ot peo cen meen ° evovert : un starinmernetns cmenerite NEWS photo Cindy Goodman FIRE GUTTED a North Vancouver home early Monday morning. Six people living in a house located at 543 East 3rd St. escaped with little more than their tives after a fire bomb tossed at a doorstep of the home set the structure ablaze. Two men, a woman and a young child managed t» evacuate the basement suite when fire struck just after 1 a.m. Curt Petrak and James Luton escaped from their suite upstairs. Petrak (left) and Luton (right) sit outside the damaged house. On Tuesday, North Vancouver RCMP charged James Reginald Watson, 26, of North Vancouver, with avsnult with a weapon and arsen. WV Council haits blasting MORATORIUM ORDERED IN SANNIS SUBDIVISION AFTER ROCKS TUMBLE ONTO NEIGHBORING HOMES A MORATORIUM has been placed on blasting in phase two of West Vancouver’s Sannis subdivision development following last week’s incident that sent wayward rock from blasting on the site crashing into area houses. The moratorium, instituted Monday night by West Vancouver District Council, will be in effect pending submission of rock removal alternatives from the sub- division’s developer and a municipal staff evaluation of those alternatives. But council's move fell short of ‘the demands of John and Jill Mingay for a complete ban on blasting in the Sannis subdivision and in all developed areas of West Vancouver. As chronicled in the April 1 News, the Mingays’ house was one of three struck March 27 by rocks that tumbled down from a Sannis blasting site. “By doing this (blasting ban) you could be ‘doing West Van- couver a great service,’’ said John Mingay, who added that Lower Caulfeild would not have its win- ding pathways and other charming features if it were being developed with today’s approach to altering natural topography. In his letter to council, Mingay said the developers should either use alternative methods to remove the rocks or “‘develop around these natural impediments.”’ Judith Joseph, another resident whose house was hit, said the blasting accident occurred just Prices ‘out From page 1 going to be for a new market as far as North Vancouver goes — for that executive class.”” And that executive class will not be living with vinyl or aluminum siding on its houses or asphalt on its driveways. Braemar design guidelines cali for exterior finishes made of materials expressing a “natural character.’” “This neighborhood will really be distinguishable through the facades of the homes and through WEST VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL minutes before her daughter nor- mally arrives home. ‘“*Put yourself in my boots...think of how close we all came to a really bad incident,” said Joseph, her voice trembling. The damage followed the blasting of a vertical rock face, which had been protected by heavy mats. According to a report by district director of operations Barry Lambert, the company responsi- ble, Pacific Blasting, has a good reputation for skilled and careful blasting and does about 90 per cent of the blasting jobs in West Van- couver. A Statement by site developer Ria Berdebe emphasized that the incident had occurred ‘‘despite every effort to ensure the safety of surrounding homes and residents.”’ Berdebe, who said she was grateful that no one was injured in the incident, pointed out that San- nis Developments Inc. had coo- perated with the municipality by of line’ in development the work that we're putting in,” Sigston said. ‘*Ten per cent of the lot will have to remain in its natu- ral forested state to provide buffer areas.”’ But sore local realtors say de- velopers may think twice about paying the fot prices anticipated by the municipality. Said Sussex Realty’s Jeremy Leevers, ‘‘E think they’ve missed the boat. But I’m not surprised. The problem is, from what I’ve heard, is that they set those prices about six months ago which is typ- WEST Vancouver Ald. Carol Ann Reynolds ...insists development in- fringes on green space. hiring an independent geotechnical engineer to supervise the blasting. Precautions had been taken, she said, including removal of blocks of rock that might be dislodged by the blasting. Land surveyor Bill Chapman, on behalf of Berdebe, noted that the temaining biasting needed was to remove rock knobs and minimize the exposure of service pipes to the neighborhood. The developer also pointed out that Sannis was paying for an ‘unprecedented easement and landscaping fund,’’ as part of the development. The issue also brought up such past disputes 2s last summer’s ap- ical of the bureaucracy. Six months ago they would have got close to those prices. They’re not going to get any spec builders buy- ing up there."’ Sutton Group-West Coast Real- ty real estate agent Rosario Set- ticasi termed Braemar tot prices ““way, way out of line."* Said Setticasi, ‘‘They hired ex- perts to do the design but they failed to get a bit of input from the people who are actually going to buy and do the work on the site. [t all fooks fine and dandy on paper. proval of the subdivision’s “*greenbelt’’ allowance. Ald. Carol Ann Reynolds saic that something could have been done to prevent the blasting inci- dent by instituting more control over the greenbelt approved for the subdivision. “I voted against that approval in order to get more sensitive devel- opment in this subdivision,’’ said Reynolds. But her contention that Sannis had built its phase one houses on greenbelt areas without council’s permission rankled West Van- couver Mayor Don Lanskail. **Have you a legal opinion to support that statement?" he asked. Added West Vancouver municipal manager Terry Lester: “If we had done as Ald. Reynolds has suggested, there probably wouldn’t have been a_ subdivi- sion... and we would have found ourselves in court.’” Ald. Pat Boname insisted that houses had not been built on greenbelt, while Ald. Rod Day countered that they had been built on land designated greenbelt, but with the nod of a previous approv- ing officer. Day went on to pass another motion, calling for completion within the month of phase two of West Vancouver’s landmark bulk housing (large house syndrome) legislation which is to pertain to tree cutting, blasting and topogra- phy. — realtors But the builders that I work with have basically expressed no interest at all. They don’t even want to talk about that subdivision.’’ With lot prices at $300,000, Set- ticasi said an end product with a house on it would cost between $600,000 and $700,000. “If the district feels there is a market in that price range in that area, they are dreaming,”’ he said. But Sigston is optimistic about market acceptance of the Braemar properties for sale by the municipality. 3 - Wednesday, April 4, 1990 - North Shore News Alderman pushes for Soviet twinning scheme NORTH VANCOUVER "DISTRICT COUNCIL. THE TOPIC of twinning North Vancouver District with a community in the USSR sparked heated debate at Monday night’s district council policy and planning meeting as Ald. Ernie Crist continued to push for Soviet connections with North Vancouver, By MARTIN MILLERCHIP Contributing Writer Said Crist, ‘‘The potential is enormous, but we have to show a little vision, a little executive abili- ty and a little leadership if we are serious about assisting a local economy.”’ Last December, Crist proposed that council initiate ‘‘immediate Steps to bring about a twinning relationship between North Van- couver and the City of Nakotka or another suitable city located in the Soviet Far East.’* At that time, Crist maintained that, through twinning, ‘‘valuable contacts could be made with our counterparts in the Soviet Far East,’ and that shipbuilding or ship repair work for North Van- couver might result. Crist’s proposal was deferred pending an informal review by representatives of district and North Vancouver City councils, ahe North Shore Economic Devel- opment Commission, the North Vancouver Chamber of Com- merce, the local ship building in- dustry and the Marine Workers and Boilermakers Industrial Union. Ald. Murray Dykeman summed up the feelings expressed at that meeting by saying, ‘immediate benefits are cultural, both initially and for some period of time. It was felt that the majority of the shipbuilding industry in Russia takes place on the other side, not in the Pacific area.”’ But said Crist, ‘They (the committee) simply do not com- prehend the opportunities that ex- ist. There is a lack of self-con- fidence and they are simply un- aware of what has already been achieved in other parts of Canada, never mind in other parts of the world.”” Crist suggested that if council agreed to pursue a Soviet connec- tion, assistance be requested from the Soviet embassy or the federal government. But Mayor Marilyn Baker responded angrily, saying she had done just that seven years ago and gotten nowhere. “If we know where we want to go specifically and if you want to put a motion on Nakotka or some other place let’s read up on it. But to go on a fishing expedition again is a sincere waste of time,”’ said Baker. Crist maintained that recent events in Russia gave his proposal a reasonable chance of success. Ald. Craig Clark said it was premature to be talking about “whether or not we should be twinning at all’? and that twinning with the Soviet Union ‘‘is really not suitable .”* Clark’s proposal to defer the debate to an ‘informal, in-camera meeting of council’? after reports from the North Shore Chamber of Commerce and the North Shore Economic Development Commis- sion was approved by council.