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COMMENTARY: A year of progress

'Congratulations to all staff involved in the success of their departments'
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Councillor Shellee Niznik speaks at Pelham Town Council.

PelhamToday has invited year-end reflections from our elected officials. Today we hear from Pelham Town Councillor Shellee Niznik:

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s always a good time to do some reflection and then set some direction for the new year. In terms of reflection, we have had a successful year in the Town of Pelham. We enjoyed Summerfest with record turnout, celebrated our Volunteers, confirmed the East Fenwick plan, revised several by-laws and created revised boundaries for our ward system. Several of our rural roads have been improved, using new surfacing material, and we’ve purchased a new fire truck and some equipment. Our Meridian Community Centre continued to out-perform in terms of usage and programming. Congratulations to all staff involved in the success of their departments.

Moving forward to next year, we are hoping to finalize plans for the Fonthill Library Branch and will begin in earnest a fundraising campaign for renovations. We will choose a Fire Hall plan and begin to move forward on that project. The Senior’s Advisory Committee is working towards bringing solutions regarding aging in place, or at least within the town boundaries, and will continue to support programs with collaboration with the MCC staff and the Lincoln Pelham Public Library staff. Our Cultural Advisory Committee is working hard on bringing more beauty through public art to our town. Plans are in place to make improvements to the bases of the Arches, support the creation of Mural Art and look into the possibility of adding art to the utility boxes that adorn many a corner in our town. The council will continue to balance needs vs wants while trying to achieve some of the goals set out by our Strategic Plan. Remaining fiscally responsible is also always a goal of ours and we try to provide excellent service and product without breaking the bank.

I’d like to once again thank you, our residents, for your questions, your participation and your passion for topics that are important to you and your life here in Pelham. While we may not always end up on the same side of the page, we make decisions with thought and care for what we believe are in the best interest of the town. I’d like to personally thank our Town staff for their dedication to their work, my fellow councillors for the focused work we address, and wish all of you a very happy, safe holiday and a prosperous New Year.

Shellee Niznik represents Ward 3.