THE YOICE OF HORT ARB WES

May 12, 1993 52 pages

Office, Editorial 985-2131

Neighborhood fears stall hoop
action in Mosquito Creek Park

A NEW? hasketball) court,
already partially completed
at Mosquito Creek Park in
North Vancouver City, will
remain unfinished while city
councillors address — neigh-
borhood fears of noisy,
drunken youth.

By Stephen Wisenthal
Contributing Writer

But councillors, sitting Mon-
day, May 10, as the city parks and
recreation committee, also heard
from city residents who say the
area's young people require sports

Shots fired
from club’s

BECAUSE SHOOTING at
this buck would only add (to
the local noise being raised
over the issue, North Van-
couver District Council has
opted to pass it.

By Martin Millerchip
Contributing Writer

Complaints from Lynn Valley
residents about noise from
shooting clubs operating in the
Seymour Demonstration Forest
area resurfaced in January,
prompting another round of noise
testing by public health inspectors.

But the gun ctubs operate on
Greater Vancouver Regional
District (GVRD) land, and council
says it cannot interfere with a
lease agreement to which it is not
a party.

Results of the March noise
testing from four locations on
Robinson Road and two locations
on Draycott Road confirmed that
shotguns used at the North Shore
Skeet Club (NSSC) do not exceed
noise bylaw levels.

The tests duplicated results ob-
tained in 1988 at the time the
NSSC and the Pacific Shooter's
Association (PSA) were
negotiating leases witn the GVRD.

The NSSC has been trap and
skeet shooting at its present loca-
tion since 1955. Its representatives
say noise levels have not changed
since that time.

NSSC president Dennis Collins
told council’s planning and devel-
opment. standing committee last
week that heavy cloud conditions
appear to trap the gun noise and
make it more noticeable at certain
locations but that the noise was
still within legal limits.

In a letter to council this week,

NORTH VANCOUVER
CITY COUNCIL

facilities to keep them amused.
Some say a basketball! court is
long overdue.

Said ‘Tom Ridgewell, an 18-
year-old who lives near the park,
“Younger teens need a place to
go. Basketball is very big right
now.’

Lacrosse boxes in the area are
used by people in their 20s, and
the courts at Westview elementary
school are cracked and covered
with gravel, he added.

See Youth violence page 3

over noise
skeet shoot

DISTRICT COUNCIL

Collins argued that the NSSC has
already compromised for the sake
of cooperation with its neighbors.
He said that the club no longer
shoots on Tuesday evenings and
that while the district bylaw would
allow shooting between 7 a.m.
and 8 p.m. the club only operates
from 10 a.m. {o 4 p.m,

“We believe that the  smail
number of residents that are com-
plaining are more concerned with
the fact that it is guns that they
are hearing than they are with the
actual sound of the gunshots,”’
wrote Collins.

Staff advised council that
“these clubs are operating lawful-
ly in every respect and there is
nothing our enforcement person-
nel can do under the cir-
cumstances.”’

Coun. Janice Harris asked for a
report on the sound measuring
equipment used by the health in-
spectors.

“Are we up to date on our
technical capabilities?’’ asked
Harris.

Council agreed to forward all
noise complaints to the GVRD
and to ask staff to meet with the
gun clubs’ representatives ‘‘to de-
velop guidelines which would res-
pond to noise levels.’’

“It's in their interests to seek
out new guidelines or we'll have
people petitioning to close them
down,”’ said Coun, Paul Turner.

Only Coun. Ernie Crist opposed
the move.

‘We should concentrate on
noises that are in violation of our
noise bylaw before we zero in on
those that are below ‘the noise
level,”’ said Crist.

RRL a SE

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHO

VANCOUVER

PLAY BALL

More than 5,000 softball
players hit local diamonds
for the spring ritual.

Display Advertising 980-0511

Classifieds 986-6222

WiLD LIFE

Lions Bay couple Bili and
Wanda Keay publish their
first book of photographs.

Distribution 986-1337

NEWS photo Neil Lucento

Bucket brigade

WEST VANCOUVER firefighters pass the buckets during the Water Tower
Bucket Brigade Race at the 12th annual North Shore Firefighters Hose Reel
Festival held on Saturday, May 8, in Mahon Park.

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