@ — Wednesday, Februa INSIGHTS ¥ a ) ®, 3 Gos. 1s Q y NEWS VIEWPOINT Two-wheel time made a personal commitment to use bicycles in place of automobiles to commute on the North Shore might have some light at the end of the treacherous two-wheeled commuter tunnel. Tee BRAVE souls who have . That faint illumination has been provid- ed by North Vancouver District Council, which has approved the terms of reference for a bi-municipal Bicycle Routes Commit- tee. The decision means that North Van- . eouver District, in concert with North Vancouver City, will finally be promoting an organization that will examine and map out a comprehensive network of footpath and bicycle routes within the two North Shore communities. The routes will be designated for recre- ation and commuting. as part of the district’s transportation system. A bicycle routes study will focus on such issues as route identification, the potential use of bicycles for recreation and commuting, and the problems of dealing with bicycle traffic. It is a move long overdue, if North Shore residents are to take any meaningful personal action to reduce their dependence on the internal combustion engine, which accounts for nearly 80% of air pollution in the Lower Mainland area. Anyone who currently wants to use a bicycle to commute on the North Shore literally takes his life in his own hands: virtually all North Shore streets have been designed to service automobiles exclusively; almost none provide any allowance for bicycles. If we are to encourage people to get out of their cars, we need to provide some real © incentives for them to do so. A Bicycle Routes Committee should get the right wheels rolling in that direction. : LETTER OF THE DAY Neptune shed obliterates view Dear Editor: shed _ Regarding your front page photo “Shed taking shape’? and it accompanying balanced article by will is quite obviously much higher than the existing shed and totally obliterate our shoreline view. The coal piles are Thank you, Vancouver Port Cor- poration, for permitting such a monstrosity to be built. Thank you, North Vancouver City Council, for looking after your your investigative reporter Sur} Rattan that appeared Feb. 2, the article went into detail as to the height dimensions of the new shed but it omitted any reference to the existing shed’s height, instead giv- ing its length. also much bigger, which translates into increased costs for regular power washing to get rid of the coal soot from our deck, sunroom and windows to enable us to have a better view of the shed. Thank you, Neptune Terminals, higher profile taxpayers. Thank you, North Shore News, for br- inging this to our attention. But you all likely have pristine west side views. Kelvin Hoyle Happy landfall after a storm- tossed voyage “Grent, O Lord, unto Thy servants when endeavoring any great matter to know it is not the beginning but the carrying through of the same until it be thoroughly finished that yieldeth the true glory.”’ —Sir Francis Drake’s Prayer UNLIKE SIR FRANCIS, West Van Kisvanians are ne. swashbuckling mariners seeking new con‘inents te tame. But a sunny, spring-like Valentine’s Day Drought them their own hour of ‘‘true glory”’ just as satisfying. The occasion was the ceremoni- al opening of Kiwanis Court, their new affordable housing complex for seniors in the 2100 block Gor- don. They’d often wondered if the day would ever dawn. The 45-year-old Club has been in the business of affordabie homes for seniors since the mid- 1950s, when it acquired its block-size property at Gordon and 22nd. Ten years later it had built over 100 units — followed in 1975 by its 88-resident long term care facility. With that track record the Club anticipated a smooth voyage when West Van Council approved the present project in principte in 1988. Instead, it was almost wrecked in a prolonged bureau- cratic storm — escaping one reef only to be driven towards another, as city hall shunted the project endlessty from one advisory body to the next . . . back to the plan- ning department . . . then to yet another committee. Tempted as they must some- times have been to sbandon ship, the Kiwanians held course. On February 9, 1991, after a two-year battle with officialdom, the sod was finally turned. By last month the $4.6 million, 85-suite compiex was completed and fully rented. Last Friday some 250 residents and guests crowded the attractive community room — to be wel- comed by emcee-cum-past presi- dent Derrick Humphreys and president Gordon East. John Millard, helmsman during the storm-tossed passage, gave a brief history of the project, Mayor Mark Sager (guardedly apologetic for the previous council’s antics) added gracious words of praise. Finally, jovial Rodney Saalfeld, Kiwanis Pacific Northwest District Governor, unveiled the plaque. Affordable housing it may be, with $550-$600 rents for seniors in a maximum income bracket of about $27,000, but there’s nothing else “‘cheap”’ about it. Architect (and Club member) Brian Hanna's gabled roofs and traditional Old | World touches like the lych gate entry and clock tower give the . landscaped quadrangle a warm el- egance rarely if ever seen in apartment developments three or four times pricier. o7 _ * HITHER AND YON Fighting tough obstacles, West - Van Kiwanians never let up on the “great matter’’ they'd begun ‘‘un- til it was thoroughly finished.”’ Sir Francis would have heartily en- dorsed their Valentine celebration. POSTSCRIPTS: Following its recent successful launch in Van- couver ‘Kootenai Brown”, West Van producer Gary Payne's : : feature film of the lengendary - - Alberta folk hero, premieres today. in Calgary’s Palliser Square -. ~ Theatre during the Canadian Film : Celebration. Gary, wife Rose Marie and star Michelle Thrush are there for theevent, but Don- nelly Rhodes couldn't make it —: today is his wife’s due date! ... Amnesty International’s North |: Shore branch meets Monday, ‘Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Highlands ~~ . United Church, 3255 Edgemont * Boulevard, to discuss an expan- sion of the AI mandate . . . And North Shore Continuing Educa- tion invites you to celebrate leap year Saturday, Feb. 29, with a trip | to Othello Tunnels and the Kettle Vailey Railway, departing 8:45 - a.m. and returning 4 p.m. — call 986-8888 to pre-register. .. . eea _ WRIGHT OR WRONG: If you. insist on looking down on people, how can you expect them to see eye to eye with you? I would like to say that the new for being considerate neighbors. North Vancouver 986-1337 986-1337 ax 985-3227 Administration 985-2131 MEMBER North Shore managed Distribution Display Advertising 980-0511 Subscriptions Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Classified Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 Publisher..............Peter Speck Managing Editor . . Timothy Renshaw Associate Editor Noel Wright Advertising Director .. .Linda Stewart Comptroller Doug Foot North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independem suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph Ilt of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885. Subscriplions North and West Vancouver, $25 per year. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. al VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST WANCOUYER north shore al SUNDAY - WEDNERDAY + FRIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. SDA DIVISION news a Photo Noe! Wright WEST VAN’S Kiwanis Court... a warm elegance rarely if ever seen elsewhere. ae ne 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1992 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.