The Village of Pelham Board of Trustees adopted Local Law Number 3 of 2020 to create Chapter 75A of the Code of the Village of Pelham, outlining the emergency procedure guidelines for outdoor business areas on Sept. 22..

The chapter of the code was established in order to provide relief to struggling businesses in the new pandemic environment. Specifically, the code allows, “the creation and expansion of outdoor business areas for use by food service establishments, personal care establishments, recreational establishments and retail establishments during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The adoption comes after a public hearing that took place beforehand. It should be noted that no residents spoke at the public hearing so the board quickly proceeded to pass the amendment unanimously.

The board also participated in a presentation by two high school students, Jamie Burke and Nevan Malwana, regarding the creation of a plaque dedicated to Michael Schwerner, a Pelham Memorial High School graduate and civil rights activist who was killed by the Ku Klux Klan.

Burke and Malwana explained that Schwerner’s legacy was not properly recognized by the town, causing a lack of knowledge regarding his legacy. “There is a plaque in the high school, Michael Schwerner Way, and even a scholarship that is awarded to Pelham students,” Malwana stated. “But despite all of this, many people and students in Pelham do not know about Michael Schwerner. The primary reason for this is that the plaque has very limited outreach….Even in high school, we never learned about Michael Schwerner except for very briefly in 11th grade.”

Burke and Melwana proposed this plaque to be on Michael Schwerner Way, the street in the village named after him, to properly educate people on the history of both the street and Schwerner himself.

“We feel that in order for Michael Schwerner’s legacy to be properly recognized, not just by students but by all people in Pelham, we need a plaque by the sign to properly explain his sacrifice and explain why the street is named after him,” Malwana said.