unday, June 21, 1998 — North Shore News — 3 Bitter debate ends NV hearing Martin Millerchip News Reporter miller@nsnews.com THE third attempt to rezone bare land presently buffering a Dollarton chlorine plant ended in confusion and recriminations on Tuesday. North Vancouver District Council wrangied past midnight over whether to close the third public heanny on the issue and return the zon- ing application to council tor a decision. The hearing attracted the smailest crowd vet to what has become a divisive issuc in the rebirth of the Maplewood area. But nearly all of the approximately 40 i:.rer- ested observers staved to the bitter 12:15 am. finish of the meeting. By the end of the night council tempers were short and a confusing 45-minute debate with three separate votes finaily resulted in the hear- ing being adjourned to Aug. 25. Bur after the hearing, some councillors were second-guessing the decision to keep the hear- ing open, while Maplewood residents waited in the parking Jot to challenge Coun Lisa Muri for her continued attemprs to include the 23 acres of CanOxy fand in the ongoing community planning process for a new Seymour plan. Couns. Janice Harris and Trevor Carolan both berated Mayor Don Beli for his part in the CanOxy rezoning battle adjourned to August closing debate. Harris, atter animated discussion with Coun. Glenys Deering-Robb in a hallway cume back inva the “blowing the deal.” Carolan was even more direct. He msterrupt: eda conversation Bell was having with a reporte: to lean over and whisper. “you behaved hike a harlot tonight.” Carolan, ultimately the only councillor to oppose the final vote fer edjournment, is on record as favoring the zoning, proposal. It was Bell who ultimately persuaded couse To support an adjournment, Mun’s initial motion for adjournment tailed, but a subsequent motion to close the hearing bogged down over whether a full council would be on hand during the summer to deal with see- ond reading of the bylaw. Bell chen suggested thar if no date was avail- able to council unl the end of summer, it might make more sense to adjourn, rather than close, the hearing. Muri had initially suggested adjournment to bring “the major stakeholders” two the table for one more attempt to achieve consensus over long-range planning tor the area. However, the final motion for adjournment contained no wording directing staff to facilitate council chamber ro accuse Bell af any sors of mecting(s) and both Muri and Bell are now in China until June 28. Coun. Ernie Crist boycorted the whole evening. He later told the News he “refused to digni- 8 the proceedings with his presence.” Crist said he blamed Bell for allowing the process to be “hilacked” instead of being debat- ed in the Seymour plan where it belonged. The contentious Isnd-use decision has doguecd successive councils since 1993 when Canadian Occidental Petroleum brd. (CanOxy) first came forward with an application to upzone Jand that is now industrially zoned at its waterfront chlorine plant located at 160 Amhent Ave. The proposal included cost-sharing with the distzict for a re-aligned Dollarton Highway run- ning closer to the plant. The information that cach side had pledged $3.75 million towards alignment and intrastructure only came to fight in 1995. That cost will not include a new $6 villion Dollarton Bridge with ovo extra lanes to inatch up to the new highway. The highways new route has been cleared and graded in advance of zoning approval because, says the district, it was cost effective to do so when rock aggregate for the read bed became available. Tuesday's hearing was the third attempt to offer a zoning-mix acceptable to the public on some of the land that would border the realign- ment. The first was adjourned ia 1996 when cous cif members responded to public concerns about the safety of the chlorine plant. CanOnxy subsequently conducted its own risk assessment which council then had indepen- dently reviewed. New safety measures on-site led to a new soning application in February 1998 containing land uses previously ferbidder “until such time as the plant is permanently closed.” That rezoning was abandoned May 15 in favor of the present application after a public information meeting. The current application reduces the number of jand uses in an attempt to ensure that future development is not too people-intensive. In this regard, proposed restaurant and trade-school uses came is for criticism Tuesday. Site coverage has been reduced to 80% but a 60-foot building height will be allowed north of the highway, prompting Roche Point resident David Sadler to comment: “Where's the support for 60-foat office tow- ers along the Dollarton? I certainly didn’t hear the public clamoring for them at the public information meetings nor at the last public hear- ing.” Rail scrap hits small claims court Robert Galster News Reporter robert@nsnews.com A charitable society is getting nowhere fast with its claim against North Vancouver- based BC Rail, a Crown corporation. On May 28, the National Railway Historical Society CNRHS) filed a notice of claim in the North Vancouver small claims court registry secking $6,308.37 from BC Rail. The sum represents a variety of expenses incurred by the sociery while providing several of its cars to BC Rail for use during Christmas functions in 1995 and 1996. In all, BC Rail put on 28 Christmas functions using the sociery’s cars. Although an agreement berween the two parties stated the cars would be lent to BC Rail free of charge, the — society alleges it is owed $3,000 for the trans- port, supervision and preparation of the cars. Its claim also secks a further $1,400 for the repair of one of the cars after ir was damaged by a movie company. BC Rail had subleased a car to the movie company without informing, NRHS. “We want what's duly ours,” said NRHS treasurer Terry NEWS photo Cindy Goodman Glad grads READY to get their diplomas and move on to their next challenges are, left to right, St. Thomas Aquinas gradu- ates Bonnie McLaughlin, Alyssa Paquette, Angelica Dayanan, Laura Sherwin and Katrina Mackie, as they wait for their June 15 commencement ceremony to begin at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre. NRHS treasurer Terry Fergusson ... wants BC a a s Man jailed 60 days for socking cop It also applicd to aaa a: Cowan, a plain- to the ground. She got up, took Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.cont WHIT is the penalty for socking a female Mountie in the face so hard that it knocks her to the ground? If you happened to be Andrew Anthony Ramsay, it’s 60 days in jail and 24 months’ probation. . That is the sentence North Vancouver provincial court Judge Doug Moss handed Ramsay on April 28 for assault- ing, Const. Sue Cowan back in March. The rvo-month jail sentence was not just for punching the cop, who had fo go to hospital with an eye swollen shut. Ramsay’s conviction for threatening two 16-year-old girls on Aug. 11, 1997, at Ambleside beach. Ramsay, 22, was out on bait on the threatening — charge when he punched Const. Cowan. Cowan was one of several Mounties responding to a call of a burglary in) progress near Larson Avenue and 20th Srreet on March 12. As the police arrived, several young men ina yard fled down a tral behind Mahon Park. A police dog was sent down the trail to follow the suspects’ scent. Officers were stationed at various points in attempt to catch the fleeing suspects. er RR RAMSAY clothes officer, was standing at the bot- tom of the trail car the intersection of Marine Drive and Bewicke Avenue. She saw a young man walking down the street parallel to the trail who matched one of the suspects’ descriptions. Cowan ended up struggling with Ramsay, who swore at the officer several times and took off, At the same time, Const. Lee Hamilton was) coming down a street in a police cruiser. Police say that when Ranisay saw the police car, he turned around and rag back rewards Const. Cowan That's when Runway socked Cowan in the face, knocking her out her gun and chased Ramsay to the nearby Chevron sta- tion.Const. Hamilton drove over the boulevard in his haste to assist Cowan in’ the subse- quent gunpoint arrest of Ramsay. Besides the jail sentence, Judge Moss prohibited Ramsay — | from possessing guns, anrmuni- tion or explosives for two years. The judge ordered that Ramsay have no contact with Const. Cowan and the — teenagers named on the threatening charge. Ramsay is also not to be in the presence of a female under age 16 unless there is an adult older than 19 present. After sentencing, Ramsay refused to sign his probation orders and gun prohibition papers. Fergusson. In its reply to the society's claim, BC Rail states it denies all the allegations of the society. However, BC Rail is accepting responsibility for some, though not all, of the claims against it. As a result, the amount the Crown corporation is willing to pay —- $2,088.37 — is considerably less than what the society is seeking. Fergusson said that amount is unacceptable and the society has since filed for a settlement conference at the court which has yet to be scheduled. The society owns 25 rail cars in toral including open, parlor and dining cars of mostly late 1920s vintage. However, only 12 are operable, with the remainder sill to be restored. Fergusson said the society was formed in 1968 by a small group of railway butts. [ts first purchase was a caboose, a boxcar and two coaches. BC Rail spokesman Colleen Brow said she is unable to discuss details of the claims because they are before the courts. Rail to pony up what he says the society is duly owed.