~

_ 4 Staff will man the barricade:

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Friday, Auguat 1, 1997 ~ North Shore Nows ~ 3

i

NEWS phato Piaul McGrath

NORTH Vancouver school truatee Tim Morrison left), parent Chris Dorais, trustea Deborah Kitson and daycare advocate Barbara

we . . oF

te
”

portable’s fate unknown

if
f

i
not:

(. Kinnibirgh said ‘Thursday the 24-child daycare
wouldn't odey a notice to vacate the same day, : °
Instead, security guard will be posted during the
Nnight at North:Shore: Children’s House and daycare

during the day, she said.
we my . Mia! al

Sey a .

hool board says

property,”

: Kinniburgh Intend te kesp.the the North Shore Children's House daycaré on Capitano elementa
because the schoo! heeds space to accommodate new portables for the sciicol's growing population.

, i

it

“We're here from now on, 24 hours a day.”
School board chairman Guy Heywood said a

court order would be required to remove the daycare,

“If iv was within our power to remove them we
would:, But’ [dan't. think it's practical,” said

Heywood! “Bor the tye being they win and it will

be tothe detriment of the legitimate users of that
2. The beard is trying:to evier the daycare because
Capilata school needs space for portables to house a

nushroansing school ponulation.
2 saul thy daycare can't tind other:
space for. the 2,100-square:fuot facility, even though

‘Bur Knniburgh sa

it's'made extensive attempts to da so. ;

Kinniburgh parehised the portable for the day»
care as-community service seven, years ago. Now,
daycare operations help pay the mortgage.

The daycare has been operating on a month-to-
month agreement since an initial lease-expited ovo
years ago. Heywood said.a board offer to negotiate a
purchase of the portable was rebuffed,

_ aren't

land, The daycare faces eviction |

u

\
1
vt ?
coal

are refuses to leave

Heywood and ‘Trustee Barh MacLellan said ‘tliey

Meely to reverse their decision supparting evie-
tion — a decision supported by a school parent advi-
sory board and administrators, But nwo. other
trustees want the daycare to stay,

On Thursday; standing in front of the daycare,
trustees Tim Morrison and Deborah Kitson called
School District 44's treatment of daycare representa:
tives unnecessarily cald-and painfully bureaucratic.
Morrison ‘added North Vancouver District. his
approved plans that would allow the daycare to co-

to the school grounds.

“The only obstacle preventing this win-win,
option from suceceding is.the stubbornness of the!
school board," he said. :

Rut school principal Lowell Jackie said earlier the
daycare site was the only viable option, for the porta-
bles, When asked what will happen: over. the next
month, prior to school starting, Heywood replied: “1
don't know.”

“exist with three new portables with little disruption

y

ard

By Jolanda Waskito
svibuting Writer -

oY
30
Con |
"THE North Vancouver
“District 44 School Board is.
cling Worth Vancouver

City council to butt out of

y

‘eviction’. of the, North Shore
‘Children’s House daycare trom the

rounds of Capilano elementary °
school, which is in'North Vancouver,
- District) but met with a rebuttal.

“{ hada telephone meeting with

(board, hairman) Guy Heywood,” |

said May’ ir Jack Loucks. “He point:

ed out thet it wasn’t any of our busi-
Jkness.”, ; .

- ‘After an appeal to council from a

‘North: Vancouver ‘City; parent with.

“three children at the: daycare, coun-
cil unanimously: passed a motion on

++ July 14 to send letters to all school:
trustees and directed the mayor to:

“talk one-on-one with Heywood.

* Loucks also expressed “concern

with the shortage of daycare for tots

‘under the age of three. There are

only seven such dayeares on the
North Shore, _
“Tt was odd to send letters to our

homes when we have staff (at the:

”

board. office) all the time...

Trustee’ Barb) MacLellan said. “Iv

sounded like they. were demanding a
reply. Tt was alarming.” ;

School board vice-chairman Pat
Heal said she was “quite taken
aback” to receive the city’s letter,

“tt didn’t say please; it said
respond by July 23,” Heal said.
~* “Ir said council was in support of
daycare —- so are.we, We've tried to
accommodate the dayeare where

ossible. So to turn around and lay it

ack on us... We've done all we can
to accommodate them (the daycare)
and we can’t any longer.” ,

The problem is space. Because of
increased®: student numbers at
Capilano elementary, Heal said die
school will be. forced ‘to put three
portables on its grounds this fall, and
maybe more in the future.

The issue of the daycare, Heal
said, has already been discussed at a
meeting that included representa:
tives of the daycare, the parents’
advisory council and district staff.

Heal added that moving the day-
care elsewhere on school, grounds
“would take away play! space.”

~The board is currently determin-

ing what its legal options are, she
added, :

The - non-profit Pemberton
Heights Family Support Society runs
the daycare, which employs four
women full-time, and has done so

“for seven years on Capilano elemen-
tary school grounds.

Society president. — Barbara
Kinniburgh = said she’s already
received “threatening” letters from
school board lawyers to vacate
schoo} property.

She said the school board doesn’t

scem to understand that moving a -

21,000 square-foot (1,951 sq. m)
portable is not as easy as itseems.

“Tt has to be craned ‘up and off
site,” Kinniburgh said.

rebuffs city daycare pus

The water, sewage and hydro ser-
vices also have to be disconnected,
She estimated the moving bill at
more than $100,060,

The society is already $80,000 in
debt from financing the purchase of,
the portable and daycare equipment.”

“There’s no more space in-rec
centres, nto more space in church
basements or parks or schools —
where do the children go?”
Kinniburgh ‘said. :

Meanwhile, city — councillors
haven't given up the fight. Coun.

Bob Fearnley wants the. daycare to

stay on school grounds.

“I'm a parent, mv kids are sinall,
1 know what it’s like,” Fearnley said. -

He questioned the school beard’s
intentions, : ,
“1 don’t sense a lot of co-opera-
tion,” he said.
. “They don’t think these are pub-
lic buildings. We have to use the
facilities we've got in as many ways
as we can, Everyone has to do their
share.”

Pair’s:

history

testy at

its best |

Fram page 1

That amount, caid Weeesinski,
is enough to casily cover the cast
of the removal of diet his home's
excavation produced, He also
quotes an engineering report pre-
pared for North Vancouver
District by Thompson
Geotechnical that places the

- blame for the recent problems.on

foreign debris, but also states the

. problem was created in the fall of

1992. i
Wreesinski didn’t start con-

struction on’ his. home until
* 1994, ‘ :

But that didn’t stop: Madsen
who called district officials alert-
ing them of his concerns. *

“I would challenge that date,”.
said Madsen. “I’m. basing it on
what witnessed when, Lepure
chased the ty: and subse-" |
quently lived here.” wo

For his part, Wrzesinski isn’t. .
surprised by his neighbor's stand. °
Their history together has been

.. pockmarked by events that can be -
~ described as acrimonious ‘at the

best of times, 2)
‘Here’s a rundown of several
recent run-ins:

‘ @ Feb. 24, 1995 — A complaint

. tothe: Fishefes and Oceans |
Department filed by Madsen and ">.

this wife, ‘Cheryl: Hui” alleges. >>

"Weaesinski; had dumped: harmful -

materials on the bank of a fish-

bearing creck. adjacent to their, ‘ ;

ropertys :
Pr rcbsinski states the materials

were deposited at ’ Madsen’s -
request, but ix forced by fisheries .

department to clean the area ate

cost of $900, Costs were later --
partially recovered » following © «
court action, :
® June 2; 1995 — Madsen and -
Hui report presence of illegal. :
suite in Wreesinski’s home to dis-
trict officials. - : : 7
Stream: of district. officials
inspects Wreesinski residence and

__seck’ compliance, via the courts,
® July 23, 1995 —— Madsen and

Hui allege Wreesinakis’ dog run,
ning louse’ through ‘their proper: -/
trincluding an Appearance inside!
the house. Dog driven to SPCA 1"
by Madsen. ; we
_Weeesinski pays’ $70 to. pick, .
up dog from SPCA, ‘Griselda’.

Wraesinski states: she “heard

Cheryl Hui calling the dog to her
property. Me
Wf Sept. 25, 1995 — In,a‘ notice

of claim filed in North Vancouver:
provincial court the Wezesinskis
allege: Madsen and his.’ wife **
Chery! Hii ‘started building a"
fence _ encroaching on” the © '
Wreesinskis’ property and clear. © ;
cut “about 80 young trees”: in”,
the process.

1 ‘

In’ their. reply and, counter-

* claim, Madsen and Hui allege the.

Wraesinskis’own wire'fence and
gate encroach their property by
several inches and farther accused: |,
them of trespassing, to spray paint.“
“an obscenity in lange letters”. on

their garage doote:, |...

-The-:hostilities between the |

two won't last forever though’as
‘the’ Wezesinskis have decided

enough is enough and |plan to

put their house on the market.. #)
While their relationship (with
their neighbors is a factor in. their
decision, it is not the only one. >

“You know who [ hope buys - --

this: house are'the bikers ... P’'m-
gonna make sure they get in, Pll

even lower the price,” said
Wrzesinski. MS

tae
, ree
wat

1