan
• Secondary Plan:
o Landowner’s Group present draft plan by end of 2009
o Final to Town in April / May; Public meeting in June
o Ratified in July/August?

An important year lies ahead.
Let’s keep working together to improve Pelham!

Ways of Working Together with You

Last week I wrote to you about how your municipal council is organized. But, how can you or other members of the public get your suggestions or improvements examined and implemented?

PRESENTATIONS:
Anyone interested in making a presentation to Council or General Committee should contact the Town Clerk at (905) 892-2607 ext. 320. You must make a formal request in writing before 4:30 PM on the Wednesday preceding the meeting. The Town’s Procedural Bylaw limits presentations to 10 minutes, but offers no time limit on questions by Councillors; it also limits the number of presentations to four per meeting.

PUBLIC MEETINGS:
You can also provide suggestions during a “public meeting.” Most public meetings involve planning matters and follow a formal agenda – presentations by staff and the applicant, direct input by members of the public with questions and comments, comments by Councillors. We invariably direct staff to prepare a report for action based on the public input.

PRE-BUDGET MEETING:
I am very proud that this Council starts our annual budget deliberations with a special public meeting. We listen to all public input on any spending or Town issue. We refer all your input for consideration as staff prepares the budget for the next year.

We will hold the 2010 Pre-Budget Meeting on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 PM at Pelham Fire Station #2 (Fenwick). Register with the Clerk in advance or just come and present your ideas or suggestions.

OPEN HOUSES:
You can also give us your ideas at open houses or “public information centres”. These sessions generally include diagrams, maps, or mock-ups and, over a couple of hours, provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and make written suggestions or comments. For example, staff will organize an open house regarding the reconstruction of South Pelham (downtown Fonthill) this fall.

WORKSHOPS:
After generally starting with a presentation by a consultant or staff, workshops usually break-up into small groups to solicit interactive feedback and suggestions. During the summer, the Town held workshops regarding a vision for the Town’s “Community Improvement Plan”; we should hear results this fall.

LETTERS, EMAIL, PHONE CALLS, MEETINGS, ETC.
You can also use standard communication methods to make a suggestion or get your point across. If you write about a major issue or request a policy change, your letter will go to the appropriate committee for information or action. Of course you can also call staff, councillors or myself directly. You can also request a meeting to discuss your issue. (You can even stop me on the street, as many people do, to discuss Town matters!)

These are some of the major ways in which you can get involved in the Town’s democratic process.

Immigrant's Memorial Bench

Below you will find my speech for the unveiling of the Immigrant's Memorial Bench in Peace Park today:

In March of 2009, the Pelham Town Council approved a resolution that the Town of Pelham honour “all immigrants who find themselves caught between cultures and are challenged to conform to both.”

The resolution carried on that “we honour these immigrants by installing a bench and planting a tree as a memorial in Peace Park.”

That is why we are here today.

As you may know, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. By so doing, Canada affirmed the value and dignity of all Canadian citizens regardless of their racial or ethnic origins, their language, or their religious affiliation.

Canadian multiculturalism is fundamental to our belief that all citizens are equal. Multiculturalism ensures that all citizens can keep their identities, can take pride in their ancestry and have a sense of belonging. The Canadian experience has shown that multiculturalism encourages racial and ethnic harmony and cross-cultural understanding.

Through multiculturalism, we recognize the potential of all Canadians, encouraging them to integrate into their society and take an active part in Canada’s social, cultural, economic and political affairs.

All Canadians are guaranteed equality before the law and equality of opportunity regardless of their origins. Canada’s laws and policies recognize Canada’s diversity by race, cultural heritage, ethnicity, religion, ancestry and place of origin and guarantee to all men and women complete freedom of conscience, of thought, belief, opinion expression, association and peaceful assembly.

At the same time, Canadians are free to choose for themselves, without penalty, whether they want to identify with their specific group or not. Their individual rights are fully protected and they need not fear group pressures.

Our diversity is a national asset. And, our citizenship gives us equal rights and equal responsibilities.

We affirm these rights today to help ensure that a multicultural, integrated and inclusive citizenship will be every Canadian’s inheritance.

Council, Committee, and You

Over the last couple of months, a number of people have asked me about how Council and Committees works. When do we meet? When can members of the public speak at Council? And, how do you get your suggestions or improvements discussed?

COUNCIL:
As a general rule, your Town Council meets at 7:00 PM on the first and third Mondays of each month in the Council Chambers in Town Hall. (During July and August we tend to only meet once.) If one of our regular meetings falls on a holiday Monday (like Labour Day), we meet on the Tuesday.

Council is formal; it’s where we undertake the official business of the Corporation of the Town of Pelham. We advance the Town’s business through motions and our actions are governed by a Procedural Bylaw. At Council, we make motions and enact bylaws – for taxation, for spending, for administration and enforcement. We set policy and we authorize and accept tenders. We receive and act on official correspondence. And, we ratify decisions of the Town’s General Committees.

GENERAL COMMITTEES:
Immediately following these Town Council meetings, we hold a “General Committee” meeting. Slightly less formal, General Committee is intended to be more detail oriented. All Councillors are members of General Committee and act as either Chair or Vice-Chair of one of the three divisions.

Planning & Development Services deals with matters involving development proposals, subdivision plans, zoning bylaws, official plans, building permits and the building code, and bylaw enforcement. Councillor Emmons is Chair; Councillor Durley is Vice-Chair.

Community & Infrastructure Services deals with roads, sidewalks, streetlights, sewers, water, cemeteries, drainage, parks, recreational services, facilities, and special community events. Councillor Urbanowicz is Chair; Councillor Cook is Vice-Chair.

Corporate Services deals with all matters relating to budgets, taxation and fees, and all other financial matters, human resources, and fire and library services. Councillor Papp is Chair; Councillor Lane is Vice-Chair.

What General Committee approves at one meeting is scheduled for ratification by Council at its next meeting (roughly two weeks later).

VOTING:
As you may know, both Council and Committee require “quorum” – at least the majority (four members) of the seven members – to legally function and make decisions. Each member of Council, including the Mayor, gets one vote. If the majority of members on hand support the motion, it is approved or “Carried”. If not, the motion is “Lost” or “Defeated”. In the case of a tie vote, the motion is defeated.

Next week, I will write about how you and other members of the public get involved in this democratic process.

Thanks to Volunteers and Coaches

Were you or your children / grandchildren involved in one of Pelham’s play-off games over the last couple of weeks?

On Sunday, Pelham Minor Baseball held an extremely well organized “Championship Day” at Harold Black Park. All the teams – from T-Ball, Rookie, Mosquito, Peewee, Midget, and Bantam – participated in playoff games, and each of the players gave it their all in running, throwing, and hitting competitions. The tremendous day also included a BBQ (courtesy Brian at M&M Meats) and awards ceremonies for each of the levels of play. I commend all the volunteers, organizers, and sponsors for the special day and for the wonderful season!

Similarly, my Pre-Squirt Soccer team recently enjoyed a special awards ceremony following our last game. I understand that other soccer levels have recently finished their seasons.

Over the weekend I bumped into my friend Ken who has coached Fenwick Softball for the last seven years. He said they recently had their playoff games.

And, so it has been similar for each of the summer team sports -- each of the seasons has ended.

Now the other sports – Figure Skating, Hockey, and Basketball – will be starting up in earnest for the fall / winter season.

As we are in this transition of sorts, I think it is a good time to honour and thank all those who volunteer with all the organized sport across our Town.

There are hundreds of coaches, conveners, and members of sports executives / associations that volunteer their time and efforts to ensure that our kids learn new skills, stay active, and enjoy the game. They also work behind the scenes to ensure it’s all organized and runs like a well oiled machine. Some might have kids on a team, but others volunteer or keep volunteering because they love the sport and are community minded.

On your behalf, and on behalf of the children of our Town, thank you to all our sport volunteers!

What about you? Are you interested in coaching or helping out?

Coaching just takes a couple of hours a week for you, but it helps build a positive foundation for kids for their lifetime.

Please check out these websites for more information and to get involved:

Pelham Figure Skating Club: www.pelhamfigureskatingclub.ca
Pelham Minor Baseball Association: www.pmba.ca
Pelham Minor Hockey Association: www.pelhamminorhockey.com
Pelham Panthers Basketball: www.pelhambasketball.org
Pelham Soccer Club: www.pelhamsoccerclub.com
Pelham Tennis Club: www.pelhamtennis.ca
Fenwick Softball: www.fenwicksoftball.ca

Thanks again to all coaches and youth sports volunteers!

Fighting for Pelham’s Fire Fighters

It’s a date and a fire that is scorched in the hearts and minds of many members of Pelham’s Fire Service – November 8, 2004.

That’s the date of the devastating and tragic fire that claimed the lives of Monika Woerlen, 39, and her seven children Susanna Ruth, 11, Elena Jane, 10, Marcus Simon, 8, Samuel Benjamin, 7, Paul Anthony, 5, Nathan Matthew, 3, and 18-month-old Debora Lynne.

As you may recall from the tragedy, it was Pelham’s firefighters from Station #2 in Fenwick that were called to the West Lincoln fire, fought the blaze, and participated in the complex investigation. You may also recall that that fire is considered the worst fire involving children in Ontario’s history.

Why am I recounting that horrible tragedy?

I want to make the same point that Town Councillor Jim Lane, Town CAO Martin Yamich, and I made to the Honourable Peter Fonseca, Minister of Labour, at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa last week.

You see, the point is that part-time firefighters – like Pelham’s 105 dedicated volunteers – face the same perils as their full-time counterparts. They provide the same protection at a fraction of the cost. Part-time firefighters require the same initial training and annual certification as full-time firefighters. In today’s fire service across the Region, full-time and part-time often firefighters work side by side on “mutual aid” calls. Indeed, part-time firefighters are the backbone to the Ontario Fire Service.

Yet, under current Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) rules “Volunteer and Part-time Firefighters” are not covered like their full-time counterparts are for job related cancer or if the firefighter sustains a heart injury.

Often referred to as presumptive rules, the Government extended WSIB coverage automatically to full-time firefighters in May of 2007. But, since that time, they have not covered part-time firefighters in the same way.

We informed the Minister that Town Council had recently supported and endorsed the call to extend the same presumptive WSIB coverage to part-time firefighters.

The Minister indicated that the he is still consulting with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ontario Fire Chief, and the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office to finalize the regulations related to part-time firefighters. While the Minister was unable to give a timeline to complete the consultations, he did indicate that it was a priority and that he had meetings immediately following AMO.

We asked that Pelham’s position form part of his consultations and that he keeps us informed.

Preserve the Fonthill Kame

If you’re anything like me, you drive up and down it a couple of times each day.

Or, you admire its soil as you plant trees in your backyard. Or, you farm on it and sell your special crops at the road or the Pelham Farmer’s Market. Or, you admire the spectacular view from it as you plan a round of golf.

What am I talking about, you ask? The Fonthill Kame-Delta, of course.

The what?

The Fonthill Kame-Delta is our rare, 75-metre-tall landmark that that was formed by retreating glaciers 13,000 years ago. It’s 6 km long and 3 km wide – nearly 1000 hectares – and boasts the highest point in the Niagara Region and the headwaters of the Twelve Mile Creek.

Microclimatic conditions create an ideal atmosphere for tender fruit production on the Kame including peaches, sweet and sour cherries, apples and pears.

The Fonthill Kame was originally identified in 1980 as a provincially significant area and became an “Area of Natural and Scientific Interest” (ANSI) in 1983. This ANSI designation restricts development for reasons of heritage, science or education.

In May 2009, however, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources recommended new boundary changes to the ANSI area. (Please click here for a copy of the notification from the MNR to the Town.)

While a new area to the south side of the Kame would be added to the ANSI, other changes would significantly reduce the protected area. In fact, only small portions of the main components of the Kame-Delta complex would be included and the landform as a whole would no longer be protected.

The area that the MNR proposes to remove from the ANSI encompasses much of what is called the Upper Terrace. The Upper Terrace to be removed stretches from across from EL Crossley High School, past Effingham, to Lookout Street and lies between Tice Road and Highway 20. This area is the most vulnerable to development pressure – especially in the form of aggregate extraction! (Click here for a copy of the map to see how the MNR is proposing to shrink the ANSI. Note: the Red outline is current ANSI boundaries; yellow-hatched is proposed.)

That’s why Niagara Regional Council recently recommended that the ANSI be maintained. (Click here to see the letter that Regional Council endorsed.)

And, based on the Region's position, the Niagara Escarpment Commission also came out against the changes. (Click here to see the letter that the NEC sent in July changing their position.)

That is also why I led a delegation that included Regional Chair Peter Partington and Town Councillors Dave Emmons and Jim Lane to meet with Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield this week to request that the Ministry not reduce the ANSI. I also met with our MPP, Tim Hudak, about the matter. (Click here for a copy of the powerpoint presentation to the Minister.)

If you would like to support our efforts and pressure the Minister, please contact me at Town Hall or via email at mayordave@pelham.ca for more information.

LATEST NEWS:
August 24, 2009:
The majority of Pelham Council voted to defer a decision to "support and endorse" the Region's position, pending a letter from Minister Cansfield. On a recorded vote, it was Mayor Dave and Councillor Jim Lane against the deferral; Councillors Cook, Durley, Emmons, Papp, and Urbanowicz voted for the deferral.

Sept. 15, 2009:
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has sent a letter to the MNR against their proposed changes to the Fonthill-Kame. (Please click here for a copy of their letter.)

Oct. 19, 2009:
The Minister of Natural Resources replied to Mayor Dave's Presentation at the August Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference. (Please click here for a copy of her letter.)

Nov. 2, 2009:
The August 24 deferred resolution to "support and endorse" Regional position came back to Town Council. On a recorded vote, Council voted to ask the Ministry of Natural Resources NOT to change the existing ANSI boundaries. Those in favour of the motion were Mayor Dave and Councillors Emmons, Lane, and Urbanowicz. Those against the motion were Councillors Cook, Durley, and Papp.