2 — Friday. September 17, 1999 - North Shore News

Lynn Val

ley residents

irked by new sche

Marcie Good
Contributing Writer

BACK to classes has
been a headache for
residents of a Lynn
Valley neighbourhood
that didn’t expect to
have a school in their
midst.

Thirty-five students in
Grades 4 ta Sat Lions Gate
Christian Academy began
anending classes at) Mount
Olivet: Lutheran Church on
“Vuesday.

Neighbours of the church,
athe corner of Mountain
Highway and }Sth Street, are
upset that they only found out
about the school in July and
never had a chance to voice
concems about noise, trafic,
safety and property values.

“We are concerned about
the placement of a private
school in an inappropriate loca-
tion,” said Mike McKenzie,
who represented area residents
at district council on Sept. 7.
“We consider this to have been
done without due considera-
tion.”

The church's property is
zoned as public assembly, a des-
ignation that also allows for the
operation of a school. A maxi-
mum of three classrooms are
permitted on the property, but
the bylaw doesn’t limit the
number of students in a <lass-
room,

Area residents presented a
78-name petition to council
outlining their objections to
the school.

Trattic is already heavy in

the area, because parents of

students at nearby Eastview
elementary school drop off and
pick up their children along
Meuntain Highway. Another
school operating in the area,
neighbours say, will only
increase the danger.

“The problem is, you drive
dowa 17th or 18th and some
kid bolts across the road. ta
chase a ball,” said: McKenzie.
“People arer’t used to it, and
we hit them and we have to live
with it.”

Others talked = about
“fifestyle changes” brought on
by having to share a backyard
border with a school, and deal-
ing with the noise of children
playing outside.

Elizabeth Baggoo, who has
lived in the neighbourhood for
35 years, told council that she
didn’t want students taking
over nearby parks during recess
or lunch periods. But her
biggest concern is that current
zoning, regulations could allow
any church to open a school.

“This could happen in
neighbourhood after neigh-
bourhood,” she said.

But Richard Vanderkooy, a
member of the academy’s
board of directors, said he
hopes the school will add to the
area rather than disturb it.

“We understand as a school
that residents are concerned
because it’s something new,”
he said.

Academy _ representatives
held a public meeting in
August to talk to neighbours
about their concerns.

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Among the measures taken
by the school to alleviate those
concerns is a traffic plan, which
was approved by district staff,
for parents driving children to
school. Because there are only
about 20 cars arriving, at the
school cach day, Vanderkooy
said he docsn’t think that Lions
Gate Christian Academy will
exacerbate the problem. The
academy's starting, time is also
20 minutes before Eastview’s,
which will stagger the traffic
arriving in the area.

The school’s current agree:
ment with the church is for one
year; Vanderkooy expects this
to be a temporary arranye-
ment. The school, which began
operating in September 1994,
has grown significantly each
year to a total of 104 students.
Its other location at North
Shore Alliance Church, at 20]
East 23rd) St. in) North
Vancouver, now houses kinder-
garten to Grade 3 students.

“Our goal is not to be there
for long,” he said,

Correction

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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17

The Architecture of Ren Thom:

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7:30pm * North Vancouver Municipal Halt
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SATURDAY SEPTSMBER 13
Indian Aim Guided Boat Tour
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1-4pm al the Deep Cove Cultural Centre,
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