Photo submitted

Versatile repairs
damaged freighter

NORTH VANCOUVER’S Versatile Pacific Shipyards
Inc. is currently completing temporary repairs to the
Taiwanese freighter that ran aground Aug. 12 just east of

the Lions Gate Bridge.

Versatile chairman Peter Quinn said Monday the job to patch the
hull of the Uni-Superb should be finished this week to enable the ship
io return to the Far East for more permanent repairs.

Versatile, he said, was ‘‘so booked”’ currently with repair jobs that
the shipyard does not have the dock space needed to carry out per-

manent repairs to the freighter.

The 15,750 tonne container vessel ran aground in a shoal just off
Svaaley Park after losing steering control.

‘x tugs, including five from C.H. Cates and Sons and one from

Sezspan, took approximately 1% hours to pull the vessel free.

3 - Wednesday, August 23, 1989 - North Shore News

‘| Expansion request

gets angry response

A REZONING application from Neptune Bulk Terminals
(Canada) Ltd. that would clear the way for construction of
a 120-foot high potash storage shed has received angry
responses from North Vancouver City residents despite a
report from city staff stating that the project will result in
no increases in air or noise pollution at the site.

Neptune, which had a_ record
year in 1988 for overall coal and
potash tonnage shipped, wants to
build the potash storage shed on
its site at the foot of Kennard
Avenue to meet a_ worldwide
growth in potash demand.

Estimated cost of the project is
$22.3 million.

The new potash shed would ex-
pand Neptune’s current 125,000-
tonne potash storage capacity by
80,000 tonnes.

“This is conceptually a simple
application,’’ stated city develop-
ment services coordinator Francis
Caouette in a recent report to
council.

According to Caouette, the
“‘proposed potash facility will in-
clude pollution control which will
reduce air emissions to acceptable
standards.*’

Caouette also dismissed con-
cerns about an increase in noise
pollution.

“Given the ambient noise levels
recorded in the area, a total addi-
tional noise level of 46 dBA ...
would not result in a perceptible
difference in the sound level pres-
ently existing at this site,’’ he said.

But Caouette also pointed out in
his report that much of the anger
towards Neptune has arisen from

North Van software
company nets $2M deal

THE CALIFORNIAN city of San Jose, located in the heart
of Silicon Valley, works thanks to a computerized municipal
information system developed by a North Vancouver soft-

ware company.

The Munifax integrated infor-
mation system, developed by Nissi
Technologies Inc., was recently in-
stalled in San Jose after Nissi beat
out some heavyweight U.S.
business systems competition.

Nissi has been working on the
Munifax system since 1984. The
system provides and integrates fi-
nancial management, operations
management, recreation manage-
ment and property information
systems.

The $2 million San Jose deal is
particularly sweet for Nissi Pacific
Northwest district manager Blake
Cowan. “You're up against the
multinational guys. It’s satisfying
that we can skewer the big guys,’”
he said.

The competition for the San
Jose contract was shortlisted from
a field of about 40 potential sup-
pliers down to two — Nissi and
American Management Systems
(AMS), a company based in Arl-
ington, Vermont, and one of the
major business seftware suppliers
inthe U.S.

San Jose, currently the twelfth
largest city in the United States,

Business ..............39
Classified Ads..........45
Comies..............+.44
Dr. Ruth...............42

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

operates with an annual budget of
about $1 billion and employs 7,500
people. In addition to the usual
municipal departments, the city
Tuns an airport, its own transit
system, a redevelopment agency
and a waste disposal system.

While Wissi has supplied six
B.C. municipalities with its soft-
ware system, the company sees
most of its growth coming from
the U.S. To date, the company has
supplied 11 cities in California.
Just last week Nissi won a $1.5
million contract to install Munifax
for Kansas City. A full 75 per cent
of the company’s annual $3 mil-
lion revenue originates in the U.S.

Nissi began developing Munifax
in 1984. Since then the company
has invested $6 million to develop
the system’s 35 software compo-
nents. The process has taken 15
programmers 80 man years. Nissi
continues to invest over $1 million
annually on software development.

The Munifax system is a genera-
tion ahead of the competition ac-

Editorial) Page.......... 6
Food... .......00000065 96
Bob Hunter............ 4
Lifestyfes..............41

cording to Cowan. “Integration is
the key. Any information collected
in the field is automatically entered
into the financial system.
Everything feeds from one data
base and is immediately available
for information query and repor-
ting,’’ he said. .

Last year the provincial gov-
ernment bought the master licence
for the Nissi software, giving the
province the rights to distribute the
system throughout B.C. The
agreement enhanced the com-
pany’s credibility stateside.

But according to Cowan, when
it comes to making its own systems
software purchasing decisions, the
province tends to buy U.S.

Nissi would like to sell Munifax
at provincial and state levels. Said
Cowan, ‘‘We could triple the size
of the company if we get into the
provincial and state markeiplace.
The decision for them (the pro-
vince) comes down to a question of
safety. They tend to go with the
larger companies and_ therefore
they tend to buy U.S.”

Nissi, established in 1980 by the
company’s president Bruce Elliott,
today employs 50 people. Thirty-
seven work out ef the North Van-
couver head office with the rest
supporting clients from offices in
L.A., San Jose, Kansas and
Toronto.

Mailbox............... 7
North Shore Now.......19
Sports................ 93
TV Listings............28
What's Going On........38

CORINNE BJORGE
Contributing Writer

ALD. ROD CLARK ... “‘leaning
to approval’ of application.

past difficulties.

“Over the years, Neptune’s
operation has caused a variety of
concerns which, while perhaps not
exacerbated by this application,
remain unaddressed in the minds
of nearby residents,’’ he said.

Of IS responses to a letter sent

out by Neptune advising residents
of the project and the rezoning
application, all 15 opposed the
construction of the potash shed.

One response included a petition
of 26 names. :

Resident Dorothy Hughes com-
plained about the air pollution
generated by the plant.

“Our home has just been wash-
ed down and (we) could not believe
the black (coal dust) which was
washed off. Our window sills are
covered with black dust every. day.
Our holly hedge was destroyed by
coal dust,’’ she wrote.

Other residents also wrote about
the dust.

“‘As a homeowner in this area,
the view is the least of my con-
cerns; it’s my health that is at
stake,’’ wrote Jacqueline Rutledge.
“Even my bird cage which hangs
by the kitchen door, every morning
when I take it down to clean, it is
covered in black coal dust - and
this is inside my home.” ;

The city has referred the Nep-
tune application to the Advisory
Planning Commission for a report.

Ald. Rod Clark said he was
“leaning to approval’’ of the ap-
plication.

“In my mind it boils down to
our responsibility as a port. We
have to weigh off the impact on
our little community,” he said.

Ald. Stella Jo Dean said she had
‘‘many reservations.’’

“It may be good for Canada,
but we have to think of our local
people,”’ she said.

he vitae

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

NORTH VANCOUVER'’S Nissi Technologies Inc. recently installed a
municipal management software system for the city of San Jose, located
in the heart of California’s famed Silicon Valley. Nissi President Bruce
Etlictt (foreground) and Pacific Northwest district manager Blake Cowan
are all smiles about the $2 million deal. :

WEATHER

Wednesday, cloudy with
sunny periods and the chance
of showers. Thursday and
Friday, 4 mixture of clouds
and sunshine.

4

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