3 - Wednesday, October 26, 1988 - Nerth Shore News DESPITE PLEAS from residents to save West Vancouver’s Hollyburn Manor, the 48-year-old apartment building will meet with the wrecker’s ball as it did not qualify as a heritage site. The ‘‘tudor revival’’ style building on 17th Street in West Vancouver will be making way for a new commercial-residential structure with a partial third storey. As the building was deemed to be of minor historical significance, council agreed with the owner’s representative and those who sup- Business .............. 71 Classified Ads..........82 Comies................80 Dr. Ruth...............78 FOOd. . 0... cece ee OF lifestyles..............77 Mailhox............... 7 Sports .........0.0000.. 29 TY Listings............74 What's Going On........66 Second Class Registration Number 3885 ported his argument that the building was not worth renovating. But it was with some sadness that West Vancouver District Council made the decision at Monday’s council meeting. os Pap ag SU: Wednesday an Thursday, mostly sunny. Highs near 11°C. Laws near 2°C. Magnussen argues winter club’s case From page 1 “Council will have to grapple with whether planning concerns are outweighed by the economic viability of the North Shore Winter Club,” he concluded. Former Olympic silver medalist and world skating champion Karen Magnussen, who grew up in North Vancouver and has a North Van arena named after her, urged council to support the project: “If it wasn’t for the Winter Club, my career probably wouldn’t have been possible,’ she said. “I have travelled throughout the world and I have never seen a fa- cility as unique. Why not set a precedent and add housing for the elderly?’’ she asked. The essence of a very difficult choice was clearly articulated by Richard Roy, a resident of 1143 Cloverley: ‘‘I would like to five there if it’s built, but as a local res- ident I don’t approve of it,’’ he said. Council adjourned the hearing until Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in order to allow the Advisory Planning Commission time to review and comment on the Department of Highways’ concept for the Moun- tain Highway interchange. Ald. Ernie Crist also requested a further staff report on traffic pro- jections for the area. A special meeting of council has been set to follow the reconvened hearing in order that the rezoning could be considered without fur- ther delay. “I happen to love old buildings — and this one is particularly beautiful,’’ said Ald. Mark Sager. Most agreed that the front of the building, with its tudor styling, was more attractive than the rear and sides. But Sager was impressed with the proposed new building, designed by architect Robert Burgers. “It is substantially better look- ing than an alternative two-storey box,” Sager said. The owner of the property, rep- FOUR PER CENT INCREASE resented by Michael Reimann, was within his rights to build a two- storey building, but council could consider a third storey if it was ac- companied by a meritorious design. Reimann denied rumors that he was thinking of abandoning the Hollyburn Manor project and sell- | ing the property to someone else. Although Hollyburn Manor was given a_ relatively unimportant status in the recently completed Heritage Inventory for West Van- couver, Ald. Pat Boname was NEWS photo Tom Surley pleased that the controversy over the redevelopment of the property had, at least, brought the inven- tory forward in the public con- sciousness. The fossibility of stopping the project by slapping a heritage des- ignation on Hollyburn Manor, which was mentioned at the previous week’s public hearing, was deemed by staff to be contrary to council’s heritage policy, except when it is done with the owner’s consent. Twilight sky THE CITY of Vancouver takes on a magical air in this photo taken at twilight from Waterfront Park in North Vancouver. The towers of downtown Vancouver and the sails of Canada Place frame the sculpture in the park. Versatile union workers accept two-year contract UNION WORKERS at Versatile Pacific Shipyards Inc. have voted 60 per cent to accept a new two-year contract from the North Vancouver-based company. The agreement, which runs from Sept. 1, 1987 to Aug. 31, 1989, covers approximately 1,400 workers at Versatile’s North Van- couver and Victoria yards and provides for a zero per cent wage increase in the first year and a four per cent across-the-board increase in the second year, retroactive to Sept. 1, 1988. A total of 378 workers voted to accept the con- tract, while 250 voted to reject it. Union negotiators had wanted a two-year contract with zero per cent increase in the first year and five per cent increase in the se- cond. Acceptance of the two-year con- tract follows almost [8 months of bargaining and 53 negotiating ses- sions. Versatile president David Alsop said Monday he was relieved that an agreement had been reached, “so we can get back to work without it hanging over our heads. It will restore confidence to our customers and hopefully provide a sense of stability.” But Alsop emphasized that the contract was a short-term one. Negotiations for a subsequent con- tract will start again next summer. By TIMOTHY RENSHAW News Reporter Versatile had wanted a long- terin contract to guarantee labor peace through construction of the $350 million Polar Class 8 icebreaker, but the company’s five-year deal was rejected 96 per cent by Versatile’s 23 unions, which subsequently voted 86 per cent in favor of striking. The company’s offer had in- cluded zero per cent wage increases in the first year and three per cent increases in each of the four subsequent years. Construction on the Polar 8 is scheduled to begin in October 1989 and be completed by mid-1992. John Fitzpatrick, chairman of the Joint Shipyard Conference, which represents Versatile’s unions, said Monday he was satisfied with the agreement, ‘‘but not happy.” With only a 60 per cent accep- tance vote, he said, 40 per cent of Versatile’s union membership did not like the deal, ‘‘and in that regard Versatile has to be concern- ed." Under the agreement, the con- tentious two-tier wage system pro- posed by the company was drop- ped. Wages will now be negotiated in three categories — tradesmen, semi-skilled workers and laborers — rather than the previous two dozen different wage rates. The hourly wage for Versatile tradesmen will go from $18.46 to $19.20 while the hourly rate for semi-skilled workers will increase from $17.38 to $18.08 and the hourly wage for unskilled laborers will go from $16.84 to $17.50. Versatile originally wanted to start new semi-skilled and unskill- ed workers at wage rates lower than those of union members cur- rently working with the company. Seniority recall rights were also extended from two to three years for union workers under the new agreement. The unions, meanwhile, agreed to improve efficiency and flexibili- ty in the face of radical changes taking place in the world ship- building market. Fitzpatrick said, with approx- imately one third of Versatile’s seven-hectare North Vancouver yard closed and the current stag- nant world shipbuilding market, a strike at Versatile, ‘‘would have been the last nail in the coffin for (the: company’s) shipbuilding in North Vancouver.’”