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Pelham basketball is back
The Voice Z
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
NRC Realty, Brokerage
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of Pelham and Central Niagara MARCH 17 2021
Vol.25 No.10
Published every Wednesday
Darcy Richardson, CPA, CA | Broker
DARCYRICHARDSON.CA darcy@darcyrichardson.ca 905.321.6292
Column Six
Arching
The holes of
Cochrane
ahead
Not everything is what it appears to be
If volunteer Bill Gibson had his way, digging would start tomorrow on replacement of Pelham's iconic arches
BY MARJORIE POULI Special to the Voice
T
BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent
Bill Gibson, spade at the ready, at the site of the once and future arches on Pelham Town Square. Fundraising during a pandemic has its challenges, especially when the envisioned construction project has seen material costs go through the roof. But Bill Gibson, the point man for Pelham’s Summerfest Committee, which has partnered with local Rotarians to rebuild the iconic arches at Pelham Street and Pelham Town Square, remains un-
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daunted. “There have been other major priorities in the community due to COVID-19, so we are sensitive to that,” said Gibson, an active retiree who turned 75 in January. Gibson said that the final price tag should come in at, “just a little under $150,000,” and applauded the efforts of local fundraiser phe-
DON RICKERS
nom Frank Adamson and his fellow Rotarians, who he said have about $100,000 pledged thus far. At its March 1 meeting, Pelham Town Council endorsed the Fonthill Rotary Club’s application for a $60,000 grant from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative for the arches replacement. The understanding is that the
structure should be completed without taxpayer money, and also must include a maintenance reserve fund. The arches will be a regular reminder for Gibson of his friendship with local volunteer Bill Sheldon, who passed away in 2020. The two See ARCHES back page
he snowy owl, sensationally magnificent, swooped silently past the picture window. The wonder of it made me hold my breath, but then I yelled, "Boots! Boots! Get on your coats and boots. Let's follow the owl." Coats on and booted-up, our family and the girls who lived with us scrambled over each other to get outside. There we stood, heads back, eyes big, mouths wide open as the owl majestically soared across the road. There wasn’t even a whisper as it floated, almost invisibly, out over the snow-covered pasture, towards the woods. Its marvellous broad wings calmly folded as it dropped into a poplar tree. We struggled through the deep drifts to the tree, where we looked up. The owl caught us with its piercing yellow eyes and unblinking, mesmerizing stare. Shivering, rubbing our mitten-less hands, buttoning up our coats, and finally bored with oohing and aahing, we See COLUMN SIX Page 8
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