Sewer sidelines AT BEST, you could say that the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing. And North Shore taxoayers will have to reach into their wallets to pay for it — with cither hand. It’s a costly shame. It's been only a matter of months since West Vancouver's Seawalk Garden was completed, a tine little jewel of a park, excel- lently designed, on the site of the old Wells property at the foot of 19th Street. It’s so squeaky-new — official- ly opened July 16 — that the cel- lophane and ribbons have hardly been taken off. But late next January, just six months after the gala day, it will be dug up. The park and a section of the adjoining Seawalk from 19th Street to about 24th Street are going to be pushed around a tad and then rebuilt. And that’s the second bit of bad news: The popular walk will be closed for several months. When it’s rebuilt, it will be a couple of feet higher and a bit fur- ther south, sitting on the present tip-rap of rocks that line the shore and prevent erosion. This short-term pain is, as you’d expect, the sacrifice for long-term gain. it’s being done as an adjunct to a sewer project. The additional sewer wi _ ontinue on (without MAT HEMATOL REA STRSTR ANP NRPS ERIE, P ARIAL NALD BOWL RIAA S ABN SEER BL ed Ph ACN Sia AS ten ON AE OSAP at Bt ta AL RR NA i A AT A TE Trevor Lautens 4 ‘4.9 GARDEN OF BIASES changes to the Seawalk) to 15th Strect. Total cost: a hefty $3.26 million. The existing sewer runs ali the way to Kew Road, roughly between Lighthouse Park and Eagle Harbor. But West Van's population has outgrown it. One old hard in the pipeline business looked at the plan with a fairly jaundiced eye and asked why the new pipeline can’t run alongside the old one on the north side of the BCR tine — leaving the Scawatk and the Seawatk Garden untouched. But the engineers say there’s no room for the 750-mm (call it -30-inch) pipeline there. That's why it will be built on the south side of the rail linc, necessitating moving the Seawalk southward, A critic asked: Why nota new pumping station inscead? As | quaintly put it ta Barry Lambert, West Vancouver director of opera- tions and municipal engincer, wouldn't that make sense — like raising the speed limit ana road to push through more volume faster, rather than build anew road? Lambert chuckled that that wasn'ta Gad analogy. But, said he, a new pumping station ina neighborhood ts about as popular with peighbors as a hame for seniots. Nolin My Back Yard. Kea Neveroski, engineer tech- nologist with Kerr, Wood, Leidal and Associates, the North Vancouver consulting engineers in charge of the project, added other objections to a pumping station. Complex. Costly. And requiring ongoing maintenance. Officially, the project is known as the Heilyburn Rehief Sewer Project and Restoration of the Centennial Seawalk. Am [ cynical, or is the second half of that title PR-speak meant to soothe the populace? We're assured that it'll be an improved Seawalk: wider (from 10 to 15 feet), higher (so less maintenance, less crosion), green- er, better Jit. Still, West Vancouver council surely would never have counte- nanced making such marginal and costly improvements on their own merits. They're coming as part of news viewpoint Fizzling fF F A proposed fireworks bylaw is passed in North Vancouver District, the back- - yard display of fireworks will be a thing of the past in the municipality. The proposed legislation, which would ban the sale of fireworks, stipulates the need for a permit to expiode fireworks, and through permit conditions effectively eliminates most single-family yards as Halloween fireworks display venues. The bylaw’s intent, to avoid some of the thousands of fireworks-related injuries suf- fered by children annually throughout North America, is beyond reproach. But the bylaw would be meaningless without a similarly restrictive appreach across the province. Council realized this and did what any politically astute group of elected officials does when faced with an awkward decision: the issue was deferred unti! after Halloween. reworks But a revealing stream of thought surfaced last week as the councillors wrestled with the public safety issue. 7‘he proposed bylaw was seen as a potential infringement upon a deeply entrenched cultural tradition. Thereia lies the quandary. How far do we go as a society to protect ourselves from our- selves? It may be argued that exploding fire- . works is a senseless and potentially danger- ous activity. Burn injuries are a possible cut- come. It may be argued that the consuniption of inordinate amounts of candy is senseless and potentially dangerous. Tooth decay is a possible cutcome. : Give the police the laws and backing to dispatch the truly dangerous fireworks mis- creants. For the rest of us there is a need for lee- way, room for foolishness within the context of sanctioned social activity. the sewer-expanding package. And there's the rub. The sewer isn't West Van's baby. Sewage comes under the jurisdiction of the Greater Vancouver Sewage and Drainage District, part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. [Us the GVRD's call, Our council gave approval, but that’s really justa rubber stamp. And who pays? All North Shore residents, based on property assessments. For these purposes, the North Shore is treated as a sin- gle entity, Obviously the GVRD and West Vancouver didn’t mesh gears sc: the ercation of Seawalk Garden coincided with the sewage-and-Seawalk project. Len Norris, the great cartoonist and long-time resident of West Van, used to draw wickedly funny variants on the theme of the road- builders who no sooner finish paving than some other crew arrives to dig everything up for underground wires or whatever. Life, it seems, imitates art. eee Only in West Vancouver. Poster at Cauifcild Cove: “Lost: Daberwoman.” Followed by a description of a female dog. Political correctness? Or sense of humor? Surety the latter. But Ict’s have equity. In full, the lost dog should have been described as a Doberwoman Pinschim. Whatever the intent of the owner, hope it/she was found. pnamilbox Disaster ferry fund launched Dear Editor: The government of the Republic of Estonia has estab- lished a special disaster relief fund to assist the bereaved families who lost loved ones in the sinking of the passenger ferry Estonia in the stormy Baltic Sea on Sept. 28. Approximately 900 passengers and crew members perished in the worst peace-time loss of life in Estonian history. There is hardly a family in Estonia that has not been affected. Many of those who per- ished were young men and women who leave behind spouses and children. Canadians who wish to help may make contributions to the Estonian Ferry Disaster Relief Fund (account 9635-0) at the Estonian Credit Union Lid., 958 Broadview Ave., Toronto, M4K 2R6. For further information, please contact the Consulate General of the Republic of Estonia in Toronto at (416) 461-0764. Imar Helnsoo Honorary Consul! 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