Thanks for Downtown Fonthill & Summerfest

For decades residents have wanted an improved Downtown Fonthill. Ten year ago, some business owners and residents approached the Town with a vision for the Downtown and the Communities in Bloom Committee formed to clean-up the Town and collect funds for beautification.

Four years ago, just after I started serving as Mayor, I called a community meeting about how we could take action to improve our downtowns. During that meeting, concerned citizens formed the Downtown Beautification Committee to plan façade improvements and other ways to breathe new life into Fonthill’s and Fenwick’s Downtowns. Eventually, the Committee became sanctioned by Town Council.

Over the years several residents served tirelessly on that committee, including: Gary Accursi, (Chair, representing the Pelham Business Association (PBA) and now Council), Acacia Ashick (Mayor's Youth Advisory Council (MYAC)), Todd Barber (PBA), Edie Basaraba (Communities in Bloom (CIB)), Emma Caldwell (MYAC), Elizabeth Carmichael (MYAC), Bea Clark (Pelham Active Transportation Committee), Sharon Cook (former Councillor), Joan Crowther (Citizen Representative), Patty Fagan (PBA), Andrew Gemel (MYAC), Andrea Johnson (Heritage Pelham Advisory Committee), Mary Lamb (Pelham Historical Society), Shirley Lazareth (CIB), Don Marr (CIB), Joe Mergl (CIB), Jenna Piunno (MYAC), Muriel Roden (Pelham Horticultural Society), Bill Sheldon (Citizen), Frank Sicoli (Citizen), and Craig Larmour (Town Staff).

Two years ago, the Downtown Beautification Committee worked with the community to develop design guidelines – the “look and feel” for developments in the Downtowns. At the same time, Council set aside funds to incent improvements for property owners. And, after the Town applied for stimulus infrastructure funding, the Federal and Provincial governments approved up to $850,000 each. The Niagara Region also provided $100,000 for streetscaping.

One year ago, the Town finalized the engineering design for the road, water, and streetscaping improvements and began construction. Council also approved the incentive program.

Six-months ago, another group of dedicated volunteers formed to organize a celebration at the end of construction. The Pelham Summerfest Committee included: Todd Barber (Chair), Gary Accursi (Council), Leigh Atherton (Zest), Cathy Berkhout-Bosse (ReMax), Bea Clark (Active Transportation Committee), Santa Cyopik (Communities in Bloom), Catherine King (Council), Paul Roode (Indulgence), David Watt (Zest), John Wink (PBA), Katie Thorpe and Vickie VanRavensway (Town Staff). Many, many more volunteers assisted them to create Summerfest.

On Saturday, July 23, we celebrated the official opening of a newly revitalized Downtown Fonthill with the First Annual Summerfest.

On behalf of Council, I appreciate the vision, dedication, and tremendous work by so many volunteers and staff to revitalize the downtown and celebrate a new beginning with Pelham Summerfest. Thank you and congratulations on a resounding and overwhelming success!

Celebrate Summerfest in a Revitalized Downtown Fonthill

As the construction nears completion, the celebration is about to begin.

Last week saw not only the installation of a crosswalk at Churchill, but also the planting of many of the trees in Downtown Fonthill. This week, the top layer of asphalt and most of the benches, gardens, and trees are to be finished south of Regional Road #20. And, the clock – donated by Communities In Bloom – will be installed.

You will recall that the pre-construction work – burying of the hydro lines and other utilities – began last spring. Construction began in earnest last July as the street from College to Regional Road #20 was dug up for new water and sewer lines. That work took until December, when the contractor poured curbs and added layer of asphalt.

Major work on the Northern side of Regional Road #20 to Broad Street began this spring. The contractor completed the underground work and is finishing the curbs, sidewalks, pavers, and other “streetscaping” features.

The major final, but much-needed piece to be completed is the traffic signal at #20 and Pelham Street. The Region will now upgrade the traffic signals and the contractor will rework the corner to be safer and better for pedestrians.

You will recall that the Federal and Provincial government contributed two-thirds of the construction costs. The Town is also using “Investing in Ontario” funding from the Provincial Government to pay for most of the costs for burying the utilities.

Admittedly, this construction has been very difficult for many Downtown Fonthill businesses.

That’s why I am so pleased that many business owners, the Town, members of service clubs and other residents have teamed up to host Summerfest this Saturday.

Summerfest – to be held from noon to midnight on July 23 – will celebrate the end of construction and the beginning of a newly revitalized Downtown Fonthill!

The festival’s events will include:
- Street Party Zone will include great music on a main stage, a beer garden, a zumba challenge, and venders;
- Active Lifestyle Zone will include a swim meet, a fun walk / run, a bike rodeo, and Nordic walking demos;
- X Zone will include an AMPfest youth band competition, a skate park and climbing wall, and an art contest;
- Kid’s Zone will include a bouncy gym jungle slide, Disney charactors, great games.

For complete information, please see www.pelhamsummerfest.ca.

I deeply appreciate the many, committed volunteers who have organized Summerfest and the hundreds of sponsors! And, I invite you to come celebrate our newly revitalized Downtown Fonthill this Saturday!

Haist Street Substantially Complete

Like planned, the Canada Day Parade returned to the newly reconstructed Haist Street last week. It was wonderful to see the hundreds of families who gathered to celebrate Canada’s 144th Birthday on July 1st.

You will recall that, as one of Pelham’s most-used collector roads, the two kilometers of Haist Street from Canboro to Welland Road desperately required reconstruction.

The $5.7 million reconstruction included added-width for bicycles, sidewalks on both sides of the street, four raised crosswalks to calm the traffic, and a pedestrian-priority crossing signal in front of A.K. Wigg School. The replacement of the cast iron watermains has improved drinking water quality and system resiliency. The reconstruction eliminated the potential of road washouts and helps to protect the environment by replacing the wide ditches with an underground storm water system.

It is true that the work has taken nearly 20 months to complete. Council agreed to break the project into two phases so that we could take advantage of significant Federal and Provincial infrastructure stimulus funding that stipulated a certain “start date.”

That’s why the first phase began in November 2009 and included the sanitary sewer relocation near Welland Road. The high water table delayed completion until March 2010; the contractor needed to “de-water” the area before crews could replace the large sewers. I sympathize deeply with the residents who live directly in that area; their lives have been impacted by noise, dust, and considerable inconvenience for a long time.

The second phase began in April, 2010. You will recall that the contractor paved the base layer of asphalt in the section North of Pancake Lane (to Canboro Road) in late November 2010. Work on the section South of Pancake Lane (to Welland Road) was much more complicated, again, because of the high water table and the required “dewatering.” The contractor just paved the Southern half in June.

The remaining work includes completing the sodding, paving the top-coat of asphalt, cutting the road and installing the four raised cross-walks, assessing and fixing deficiencies, and planting trees.

I do also want you to know that Kelly Walsh, Director of Community & Infrastructure Services, assured Council at our June 27 meeting that the project was “tracking to tender” – i.e.: well-within the tendered amount agreed upon by Council.

Finally, with the project “substantially complete,” I acknowledge and deeply thank all area residents – most especially those living on Haist Street – for your patience, your flexibility, and your understanding.

New Fire Station, Ongoing Service

We held the Grand Opening of the new Pelham Fire Station #2 this past Saturday.

More than a decade ago a small planning group of Firefighters identified several deficiencies in the former Fire Station. They suggested building a replacement facility, but lack of funding stopped that process.

Then, in August 2008, Town Council formally established a Fire Station #2 Replacement Committee. Chaired by former-Councillor Debbie Urbanowicz (who attended the opening!), the Committee included Councillor Peter Papp, Fire Chief Scott McLeod, District Chief Owen Simmonds, Captain Otto Heinrich, Captain Tim Vanderweide, Town CAO Martin Yamich, and myself (ex officio).

The Committee reconfirmed that Town needed a new Fire Station on a new site because parts of the 50-year-old building are structurally inadequate and deteriorating, because of the safety concerns with firefighters backing-up vehicles after each call, and because the old site has no room to expand or reconstruct a new fire station.

The Committee worked with Firefighters to determine their needs and worked with the community to find the best location and property for a new Fire Station. The Committee completed a functional analysis to determine space requirements and an appropriate building configuration, and oversaw an environmental assessment and re-zoning of the site.

When the National and Provincial government announced Infrastructure Stimulus Funding, the Town submitted a complete business case for the new facility. That funding made Fire Station #2 a reality! I deeply appreciate support of Federal and Provincial governments who invested a total of $1.98 million into the $2.9 million project.

The new, 12,000 square foot facility includes:
o a separate area to store bunker gear and each firefighter’s specialized equipment;
o specialized areas for firefighter training – including a smoke room, an elevated training platform, an auto-extrication pad, and a classroom;
o a hall for large-group training and community events; and
o drive-through parking bays for fire vehicles.

I offer special thanks to Steve Bernier, Panichi Architects, John Klassen & John Colangelo, Bromac Construction, and Martin Yamich, Town CAO and Project Manager.

Saturday’s Grand Opening was about much more than a building. It was about the men and women who have given of themselves, and who continue to give to the community so that they can be prepared for any and all emergencies and so that each of us can be safe.

Congratulations to Pelham Fire District #2 and the Pelham Fire Service and thank you for your ongoing dedication, commitment, hard work and service.

Vote in the Ward One By-Election

If you live in Ward One, you will have likely seen some by-election signs displayed on a few people’s lawns. Well, they won’t be there long…the by-election is on Monday!

You will recall that following the resignation of Debbie Urbanowicz from Pelham Town Council, Councillors debated our options to replace her.

Essentially, the Municipal Act provides two possibilities: Council may appoint an “eligible” person – a Canadian citizen over 18 years old and who resides in the Town; or Council may hold a by-election for that specific, Ward seat.

Initially, the majority of Councillors opted to appoint someone. They wanted to advertise in the paper, interview applicants, and pick the new Councillor during a special closed-door session. (I disagreed with the idea and voted against the plan.)

Well, Councillors and I were overwhelmed by the feedback from the community! I had so many people contact me that I had to keep track of the phone calls, emails, and conversations in a spreadsheet. When I analyzed the results, I found that more than two-thirds of the households that contacted me suggested we hold a by-election. Interesting, if you broke that down by Wards, more than 84% of Ward One households called for a by-election.

The majority feel that it is far better that hundreds and hundreds of people choose their new Councillor instead of a few people around a Council table.

Council listened to the feedback, and, on March 21, voted to hold a by-election. The Town’s Clerk called for nominations from the community from April 5 until May 6.

Following that nomination period, a total of five people put their names forward for the by-election. They include: Louis Butko, David Emmons, Rob Fraser, Jim Lane, and Richard Rybiak.

Interestingly, only two candidates – Richard Rybiak and Jim Lane – actually live in Ward One. (Each of the other candidates lives in Ward Two and can’t even vote in the by-election.)

So, today is the Advance Poll day from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the new Pelham Fire Station #2 at 766 Welland Road, Fenwick.

Voting Day will be Monday, June 20 from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM at either the new Pelham Fire Station #2 or at the First Presbyterian Church, 602 Metler Road, North Pelham. (For more information about Voting, please visit the Town’s website at www.pelham.ca.)

This is your opportunity to have your voice heard. If you are an eligible voter in Ward One, please vote!

What Should Pelham Look Like in the Future?

As you may know, Pelham still has a few tracts of land set aside and available for new growth.

The largest is in the “East Fonthill” area – between Rice Road and Station Street / Steve Bauer Trail and from Regional Road 20 to the Town’s southern boundary (south of Merritt Street).

While much of these nearly 500 acres of lands are currently farmed, the entire area was added to the Urban Boundary by an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) in 2000. It is estimated that at least 5,000 people could be living in this area within 20 years; that is why the Region installed water and sewer trunk lines in 2007/08.

The OMB decision required the Town to undertake a “Secondary Plan” before allowing development to proceed.

All Towns and Cities must have “Official Plans” (OPs). Essentially, an Official Plan contains policies and guidelines and outlines where commercial, agricultural, industrial, and residential developments can occur. It uses a series of maps to demonstrate those areas.

Pelham adopted our current Official Plan in 1987. We started renewing and modernizing the OP in the late 1990s; but, since the Province began changing their governing policies in the mid-2000s– Greenbelt Plan, “Places to Grow”, Provincial Policy Statement – the Town must adapt our own policies and guidelines. Staff anticipates that the Town’s new Official Plan will be available for public input and feedback this Fall.

Like an Official Plan covering the entire Town, a Secondary Plan contains detailed policies and guidelines for growth and development for a specific area – in this case, this East Fonthill area.

Some of the goals of the East Fonthill Secondary Plan include ensuring a well-designed, attractive, pedestrian-friendly community with a mixture of housing types; encouraging significant retail / commercial development while at the same time protecting the existing Fonthill Downtown; providing a “Greenlands System” that protects existing environmental features and integrates with the Steve Bauer Trail system; and developing a pedestrian / cyclist-friendly and transit-ready road network.

Council and I are really interested in your feedback and suggestions on the East Fonthill Secondary Plan. You can find a draft Plan on the Town’s website at www.pelham.ca and at Town Hall and the Libraries. Please send us an email or letter or attend the Open House on Tuesday, June 21 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Pelham Fire Station #1.

Don’t miss your chance on being involved in a plan that will dramatically shape the future of Pelham.

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.