A8- Wednesday, April 23, 1980 - North Shore News

Vandals wreck community services hal

FROM PAGE A1

central area of the former
firehall was torched.

Ironically, it was to try to
deal with just such incidents
that Capilano Community
Services Society, which
managed the centre at 3030
Newmarket Street, was set
up, following the 1966
Edgemont Hallowe'en riot.

Yet Friday's incident is the
third - and by the far the
worst - attack on the centre
since last August.

REWARD

Cliff Anderson, chairman
of the Red Cross group
which used the building,
immediately raised the
question of a reward being

posted for the apprehension
of the vandals.

A police spokesman said
the RCMP had no objection
to such action and Mayor
Don Bell told the News that
the District, which owns the
building, may well take such
action.

Bell visited the hall
Sunday and again Monday
and commented on what he
saw:

“I get damned angry. It ts
senseless destruction of a
cOmmunity asset which is
helping other people and by
putting it out of commission
they are just hindering those
people.

“It is a sad commentary

when that kind of com-
munity building gets at-
tacked by vandals. It was

total desecration.”

As well as the Red Cross,
which loaned out crutches,
wheelchairs and _ walkers
from the centre, the building
was also used by the Big
Brothers, who have a waiting
list for adult males needed as

companions for fatherless
boys, the North Shore
Association for the

Physically Handicapped,
which administers tran-
sportation, medical services
and group homes for the
severely disabled, and S’
John’s Ambulance.

BEYOND REPAIR
Every item in the building,
ranging from cups and
saucers and lightbulbs to the
gas furnace, was smashed
beyond any hope of repair.

Splintered crutches
indicated that the vandals
had used the the Red Cross
equipment in their attack.

Even the a lifesaving doll,
which had just been donated
to the Red Cross and had
cost $1,500, was destroyed.

Manager of the centre,
Tunya Audain, said after

looking at the destruction:
“The place has been
practically totalled. Every

phone has been torn into
three or four pieces, every
typerwriter has been broken
into six or seven pieces and
the fire extinguisher was
sprayed on everything.”

Even a flower in a pot had
been emptied into a sink and
the taps turned on.

Papers strewn all over the
floor were set on a fire and it

was not until then that the
authorities were notified,
when a neighbor noticed

smoke coming from the
building.
Structurally, the hall is

still sound, since it was made
of brick blocks. But the
interior was extensively’
damaged by smoke and
waler.

Audain said: “It will
immobilize us for at least a
month, if not more.”

REASSESS YOUTH

Capilano
Services

Community
Society was
originally created - by
citizens, merchants and
church groups - to look at
the area's youth needs and
provide services tm an at-

tempt to curb the vandalism
of the ’60s.

Because of recent
population age changes in
the area, where young
people have left the
Edgemont district, the
society has been focussing its
attention on services for the
elderly.

But Audain comments:
“This incident will cause
people to re-examine how
much of a need remains in
the youth area.”

Even so, unlike in the
past, she feels from the
pattern of recent vandalism
that it is a small segment of
youngsters responsible for
this latest incident..

Hurried reward motion upsets aldermen

Mayor Don Bell led the
charge against vandalism in
North Vancouver Monday
by proposing North Van-
couver District council offer
a reward for information
about a fire last week.

The Capilano Community
Service Hall, 3030
Newmarket Drive, was
gutted by a fire Friday which
was set after the building was
vandalized.

Bell asked council to
approve a motion to offer a
reward of $1,000 for in-
formation leading to the
arrest of the culpnits.

The motion was delayed
until council members had
an opportunity to review the
unexpected motion.

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Council were scheduled to
discuss the idea when they
met with North Vancouver
City council on Tuesday
night. However any decision
on a reward must be ratified
ata regular council meeting.

Alderman J.R. Lakes said
he didn't know why council
wasn't “given the courtesy”
of looking at the motion
before the meeting.

Bell said, after the
meeting, the motion was a
“last minute thing.”

Although most
members applauded the
fight against vandalism, a
number of them also ob-
jected to a lack of council
policy on the matter of
rewarding informants.

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Lakes asked the mayor
whether he made the motion
because of the degree of
damage or because the hall
was owned by the district.

Bell said both factors
affected his decision to
present the reward proposal.

He said, after the meeting.
a council policy might come
out of Tuesday's meeting.

He said the RCMP also
approved of his idea of
offering a reward in con-
nection with the vandalism.

Many of the aldermen
expressed surprise at the
RCMP desire for publicity
which reflected a change in
attitude form the low-key
approach the police took
during the weekend.

299 S616

The mayor said the police
went after more publicity
after the press found out
about the fire.

Alderman Mary Segal said
vanlous COMmmunity groups
were uSing the facilities.

eine phtMltndsT llega

yeild

\ ;
a P
sitll op |

The district was leasing
the space out for $1 a year.
she said.

After council deferred the
motion, Alderman Peter
Powell vowed to keep a
close watch on any capture,

OY &

trial and = sentencing = of
suspects Charged.
He said he wanted a

personal report on the in-
vestigauion and was gong to
watch for any “namby-
pamby approach.”

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