Letters & Op-Ed, April 13 2022

Pelham/Continuation/District/Secondary School in Fenwick was an important part in educating students of Pelham Township and surrounding areas for 52 years. In 1984, ten years after the school was closed, we held our first reunion. The school was now “private” but we were given permission to hold most of our events there.

The big challenge was letting people know what we were planning. This was well before social media, so we had to employ every device we could think of. Newspapers were our lifeline. The Pelham Herald (a weekly which the Voice later replaced)) was our mainstay but we also wrote and mailed letters to the editor to the Tribune, Standard, Review and even the Toronto Star.

The publisher at the Herald gave us a list of names of all the local papers in Ontario and we mailed a letter to each one. When we were able to find addresses of teachers and support staff we sent them invitations. We asked for people to write back and let us know their intentions and send a cheque for registration, wine and cheese, and the dance. We started planning in 1983 and we had about 100 people on different committees. (Now, I send everyone on the list of about 325 people an email and it takes two minutes!) It all came together and 4000 former students, staff and support staff came to that first reunion.

We set up decade rooms off the old gym and lower floor, had wine and cheese in the new gym and a dance at the arena. Dr. E. L. Crossley led us in opening exercises and reminded us that “a word to the wise should be sufficient.” Two original teachers, Miss Bonis and Miss Metler were there also.

We had a great time!

When all the bills were paid, we had $10,000 left. We had no problem in deciding what to do with this money and we set up our Pelham High Alumni Scholarship as a charity. Interest rates in the ‘80s were 18 percent-plus, so our fund appreciated quickly. People contributed in “memory of” or “just because.” After every subsequent reunion, we had money left that went into our scholarship fund. Since 1985, we have given over $60,000 to graduating students at E.L. Crossley Secondary School. We are so very proud to know that we have helped so many students further their education.

We had planned to have our 11th Reunion in 2020 but, of course, had to cancel because of Covid-19. So, hoping that Covid will not be an issue this time, we are having our reunion at the Legion Branch 613, Fonthill, on June 12th from 1 PM to 5 PM. Cost is $15 at the door (please have correct change). There is a cash bar (cash, debit or credit accepted). The Legion will provide finger foods, dessert squares, and coffee/tea. Email: [email protected] If you don't have email, please, call (289) 820-7004 to let us know if you are coming.

Pelham High has been closed for 48 years but we still love to get together and shout “GO PANTHERS.”

It will be wonderful to see each other face-to-face one more time. Hope to see you there.

Vilma Moretti Fonthill

The March 30th “Balanced Life” column by John Swart ["Pelham gets Active Transportation right," p.14] provided timely insights and commentary about the sidewalks, paths, trails and roadways that Pelham’s residents, of all ages and abilities, use every day. The importance of walking, including with mobility devices, and cycling was reinforced by the pandemic, as we sought to maintain our physical and mental health. Pelham’s active transportation network benefits all of us personally, and its use contributes economically and environmentally to our community.

Active transportation improvements are the result of the leadership, collaboration and efforts of Pelham’s elected municipal and Regional officials, Town staff, residents and council’s advisory committee, the Pelham Active Transportation Committee. Through these collaborative efforts, as John indicated, real progress has been made in the last decade:

▶︎ Signatory to the International Charter on Walking

▶︎ Municipal snow clearing of all sidewalks and paved trails

▶︎ New trails added including the Gerry Berkhout Trail in Fenwick

▶︎ Existing trails maintained and enhanced

▶︎ Benches and trees added in critical areas

▶︎ Accessible, paved multi-use pathways in East Fonthill

▶︎ Paving a section of the Steve Bauer Trail from Port Robinson Road to join with Welland’s paved trail (by securing a special purpose provincial grant)

▶︎ New sidewalks added in existing and new residential areas

▶︎ Bike lanes added to some roadways

▶︎ Pedestrian crossings at school zones reinforced

▶︎ Sidewalks added in school zones, including along Highway 20 to E. L. Crossley

▶︎ Traffic calming measures used to slow traffic, including the speed humps on Haist Street

▶︎ Neighbourhood Traffic Management Policy implemented

▶︎ Planning policies which include provision for sidewalks, trails and bicycle lanes

▶︎ Annual road safety campaigns to educate all road users

▶︎ Pelham recognized as a Bicycle Friendly (silver level) and Walk Friendly (bronze level) community, the only community in Niagara to achieve both designations

▶︎ Bike valets at all community events

▶︎ New cycling loops to attract cyclists and support local businesses and farm markets, with signage to be installed in June 2022

▶︎ Active Transportation Master Plan to guide further actions and investments

▶︎ School events focused on pedestrian and cycling safety

Yes, John, Pelham has gotten a lot of things right! Of course, there is always more to do. I trust that future councils will continue to collaborate with residents, staff and the Pelham Active Transportation Committee to ensure that Pelham has the sidewalks, trails and roads that provide safe, and desired, active transportation routes for everyone.

Bea Clark Fonthill

Why are we not hearing more about the upcoming municipal election? Who is running? Some of the prominent concerns of taxpayers from four years ago remain, such as the transparency of funds in reserves, deals made with developers, and cost of staff salaries in Pelham.

Issues such as affordable housing, food instability, problems created by the intensification of house building (pollution), are now required discussions. CannTrust has been sold and pot growing will continue to flourish in Pelham. The aggressive voices of anti-vaxxers, anti-government, so-called “freedom” followers of the likes of West Lincoln Mayor Bylsma are a growing concern in Pelham.

We are more than a just blip on the map. With its recreational opportunities and proximity to resources, Pelham is a desirable location. Growing pains need long-term plans not short-term gains.

Pelham residents want to participate for best outcomes for the Town’s present and future.

Who are the candidates? We want to hear who will best serve Pelham.

L. Morgan Fonthill

From their beds to the masses...when does the morning walk officially start? Is it the first step outside, the last foot to leave or when you have to roll up the sleeve?

The Morning Walk undoubtedly starts when the decision to “walk” has been by the parent. The parent now conducts a self-administered psychiatric evaluation.

A fundamental preparation window of time needed for the parents' subconscious to acknowledge the fate ahead...the donkey has arrived for its carrot. Winter has arrived and the front entrance is flurried with mismatched gloves, mittens and alter egos.

“Have you seen my this” or “Where's my that” echoes upon my already agitated ears. Dry socks anxiously await the soggy satire ahead while fingers have already wrinkled within the cold abyss of their saturated snowball makers.

Children's backs are unknowingly packed as the outside world welcomes them with wavering lands. Our uphill battle is now more literal than literary. Undertones of encouragement can be heard by the discouraged. As the lactic acid seeps out of their young calves, these milk-fed foot soldiers remain relentless. Stage One of our “Tour de Chance” has been successfully completed. The shoveled sidewalks reveal the black-ice imaging of mismatched snow-suits dancing above. Our glute gas reserve has reached its point of no return.

Our Intersection Specialist welcomes us with a stop sign, but we must strive forward. Attempted snow angels, muttered disciplining by parents and the uneven distribution of sidewalk salt...the herd has been led to the water. Parental paratroopers can be seen dropping their bundle of joys off with the required reserves for the day ahead. The stage is set for any over-tired / sleep-deprived child to guest host today's performance of Tears for Fears at morning drop-off. Recent studies show the likelihood of any child reaching the playground's melting point is directly correlated to whether that same child was driven to their educational institution.

On the contrary, bipedal brains display increased feelings of joy, excitement and adventure towards whatever educational endeavours may lay ahead.

The success of the morning walk will require the proud parent to be the caring crutch. The homestead’s proximity to the Principal's office will influence the effectiveness of the morning walk. The emotional milestones achieved within the distance travelled is what the morning walk represents. The morning walk allows your children to experience the parental peer you were destined to be.

Take a moment to acknowledge the accomplishments made before your day becomes uninterrupted. Realize that the most important job of the day has been done already—being a parent.

As you balance along the beam of the day you anxiously anticipate the afternoon pick-up, also known as The Beginning of the End, a subconscious internal stopwatch counting down the seconds until the always stressful bedtime routine begins.

Once the due diligence dust of parenting has settled, know that your child is having a better day because of the Morning Walk.

Doug Dobrocky Fonthill

The storm water pond [SWP], often called “Lake Augustyn” by many residents, near the intersection of Highway 20 and Rice Road, has been a thorn in the side of the Town’s development since it was built in 2015. It was designed and built to service the north side of the East Fonthill development.

The SWP is a key feature in that development to control storm drainage. The unique feature about this pond is that it drains directly into Twelve Mile Creek (a fresh-water creek with trout). The pond design and construction oversight was performed by Upper Canada Consultants, St. Catharines, and had approval from many levels of government and agencies (municipal, Regional, NPCA, Ministry of Environment, and others).

Since the pond was constructed, there have been studies to confirm water quality (temperature, sediment. and chemistry) to ensure it meets standards to support fish habitat downstream into Twelve Mile Creek. There have also been studies as far back as 2016 to evaluate erosion north of Highway 20, and they indicated that there is a problem.

Again in the fall of 2020, based on public and community involvement (Fonthill Lions Club and Pelham Cares), the erosion issue became a major concern and Town staff were asked to prepare a report. The Town had engineering consultants review the water quality and the how the pond was performing. All reports came back confirming that the pond was performing within design specifications.

In early 2021, the erosion issue came before Town Council. The Mayor had been in contact with Trout Unlimited and they were interested in working with the Town to resolve the erosion issue. The initial comment for the cost to solve and make restoration was $60,000 to $70,000. In June 2021, the Town prepared a request for proposal (RFP) for the design and build, and only received one bid, which was well out of budget. As a result, no contract was issued.

After further discussion and negotiation, the issue came before council again in March 2022, and Trout Unlimited presented their solution (a proposal for step ponds). They would contract with Waters Edge Environmental Solution, Cambridge, Ontario, for $70,000 to study and prepare a complete engineering design with drawings ready for construction. Our council agreed to support this proposal but with some reservations. The cost to construct the restoration is estimated to be $200,000 to $300,000, and the financing has to be sourced. Several councillors firmly stated that the financing needs to be outside of Town finances and all permit fees need to be included. Now we must wait to see the report and cost budget.

Based on the above summary, the Town has spent or contracted to date more than $200,000 and still has a major erosion problem.

A basic engineering principle is that you identify the root cause of a problem—in this case, it is on south side of Highway 20. I have viewed the area more than once, and the problem is that there is no flow control on the outlet (36” diameter) from the SWP; there is only a steel grating in front of the concrete culvert under Highway 20 (to limit access and stop debris from entering). Based on current construction, there is no engineered flow control (weir, overflow spillway, other design) to control outflow. The pond at St. John’s Conservation Area should be considered for a potential design.

The problem that currently exists with the SWP as built is that as the water level in the pond increases due to environmental event, the headwater level (height above SWP low level) increases, and as a result outflow increases. Based on the current build, the water level in the pond will never reach the five-year (let alone 100-year) water level design with a current 36” diameter outlet. This problem should be reviewed with the engineering firm that designed the SWP.

In the Voice of March 23, I read the opinion of J. Yungblut [Letters, “Mayor Dave’s pond,” p.5], and I affirm his observation. He suggests a hickenbottom drainage system, and based on information I have received, there is some buried piping below grade, designed to provide some control of outflow.

In conclusion, the SWP has received a lot of engineering review at the expense of the taxpayers of Pelham. Town Council needs to ensure that the next step resolves the problem at no cost to taxpayers.

Note: I want to alert all taxpayers of Pelham that SWPs are a major issue in our municipality because of our geological features, and we have more than this location with issues. The Town staff are preparing a report to council in the near future.

Bill Heska, P.Eng. (Ret.) Fonthill

One of our best carpenters’ oldest son died in Jerusalem on the weekend. Jesus, 33, was eldest son of Joseph and Mary. It all started on Friday when the Jewish high priests and elders of the Sanhedrin accused Jesus of blasphemy. When the high priest asked him directly: “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus (who had been silent up to that point in His own defense) answered him plainly. “I am.” The council immediately voted to condemn Him to death, since blasphemy was considered a capital crime. There is no question that Jesus had already claimed in various indirect ways to be uniquely the Son of God, but this assertion, made in front of all the elders and scribes, was unequivocal and completely clear, giving them the excuse they needed. But first they needed Rome to approve of their death sentence, so Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea. Pilate was also reluctant to condemn Jesus to death because his wife Claudia Procula interceded on behalf of Jesus. Although Pilate found him innocent, unable to find or even contrive a reason to condemn Jesus, he feared the crowds, letting them decide Jesus' fate. Stirred by the Jewish chief priests, the cancel culture crowd shouted, “Crucify him!”

He was then led to Golgotha to be crucified, where the pain was so intense a new word, “excruciating,” was created. The root word, cruciate, is a direct reference to crucem, meaning “the cross.” The inscription above his head tauntingly read, “The King of the Jews.” It was a custom by the Romans to hang what was called a “titulus” around a criminal's neck or have it carried before him, on the way to his execution. A titulus was a wooden tablet covered with gypsum and then written on it in black letters, the charge by which the prisoner was condemned. Jesus hung on the cross for about six hours before he died. During that time, soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothing, while people passed by shouting insults and scoffing.

Jesus Christ was nailed on His cross with His arms extended in mercy, offering mercy to the very end. But only the repentant thief accepted the offer. Thus he heard, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Stake-like nails were driven through his wrists and ankles, fastening him to the cross where he was crucified between two convicted criminals—Roman officials likely did this so as to heap additional scorn upon Him. It was typical for Roman soldiers to show mercy by breaking the criminal's legs, thus causing death to come more quickly. But this night only the thieves had their legs broken, for when the soldiers came to Jesus, they found him already dead. Instead, they just pierced his side to confirm His death. (Psalm 34:20). Before sunset, Jesus was taken down by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea and laid in Joseph's tomb according to Jewish tradition.

From the cross, Jesus spoke to his mother Mary and the disciple John. He also cried out to his father, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” At that point, darkness covered the land. A little later, as Jesus gave up his spirit, an earthquake shook the ground, ripping the Temple veil in two from top to bottom. Matthew's Gospel records, “The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.”

Although both Roman and Jewish leaders could be implicated in the sentencing and death of Jesus Christ, He himself said of his life, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18 NIV).

On the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, 28 prophecies concerning His suffering were fulfilled in every detail. In his book, “Science Speaks,” Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, “The chance that any man might have fulfilled just eight prophecies is one in ten to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 [one hundred quadrillion].”

David wrote his stunning description of the Messiah’s crucifixion, 1,000 years before Jesus was born and 600 years before the Persians invented the method of execution. All Easter celebrations, Orthodox or Western, reach back to the first Easter, beginning that Sunday morning when the Galilean women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the tomb to anoint Jesus and found it emptied of his body but an angelic messenger present who announced Jesus’ resurrection saying, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” (Matthew 28:6)

Frederick Larson is an American lawyer and law professor who became a filmmaker after he investigated the Star of Bethlehem he made his first documentary film, “The Star of Bethlehem,” about his findings in 2007. In March 2019 Larson released his second film, the documentary, “The Christ Quake.” In his book, “My Utmost For His Highest,” Oswald Chambers said “the cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both.”

Paul Bryant Fenwick

In the month of March, Niagara saw jobs climb by 7,600 as we continue to climb to pre-Covid numbers. As residents return in ever increasing numbers back to area restaurants, managers are calling back staff and of course numbers always rise with the coming of spring. Nationally, 73,000 new hires were added to the workforce.

Speaking of new jobs, at the Planning Economic Development Committee meeting held last week at the Region, the committee reviewed plans for a new winery located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is an offshoot of an existing winery, and along with the new location comes a $40 million dollar price tag. The company estimates that they will need upwards of one hundred new employees at the facility, which will have a restaurant and wine tasting room. The price for their top wine approaches $200 a bottle. I have to admit that with these prices I am happy that my wife is not a wine drinker—phew! Good for them and their confidence in the wine industry that they are willing to make such a financial commitment to the industry.

This past weekend brought the Pelham Home Show to the MCC. It was very well attended and enjoyed by all. Gate receipts for this event were shared by Wellspring Niagara, and Pelham Cares. This home show is put together by the Fonthill Kinsmen. For two years the show was cancelled due to (you guessed it) Covid, of course. Attendees were excited to be out and about to enjoy this event once again and to mingle with others in attendance.

Meanwhile for the remainder of the month of April the MCC will continue to host a display of tree paintings by local artist Krista McMillan. You really don’t want to miss this opportunity as the display is quite amazing.

Meanwhile, will it ever warm up?

The frogs are out in full force throughout the day and into the evening on the farm and in the rural areas of our town. They started with their “warm weather is just around the corner” song. All of this singing began while there was snow still on the ground. You might not think it possible by the chill in the air but if the frogs are croaking it must be true—warm weather is coming. Next time you are out for a drive or a hike roll your window down and let them regale you with their spring performance. It will give your spirit a lift. ◆