Sewage overtlow infuriates WV business plagued by § foul mess for four years § WHEN IT rains heavily in West Vancouver there is more than water running through the street in the 2400-block of Bellevue Avenue: raw sewage flowing from an over-filled sanitary sewer line has been fouling up business for Ruth Simons for four years now. The sewage surfaced again on Tuesday. “It’s like trying to put your finger in a dyke. With the carpets after a while it really starts to stink,’’ said Simons, managing director of Travel Insurance Coordinators (TIC) Agencies Ltd. The business’s office kitchen, a siorage room and an acccuntant’s office are soaked as the sewage backs up and flows through manhole covers on the street out- side and through the toilet and shower inside. ‘sLast time, in August, we had five inches up the wall. Right now we managed to beat it, so the floor is just wet. If we were to let it flow it would again be four or five inches. We had this pipe put in the garage. Also we've put some weights on the toilets and in the shower to try and stop the water from coming up, otherwise it would start Mowing like crazy — but it's still coming out,” Simons said during Tuesday’s rainstorm. The management company for the building in which TIC is located had sought help from Wesi Vancouver District. The buiiding, it was determined, need- ed a sump pump to drain the overflow. Saic Simons, ‘‘The engineers we hired said we would have to install three sumps in our whole strata unit at a cost of approximately $25,000. **! fev! total frustration because there scems to be this inertia — nobody is doing anything. They're (West Vancouver) saying that it’s under discussion with the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). .All they say to us is that we should consult with plumbers and have something done tem- porarily. We feel they should at least offer to pay for it,’’ she ad- ded. But West Vancouver District assistant directcr of operations Doug Wylie said the sewer servic- ing Simons’ busixess is operated by the Greater Vancouver Sewage and Drainage District (GVSDD). “ty has shown a tendency to Strike vote sought By Michael Becker News Reporter surcharge during strong storms,”’ Wylie said. It’s designed to do that in part. We're currently working with the region on a future design on another sewer. They have it in their timetable to upgrade that (sanitary sewer) and we’ve been discussing with them whether they can accelerate that. I guess the problem the peopie have there right now, they’ve got to deal with it.” Meanwhile the GVRD is con- sidering a $3-million upgrade of the Hollyburn sanitary sewer in- terceptor. The 13,000-foot-long sanitary sewer line runs from the Lions Gate sewage treatment plant west to Horseshoe Bay. But said GVRD administrator of sewers Keith Taylor, ‘‘Before we spend money doing that we want to find out where the Flows are coming in."’ Lower Mainland storm sewers and sanitary sewers leak. In heavy tain, water enters through open joints, manhole covers and a host of other places. Said Taylor, ‘‘Some of our pipes have leaks. The municipal system pipes have leaks and even the pipes on many people’s pro- perties have leaks. Everything is fine as long as it doesn’t rain. When it rains, by the time it gets down to our (sanitary sewer) pipe, which is designed for sanitary sewage only, it fills ic right up and we get these surcharges.’' The sewage surfaces in some buildings with basements or ground floors along Bellevue. The floor of the building is close, and in some cases level with the top of the sanitary sewer pipe. When the pipe is more than full, it backs up. GVRD and municipal officials have embarked on a program to lovate leaks; gauges have been in- stalled recently to measure sewer water flows in an attempt to iden- tify major problem areas. for NVD employess SEVERAL NORTH Yancouver District facilities, in- cluding the North Vancouver District municipal hall, could be behind picket lines if the union representing district employees is given the go-ahead by its membership to conduct a strike «ote this week. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) focal 389 will ask its members Monday to authorize the union executive to hold a strike vote. Local 389 represents 280 employees at the district hall, the North Vancouver District Library and the North Van- couver Recreation Centre. The lasi collective agreement between the district and CUPE expired on Dec. 31, 1990. North Vancouver District director of human_resources Dave Stuart said the two sides had been at the bargaining table since late October, but that the union broke off talks on Nov. 13. The district, he said, has not had time to make a contract By Surj Rattan News Reporter offer to the union, Wages for district public works employees currently range from $14.41 an hour up to $21.65 per hour for a senior foreman. The wages for inside district employees, which include cleri- cal, administration and profes- sional staff, range from $10.25 an hour for an office support clerk up to $29.50 per hour for a senior professional planner. Local 389 president Mike Hocevar was unavailable for comment to press time Friday. Sunday, November 24, 1991 - North Shore News - 3 merchants NEWS photo Cindy Goodman TRAVEL INSURANCE Coordinators Agencies managing director Ruth Simons points out a pipe spewing raw sewage into the underground parking lot behind her West Vancouver office. When it rains heavily in West Vancouver sewage surtaces in her Bellevue Avenue office. Workers frustrated with severance issue From page 1 a decent burial.’’ But MWBIU president George MacPherson denied that his union has ignored the plight of the laid-off VPSI workers. He said both VPSI and Ottawa have ref- used to communicate with the union on the issue of severance packages. “*E feel we've (union) been do- ing our job quite diligently, but we've had no response from Ot- tawa. We submitted a report to the federal government on July 1 regarding the severance issuc and we have not had a response from them,”’ said MacPherson. “The federal government has made a lot of promises to those displaced workers and nothing has happened. A lot of these workers have fallen off UIC (unemploy- ment insurance) and are on welfare. Everyone's frustrated.”’ Versatile spokesman Bill Evers said the issue of severance pay is between the union and the federal government. He added that ‘‘there's certainly no such thing as severance in the shipbuilding industry under the collective agreement.”’ He also said that VPSI wants to keep its North Vancouver yard open, but that the MWBIU has refused to sign a collective agree- ment. Evers said VPSI could employ between 30 and 50 people on various projects such as steel cut- ting work for a second B.C. Ferry Corp. superferry. but that com- panies are afraid to come to VPSI as long as there is ‘‘a strike loom- ing."” MacPherson said, however, that the union has been negotiating with VPSI and has said it first wants the issue of severance pay addressed. “We'll review their offer in December but there is no money for the workers who will not be going back into the yard,’ said MacPherson. ‘‘Versatile clearly indicated to us that they'll be clos- ing down the North Vancouver yard. 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