The Voice THE PAPER THAT PELHAM READS
DEBBIE PINE
SALES REPRESENTATIVE 905.892.0222 SELL phone: 905-321-2261
Niagara Real Estate Center, Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated
debbiepine@royallepage.ca
Vol.20 No.50
CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
FREE
9,000 sq.ft. added to Community Centre design Materials costs to be lowered to pay for extra space
NATE SMELLE PHOTO
DSBN remains silent despite growing opposition BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Two weeks after a crowd of some 200 concerned citizens packed the Fenwick Fire Hall to express their discontent with the District School Board of Niagara’s controversial decision to rename E.W. Farr Public School after a known racist, support for the Names Matter committee’s campaign continues to grow. Committee spokesperson Nancy Beamer said although the message to the school board from the people of Pelham following the public meeting on Feb. 8 was loud and clear, the DSBN still has yet to respond.
Not a peep from Board following public fire hall meeting “I think the meeting indicated to council and to others that we, as a community, are very interested in what is going on and what decisions are being made on our behalf,” said Beamer. “Communities want transparency and accountability from their elect-
ed officials and boards and the people want their voices to be heard. They do not want to be told after the decisions are made.” Since the fire hall meeting, Mayor Dave Augustyn has met with members of committee to help them with the proper formatting of an official resolution. Despite the community’s obvious disapproval with their choice of Wellington Heights — after the 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley — so far, the DSBN has refused to discuss their decision. See NOT A PEEP back page
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Column Six Get ready for "East Fenwick"
BY NATE SMELLE
BY VOICE STAFF
Members of the new Pelham Community Centre’s (PCC) Oversight Committee met last week to discuss progress being made in the construction of the two-storey multi-use facility. On Jan. 31, the Town submitted a report to Infrastructure Ontario, identifying that approximately seven per cent of the project had been completed. It also identified that risks had arisen which could negatively impact the budget, schedule or quality of the Centre. While construction appears to be moving ahead on schedule, Ward 2 Councilor and Oversight Committee member, Gary Accursi, confirmed that during the completion of the full construction drawings it was discovered that the size of the hall area would need to be enlarged substantially. In total, 9,000 square feet of additional space is needed to accommodate the necessary changes to “prevent congestion and to allow kids with hockey bags to move freely without banging into the walls and each other,” he said. It also became evident during the review of the
Pelham Town Council’s recent discussion of the East Fenwick Secondary Plan has raised questions regarding the nature and scope of the proposed development. The boundaries of the 235-acre area in which development can take place stretches from Cream Street in the east to Balfour Street in the west, and between Welland Road to the South to Memorial Road to the North. Mayor Augustyn said that development rights were added to properties within these boundaries, classifying Fenwick as an urban area in the Town’s Official Plan that was drafted in 1987 and approved in 1990. He said the process of granting these lands development rights was started several years ago, by some of the major landowners in the area. Having set aside funds over the last two years, Council decided to move ahead with drafting a Secondary Plan for East Fenwick last fall, identifying it as a priority for 2017. "Development rights means that the landowners have the right to develop on those lands,” explained Augustyn. “It is no different than a property owner having a vacant lot having the right to build a house on that lot.
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The VOICE
Elevator shafts and stairwells under construction last week at the Community Centre site on Hwy 20.
Pelham’sPelham’s Health Food Store