After a four-year wait, Pelham Town Square finally has its arches back.
Deputy Mayor John Wink, representatives from the Rotary Club of Fonthill, and local business and community members were on hand at the downtown location for a special ribbon cutting ceremony September 7. The original structure was taken down by a windstorm in 2019.
“It is really impressive to be standing here under the arches celebrating together,” said Wink, explaining that several obstacles, including Covid, stood in the way of the re-raising. “The arches have become a place-making space in the community,” he added. “A location to come together and gather, be it Summerfest or Winterfest, or just meeting people on the street.”
The rebuild came at no cost to taxpayers thanks to a federal Legacy Fund grant and donations from the community. Total cost came in at $243,000.
“These arches are here because the dedication, vision, and support from community volunteers and business,” said Wink. “As Deputy Mayor it is wonderful to see so many join together to work towards creating a legacy for our community. Tonight, we celebrate these dedicated members.”
Leading the community charge was the Pelham Summerfest Committee, and its sub-committee, the Raise the Arches Sponsorship Campaign.
“The Rotary Club of Fonthill and the Pelham Summerfest Committee are here to officially gift these permanent arches to the Town to replace those that were built in July of 2012,” said co-chair of the sponsorship committee, Frank Adamson, who noted that the original arches were never meant to be a permanent structure with an expected life span of just a few years. They were built to provide a focal point and shade for the 2012 Summerfest.
“They were so well received and embraced by the community that they stood tall and proud for [five years]…a lot longer than they were designed to be,” said Adamson. “The Pelham Summerfest Committee recommended to council that the arches be rebuilt with financial support from the Legacy Fund. The Rotary Club made a decision to support this move and to work with the Summerfest Committee to make this a reality.”
That was in April of 2019. What was envisioned was a one-year fundraiser to raise $115,000, but to build them turned into a four-and-a-half-year marathon that required big financial support from the community.
That support came in from many businesses and individuals – a host of whom were on hand to celebrate the event.
