January 2021 Town of Pelham Newsletter
Meridian Community Centre, Town Hall, closed as province-wide lockdown began December 26, 2020
With the Grey-Lockdown level initiated by the provincial government on December 26, 2020, the Town of Pelham made changes to its facility’s operations.
To comply with the province’s changes to rules and regulations outlined in the Grey-Lockdown level, the Town of Pelham closed the Meridian Community Centre to the public, effective Thursday, December 24, 2020, at noon.
Town Hall was closed for its regular holiday break from December 24, 2020, at noon until January 4, 2021. Town Hall previously welcomed residents with appointments; however, in-person meetings will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances during the lockdown.
Staff remain available to residents via telephone and email. The public can find a full list of staff contact information at www.pelham.ca/contact.
The Fonthill branch and Maple Acre Library branches remain available for contactless curbside pickup of library materials and take-home craft kits and pickup of materials sent to the library for printing/copying/scanning.
Parks, playgrounds and trails are open; however, these areas are not cleaned or sanitized, nor is winter maintenance provided by the time. It is encouraged that thorough hand washing and sanitizing occur after the park or playground equipment is used.
“We’ve reached a point during this pandemic where a province-wide lockdown is required to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Mayor Marvin Junkin. “The residents of Pelham have done a great job so far in adhering to Public Health guidelines, and we’re asking them to continue their efforts. We urge everyone to follow the lockdown rules so that our community, businesses, and front-line workers can have the burden of this virus lifted.”
For more information on the Town’s award-winning response to COVID-19, visit: www.pelham.ca/covid19.
Pelham receives nearly 1.3 million in second phase of Provincial COVID-19 relief funding
The Town of Pelham received $1,298,000 from the Province of Ontario’s relief for municipalities phase two funding announcement. In total, for 2020, the Town of Pelham received just over $1.7 million through both phases.
The second phase of funding, announced on December16, 2020, builds upon the first phase of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement this past summer. The funding allows municipalities to deliver critical services and programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring towns and cities avoid operating deficits in 2021. Phase two funding represents total lost revenue related to COVID-19 and additional expenses incurred, including operating impacts on the library.
The Provincial government’s funding provides significant assistance to Pelham taxpayers, who will not be asked to bear the brunt of COVID-19 deficits.
“The Province came to the rescue, not just for Pelham, but municipalities across Niagara and Ontario,” said Mayor Marvin Junkin. “This funding is game-changing, and we are grateful to receive such a significant amount to help offset lost revenue and not ask our taxpayers to carry any of that burden.”
In August, Pelham received $428,500 plus $18,334 for transit in the first phase of funding. At the time, year-end estimates suggested revenues would be short just over $220,000. The second phase announcement ensures that Pelham will not be carrying a deficit into 2021 due to COVID-19.
“This is great news for Pelham,” said Teresa Quinlin, director of corporate services and treasurer. “Working through the COVID-19 pandemic tested all of us, and from a financial standpoint, we operated conservatively and appropriately, always with the best interest of the municipality and its residents in mind.”
Recently, Town Council deferred the passing of the operating and capital budgets for 2021, pausing their completion until the second phase of funding arrived. Council will now consider these budgets in early-to-mid January 2021.
In Niagara, Pelham received the third-highest amount in phase two funding, behind only St. Catharines and Niagara Falls.
Services and programs in the Town continue to operate on a slightly modified basis. Town Hall remains open by appointment only, and programs at the Meridian Community Centre are available based on the health and safety protocols set forth by the Province and Niagara Region Public Health.
To learn more about the Town’s award-winning response to COVID-19, visit: www.pelham.ca/covid19
Beautification Committee spots candles for hope
Submitted by the Pelham Beautification Committee
Pelham residents have gone all out this year decorating their homes for the holiday season. The residence at 1549 Pelham St, at the corner of Broad, is one such home and is deserving of the Pelham Beautification Committee’s recognition for the December Thank You card initiative.
Cindy Palframan has lived in this beautiful two story white house, built in the 1930’s, for a couple of years and has taken great pleasure restoring and decorating the home and grounds for every season. A neighbour submitted Cindy’s home last summer to the Committee for consideration because of the beautiful landscaped gardens. The residence is also on the 2020 Pelham Christmas Lighting Tour and was recently recognized with first place honours in the ‘traditional lighting category’.
Congratulations Cindy for your outstanding contribution towards enhancing and beautifying your Fonthill neighbourhood.
The Pelham Beautification Committee is an advisory committee to Pelham Council. The Committee seeks to foster civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement. The monthly ‘Thank You’ card program is one of the Committee’s efforts to inspire the Town’s businesses, organizations and residents to exemplify ideals defined in the Beautification Committee’s Terms of Reference, available at www.pelham.ca/beautification.
The Pelham Beautification Committee will name a recipient each month. Individuals are encouraged to submit potential recipient recommendations to the Pelham Beautification Committee at: beautification@pelham.ca. For more information, contact: Cynthia Roberts, Vice-Chair, Pelham Beautification Committee, at 289-686-5676.