— October 5, 1988 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 16 pages 25¢ NEW FACILITY PLANNED FOR WILLIAM GRIFFIN PARK -Skatebowl raises vandalism fear NORTH VANCOUVER District Council has agreed to spend an extra $18,000 on the construction of a new skatebow! in. William Griffin Park despite neighbors who fear the facility will mean an increase in park vandalism. Council, nearly doubled © the William Griffin skatebow!’s origi- nal: budget of $20,000 in order to surface the bow! in a smoother, concrete and dolomite mixture rather than the blacktop that was originally budgzted. -- ‘The new finishing will be safer and less abrasive to the skin if a youth should fall... - While some residents living near the park are pleased with the new addition, others are angry they were not asked if they wanted a skatebowl. “I'm very annoyed, they (the municipality) should have asked us first,"’ said one resident whose property borders on the park. Others say they fear an increase in noise and a danger to traffic caused by youths travelling to and from the park on their skateboards. “The youths that visit the Friday night youth program at William Griffin are not supervised and they hoot and holler every Friday night,” said resident Mary Paistecy who lives on nearby Del Street.“‘We can expect that similar youths would use the skatebowl,”* she added. But Ald. Ernie Crist said the skatebow!l is ‘*the perfect solution’ for keeping skateboarders off district streets. Local men break into _ board game business .. BUDDING MUSICIANS hoping to make it big in the - entertainment business can now test their skills with a new locally-invented board game called Airplay. . “ Airplay, the brain-chiid of Up- per Lonsdale resident David Brooks and North Vancouver ‘partner Allen Bower, mirrors the experience of a real-life musician rising to stardom. : _ Each player must form a band, play local gigs, make a demo tape and obtain a recording contract. In » the next stage of the game, they ~ : must make a single, an album and a video, go on a world tour and ~ then. climb the Top 20 chart to ~ Number One. The first player to make Number One wins the game. “‘There’s no other game like it - on: the market,’’. claims Brooks. "It really is a lot of fun to play.” Airplay, which he says is similar to . Monopoly, was “‘play-tested’? over “* $0. times. by. people of different “ages. - . Brooks says merchant response. to the product has also been very good: ‘‘Nobody’s said no to us yet.”’ The game, which has an initial issue of 5,000 units, recently went on sale in all five A&B Sound outlets, including Vancouver Island, Capilano Mall’s Scribbles and Giggles, Lonsdale Quay’s The Games People and some Shoppers Drug Marts. Running concurrently with the initial launch of the game is a ma- jor promotion, held in conjunction with radio station CFOX-FM99. Included in each game is a contest entry.form for a trip for two to :. Los Angeles, where the. winners will receive paid accommodation, limousine service and tickets to a major rock concert. Entries are to be sent to the radio station, and the draw will be made on the air Dec. 16. Games are also being given away on CFOX’s Electric Lunch pro- gram, and on CBC's Sunday mor- ning Switchback show. Both Brooks and Bower are rock musicians, Brooks with 20 years guitar experience, and Bower with 15 years playing bass guitar. They have played in a number of bands together, but Brooks says they are now “focusing on the game ... it takes up a ton of time.”” Brooks said they first thought of the concept during a conversation 2% years ago, in which they were commenting on-what a ‘“‘game”’ the whole music industry often is. This initial idea led to the development of Airplay, which was designed by North Vancouver artist Ingrid Rice and produced by B.M.B. Games in Surrey. Retail price of the game is $24.95. Rio North Vancouver District has banned skateboarding on all streets and sidewalks. Crist. said skateboarding -is a clean, legitimate sport and to pro- hibit it without providing an alter- native is not the way to go. ““We can’t stop building skateboarding facilities because it might become a problem,’’ said Crist. ‘If we take that attitude we won't build anything.”” ; He said residents were not asked about the skatebow!l because it will be built in a park, not in a residen- tial area. But if it should become a problem, “then we'll have to deal ’ “TWO NORTH Vancouver men, David Brooks, left, aud Allen Bower, have recently begun marketing their board game creation. The game, called ‘Airplay,’ mimics the rise of a musician making it to the top. with it,’ he said. Local resident agreed with Crist, saying Lynn also agreed. “If people want to have that : kind of thrill it’s better that they have a place to do it provided there's a limit to how long they do it for,”’ said Lynn. “ District manager Mel Palmer said there are no problems at all at the municipality’s Seylynn skatebow! in Lynn Valley because kids get involved in skateboarding and “tend to police themselves."* photo Terry Peters ‘Delbrook_ Plaza — . celebrates — Ruth Byman: the - skatebow] is a good way to keep | kids off the streets. Neighbor Anne .