How should we spend your money in 2011?

Do you have a suggestion on how the Town should spend your money? What are some specific things that you think the Town should do or things that we should stop doing? How can we make Pelham a better place to live, work, grow, and play?

I am very proud that our new Council agreed to continue with the practice (started by the last Council) of inviting you and your neighbours and friends to get involved in the Town’s Budget.

Council began that process last week with a special public meeting where we listened to the public about any spending or Town issue. We referred the community’s input for consideration as staff prepares the budget for 2011.

Council first started this type of a “pre-budget consultation” in January 2007 for the 2007 Budget. In subsequent years, we had special meetings in late-October for the following budget year.

This year, we delayed the process slightly because of the October 25 Municipal Election.

However, I am very excited that we are undertaking this consultation process again. It is so important to hear directly from you about your needs, wants, and ideas. Our Town improves when more and more people become involved in its success!

Council recently adopted this budget schedule:
* Pre-Budget Consultation – beginning December 6, 2010;
* Draft Capital Budget Available to the Public – January 21, 2011;
* Draft Capital Budget Presented to Committee – January 24;
* Council Approve Capital Budget – February 7;
* Draft Operating, Water & Sewer Budgets to Committee – February 28;
* Council Approve Operating, Water & Sewer Budgets – March 7.

Now, I know that the date for the public meeting has passed. But, you can still take the opportunity to offer your suggestions on how to improve any of our Town’s many service areas: Fire Protection & Prevention, Building & By-law Enforcement, Animal Control, Roads & Sidewalks, Water & Sewers, Winter Control, Planning Services, Library Services, and Parks & Community Services.

It’s easy to do! Just simply send a letter via email to a special email address: ourbudget@pelham.ca. You can also view background budget information at the Town’s website: www.pelham.ca.

Not internet savvy? You can also provide written comments via normal mail c/o Town Clerk, Town of Pelham, 20 Pelham Town Square, P.O. Box 400, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0.

I hope to hear from you and I look forward to discussing your ideas so that we can build a better future for our Town together.

Inaugural Address

Please find below my Inaugural Address that I gave last night at the Inauguration of your 2010-2014 Town of Pelham Council.

I am both humbled and honored to stand here again and continue my service as your Mayor for our Town of Pelham.

I personally congratulate each member of Council on your recent election.

I look forward to serving with you, and to working together with your ideas, your passions, your dreams, and your actions to improve our Town.

Ladies & gentlemen, the recent democratic process highlighted a real interest in the future of our Town.

You and your friends and neighbours are interested in workable solutions to the issues and challenges that face our community;

You have an optimism for the future of our Town;

And you want your Council to work together with you to continue to improve our Town.

As a result, your Council and I will concentrate on some key areas:

• We will manage your money wisely and tell you how your taxes are being spent;
• We will gather significant public input to decide on improvements for appropriate and affordable recreational and leisure facilities;
• We will work to ensure that new development fits well with our vision for a vibrant community with a small-town feel;
• We will act in partnership with businesses and residents to develop a cohesive vision for our entire community;
• We will continue to focus on building lively and viable downtowns and promote cultural and artistic activities;
• We will advance sustainable environmental practices;
• We will listen and keep you informed about things that matter to you;
• We will ensure that our infrastructure is well managed and maintained (and that includes finishing the roads already dug up);
• We will work with the hundreds of volunteers who preserve our neighbour-helping-neighbour character and who make our community a richer, more vibrant place to live, work, and grow;
• And, in general, we will serve you – as best we can – on each of the other issues both known and unknown that will affect you and your neighbours and friends.

Friends and neighbours, your Council is ready to act, ready to find workable solutions, and ready to serve in your best interests. You Council is ready to keep working together to build a better future for our Town – the Town that we each love and cherish.

Thank you, again, for your encouragement by being present here this evening and for showing your interest in the future of our Town.

What's In A Chair?

Since a recent topic of discussion around kitchen tables, on radio call-in shows, and on the editorial pages has been about the election of the next Regional Chair, I wanted to provide you with a little context.

The members of the newly elected Regional Council will convene on Thursday, December 9 at 10:00 AM in the Regional Council Chamber. After the Regional Clerk administers the “Declaration of Office” for our 30 members, the first “order of business” will be the election of a Chair.

The election of the Chair will be a public process; the proceedings will be open to the public and Cogeco Cable will broadcast the live (tape-delayed) proceedings beginning at 11:00 AM.

In the first phase of the election, the Clerk will ask for nominations for qualified candidates; only Regional Councillors can “move” and “second” those nominations. Following nominations, each qualified candidate will have a chance to speak for five minutes (in alphabetical order).

Then, the Clerk will oversee the “run-off” election which will be similar to the process used in political leadership contests. For example, if after the first ballot, no one receives a majority of the votes – 16 – then the candidate with the least number will be removed and the vote on another ballot would occur. The voting continues until a candidate receives a majority.

While the Municipal Act does allow the election of any qualified elector from Niagara to be nominated and elected Chair, you may be interested to know that the precedence from the last six elections (since 1991) has been to nominate and elect a Chair only from the members of Regional Council.

What prompted this practice, you might ask?

Well, from 1972 to 1983, Council continued to re-elect John Campbell as Regional Chair; Mr. Campbell was first appointed by the Province to serve as Chair during the start of the Region in 1970. But, when Campbell retired, Regional Council elected a member of Council – Wilbert Dick – to serve as Chair in 1985. Interestingly, in 1988 Council re-elected Mr. Dick, even though he didn’t run for re-election as a Councillor.

However, the matter was clarified in 1990 as Council endorsed (and in 1991 re-affirmed) a recommendation in the report of the Niagara Region Review Commission that “Only regional councillors elected at the most recent election should be eligible for election as Regional Chair.”

Given the discussion in the community and the candidates who have already announced, it should be a very interesting election on December 9th.



By the way, I was recently on the Tom McConnell Show on 610 CKTB talking about the election of the Regional Chair. Click here to listen.

Transition Toward a New Council

I thought you might be wondering about what’s happening during this transition period between the old and new Town Council?

As a result of the municipal election on October 25, our new Council includes three new members – Gary Accursi, Larry Clark, and Catherine King – and three returning Councillors – John Durley, Peter Papp, and Debbie Urbanowicz – and myself.

Shortly after the election I met personally with each Councillor-Elect. We spoke about the transition period, ideas for the new term, and the opportunities Councillors have to serve on various Town committees or Boards – like the Active Transportation Committee or Pelham Public Library Board.

Over the next couple of weeks, Council will get together socially. Staff will host a coffee break to meet the new Council next week. Then, as is a tradition in Pelham, Council will meet socially with Department Heads prior to Christmas as well as participate in the Staff Christmas Party. Council itself will also meet socially over the coming weeks so we can get to know each other as a group.

But, the transition will include much work, too. Prior to the new term, Councillors-Elect will participate in an Orientation Session to learn about all facets of the Town’s services – from Planning to Bylaws, from Fire to Libraries, and from Roads to Parks. We will review the “Conflict of Interest” rules, the procedures used during Council meetings, and the recently approved Councillor’s “Code of Conduct.”

Your new Council will officially make our “Declaration of Office” at our Inaugural Meeting on Wednesday, December 1 from 7:00 PM at the Royal Canadian Legion, Fonthill. This Special Meeting will officially begin the public service of your Council. All are welcome; please join us!

On Monday, December 6 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers, your new Council wants to hear from you with ideas and suggestions about what we should include in the 2011 Town Budget. All are welcome to this Public Meeting.

We will hold our first official Council & General Committee meeting on Monday, December 13 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. Then, Council & General Committee meetings will continue on the first and third Mondays of each month beginning on January 17, 2011.

Finally, in late-January or early-February, we will meet to develop our Strategic Plan – a plan that will guide Council and the Town for the next four years and beyond.

This is an exciting time! I look forward to working with our new Council to continue to improve our Town.

A Serene Remembrance

The weather on Sunday morning was glorious. The leaves on the ground and a few in the tree reminded us that Fall was upon us. The sun shone beautifully through the trees and the air was clear and sweet.

It felt like an idyllic Fall morning. It felt so peaceful and so serene. It felt like the perfect example of freedom, of promise, and of individual choice.

The weather made it feel so far from the ravages of war. It felt so far from oppression and from tyranny. The twin-prop airplane we heard overhead was for recreation, not a vehicle of war or destruction.

And yet, Pelham residents took time to gather with members of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Ladies Auxiliary, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and others at the Cenotaphs at Centennial Park, Old Town Hall, and Peace Park to commemorate and remember the sacrifices of Pelham’s Veterans.

Each Remembrance Day it is right to remember those brave men and women who have served, and who continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict, and peace.

We honour them for their courage, their commitment, and their devotion to Canada.

They served our country and gave their lives so that future generations might have democracy; so that we might enjoy safety and security; so that our society is one of justice and the rule of law; so that we might enjoy mornings like last Sunday.

The freedoms that so many of us might take for granted – to express ourselves, to participate in cultural, religious, and political activities, to come and go as we please, to pursue a safe and happy life – are all due to the sacrifices of Veterans and those who today follow in their footsteps.

They sacrificed their futures so that our future might be one of peace.

The men and women of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan are fighting still, for these same principles. Indeed, it is right to remember their sacrifice and determination on Remembrance Day too.

On these cenotaphs throughout our Town and at Veteran’s Park, the names of some of those from Pelham that were killed in service and in battle are engraved. May they also be engraved in our minds and on our hearts.

And so, on this Remembrance Day 2010, let us be thankful. Let us rededicate ourselves to peace. And let us never forget.

Greatest Achievement & Biggest Disappointment

Below are my notes for the third prepared question at the Mayoral debate, hosted by the Fonthill Rotary Club on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the Royal Canadian Legion.

Question 3)
In your term on Council, what do you consider to be:
a) your greatest achievement
b) your biggest disappointment or failure?


GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT:
Working together with Council, Staff, the Community, Federal and Provincial reps, and Ministerial staff to Make Investments Happen for Pelham.

Over the decades, Pelham used to be "shut out" from grants while other cities and towns received millions of dollars.

Now, Pelham has become a leader! These $8.4 investments represent the second highest per person stimulus funding in Niagara.

For example:
• Thorold: 18,000 people: $1.8 M stimulus
• Lincoln: 21,000 people: $1.7 M
• Grimsby: 24,000 people: $5.4 M
• Pelham: 17,000 people: $8.4 M

How did we achieve that together?
First, we met frequently with Pelham's Federal and Provincial representatives and even before the stimulus investments. For example, Mr. Hudak assisted us and connected us with Ministry staff. We also received copies of the successful applications from other Towns and Cities so that we could imitate them.

Staff & Council met with Provincial Ministers (Smitherman & Bradley):
o When Minister Bradley met with staff and I in my office in December 2008, tt was the first time in Pelham's history that a Provincial Minister had ever visited Town Hall!
Staff and I met with Provincial Ministry staff
o Infrastructure, Energy, Hyrdo One; Agriculture
Council also obviously got engaged in process and we used their contacts
Council and I encouraged Town Staff to:
o Use a team approach for Pelham's applications.
I invited the Pelham Business Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and all businesses and residents to get involved and write letters of support for improvements.

The focus on working together may have looked easy to some, but it has resulted in what Minister Jim Bradley stated at groundbreaking for Pelham Fire Station #2 on Friday.
He said "this is yet another milestone in the transformation of Pelham."


DISAPPOINTMENT:
Because we have achieved so much this term, I am disappointed that we couldn’t move ahead faster on issues with Town Property;

But as you know, THIS Council’s hands were tied by the previous Council when they gave control of the process to the Developers.

Good news is that we have managed to pay down $1.1 million of principal – while the previous Council only paid interest (no principal!);
Also the East Fonthill Secondary Plan should be complete in 2011.

CONCLUSION:
Working together we have achieved great things.
We have turned years of wait into months of action.

Pelham's Main Economic "Engine"

Below are my notes for the second prepared question at the Mayoral debate, hosted by the Fonthill Rotary Club on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the Royal Canadian Legion.


Question 2)
What do you consider will be the main economic engine in the Town of Pelham for the next 5/10/20 years and beyond? And, what is the Mayor’s responsibility in this regard?

BACKGROUND:
Historically, Pelham’s main economic engines have been agriculture and trade, residential developments and affiliated services.

Recently, also developing other services and a retail sector.
But, have little to no manufacturing or industrial operations.

Really rely on the businesses in other parts of Niagara.
Rely on improvements and advancements at Brock University and Niagara College and other key employers.

Statistics Canada says that 76% of employment work force works outside of Pelham
Double rest of Region – where it’s 36%.

At same time, Town’s First Strategic Plan of 1994, suggested that Town ease up rules on home-based businesses.

Result: 10% of Pelham’s employment work force works from Home, average across Region is 6%. This highlights Pelham's innovative, entrepreneurial residents.


THIS COUNCIL’s Actions:

Decisions and investments so will revitalize Downtowns – draw people and businesses to the downtowns.

Some proposals in the Draft Official Plan and in East Fonthill Secondary Plans should provide additional areas for small and medium sized businesses to grow in the Town.
EG:
Downtown Transitional Zones – near Downtowns
Highway Commercial – along Regional Road #20
Not talking big box stores, here;
Look at businesses that have set-up shop out-of-Town because no location for them:
Royal LePage; JTG Computer Systems; Nauta Home Designs; Personal Touch Home Improvements; Select Coffee Roasters;


Main Economic Driver in Pelham over next 20 years:

Residential Sector and allied services:
From garden centres to flooring stores, from Mobility Niagara to financial services;

Also:
With Pelham’s lively and walkable Downtowns, great culture, and relaxed rules to establish home-based businesses, Pelham needs to become a leader in Niagara in the new economy … the idea / creative economy

The "Creative Economy" includes:
o Graphic designers;
o Engineers;
o Writers and artists;
o Planners;
o Aeronautics – like Accipiter Radar Technologies;
o Bio-tech R&D;
o Robotics;
o Environmental industries;

MAYOR’S ROLE:
Will continue and expand on things already started:
1. Continue to work with Niagara Economic Development Corporation to promote Pelham to outside businesses:
a. Did that through new Economic Development website Pelham which was launched this summer

2. Expand current efforts with the Mayor’s Corporate Visitation Program:
a. current partnership with Chamber of Commerce:
b. Meet with local businesses, to discern what the Town can do or the Chamber can do so they can grow business;

3. Finally, I will also lead development of an overall vision and strategy for Pelham:
i. Not strategic plan for Town Hall;
ii. But, a strategic plan for the entire Town (and similar to the Mayor’s prosperity councils in other communities)

CONCLUSION:
It’s clear that during the next 20 years, Pelham’s economy will continue to be dependent on successes of businesses across the Niagara Region;
Also clear that to survive, Pelham will need to focus on:
• the agricultural sector;
• services to the residential sector, and;
• encouraging more small, creative-economy, idea-based, home-based businesses to start-up and expand.

Recreation & Town-Owned Lands

Below are my notes for the first prepared question at the Mayoral debate, hosted by the Fonthill Rotary Club on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the Royal Canadian Legion.


Question 1)
What is your position with regard to the Town providing a Community Recreation Centre and, what is the current status of the Town owned lands at the corner of Hwy. 20 and Rice Road? Please comment citing specific budget considerations and time lines.

Who among us wouldn’t want the best for our community?

Who wouldn’t want a new Twin-Pad arena, a new Community Centre, a new indoor pool, and new outdoor fields?

But the question isn’t simply about being “for or against” a community centre.

The responsible questions are about what Pelham needs and about what we can afford.

It’s responsible to ask what recreational and cultural facilities do we need now; and, what will we need in the future.

It’s also responsible to ask “what can we afford?” What can we afford for land and construction costs now, and for operating costs into the future?

To responsibly answer these questions, Council established a process so we could make informed decisions.

THIS COUNCIL'S ACTIONS:
First, this Council initiated a Facilities Feasibility Study, which studied all major Town facilities, and reported in 2008.
Then, Council established a working committee for recreational facilities with a mandate to:
o Determine the Town short and long term recreational needs;
o Refine Capital & Operating Costs;
o Test the business case for a community centre facility;

The Recreational Facilities Committee Final Report was to have been available by spring 2010, but now won’t be complete until November or December.

NEXT STEPS:
I believe the next step must be to facilitate significant and broad community consultation based on this final report.

With the data in the report, we can have an informed and open, community discussion so we can achieve a common vision about the future recreational and cultural needs for our Town.

Then, Council will be in a good position to make informed decisions in 2011.


RE: Town-Owned Property:
FACTS:
• Previous Council purchased the property in question for$3.6 million or average of $112,000 per acre in March 2005.
• And they ONLY paid interest.
• Paid for property as if parts were zoned commercial and as if had water and sewers -- but that was NOT the case.

Previous Council set to fix the zoning in April 2006, then stopped,
o gave control of planning process to development group in fall 2006.

THIS COUNCIL:
• Started paying down principal -- we have paid down $1.1 M (have $2.5 M remaining)
• Established process to work with Developers to finish planning -- first draft plan is currently with Town for comment;
• This East Fonthill Secondary Plan Process should be complete in 2011.

Only once Secondary Plan process complete will the property be "unlocked" and can any development on the Town-Owned property be allowed to proceed.

Haist Street Reconstruction Update

Whether you live on it or near it, you might be wondering about the Town’s progress on reconstructing Haist Street.

You will recall that Haist Street is being reconstructed from Canboro to Welland Road all in one year thanks to infrastructure stimulus funds from the Federal and Provincial governments. The Town had initially budgeted to undertake the work in stages over three years; instead we are able to invest 1/3 of the $5.7 million cost one-year only.

Since I had a couple of questions recently about the project’s financing, I want you to know that the Town is not incurring any debt for the project. Also, the project is well within budget and all contingencies are intact.

The contractor – Provincial Construction from Niagara Falls – has divided the project into two sections.

North of Pancake Lane (to Canboro Road), the contractor has already replaced the storm sewers and the watermain. Until mid-November, the contractor plans to attach water services and install new curbs and sidewalks. Staff expect that the base layer of asphalt will be paved in mid- to late-November.

Work in the section South of Pancake Lane (to Welland Road) is more complicated because the groundwater is so close to the surface. Provincial Construction has had to carry on extensive “dewatering” – pumping of groundwater out of the area – so that they can work underground. Staff expects the installation of storm sewers to be completed by mid-October, and the installation of the new watermain by the end of October. In this Southern half, curb and sidewalk work should take until the end of November and that base coat of asphalt should be paved in mid-December.

In the spring of 2011, Provincial Construction will pave the top-coat of asphalt, add sod and plant trees throughout both sections.

Staff meets with the contractor weekly to ensure the project continues to move along. And, while contingency plans are in place, this timeline is dependent on weather.

Finally, we are trying to be as proactive as possible on communication. For example, the Town's website contains biweekly updates. You can view the most recent update – Number 8 from September 21 – by scrolling down on the homepage of the Town’s website at www.pelham.ca. Staff also sent a letter to AK Wigg families on the first day of school about getting to and from school.

While the end is in sight, I sincerely appreciate the ongoing patience of residents living on and near Haist Street.

Pelham's "Glorious" Tree

When was the last time that you stood under the Comfort Maple?

A couple of weeks ago, I made a point of driving down the narrow lane off Melter Road in North Pelham to witness and give thanks for the great tree again.

As you may know, the Comfort Maple is thought to be more than 500 years old and is acknowledged as the oldest sugar maple in Canada! It could well have been a sapling when Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue in 1492.”

The tree is named in honour of the Comfort family, who acquired the land on which the tree grows in 1816. Through the years they cared for the mighty tree and in 1946 reserved a plot of land from their farm for it. Then in 1961, Edna Eleanor Comfort donated the land and tree to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in honour of her late brother Earl Hampton Comfort. The Comfort Maple Tree has also been officially designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

The Comfort Maple stands 24.5 metres (80 feet) tall with a crown that is 38 metres (125 feet) in circumference. The Maple measures 6 metres (20 feet) in circumference at the base. Because of its age and at least one major lightening strike, the tree has been repaired over the years with bricks as well as concrete and guy wires.

With such a distinctive feature in our Town, it’s no surprise that it figures prominently in Pelham’s official symbols. For example, our Town Crest contains the image of the Comfort Maple in full, red bloom of the fall. The tree is also one of the key images on the Town’s new website. And, on our recently launched Economic Development website, the Comfort Maple is the logo for Pelham under the “Niagara Original” marketing campaign.

When I visited it, there was a family – a grandfather, his daughter, and her children – also visiting. (The daughter had moved back to the area and the grandfather wanted to reacquaint them with some local features.) While the wind blew through the leaves and a thunderstorm developed, we each observed how we felt happy, content, and safe under the branches of the huge tree.

For me, the Comfort Maple is inspiring, symbolizes strength and tradition, and calls on us to give thanks; as the interpretive sign reads, “O Lord, how glorious are thy works.”