orth Shore firms cl 3 - Sunday, July 30, 1989 - North Shore News ean up in Exxon’s Alaska oil spill THE MASSIVE March 24 oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound has proved to be a business boom for a North Shore-based company specializing in oil spill clean-up equipment. Versatech Products Inc., which recently moved its head office from Burnaby to West Vancouver, has thus far in 1989 sold more than $300,000 worth (about 11,000 feet) of its patented Zooom Boom off- shore oil containment boom to companies helping to clean up the spill of 11 million gallons of crude oil from the Exxon Valdez oil tanker. . . To date this year, Versatech has sold a total of more than $800,000 worth (about 30,000 feet) of boum, including the Zooom Boom Factions face off over NYD dog park BONNIE, ANDY and Gus have taken a walk along a Cates Park trail every day for the past 10 years with their friend. Mickey Yada, but it’s making people very angry. By MICHAEL BECKER. News Reporter Bonnie, Andy and Gus happen to be three collies which use the trai] for exercise. Yada is their master and he can’t understand why some people, who live nearby and use the park, are upset about dogs zharing the park. North Vancouver District’s first reading to a bylaw that would allow dogs and their walkers of- — ficially unrestricted access to a trail cutting through the north side of Cates Park, has sparked a flurry of petitioning and letters to council. The matter has since been passed on to the district’s Animal Welfare Committee for consideration. Said Yada, who lives two blocks from the park: ‘‘I can’t understand why people are complaining. | - honestly believe people don’t real- ize how remote the area is. It’s a good half block from the picnic area. All we do is go through a trail that runs through bushes and high trees. A lot of senior citizens use the trail and places like Baden Powell Trail are just too danger- ous.” Proponents of the dog walk des- ignation say the trail has been used daily as a dog walk area for years. Designation by the district would Business .... Classified Ads..... Comics.......... Editorial! Page........ Fashion............... 13 Bob Hunter............ 4 Lifestyles..............43 Travel . WEATHER Sunday and Monday, mestly cloudy with a chance of showers. Tuesday, mostly sunny. Highs near 20°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885 By TIMOTHY RENS| News Reporter sales. Company president Mesbah Taherzadeh estimated Thursday that 60,000 feet of Versatech’s boom was currently being used on the Alaskan spill site by various corporations and companies. The spill, he said, ‘‘has awaken- ed lots of people and lots of com- panies to how ill-equipped they are to handle such a disaster.”” Exxon, which has tested oil-spill clean-up equisvment from all over the world in its attempts to contain and recover the oil from the spill, has placed Versatech’s Zooom Boom on its list of best equipment, according to Taherzadel:. The spill and resultant interna- tional interest in oil spill techno- logy has raised the profile of oil spill clean-up equipment in general and companies like Versatech in particular. Taherzadeh estimated sales this year for Versatech will consequent- ly jump to $2.5 million compared with $1.5 million last year. Versatech, which manufactures eight different kinds of oil booms and a variety of oil skimmers and other oi] spill equipment, has had its manufacturing plant on the North Shore for the past 12 years. The company employs about 18 people. Features that have established the Zoocom Boom as a product sold internationally include its in- flation system and its comparative- ly light weight. The Zooom Boom is self in- flating; it sucks in air through a one-way valve as it is stretched out. Its buoyancy-to-weight ratio, which is the weight of the inflated boom compared with the uninflated boom, is 37:1. Com- parable booms have 25:1 ratios. The Zooom’s lighter weight means it takes fewer people to handle and is therefore more flexi- ble in a wider variety of condi- tions. Said Taherzadeh: ‘‘Its value re- ally came to the surface in Alaska.” The North Shore-based Burrard Clean Oil Spill Cooperative (BCOSC), which attends all B.C. oil spill emergencies, has also been helping with the effort to clean up the Alaskan spill. BCOSC general manager Mar- tyn Green said the organization has had its 50-foot Burrard Cleaner Two oil-skimmer and a two-man crew in Alaska since early April. 4 ae NEWS photo Mike Wakofiold CATES PARK dog walker Tom Thompson (foreground) displays a map outlining a proposed district-sanctioned dog walk trai! through the North Vancouver wilderness area, The trail has long been a pop'lar dog walk route with some area residents. Mickey Yada (background) frequently walks his three collies aiong the trail. The trail has recently provided a focus of dispute between pro-dog walk and anti-dog waik forces. - simply legitimize the common practice. But said Rick Anderson, a member of the Preserve Cates Ac- tion Committee: ‘‘It’s a blatant disregard of the bylaw in place now. There are dogs all over the place. People just wilfully let them g0. Some people even drop their dogs off and then go play tennis. | don’t think Cates is an appropriate spot to have a dog walk just out of COUNTERATTACK STATIS TICS RELEA SED Careless driving leading cause of local accidents From page 2 were killed, with one of the deaths being alcohol related. The most common contributing factors to accidents in North Van- couver City were, in order of fre- quency, driving with undue care and attention, failure to yield and following too close. Of 620 people charged in North Vancouver City with Criminat Code offences, including traffic offences, 18 per cent faced drink- ing and driving charges. The city motor vehicle crashes with casualties jumped 12 per cent from the 1987 total of 365. Injuries were up 16 per cent from 443 in 1987. Meanwhile, the most likely scenario for a motor vehicle crash resulting in casualties in North Vancouver District is a muiti-vehi- cle collision at an intersection. Of the district’s 458 crashes, which resulted in injuries to 630 people last year, about 40 per cent were caused by driving without due care. Failure to yield was a con- tributing factor in about 22 per cent of the accidents and following too close figured in about 19 per cent of the mishaps. Alcohol was a factor in 43 cases of injury. Four people died as a result of auto accidents. One of the deaths was alcohol related. Fourteen per cent of the 708 people charged with Criminal Code infractions last year in North Vancouver District faced drinking and driving-related charges. The number of crashes with ca- suaities in the district rose 16 per cent, from the 1987 total of 385. Injuries were up 19 per cent, from a 1987 total of 513. a matter of convenience.”’ The disirict’s Animal Welfare Committee has yet to meet to ad- dress the issue. Photo submitted NORTH SHORE drivers had more accidents on local roads last year. The most common contributing factor to the smash-ups in all three municipalities was driving without due care and aitention.