Brady Fotheringham
Contributing Writer

AMIDST ietters of
accolade and communi-
ty praise for West
Vancouver’s plans to
build a new $6 million
western recreation cen-
tre in the Gleneagles
area, West Vancouver
councillors were cau-
tioned by residents
about the appropriate
size of the project.

Formal public discussion
began. Monday night for the
municipality’s recreation facil-
ities master plan which, pend-
ing several studies and adviso-
ry committee discussions, will
look at upgrading and build-
ing new recreation facilities
throughout West Vancouver.

Most of the approximately
50 members of the public at
the council meeting were
from the Gleneagles and
Eagieridge neighbourhoods.
Many questioned the demand
for a mew western recreation
centre as big as the proposed
22,500 sq. ft. (2,090 sq. m)
facility,

Keith Bower from the
Gleneagles Ratepayer’s
Association represented the
views of many Gleneagles resi-
dents by suggesting council

construct a smaller centre
allowing fer roem to expand
when demand in the commu-
nity increases. Bower also
expressed concern about the

. site for the recreation centre.

The original proposal last
year for the western recreation
centre included a 30,600 sq.
ft. (2,800 sq.m) $8.5 million
facility adjacent to the
Gleneagles golf course.

The plan called for the
relocation of Marine Drive to
the east around the 6100- and
6200-block area to take
advantage of flat land.

Currendy the land to the
cast of Marine Drive rises up
to a bluff, whereas the road
occupies most of the prime flat
land more suitable for build-
ing a large facility.

With the original farger
facility downsized, council's
steering and community advi-
sory committees are working
aut site details for the new
recreation centre.

“Maybe council could take
advantage of the gently rising
ground for a multi-level site
and separate the golf course
from the kids who are play-
ing,” Bower said. “The people
are very strong in their opin-
ions but we don’t want a
recreation centre on che golf
course.”

Cie engineers are looking
into the feasibility of relocat-
ing Marine Drive so that the

recreation centre would be on
the same western side of the
road as the golf course. The
realignment would mean that
Gleneagles school students
wouldn't have to cross. the
road to use the recreation cen-
tre.

Like many councillors who
believe that the proposed
22,500 sy. ft. centre is justi-
fied, Coun. Liz Byrd ques-
tioned whether the Gleneagles
ratepayers’ group represented
cnough people to enticize the
Proposed recreation centre’s
size.

West Vancouver’s popula-
tion has been growing by 1%
annually and that growth is
expected to increase to 1.5%
in the coming years. At least a
quarter of that growth is com-
ing from the Caulfeild area,
which has the highest propor-
tion of families with children
under 14, according to a
report done for council by
David Nairne & Associates.

Other Gleneagles residents
were concerned that a new
Tecreation centre would com-
pound the parking problems
caused by heavy ferry traffic
each summer in nearby
Horseshoe Bay.

Some recommended that
council solve the ferry parking,
problems before completing
designs for the new recreation
facility.

Eagle Harbour resident

mn plan f

David Thomas questioned
whether the full 22,500 sq. ft.
recreation centre was big
enough.

“Kids need something to
do around here. They have to
take the Horseshoe Bay bus,
which dvesn’t come very
often, to go to the central
recreation site and it takes for-
ever,” Thomas said.

He added that, ever since
Eagle = Harbour school
reopened in the early 1990s,
the Eagle Harbour communi-
ty centre that occupies an
annex on the school grounds
has not provided sufficient
space for residents’ needs.

Coun, Allan Williams
agreed with Thomas, stating
that the proposed new site is
only cquivalent to the size of
two West Vancouver hones.

Former West Vancouver
mayor Derrick Humphreys
made an impassioned speech
about the need for new and
upgraded recreation facilities
in the district.

“Recreation. That’s a good
word and I hope it is a maxim
for tonight’s decision making.
Your three years in office
would end in a fine way with
the ground breaking for both
new centres. Let there be no
delay vou are now charged
with action,” Humphreys said.

The West Vancouver recre-
ation master plan is intended
to be completed over the next

Health region identifies Y2K trouble

OF the more than
1,800 pieces of equip-
ment reviewed or tested
by the North Shore
Health Region
(NSHR) during the
past few months, 3%
have been identified as
being non-Y2K compli-
ant or having a risk of
* non-compliance.
. The NSHR is well posi-
tioned to deal with any poten-
tial situation that arises when
the clock strikes midnight on
- Dec. 31, according to Tom
Stevens, vice president of

finance and information ser- |

vices and the person oversee-

~ ing the region’s ¥2K pro-.

gram. .
“There are fewer than 50

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entire region that are Y2K
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any, disruption tc the quality
of health services due to the
Y2K bug.”

Stevens said the region
established a Year 2000 pro-
gram management office to
undertake and administer
activities relating to the Year
2000 issue over 18 months
ago. It also has a regional Y2K
contingency planning com-
mittec that is developing con-
tingency plans to compensate
for equipment that is non-
Y¥2K compliant.

“The region continues to
actively upgrade or replace the
potentially non-compliant
equipment.

“However, this may not be
possible in some instances due
to a lack of availability of

Elegance and privacy

replacement materials or
resources. That is why we are
developing extensive contin-
gency plans to ensure there
will be minimal disruption to
service and the quality of
patient care provided.”

The North Shore Health

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Region recently received $4.9
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Health to fund costs associat-
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nve to LO years.

The plan’s top five pro-
posed) construction projects
include:

@ repiacing the current recre-
ation centre at 22nd and
Marine with a new $13.5 mil-
lion 44,000 sq. ft. (4,000 sq.
m) facility;

8a $2.5 million expansion of

JAYLORMOTIVE

B.C.A.A., A.RA., LC.8.C. Approved

the aquatic centre;

Ban $800,000 upgrade of the
ice arena;

®@ upgrading and building
new district sports fields ($1.5
million);

@ constructing a 22,500 sq.
ft. western recreation centre
by the Gleneagles Golf course
($6 million).

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