March 2020 Town of Pelham Newsletter
March 2020 Town of Pelham Newsletter
Stay up to date with programming at the MCC
You never know what you’ll find going on at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham. From public skating to pickleball, there is a regular flurry of activity occurring each and every day.
To find out what’s happening, and when, head over to the Town of Pelham’s website at: www.pelham.ca/mcc or visit us onsite to see what programs are happening and when.
It’s always good practice to take a quick peek before you head out for your anticipated program, because there are times when things like tournaments, closures, and more require the cancellation or change to a program.
We do our best to provide a full, up-to-date list of program cancellations but we can’t always get to the website to post them immediately.
We will post updates to our social media channels in advance and on the day of the cancellation as a reminder, so make sure to give us a follow or like to stay up to date.
For sudden cancellations, such as those due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, we’ll post to our social media channels first, and update the website accordingly. You can always call into the MCC at 905-732-7872 to see what, if any changes or cancellations have occurred.
Some cancellations (such as when the walking track is closed for Jr. B games) are known well in advance and are posted onsite, online and the Town’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
If you’re not familiar with the Town’s social media channels, now’s as good a time as any to join the conversation online.
You can find us on Facebook: facebook.com/townofpelhamontario
You can find us on Twitter: @TownofPelham
And we’re on Instagram: instagram.com/townofpelhamontario
Click the image for the PDF view of the newsletter.
Town of Pelham upgrades phone system to include voice activation
On Friday, March 6, the Town of Pelham’s new voice-driven software will allow callers the ability to speak the name of the person, department or location they’re trying to reach.
This feature provides callers an immediate line to the right destination, enhancing and providing efficient customer service to residents.
“It’s a small change, but one that will ease the process of calling Town Hall, especially if you know exactly who you’d like to speak with,” said Mayor Marvin Junkin. “Providing exceptional customer service is something we pride ourselves on and we hope this implementation continues to do that for the residents of Pelham.”
Callers will be greeted with a system prompt asking to say the first and last name of the staff member they would like to reach. If callers are not sure whom they would like to reach, they can say ‘Operator’ and the system will transfer their call to the Town Hall main reception, where a staff member can then transfer the call to the correct destination.
The system also enables alias dialing, which refers to common or key words that you would typically find in municipal government. For example, if you say ‘Mayor’ or ‘Fire Chief’ the system will transfer your call to the proper individual. For quick transfer to the Meridian Community Centre, you can say ‘MCC’ or ‘Community Centre’.
In addition, callers can also dial via department name. This will route the call to the administrative assistant of the department and the call will be handled redirected to the correct staff member.
At any time during the system prompt, if callers know the extension of the person they want to dial, they can enter it in at any time.
Home methods of controlling gypsy moth this season
Gypsy Moth is in the egg stage between early September and late April. Egg masses can be found on tree trunks, branches, buildings and on objects around the house. As one egg mass contains about 300 eggs, by destroying them you significantly reduce the number of caterpillars that emerge in spring.
Scrape off egg masses with a dull knife and place them in soapy water for a few days before discarding them in the garbage. If they fall to the ground crush them with your shoe.
Late April to Late May
Place sticky barriers, or bands on the tree trunk. Wrap duct tape around the tree trunk and apply a thin coat of sticky material (commercially available at most garden centres) to the duct tape. Alternatively, you may use a double band of duct tape, the outer band with the sticky side out. This band will prevent smaller caterpillars from climbing the tree.
Mid-May to Early June
Spray with bacterial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki (Btk). The primary objective is to protect vulnerable trees from moderate to severe defoliation. Reducing the nuisance factor caused by the presence of gypsy moth is an additional benefit of this treatment Consider having your trees sprayed with Btk by a licensed pesticide applicator if:
- There are a high number of egg masses that cannot be removed mechanically from the trees.
- Large numbers of egg masses are on susceptible tree species, primarily on oaks, birches, beeches and spruces.
- If damage that is caused by gypsy moth feeding is severe for at least one or two previous years, another severe defoliation event may cause the decline or death of the host tree.
Late May to August
Replace sticky bands with burlap (cloth) bands. Trap and destroy caterpillars by placing burlap (cloth) bands on trees. Wrap burlap that is approximately one metre wide around the tree trunk, tie it at the middle with a rope and fold it. Caterpillars feed at night and find shelter from the heat during the day. They will congregate under the burlap.
Destroy caterpillars from under the burlap every late afternoon before they crawl back to the canopy to feed. Caterpillars can be killed by squishing them or placing them in soapy water. Use this method until all the caterpillars finish their life stage, usually in August, and turn into cocoons and later into adult moths.