28 — Sunday, May 30, 1999 - North Shore News

Grad season
hard on parks

REGIONAL Parks
staff are becoming anx-
ious as secondary
school students gear-up
for graduation night.

It’s a time for students to
celebrate their accomplish:
ments, but parks staff have
concerns for student satery.

There is also concern for
the security of park property
during the three-week period
when outdoor parties are
often held on
grad night.

Every — year
during grad sea-
son, May 26 to
June 28, there is
a negative impact
on regional parks
in the communi-
ty due to out-
door grad par-

Parks staff
know from expe-
rience that stu-
dents have been
put in danger
from the mixture
of alcohol, unsu-
pervised crowds,
and unsafe off-road night dri-
ving.

Damage to 2 regional park
may add up to thousands of
dollars around grad time.
Often park gates are smashed,
fires are built from living trees
and underbrush, buildings
are burned, and turf or gravel
lots are badly damaged by
vehicles being driven in off-
limit areas.

183 74a Ave.

“(Many
people) don’t
realize the staff. want to
risks some
students are
ties, taking beyond
the planned
dry grad
activities and
events.”

“The problem is that many
people will see news cov erage
which headlines another
grad year, but they don’t r
ize the risks some studer
taking bevend the planned
dry-gead activities and
events,” said s Huish, a
regional parks operato

“Last year same kids even
went as far to cut the locks on
a gate into a park to get te an
old racetrack where they raced
cars and did donuts in the
grassed in-field.
That was a tragic
accident in the
making.”
Regional parks

make sure every-

the porential
dangers students
are subjecting
themselves to —
despite dry-grad
ceremonies and
anti-drinking
and driving, pro-
grams — on grad
night.

Parents, teachers
and community
members need to ask more
questions about grad events.

Huish said, “Hopefully,
speaking out will make stu-
dents, parents, and grad orga-
nizers think about their
planned activities before the
party begins.” There are no
sanctioned grad parties in any
regional parks

People arriving after clos-
ing are trespassing.

TALKING

SUMMER ACTING
PROGRAMS

FOR KIDS & TEENS
JULY 5-9, 12-16, & 19-23

Programs In Vancouver, Burnaby,
and West Van. For Registration call 877-0678

one is aware of

Spring song

4 CAROUSEL Chorus, which performed Tuesday
for residents of Ingiewood Lodge, will present a
community concert Sunday, June 6, 7:30 p.m. at
Mount Seymour United Church in North Van.
Adults are $12; seniors and students, $8; chil-
dren 12 and under, $5. Tickets at the door.

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