Master NORTH VANCOUVER City and District have unveiled parks and _ recre- ation master plans that recommend far-reaching changes and initiatives for North Vancouver parks, trail systems and recre- ational facilities. By Elizabeth Collings Mews Reporter Although each municipality has deveioped separate reports, the five-year plans are designed to take into account the parks, ser- vices and facilities available in both city and district. The plans are based on an in- ventory of parks, recreation and community facilities and the fin- dings in a report prepared by a consultant who conducted a survey for the city, district and North Vancouver Recreation Comission." According to the survey, the greatest demand among North Vancouver residents is for im- proved provision of public open space. Other. areas of need iden- tified are unstructured spaces, trails, waterfront access and natu- ral parks. Survey respondents also iden- tified the following areas of im- provements needed: © trails and pathways (39%); e large passive parks and nature reserves (34%); @ small neighborhood parks and tot lots (25%); ® athletic fields and courts (20%); and small neighborhood com- munity centres (19%). The plans will now be available to the public for scrutiny and feedback, according to Phil Chapmaza, special projects planner at North Vancouver District. Chapman said that over a three-week period, staff will take the plans on a ‘‘travelling road show’’ where the public can see them first hand and complete a questionnaire. City and district staff will also meet with various council advisory groups before refining the plans and submitting the final document to councils for adoption in early fall. Four main open house events will make staff from both municipalities available to discuss the plans: May 30, 12-9 p.m. at North Shore Neighbourhood House, 225 East 2nd St.; June 4, 12-9 p.m. at recCentre Ron An- drews, 931 Lytton St.; June 5, 3-9 p.m. at Highlands Community School, 3150 Colwood; and June 11, 12-9 p.m. at recCentre Lynn Valley, 3590 Mountain Hwy. For additional dates and times to view the display, see the adver- tiserment in the May 26 or upcom- ing June 2 issue of the News. index G@ Budget Beaters ...... 52 MB Business... .......-. a3 GB Comics... .........- 506 @® North Shore Now... .23 @i Dr. Ruth ........... 46 Sports... 02-2... eee 13 MS TV Listings ......... 34 @@ What's Going On....43 Weather Thursday, periods of rain, Friday, cloudy with showers. Highs 18°C, lows 10°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885 [autte AREA LACKS PUBLIC OPEN SPACE FOR ACTIVE AND PASSIVE RECREATION (ie FLAT, OPEN SPACE AND PLAYGROUND}. HEYWOOD; WM-LUCAS ; \ LACK OF FLAT, OPEW SPACE FOR CASUAL, ACTIVE PLAY (WATERFRONT PARK IS NOT CONSIDERED A NEIGHBOURHOOD SPACE FOR RESIDENTS HORTH OF ESPLANADE DUE TO SEPARATION BY THE ARTERIAL ACAQ}. ‘OPPORTUNITIES EXIST TO BROADEN THE RANGE OF RECREATION IN LINKING SUBNEGHBOUAHKOOO SPACES WITH URBAN TRAILS ANO PROGRAMMING, AS WELL AS PARK F FAOVISION AT EXISTING CITY OWNED car {CARSON GRAHAM 0-0 NORSEMAN/MCDOUGAL i WAGG)LONSDALE Lonsdale Avenus COPS PARKS AND RECREATION aa 2 MASTER PLAN one PHILIPS LANDECAME ASSOCIATES © PLAC | APRA *ROULEVARDO /Ri: - aaa Wednesday, May 29, 1991 - North Shore News - 3 lans unveiled for NV parks a 6 » GueentsOnVeL 1a Q ie ° CLOVERLEY/SUNRISE Oo u y t { ! NORTH VANCOUVER LEGEND LL] PARK > SERVICE REDIUS, 400 m or % mile radius 7 SERVICE RADWUS ’ Restricted access due to topography/major arterial road AREAS INDICATED ARE CONSIDERED DEAGENT IN NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICE THESE LOCATIONS 00 NOY MAVE ACCESS JO THE RANGE OF RECREATIONAL ‘OPPORTUMMITIES AVAILABLE Iv OTHER NEIGHBOURNOOD AREAS. WHILE FUDLIC OPEN SPACE MAY BE INCLUDED WW SOME OF THE DERCIENT AREAS, SUCH SUBREIGHBOURHOOO SPACE 13 NOT SUFFIDENT TO PAC VIDE EQUITABLE NEIGHDOURHOCD SERVICE. THROUGH CONSULTATION WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS THE PARKS AND RECREATION SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DEFICIENCY THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO THE NEIGHBOURMOOD ‘SITUATION, THIS MAY INCLUDE ENHANCEMENT OF EXISTING AMENITIES OR THE PROVISION OF ADOIMONAL SPACE. AREA PROVIDES NATURAL, FOAEIT EXPERIENCE AT EASTVIEW PARK, VET LACKS FLAT, OPEM SPACE AND PLAYGROUND FOR CASUAL, ACTIVE PLAY. SUCH OPPORTUNITES EXUST In THE ADJ CENT DISTRICT PARKS. AREA LACKS PUBLIC OPEN SPACE FOR ACTIVE ANO PASSIVE RECREATION. THERE ARE UMITED LOCAL, PUBLIC RECREATION OPPORTUNITES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESIDENTIAL AREA AND HOSPITAL NON RESIDENTIAL AREA, imy| AREA LACKS LOCAL, FLAT OPEN SPACE FOR CASUAL, ACTIVE PLAY. OPPORTUNTIES TO GROADEN THE RANGE OF RECREATION EXIST IN ENHANCEMENT OF LOCAL TAAILS ANG HARBOUR VIEWPOINTS, AS WELL AS PROGRAMMING OF MOODYVILLE PARK, LOCAL SUBNEIGHBOURHOCE SPACES AND THE SCHOOL £nNEX, NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICE LEVEL DEFICITS PARKS AND recreation master plan for North Vancouver City identifies areas of need for facilities and recreational spaces. Plans for both the city and district are available for viewing and comment from the public. NORTH VANCOUVER City’s parks and recreation master plan carries several recommen- dations that would increase green space in the city and im- prove accessibility for seniors and families with young children to formal parks. Among the recommendations are: edevelopment of a neighborhood park in the Lower Lonsdale area; a feasibility study to address lack of community centre facil- ities in western Lower Lons- dale; * the construction of a practice running track in the city; eredevelopment of Victoria Park and Boulevard Park to address needs of seniors and the visually and physically handicapped; « increased access to the city’s waterfront where possible by development of a shoreline trail; ethe creation of trails that cross municipal boundaries to be developed in cooperation with the district to link water- front to Baden Powell trail along creek corridors; eupgrading and improved signage of city parks; *improvement of playing fields and baseball diamonds as well as reconstruction of ex- isting tennis courts and con- struction of new tennis courts. NORTH VANCOUVER District’s parks master plan contains several majcr recom- mendations that would increase public access to the district’s waterfront and natural areas, but the plan also recognizes district resident desires to preserve the district’s natural environment. Among the specific recom- mendations are: © viewpoints that will provide “fingers of access’? to the district's industrial waterfront between Squamish Indian Band land and Mackay Creek; «the development of a seawalk at Cates Park and Deep Cove Park including a long-term plan to purchase waterfront property between the two parks to link them with a seawalk. ethe construction of a multiple-field tournament cen- tre in the Inter-River area; *the conservation of Maplewood Mudflats area cur- rently owned by the Vancouver Port Corp. and the construc- tion of a mudflats inter- pretative centre; e the creation of a marine park on Indian Arm; * the creation of ‘‘sea to sky’’ corridors linking Mosquito Creek and Lynn Creek to Baden-Powell trail; ethe creation of an urban waterfront trail network in- cluding a joint city and district bike route. Grant allocations approved in NV District Aldermen reverse opposition to community group allocations FOLLOWING A long in-camera meeting on Monday night, three North Vancouver District aldermen reversed their previous opposition to the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Community Resources (ACCR) and allowed passage of $160,108 in grant allocations to 39 community organizations and societies. Aldermen Janice Harris, Ernie Crist and Rick Buchols voted May {3 against the grant allocations. Funding approval for the alloca- tions requires a two-thirds majori- ty lo pass. Harris said at the May 13 meeting she was unclear as to why the ACCR had not made any rec- ommendations for disbursement of almost $60,000 remaining in their budget, but ‘‘since that time By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer -we have had late applications come in.” Harris said she could support proceeding with the disbursement of the ACCR approved grants ‘rather than holding up the pro- cess,’’ provided that the approval for distribution of the remaining NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL money came back to council. Crist, like Harris, praised the members of the ACCR for their hard work and ‘‘best of inten- tions,”’ but suggested that ‘‘what the ACCR has done is taken upon themselves political decisions.”’ “What is more serious is that some really worthy organizations are hurting because of federal cutbacks and are being = short- changed,’’ Crist continued. Crist later explained that despite this year’s district increase in the ACCR grant allocation of approx- imately 70%, the district’s per- capita grant contribution is the lowest of all three North Shore municipalities. He said he had ea- pected the committee to recom- mend disbursement of the vast majority of their $225,000 budget. Crist said funding for youth and daycare services in the Lynn Vatley area is a political decision for council to make and should be in addition to the ACCR budget. But Ald. Paul Turner, council’s tepresentative and chairman of the ACCR, responded, ‘‘We did not shortchange anyone. Most people received equal or better funding than last year.’’ Turner also pointed out that any ACCR_ recommendations always come back to council for approval. Buchols, who two weeks ago described council’s allocation to the ACCR as ‘overly generous,’’ also changed his vote to allow unani- mous approval of the grant rec- ommendations. Said Buchols, ‘‘I cannot say that I agree with every amount and every society, but in the main this list is supportable by me.”’