Cost of new lease, building upgrade forces WY shutdown THE YMCA and its dedica- tion to the “spiritual, physical, mental and social develop- ment of people” is marking its 150th birthday this year. But it won’t be much of a celebra- tion for its North Shore branch. By Robert Galster Contributing Writer The YMCA announced ata meeting Wednesday night that it will close its Inglewood facility located at 1735 Inglewood Ave. in West Vancouver by Dec. 31, 1994. More than 100 concerned citi- ‘zens, including West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager, attended. “This has been a long, protract- ed negotiation ‘and it’s a tough problem for everyone, but the dol- lars and resources are short,” said Bill Stewart, president of the Greater Vancouver YMCA, “We don’t expect that there will be a last-minute offer. I'm not holding out for that.” - The negotiations have been complicated by the presence of two parties in addition to the YMCA. The YMCA facility is housed in the old Inglewood school building, which is owned by West Vancouver School District 45 (WVSD). District 45 has been leasing the building to West. Vancouver District, which, in turn, leases the building to the YMCA. In 1992 the municipality signed a 10-year lease with the WVSD. Under the pre-1992 agreement, both bodies rented. the facility to the YMCA for a nominal fee of $1 NEWS photo Brad Lodwidge WALLY BECK was among many YMCA members whe gathered in West Vancouver Wednesday to hear the news that their facility would be closing by the end of the year. Beck takes part in the YMCA’s Pump Primers program for people who live with heart problems. per year. Under the new lease the YMCA is to pay $42,000 annually for the Inglewood facility, but because the YMCA has been losing money ($171,000 and $73,381 during 1992 and 1993, respectively), it has been trying to negotiate a more favorable agreement. “We've been unable to sign the lease because we just wouldn’t be able to afford it,” said Stewart. Further complicating the negoti- ations was the fire marshall's insis- tence that a $300,000 sprinkler sys- tem be installed in the building. The YMCA is reluctant to con- sider upgrading the building with- out an agreement to retain the facil- ity for a period exceeding the eight years remaining on the current lease. Meanwhile, the municipality has paid the first year’s rent and has offered to pay $21,000, or half of the yearly rent, in the future while recommending District 45 school trustees forgive the remain- ing $21,000. But the WVSD has refused, Stating that recreational programs are not part of its mandate. “The board looked at it and were very sympathetic io their (YMCA’s) programs and so forth, but the bottom line and the deci- sion of the board was that we can- not see our way to justify giving them financial support,” District 45 trustee Clive Bird told the News. “We didn’t believe that we could justify it to the taxpayers to use essentially educational resou.ces to support this kind of community service.” But that was not good enough for many attending Wednesday's meeting. Some accused the school board of carrying out a hidden agenda and were further incensed by the absence of a school board represen- lative to answer their queries. WVSD declined the YMCA's invitation lo attend the meeting. “Unless the school board plaas to tear down this building immedi- ately and get the (district) council to rezone the land so they can start their condominiums to get their money to put up the (Caulfeild) school, I can't see why we can't continue to use this building past Dec. 31,” said Bernard Holt, who was a principal of West Vancouver secondary school when it included the Inglewood facility. Others members were upset that they had not been involved in the YMCA’s decision-making process. Outgoing YMCA chairman Ted Robinson, whose term expired June 28, said coercing any of the rele- vant bodies involved in the Inglewood site was not a viable option. “We felt that ... a confrontation- al approach would not serve the ‘Y’ best in the long term. “We have to live in this commu- nity, and we have to deal with the school board and the municipality, and we want to continue to deal with them.” Despite the public outcry dis- played at the meeting, the YMCA plans to proceed with its plans to vacate the current facility by ‘the end of the year. Instead the YMCA is planning to open a store-front to continue various community programs using existing community facilities with the cooperation of West Vancouver’s Parks and {ecreation board. But West Vancouver Director of Parks and Recreation Kevin Pike is skeptical of the store-front approach. “Our facilities are ful! and over- flowing,” said Pike. “We need more facilities ourselves for what we're already running.” “We're going to be most pleased to work with the ‘Y’ to try to figure out how we're gonna do this, but off the top we don't have a lot of solutions.” Seaview Walk plans draw WV fans and foes FRANCIS BARTHROPP describes himself as a “living fossil” whose preservation is largely due to his regular ram- bles along the Seaview Walk in West Vancouver. By if .e Zimmerman News Reporter Barthropp speaks for many senior, middle-aged and fragile fans of the walk, which stretches from the overpass near Gleneagles School to the entrance to Nelson Canyon Park. It provides one of the few long, protected, level strolls in the Lower Mainland. “] think you judge the civility of a society by how it treats its weak- est members,” said Barbara Pettit, an architect planner. “This is the walk of last resort.” Barthropp and Pettit sat outside the Gleneagles Golf Club Wednesday waylaying peopl: who were looking over plans by BC Rail (BCR) to develop 18 lots on the 26.8 acre (10.7 hectare) portion of rail right-of-way along the West Vancouver walk. Barthropp. Pettit and fellow menibers of the Gleneagles Ratepayers’ Association object to CALL US: 983-2208 the plans because they will replace a parking area across from the Gieneagles Golf Club, where older walkers currently leave their vehi- cles before setting out on their walks, with a recreation centre adjoined by eight residential lots. Would-be waikers will now have to ascend a slight hill on Eagleridge Drive to get to the Seaview Walk. ' “The little grade going up isn’t much to us,” said Pettit, referring to people in the bloom of health. But, she explained, when people are elderly or infirm the slope could -prove too challenging. Barthropp, for instance, said it is too much for him. He believes the municipality should buy the parking space from BCR and leave it as is. Barthropp noted that the Seaview Walk allows an ideal con- stitutional for people who other- wise don’t get much exercise. Pettit said people come from all over the Lower Mainland to avail them- selves of the trail. “This isn’t a local issue — it never has been,” she said. Another resident pointed out that the neighborhood has no side- walks and the Seaview Walk pro- vides a safe, traffic-free route to bus stops and other amenities. a EWS photo Mike Waketinld KEVIN PIKE, West Vancouver's Director of Parks and Recreation, shares plans for development with residents. The ratepayers’ association has objected to the plans since they were first announced. Now mem- bers are angry that the public hear- ing to discuss the matter will be hetd on July 11, when many of them will be out of town. They believe the meeting should be re- scheduled for mid-September. Pettit admitted that many of the other people who had attended the first hour of the open house Wednesday afternoon seemed pleased with the BCR proposal. The Seaview Walk is to be transferred to community owner- ship at no cost to the municipality, and the District of West Vancouver will buy 3.7 acres (1.43 hectares) of the land north of Eagleridge Drive THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Is the $800-million ferry project justified, given B.C.’s debt? for present and future recreational uses. One happy neighbor was Helen Jenkins, who has lived on Falcon Road for eight years. She came to the open house, she said. because “I was wanting to find out how much we've gained froin our fight.” BC Rail has had to submit two previous proposals to the munici- pality because of public pressure. The current plan includes develop- ment of 18 lots — 13 north of Eagleridge Drive and five south — a significant reduction from the 38 BCR properties applied for in January of this year. “The people on the south side of Eagleridge, we're really happy because they haven’t made any changes (to the status quo),” said Jenkins. “We're never totally happy. of course, because we all want to live in the bush.” She wasn't sure how residents on the north side would feel because 13 houses are due to be built there and trees may be lost. “Compared to what the’ original offer from BC Rail was, it’s unbe- lievably good,” she said. The public hearing is scheduled for July 11 at the municipal hall, 750 |7th St.. West Vancouver, at 7:45 p.m.