News focus 23 Sorts 432 ranian culture grapples with Nutrition key ingredient a different value system to bodybuilding success FEBRUARY 6, meget Bright Lights ooo fh Celebrations eee 31 Classifieds eee 42 Fashion oor 16 Home & Garden «24 ooo 39 Winding down vee 22 e oe ' = é Ask pane Se after a stint on ore a4 ' NO Or | the night shift . HON Pubicator Company Publisher Peter 5; 2 : RAS ler as 5 ‘ : W139 Lorsaule Averue Noth Vancouser BO i 7g ‘ mh 3 : ; a After dark 15 5t Pages The Voice of North and and West Vancouver since 1969 school upgrades Disabled accessibility pushed Catherine Barr Contributing Writer IT’S going to take up to $10 million to make North Vancouver shools accessible te the dis- abled. cording to District 44 director of facilities and planning John Lewis, virally all 42 schools in) the district, need handicapped accessibility upgrading. But now with so much money at stake, staff are looking at their Priorities carefully. Thus far five schools — Cleveland, Highlands, Queen Mary, Larson and Ross Road -— have finished the upgrade, which includes such improve- ments as instaliing iawer water fountains and mechanical litts and ramps for wheelchairs and taking entranceways wider, Some schools, like Plymouth, Braemar and Sutherland, are scheduled for completion of the upgrade this year. But mosi cre ona list awaiting ministry funding, approval. Lewis said District 44 will only get the money it needs if it can provide the prov ministry with complete details about the handicapped stu- chool and the extent of their needs. The svhool district must therefore supply personal information about the students, including their name, age and physical ability. “Ti gets co that level of specificity,” said Lewis at a recent district Finance es Standing Committee meeting. And while students’ needs are high on the priority list, money is usual- ly the bigger determining factor in compiling, that list. For example, it was easier for the district to first win approval for small- er, less extensive projects. By starting small, it has been able to secure over the past year approximately 13%, or just over $1 million, of the money lable from the province tor handicapped accessibility upgr Lewis said the funding secured by the district thus far was a reasonable amount and that it sets a yood precedent for proceeding with the more extensive, more expensive projects that are scheduled over the next three to tive years. A 1996 review conducted by consulting engineer James Warne and ARCON Architecture and Planning provides an extensive list of the basic upgrades needed vach schoul, A checklist and assessment process has further highlighted each school's priorities. Lewis said that only the high priority items are under consideration at this time. Assessed upgrades range fron: around $30,000 to $460,000. Carson Graham, Boundary, Eastview, C arisbrooke, Norgate and Lynnmour schools are scheduled for upgrades for the 2000/2001 fiscal year. Eastview’s up: : is the most expensive at approximately $256,000. ang —— Other schools, like Maplewood, Westover and Keith Lynn, wi NEWS photo Julie Iverson untouched until at least 2004. ‘Trustees voiced their concerns over the rights of disabled students and s Confe rence of the birds their expe ions of attending a particular school. But District 44 staff’ advised that a student's right to receive an education is the main issue, That MARGARET Challes, a visitor from Moncton, New Grunswick, recently discovered that the locals right, staff stated, must be weighed against the “reasonableness” of him or at Lonsdale Quay are exceptionally friendly — especially when tempted with bread crumbs. her attending a particular school. “NO RISK RISK 2 cosT E NECESSARY Co-ed facilities Applies to introductory triat 3} membership. Must be 19 yrs or older. Local residents only.