seymour -NVD approves 10-classroom addition for Dorothy Lynas EAST SEYMOUR parents with elementary school-aged - children are concerned about the looming spectre of a crowded learning environment: as their children move up ito - secondary school education, NORTH VANCOUVER - BISTRICT COUNCIL. "By Martin Millerchip North Vancouver District Council passed bylaw siting amendments Monday night that : will allow the construction of a 10- classroom demountable building at Dorothy Lynas elementary school. The public hearing for the siting _of the. new classrooms passed . quickly and without the angry speeches that have typically accom- panied North Vancouver District planning initiatives in Indian River for the last few years. But parents privately told the News that they feared the problem of overcrowding at Dorothy Lynas : _ will continue at Seymour commu- nity secondary school. _ Dorothy Lynas was originally designed to accommodate 400 pupils. The overcrowding of the . elementary school has been a con- “stant source of parent frustration in the neighborhood since it opened in 1990 with one portable already on site. Since then the number of porta bles has grown to eight and the school’s enrolment has mush- roamed to 591 while parents and residents have decried the lack of facilities and services in East Seymour. ; With the new classroom addi- tion the school will handle as many as 700 pupils. Dorothy. Lynas principal Jim Petersen says he will be pleased to see the last of the portables in September and the construction of the new demountable building, even though it will sit on approxi- mately 25% of the school’s all- weather playing field, » A demountable building can be dismantled when il is no longer needed and re-assembled else- where. ‘“] think that the proposed 10- classroom addition represents a sig- nificant improvement on the learn- ing environment for the school,” Petersen told the News. _ But he refused toe speculate on the future secondary education of his pupils although he admitted. “No question, there is a bulge working through the system.” Larry Brown is principal of Seycove community secondary school, which draws its pupils from Dorothy Lynas, Sherwood Park and Cove Chiff elementary schools. He is responsible for 432 stu- dents but is already projecting a September enrolment of “475 to ’ 480 based-on children in school now.” He says the figure docsn’t include any estimate of the number of “move-ins” as the number of homes in his catchment area contin- CALL US: 983-2208 ‘Education cut a from school plans atthe last minute - ues to increase. Seycove currently has three portables on site, One is used as a deama studio, one as a math centre, syhile a dou- ble-wide serves as the school's cafeteria since the Ministry of proposed cafeteria in 1979, Browa says he will need “one more portable for sure come September.” He doesn’t aisagree that the for- est of Dorothy Lynas portables dis- placed by the demountable addition could be’ moving, onto his Caledonia Avenue site. “After September. the admission numbers rise exponentially. The issue is a huge one for Seycove because there isn’t the space for the children,” Brown told the News. He says he will need a “six- to eight-classroom addition and a cafeteria doubling as a large teach- ing space” in three years’ lime. But Brown said he has been told by school board officials ihat the ministry has turned down the request both last year and this, “We have a good handle on what we need. It’s just a question of getting it in time,” says Brown. . geting M But some Indian’ River parents wonder if even Brown's hoped-for addition. will meet the space requirements of a school population they say could zasily double. And in-order to establish some basis for their: argument the Dorothy Lynas Parent Council is conducting a child-count survey in the school’s catchment area over the spring break. They have also encouraged par- ents in the Sherwood Park and Cove Cliff areas to participate. “The numbers we forecast say it (the planned Seycove addition) won’t be enough,” says Joan Vyner, chalrmun of the Dorothy Lynas Parent Council. Ed Collins! Assistant to the Superintendent of North Vancouver School District 44, confirms that Victoria has twice denied funds for a Seycove extension. “Tf you ate asking me are we getting to a pinch, the answer is, yes,” Collins told the News. “Seycove is going to be ina very crowded situation regardless of whether they have French immersion or not.” There is currently no French immersion offered al Seycove, but an increasing number of East Seymour parents would prefer their - children to continue to learn togeth- er instead of being dispersed between Argyle, Handsworth and Balmoral secondary schools. There are currently over 200 students enrolled in the French immersion programs at Dorothy Lynas and Shervoad Park. “B.C. is ualike other provinces which plan for future needs,” says Collins. “It’s very difficult to get funds based on future needs. The only thing that'seems to work is bodies on site. Its not the way we want to do it. Portables often become the solution but it’s not an ideal solution.” SINCE THE decision. has been made to remove, and not replace, the ‘Lions’ Gate Britige, 2 top secret negotiations are under way te seil the span back to the Guinness familly. ee THERE WILL be no new First Narrows crossing. In fact there will be no First, Narrows crossing at all.. By Poisson D’avril Contributing Writer After much debate, earnest consideration, con- sultation and reflection, the various committees looking into the proposed upgrade of the Lions Gate Bridge have decided to have the span removed and replaced with nothing, Spokesfolk for the committees said Wednesday that the No Crossing At All Option just made the most sense both financially and environmentally. “Tt turned out that after all our studies and con- siderations, doing nothing turned out to be the cheapest and least complex thing to do,” said one spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous for & Classified... BBE Crossword wo... scene D BB Crime Aleit IZ @ ‘Trevor Lautens BB Paul St. Pierre. cessed LAP sasesessssesseeseeeree fear of having his named spelled wrotig. . While environmental groups applauded the No Crossing At All Option, other citizen groups were not so enthusiastic about the plan even though it would cost nathing to build. hy “Pm not sure I’m ready to stop commuting to Vancouver,” said one disgruntled North Shore resi- dent. Meanwhile, representatives of the Guinness brewing family contacted in Ireland by the:North Shore News said they were “aghast” at any plan to remove the bridge they had built in the late 1930s. -; A family representative said the entire Guinness organization was in collective shock. “But the News has also uncovered rumors that the Guinness family plans to have the dismantled bridge shipped back to Ireland and reconstructed in an Trish theme park tentatively called Hot Crossings. Weather Saturday: mainly cloudy, Severe’ 4 |) high 13°C, low 5°C | Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Are you concerned about the construction of “monster houses” in your neighborhood?