Done soon, support downtown Fonthill businesses

A theme last week was the need to support of Downtown Fonthill businesses while moving toward a new, vibrant vision.

First, John Wink, President of the Pelham Business Association (PBA), presented to Council last Monday. Wink expressed the frustration some that downtown businesses have felt with the revitalization process. He explained that some Pelham Street stores have seen a 50% drop in revenues and have laid-off employees.

He made it clear that the PBA supports the reconstruction of the street, burying the utilities, and the streetscaping; the duration of the construction, however, is negatively affecting businesses. Wink urged Council to pressure the contractors to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Part of a special organizing committee, Wink also reminded Council of the Saturday, July 23 Summerfest to celebrate end of the work.

Later in the meeting Council urged the general contractor – Brennan Construction – to commit to completing the project on or before July 8 and well in advance of Summerfest.

Then, on Tuesday morning I spoke to the Pelham / Welland Chamber of Commerce. I indicated that construction on Pelham St. is nearly done. I also expressed concern for local businesses and encouraged Chamber members to support downtown Fonthill businesses.

In his closing remarks, John Krall, emcee and past-President of the Chamber, urged members to “reset your GPS to take you back into downtown Fonthill.” Krall stated that “these businesses need your support.”

Later in the week, while buying coffee at Café on Main, I bumped into Todd Barber. As you may know, Todd designed and is overseeing the construction of the new building between Butterflies and Zest. He took me on a tour of the new retail spaces on street-level, the bottom retail / office space, and the apartments on the second floor. An impressive design, the building serves as a landmark of the new vision Council has for the downtowns.

Then, on Friday, Rocco Spano introduced himself and showed me his plans for his new business. You see, Rocco is renovating the space at the base of Churchill on Pelham Street that will produce and serve homemade, high-quality gelato. He plans to open by Canada Day.

Council and I are concerned with both the length of the reconstruction and the effect on downtown businesses. I also encourage you to “reset you GPS” to downtown Fonthill and to support local businesses as we complete the downtown revitalization project.

Cell Tower Process & Update

Did you hear that some new cell towers will be coming to Pelham?

As you may recall, a couple of years ago Rogers Communications notified the Town that they planned to install two such towers. They intended to build one on Canboro Road near Victoria Avenue and the other tower along Victoria Avenue near Twenty Road.

At the time, many local residents asked Town Council to get involved in the process. They were concerned about the health effects of the radio waves on them and their children.

While Rogers ultimately did not proceed with these applications, Council learned that two Federal Departments govern the process – Industry Canada and Health Canada.

Health Canada works to ensure that installations meet health guidelines; specifically, all towers must meet something called “Safety Code 6” which regulates radio frequencies to limit human exposure.

After meeting Health Canada guidelines, Industry Canada regulates location and building standards (under the National Building Code).

But, just prior to the 2009 Pelham applications, Industry Canada opened the door to allowing municipalities to get involved in the approval process.

I stress “process.” You see, Industry Canada allowed Cities and Towns to develop protocols for public engagement. So, Council took advantage of the situation and is among a few municipalities that have developed protocols. Now, the Town hosts a public meeting, facilitates information exchanges with residents, and compels applicants to circulate notice to affected neighbours.

Again, I stress “process” because we have no ability to approve or deny an application. The most we can do is “humbly request.”

This happened recently when Rogers Communication notified the Town that it intended to install two cellular towers – one at the original Victoria Avenue / Twenty Road area, and a second near Chantler Road and Murdoch Street. The Town’s protocol compelled Rogers to circulate notice to a wider group of nearby residents and participate in a public meeting (held on March 28). At Council’s April 18 meeting we not only received a staff report about that meeting, we also heard presentations by a concerned resident and by Rogers.

At the meeting, Council “humbly requested” Rogers to demonstrate that they were a “good corporate citizen” by getting a building permit, painting the towers grey (to blend in with the sky), shielding any airplane warning lights, and refraining from co-locating cell transmitters from other companies (to limit exposure). Rogers agreed to the requests.

Should other applications arise, the Town will continue to follow this “process” and will likely continue to “humbly request” concessions.

Vibrant, Creative, Caring and You!

If you have ever been involved in strategic planning, you will know that taking time away from the pressing demands of your job, life, and immediate responsibilities can be very powerful. It can lead to “outside of the box” thinking. It can bring people together for a common purpose and to develop common plans.

With the help of Angela Carter, a local facilitator, Council and Senior Staff recently undertook this type of comprehensive review of the Town’s Strategic Plan. Councillors used a full-day session in February and a follow-up meeting in April to bring forward the vision and desires of residents that we heard during last fall’s municipal election. We endeavoured to bring the voice of the community to the plan.

During these sessions, Council and Staff redefined the mission and the vision for the Town. I am pleased that that process ignited a new passion and excitement for Pelham’s future and revealed a bond and strength for moving forward.

The new Mission for the Town: Serving and enhancing our unique blend of urban and rural lifestyles.

And, we also developed a new Vision for Pelham: The most vibrant, creative, and caring community in Niagara.

This vision inspires innovation through creativity and calls for a community that is alive and vibrant.

We also identified six key strategic themes as prevailing priorities for the coming years:
• An Open, Welcoming & Inviting Community;
• A Connected Community;
• Balanced Growth;
• An Engaged & Integrated Community;
• A Self-Sustaining Community; and
• Environmental Responsibility.

From these themes, Council and Staff established a set of outcomes and general strategies to ensure that the Vision could be measured. Once Council adopts the Plan, Staff will create a business plan to identify timelines and who will be held accountable for the strategies and action.

But, part of being “An Open, Welcoming & Inviting Community” means that Council remains committed to engaging you and other residents in the Strategic Planning process. We want to hear from you and encourage additional input, ideas, and actions prior to formally adopting the plan.

Therefore, the Town will host a public open house on Tuesday, May 3 at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers at Pelham Town Hall to allow you to review the Plan and provide feedback. The draft Strategic Plan will be available for your review on the Town’s website prior to the meeting.

I hope you will review the Plan and provide your reaction so we can continue to work together make Pelham the most vibrant, creative, and caring community in Niagara.

Help to Revitalize Downtown Fenwick

Just as are making the final push for Fonthill’s Downtown, I wanted to bring you an update about Downtown Fenwick and invite you to be part of its revitalization too.

You will recall that in late 2008 the Town applied for funding from the Federal and Provincial government to revitalize both Fonthill’s and Fenwick’s Downtowns. The $7.1 million application envisioned major infrastructure enhancements: water, waste-water, and storm-sewer improvements; burying of hydro cables; road improvements; and proper streetscaping – better parking, brickwork, decorative lampposts, benches and planters.

In early 2009 we heard we were successful in achieving two-thirds funding to revitalize Downtown Fonthill. As you know, we started that construction work last summer and the revitalization will be complete by June 30. In fact, they have pulverized Pelham Street from Regional Road 20 to Broad Street and are constructing a new watermain and storm sewers. In the portion south of RR#20, the contractor is placing the tree beds and will be commencing the sidewalk construction, brick boulevards and planning of trees into May.

You will recall, however, that the Federal and Provincial governments deemed the improvements for Fenwick as a second project and ineligible for that 2009 funding.

But, in December 2009 the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario announced a second “intake” for the Community Adjustment Fund. In January 2010, the Town applied for $2.3 million of that program’s funding from the Federal Government for the revitalization of Fenwick’s Downtown.

We had hoped that the $2.7 million project would provide help “calm” traffic by creating urban design features – like pedestrian crossing treatments or gateways – that work with the road design to slow traffic. We had envisioned that the works would help to visually distinguish the downtown core, provide decorative roadway and pedestrian lighting to improve safety, and widen sidewalks to help make it more walkable.

Alas, we did not succeed in securing those funds and Council will have to budget for the works and / or keep pursuing grants.

However, the Town, through our engineering consultant, has continued to design a revitalized Downtown Fenwick. And, they are finally ready to publicly display the design options and to get your feedback and thoughts.

You and your neighbours are invited to review the plans at a special Public Information Centre on Wednesday, April 20 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Old Pelham Town Hall. I hope you will provide your feedback on the options so we can continue to work together to improve Pelham.

Opposed to Provincial Changes to the Kame

I want to give you an update about the “Area of Natural and Scientific Interest” (ANSI) on the Fonthill Kame and a recent unanimous decision by Pelham Council.

What is the Fonthill-Kame? In simple terms, think about it as the “hill” in both Fonthill and Shorthills and even the “ridge” in Ridgeville.

Scientifically, 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 and soil 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, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommended making changes to the ANSI, significantly reducing its area.

At that time, the Town of Pelham Council, Niagara Regional Council, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, the Niagara Peninsular Conservation, scientific experts, more than a dozen Pelham citizens, and Tim Hudak, MPP, have publicly recommended that the current ANSI be maintained and enhanced. (Minister Jim Bradley also indicated to me that was supportive of maintaining the ANSI boundaries.) In early 2010, Pelham received a letter from the Natural Resources Minister in which she stated “Please let me assure you that it is our intention to maintain and, where feasible, enhance the current ANSI boundary.”

Now, the MNR has put forward another proposal to redefine the ANSI boundaries. (Please clikc here to see their cover letter, the map, the fact sheet, and the summary documents.) And, while it makes small improvement over the 2009 proposal, it fails to protect large portions of the feature. In fact, last year in his annual report, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner warned the MNR about using this type of “swiss-cheese” approach. (Please see section 3.3 in that report.)

It’s also clear that the MNR’s proposal will open up some of the most significant areas of the Kame to development pressures, like aggregate resource extraction.

At our March 21 meeting, Pelham Council unanimously opposed the ANSI boundary changes. The Region will also consider MNR’s proposal at an April 6 committee meeting. (For a copy of the Region's report, please click here.)

Should We Appoint or Hold A By-Election?

As you know, Debbie Urbanowicz resigned from Council on February 28 for personal and health reasons. She served the Town since 2003 and won re-election in both 2006 and 2010. She will be missed and Council accepted her resignation “with regret.”

During our March 7 Council meeting, we declared her Ward One seat vacant. Later in the evening and during our General Committee meeting, Councillors debated a report outlining the options to fill this seat. (For a copy of the report, please click here.)

The Municipal Act provides two options:

First, Council may appoint an “eligible” person within 60 days of declaring a seat vacant (before May 6). An eligible person includes someone who consents to the appointment, and is a Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old and resides in the Town.

Second, Council may hold a by-election. An eligible candidate would have to fulfill the same criteria as above. Staff estimates that the financial cost to conduct a by-election in Ward One would be approximately $8,000.

Vacancies like this have occurred twice in Pelham’s history. The first was in 1972 when a Councillor died while in office. Since the death was within 90 days before the next election, Council followed the Municipal Act and did not fill the vacancy.

The second time was in 2008, when Malcolm Allen was elected to the House of Commons. With two-years remaining in the term, Council appointed the municipal candidate who placed next in Ward One the 2006 Municipal Election – James Lane.

As you may know, General Committee recommended that the Town advertise the vacant seat for three weeks and call for “applications from the public.” The March 7th recommendation further stated that “…Council will meet in closed session to review applicant’s applications and to determine by vote which applicant, if any, will be appointed to Council for the remainder of the term.”

A recorded vote was taken in which Councillors Gary Accursi, Larry Clark, and John Durley voted in favour and Councillor Catherine King and I opposed the recommendation. (Councillor Peter Papp declared a perceived conflict of interest because a potential appointee – James Lane – is his brother-in-law.)

On March 21 the Committee’s recommendation will be presented to Council. Council may then debate the matter again and will take a final vote to decide the course of action.

Before that vote, I am very interested in hearing your views on the matter. You may also want to contact your Councillors directly; for their contact information, please click here or call Town Hall at 905-892-2607.

Less than 1% Increase

At Monday’s Regular Meeting, Council approved the Town’s 2011 Operating Budget.

What does that mean for your pocket book?

Well, the average residential property value for 2011 is expected to be $272,000. If your home and property were assessed at that value, you would be paying an additional $11 or a total of $1,258 on the Pelham portion of your property tax bill. This accounts for an increase of 0.88% for the average residential property in Pelham.

Why such a small increase when other Cities and Towns contemplate a 5%, 6%, or 12% rise?

Town Staff reviewed the budget line by line and ensured it was tight as possible while fulfilling Council’s policies and goals. During the transition period for a new Council, for example, Staff compared previous budgets to actual spending and found more ways to trim the 2011 Budget.

What are some of the highlights for 2011?

The Town will invest in better communication with you and your neighbours. Staff will reduce the reliance on “snail mail” by offering billings by email, by increasing the use of electronic funds transfers, and by using a phone notification system. In addition, the Town will continue with the new procurement system following a highly successful six-month purchase order pilot project.

To help manage the Community Improvement Plan grants and loans, the new Heritage Committee responsibilities, and the completion of the East Fonthill Secondary Plan and Official Plan, and to provide better customer / resident service, the Town will be hiring an additional planner.

Recreation & Community Services will expand services and programs including new fitness programs in camp and swimming for children 9-13 and additional programs for adults.

Based on a service review and cost analysis, instead of contracting-out mowing, Town Staff will cut the grass again in Town parks and other key areas.

In partnership with the Region and to become a more environmentally friendly community, the Town will offer recycling in all parks and recreational facilities – like the arena. It is expected that this new service will begin by Canada Day.

To put the 2011 Budget into perspective, this is by far the lowest increase in the last eight years – the period for which I have reliable data. And, from what I am hearing across the Niagara, Pelham will likely be the lowest increase again this year.

If you would like additional information about the 2011 operating budget, please visit the Town’s website at www.pelham.ca.

Working on Your Budgets

Much of my time lately has been spent working on budgets both for Pelham and for the Region.

In mid-January, I was honoured to have been elected Chair of the Region’s Budget Review Committee. The Committee has since met four times to examine the Region’s Capital and Operating budgets and the Water and Waste Water budgets. Councillors also deliberated over budgets of the Region’s five departments and five outside Boards & Agencies in greater detail at special committee meetings. The Region also hosted a public consultation forum in early February.

Despite that work, the Region’s budget is still a work in progress; we are scheduled, however, to approve most of the Region’s budgets on Thursday, March 3 at Regional Council.

Most of Pelham’s budgets are also a work in progress. For example, we examined the Town’s Operating Budget during a special committee meeting on February 28; we will debate the Town’s Water and Waste Water budgets on March 7.

However, Pelham Council did approve the 2011 Capital Budget on February 22.

You will recall that a capital budget plans for the acquisition or rehabilitation of major infrastructure and equipment that have a long life. Such capital assets include municipal buildings, arenas, trucks and vehicles, roads and sidewalks, and water/sewerage pipes.

(In contrast, the operating budget provides for the “day-to-day” expenditures such as salaries, wages, benefits, heat, hydro, and routine maintenance of buildings and infrastructure.)

Your Town’s $4.6 million Capital Budget will fund many improvements, such as:
• A new pumper truck to replace a 1994 smaller pumper at Fire Station #3 and to provide better rural service;
• $1.2 million of road reconstruction including Effingham Road from Sixteen to Kilman; Foss Road from Effingham to Poth; Chantler Road from Balfour to Poth; and Sumbler west of Church Street;
• $525,000 of road resurfacing including Lorimer Street from Hurricane to Station; Brookbank Crescent; Quaker Road from Welland to Haist; River Road from Cream to Farr and east of Effingham;
• Parks and Recreation investments like ball diamond grooming equipment, new soccer shelters for Harold Black Park, court resurfacing at the Arena and North Pelham Parks, renovations to Old Town Hall, and a master plan for landscaping Peace Park;
• Replacing old vehicles including a 1993 5-tonne truck, a 1999 half-ton pick-up truck, and a 1998 mower;
• Completing the East Fonthill Secondary Plan and Town Official Plan; and
• Rebalancing capital reserves from the unprecedented work over the last couple of years.

I will continue to keep you informed of progress on these 2011 Budgets in future columns.

Keeping the Snow Off the Roads

We sure do have a lot of snow, don’t we? So much snow that it’s starting to feel like an old-fashioned winter, isn’t it?

All that snow means that Town Staff have to work hard to get it off the roads so you and I can make our way around and in- and out-of Town. Council and I have received many compliments for the way in which Staff have recently cleared the roads.

Take, for example, the snow we had last Wednesday. You will recall that it was supposed to be an all-out blizzard and dump a foot or more of blowing snow upon us. Thankfully we missed the brunt of the storm, but our road crew was out ensuring the roads were clear and safe.

They started very early Wednesday morning and despite the schools being closed, I found the roads quite passable when I headed out at 8:25. When the snow kept falling through the day, Staff kept working until 5:00 PM. Our Road Patroller monitored the situation all evening, and ensured that the main roads were clear. The rest of the crew came back in at 4:00 AM on Thursday to ensure that the majority of roads were cleaned up for you to travel safely later in that morning.

It is the Town’s goal that Staff clear all roads within 24 hours of a “snow event”; occasionally, however, Mother Nature does not cooperate and it takes longer to clear the entire Town. (We appreciate your patience on those occasions!)

As you may have read in the Town’s recently distributed Winter Control Services brochure, the Town is divided into eight snow clearing routes. Within each route, the main roads – the “primary” and “collector” roads – are cleared prior to the local roads – like sidestreets and cul-de-sacs.

That makes sense doesn’t it? Primary roads like Canboro Road, Pelham Street and Effingham Road should be cleared first because they are the main arteries for traffic. Collector roads like Welland Road, Haist Street, and Sixteen Road are also considered priority roads because of the number of vehicles that use them each day. At the same time, Regional Staff ensure our Regional Roads – Highway 20, Victoria Avenue, Webber Road, and Rice Road – are cleared early and often.

The Town’s annual snow control budget is about $500,000. While the amount spent varies from year-to-year, we add any surpluses from one winter – like last year – into a reserve to help pay for work in years with lots of snow – like this year.

2.5 Changes to "Collection Day"

If you’re like me, I can’t remember what to recycle each week; I can’t remember whether it’s a “paper” week – recycle newsprint, paper and cardboard – or whether it’s a “blue box” week – recycle cans, bottles, and plastic trays, tubs, and lids.

Well, starting February 28, two-and-a-half things are going to change on “garbage day.”

First, you will be able to recycle each “stream” of material every week. That means that we can take out both the paper recycling (in the grey bin) and the cans and bottles (blue box) each week.

But, don’t combine the materials into one bin; please keep it separate so that it can be collected in separate compartments on the trucks and effectively dealt with at the Recycling Centre.

We are also encouraged to continue to set out our “green bins” with food and compostable yard materials each week. Our family fills half a green bin each week with food scraps and other organics from the kitchen and bathroom. This way we keep the “yucky stuff” out of the landfill.

Second, you will be limited to one bag or container for garbage each week. I hope this will not be a problem for most households. We have two adults and two children in our home and each week for the last five years our garbage can has been only half-full while our green bin and two recycling containers are filled.

If you aren’t currently recycling or using your green bin, now is the time to start! Everything that you currently put at the curb for collection can still go to the curb for collection. It's just a matter of the container you use to put it at the curb! (If you need recycling containers, Staff at Pelham Town Hall would be pleased to assist you.)

There are exemptions for households with children in diapers and with individuals with medical conditions that result in extra waste.

What’s the half change? A new company – Emterra Environmental – recently won the seven-year collection contract. They decided that it would be more efficient to collect from some households with a Thursday collection on Tuesday. Generally, this change affects households from Victoria Avenue to Effingham Road and from Regional Road 20 to Welland Road. Unless you receive a separate notice by February 18, there will be no change to your collection day. (Please click HERE to see a map of the area that will change.)

With these improvements and the focus on increased diversion of waste to landfills, I hope we can start calling it “collection day” instead of “garbage day.”

For more information about the specific changes, please go to the Region's website by clicking HERE.