NEW GOV'T PROGRAMS Board budget less this year DISTRICT 44 School Board will be operating with $800,000 NV Scho $800,c less in the 1986-87 school year. The figure was released in a special board meeting Tuesday night, called to discuss education budget details released by the pro- vincial government Feb. 11. Board secretary-treasurer Len Berg said District 44’s basic budget allowance would drop $154,197, from $46,430,689 in 1985-86 to $46,276,492 in 1986-87, SPECIAL FUND But he said North Vancouver School District would also lose a $650,000 transition grant allotted to District 44 last year, to help the board cope with continuing cuts to the district’s budget. In an informal discussion, trustees assessed the effects of ministry announcements to place $110 million in a provincial Fund for Excellence in Education. Of that amount, $24.5 million has already been included in the By TIMOTHY RENSHAW News Reporter 1986-87 school board budgets for items such as non-salary inflation, special education enrolment and increased costs of supplies, transportation and energy. Adjusted according to enrolment figures, the actual net operating budget increase becomes $15.5 mil- lion, Questioned after the meeting as to how $24.5 million turns to $15.5 million, Berg said he did not have enough information to explain the provincial mathematics. IMPROVE EDUCATION A further $90 million will be taken from provincial general rev- enues to offset school tax reduc- tions announced in the last budget, which will maintain 1985-86 base funding. The government also announced a program inviting school boards to submit proposals to the gov- ernment on ways to improve education in four main areas: the instructional use of computers, teacher training, equipment upgrading and overall school ef- fectiveness. Those school boards submitting successful proposals will be alloted funds beyond those in the basic funding formula. Thus far the government has given school boards few financial or subject guidelines for those proposals. in an interview after the meeting, North Vancouver Teach- ers Association president Andy Krawezyk said the government's new Fund for Excellence was nothing more than ‘‘a shell game. Why stick $110 mitlion into this fund and at the same time continue See District Page 5 a, ‘ 5 Photo by Joe Chisham GERHARD SCHMIDT, one of three electricians who installed decorative lights on Lions Gate Bridge, works 400 feet above Burrard Inlel. A North Vancouver company CHE Williams finished the $300,000 lighting con- tract in January, ahead of schedule for the lighting ceremony held last Wednesday. The company did the origi- nal lighting work for the bridge in 1938. Photographer Joe Chisham was the electrical engineer inspector in- volved with the project. LIONS GATE ILLUMINATION Local designers sweat as bridge lights turn on DESIGNERS of the decorative lights on Lions Gate Bridge were disappointed to be excluded from the premier’s Wed- nesday night festivities. But they still found the event worth celebrating. ‘*We were all sweating last night (Wednesday),’’ said Stan Ward, one of five people who designed the bridge’s lighting system. Ward said the North Vancouver company, lan Hayward and Associates Limited, worked on the contract for the past year, develop- ing the design from scratch. “It’s just like shooting off a rocket and hoping it works. In this case it was successful. “But it’s too bad everyone else is getting the credit except the people who did the work,’ he said. ‘‘Everyone thinks the thing just appeared out of the sky.” NEVER MENTIONED The North Vancouver company was never mentioned in a seven- page press release, issued by the British Columbia government. The recent involvement ot By KIM PEMBERTON News Reporter another local company, which in- stalled the lights, was also omitted. CHE Williams, the company which held the original lighting contract in 1938 for Lions Gate Bridge, received a contract fast June to string 170 mercury vapor lights along the bridges’ suspension cables, Project manager Jack McMillan said it is not unusual for work crews not to be invited to opening celebrations. But he said it would have been nice if an exception was made because only a few workers were involved. McMillan said there were six to eight men on the crew, but only three climbed on top of the bridge. HIGH CLIMB “They worked 20G, sometimes 400 feet above the water. I know | wouldn’t have climbed up there,”’ he said. After Premier Bill Bennett gave the signal, McMillan sent a message by radio telling a highways crew to turn on the $300,000 lights. The cost of the lights was paid entirely by the Guinness family — the bridge’s original owners. Louise and Erskine Guinness at- tended the celebration, along with Provincial Secretary Grace McCar- thy, who is credited with initiating the lighting project. NO BLAME Norman Stowe from Gov- ernment Information Services said although the province organized the celebration, it cannot be blam- ed for any omissions on the guest list. “There’s no specific ground rules for invitations,’’ Stowe said, “it varies with the event. Depen- ding on the size of the project you may not be physically able to invite everyone involved.” 3 - Sunday, February 23, 1986 - North Shore News ‘throataned: A 47-YEAR-OLD North Vancouver man: “has been released on n his. bs own recognizance, after pleading guilty to threatening to kilt Bo North Vancouver woman, © ‘ John Albert Kyte faced the. charge. after he, threstened ‘the : woman on Dec. 3, 1985. 5 ; ; Kyte was also charged with one count of mischief in an eailie incident, in which the North: Vancouver: man was. alleged: fo hay: damaged the same woman’ $ vehicle, a house. door and some plants. - Mischief charges against Kyte were subsequently stayed Kyte was released on the condition that he keep the | months and not. go within: a. ofe-block: radius’ of th “Lillooet Road re ae fire around 2 ‘p. mm.