LEON re iene eta ne Lane ARIE ate wake gt tegen ee nee ee Peet etter REE NE rea SS orca tities “Senne tte pte kes cea ey igre: ro sats RSA iamnow staee geeanere guste Mogal emg aM Semper es an STE rtp SRNL Moree Srage QAP ert cert RR rene gee SERN ty ATE TES an NOE a IOS pe aie PEN Tt ousted by car wash HARRY IS a shining example of a community service station manager who is a victim of prog- Tess. Harry Kerstiens, 20- year-manager of Queensdale Service, is so good in fact that the neighbors around his station won't let him go. About 20 area residents came out to North Van- couver District Council Monday night to inform council of their opposition to Texaco Canada’s plan to overhaul the service station and remove the service bays in favor of a car wash. ROSS MEEK They explained to council and a contingent of Texaco people brought in from Calgary that they didn't want to lose the service bays because of the excellent service personnel ‘‘un- equalled anywhere." At the public meeting called by council, Texaco cited economic reasons for its desire to replace Harry and his beloved service bays with a car wash, full and self-serve gas pumps, a mini convenience store and a new building. They predict the changes will increase gas sales by three and a half times. But one resident com- plained the new station would just be a place for teenagers to hang around and smoke. Besides losing the best service manager and gas jockey crew they had ever known, residents predicted NEWS photo Terry Peters NORTH Lonsdale’s top guns are the service staff at Texaco’s Queensdale service station on the corner. of Lonsdale and Queens. Harry Kerstiens (centre), who has been at the station 20 years, and his crew (L-R Gary Aitchison, John Damer, Richard Dustan and Shane Drdul) are so. well revered by the community that dozens of people showed up at North Vancouver District Council, Monday night to fight for the preservation of the station. Texaco wants to rebuild the station, by removing the service bays and replacing them with a car wash and mini food mart. THE GREMLINS of the newspaper business descended on the North Shore News and successfully wrought an embarrassing error in a report of the newspaper’s November 13 public forum at the International Plaza. Two stories, one chronicl- ing the public forum, the other reporting the advent of night skiing on Cypress Mountain, both began on page three of Sunday’s paper and both subsequently jumped to page nine. As happens ‘occasionally in the waning hours of a press day, an error was made: the headlines for the two stories on page nine were reversed, leaving the press meets public forum report with the Cypress Mountain night skiing headline, and the night ski- ing report with the forum headline. Adding insult to injury, the report on Wednesday night’s forum chronicled the dos and don’ts of how to submit proper press releases to the News; how to avoid errors and assure publica- tion. Such is the twisted sense of humor of the news- paper gremlins. If the error were not so embarrassing, we could jain in the howls of laughter; if the editorial department were not so red-faced, the glaring error could be writ- they would lose the conve- nience and all-around service supplied by Harry. SWITCH LOYALTIES One resident predicted most people would ‘toddle on down the road"’ to the Chevron across the Upper Levels Highway if the changes went through. One man, who worked at the station in his youth and whose brother had taken his mechanics apprenticeship at the station, said Queensdale Service provides service for “the older people who don't move (too well,’’ and pro- vides local employment. However, Texaco market- ing manager Gene Marklund, said the service station would provide the same staff level. The Nerth Lonsdale Ratepayers Association (NLRA) earlier presented Texaco with a petition with 1,700 names against the development. President of the NLRA Bill Sieverwright added ihat council should take into ac- count that this service sta- tion is a unique part of the community and it should turn down Texaco's request for change. ZONING DECIDED But Mayor Marilyn Baker told. the delegation of resi- dents that despite the site be- ing a development permit site, which gives council considerable control over the sites aesthetics, the zoning was already in place allowing Texaco to develop a car wash. However, council re- quested Texaco staff supply information about changes in traffic created by increas- ed business before they would consider Texaco’s application at a regular council meeting. Harry was ‘“‘very proud’’ to hear about the praise heaped on him by his cus- tomers, but he fears it will do little good. “It's their property and their money and they should be able to do what they want,’ Harry said Tuesday. “1 don’t feel good about it. Vin losing my job.’’ Even if Texaco goes through with its plans, Harry has requested to stay on as the station’s manager, but he says: “lf I do get it, it will be a hell of a step down.” News story scrambled ten off as an unfortunate oversight missed in the whirlwind of pressure and last-minute changes. “It proves,’’ says News publisher Peter Speck, ‘‘that the newspaper gremlins do not discriminate. They at- tack both advertising and editorial copy with equal en- thusiasm.” An estimate of attendance in the News’ public forum story was ‘conservative. * Instead of the reported 50 North Shore residents, there were closer to 200 attending the November 13 meeting. Again we = swallow our pride and apologize for any confusion. 3 - Wednesday, November 20, 1985 - North Shore News 4 f Armed ee robber caught A {6-year-old West Van- couver youth was arrested Sunday in connection with the Marine Drive Bauk of Nova Scotia robbery last week. Through its investiga- tion, North Vancouver RCMP identified the youth, who was subse- quently arrested on other outstanding warrants by Mien to on LSD TWO MEN appeared be- fore provincial court Judge J.D. Layton Mon- day in North Vancouver provincial court charged with possession of LSD for the purpose of traf- ficking. Scott Edward Book, 19, of London, Ontario and Kenneth Dunn, 25, of North Vancouver were West Vancouver Police. The youth appeared in North Vancouver provin- cial court Monday on robbery charges. Charges laid by North Vancouver RCMP against the youth were waived to West Van- couver court where he will next appear. appear charge arrested November 10, at Dunn's apartment by North Vancouver RCMP and were found in possession of approx- imately $2,900 worth of drugs. The two will appear Novermber 21 to set a trial date. Dunn is also charged with theft of a 10-speed bicycle, Measles hit N. IF YOU ARE blaming your sniffles on the cold weather, beware, it might be measles. According to the North Shore. Health Depart- ment, the North Shore is in the midst of a measles outbreak. One hundred cases of measles have been diagnosed recently with a concentration of the disease in West Van- couver, The outbreak is unusual as the afflicted are primarily adolescents Shore and older children, ac- cording to Dr. W.E. MacBean of the health department. MacBean ‘warns that the first signs of measles are mild head cold symp- toms and that it is later that the associated rash develops. It is during the first three days of the head cold stage that the disease is most con- tagious. Teenagers are advised to stay home from school if they develop the symp- toms. Kwok files writ PLEASURE boater George Kwok is suing the B.C. Ferry Corporation for damages resulting from a collision that kill- ed three members of Kwok's family last August. A writ, filed in B.C. Supreme Court by Kwok’s lawyer John Lax- ton, labels the B.C. Fer- ries as the sole party reponsible for the colli- sion between the Queen of Cowichan and Kwok's 33-foot boat the Kimberley. The collision rolled the Kimberiey killing his wife Kim and two sons Mar- tin, 12, and Michael, 3. B&E’s net $8,000 TOOLS, ENGINE parts and electronics equipment went missing after four North Shore businesses were broken into Friday night. A total of $8,000 worth of goods were stolen from the businesses ‘located in the light. in- dustrial area at the base of Mountain Highway, North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Don Jette reported. Police are investigating the theft but have no suspects at this time.