APPROXIMATELY 30 people turned out in blizzard-like

conditions Wednesday night

for a public information

meeting concerning a controversial proposal to build an Ismaili centre at 1185 West 26th St. in North Vancouver District, the site of the former Lions Gate Tennis Club.

Some area residents have raised opposition to the proposal because they say the centre would result in large increases in traffic being funnelled through the residential area,

But North Vancouver District development planner Doug Allan said it will be at least May before the issue comes before district council.

“We haven't completed the staff report on it yet,’’ Allan said. ‘‘It still has to go before the planning advisory committee.’’

By SURJ RATTAN News Reporter

Hamilton Associates Engineer- ing Consultants, who submitted the development application to the district, displayed the plans for the proposed religious centre at the meeting.

The facility is currently being used part-time as a religious centre by the North Shore Ismaili com- munity. But the site must be rezoned from its current commer- cial recreation designation to

‘ . Ae? 2 ete A NEWS photo Nell Lucente

PHILIP KLOS, like most good pedestrians, pushes the walk sign and waits for the light to turn green. But during Thursday’s heavy snow storm, instead of ploughing through the snow in boots, Klos prefers a more efficient

mode of transportation ...cross country skis.

Heavy snow sinks houseboat

WHILE THE past week’s heavy snowfall turned North Shore hills to slippery slopes, disaster struck on the wintry waterfront Thursday when a snow-laden houseboat sank at

Lynnwood Marina.

Owner Terry Delfalco had cleared about a foot of snow from the roof of his 1,200-square-foot houseboat Thursday morning. But the snow continued to fall heavily all day. By 4 p.m. he was clearing off another foot of snow from the roof when his home sank.

“*In five minutes it was gone — bye. We had no ume to save any- thing from it,’* he said.

To press time Friday, Defalco, his wife Paulette and Paulette’s 16-year-old son were assessing losses and attempting to refloat the

By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter

home with the help of a team of divers.

While most newer floating homes are built on floats made of Styrofoam and concrete, the sunk- en housebout sits on steel tanks.

The owner had been considering filling the tanks with foam to im- prove the buoyancy of his house. But the snow struck first.

Said Defalco, ‘'This is an acci-

public assembly zoning if it is go- ing to be used as a full-time religious and cultural centre.

The proposed Ismaili centre would be used mainly for prayer services and instruction in the evenings, and the existing racquet courts would be used as a private recreation facility by members of the Ismaili congregation.

In addition to the proposed Ismaili centre, the nearby Gloria Dei Lutheran Church has also made an application to the district to expand its facility, located at 1110 Gladwin Dr.

Wayne Gilbertson, who lives in the area on Terrace Avenue, said he is opposed to the proposed Ismaili centre because it will result in increased traffic congestion in what is primarily a residential area.

Gilbertson, who attended the

3 - Sunday, February 18, 1990 - North Shore News

Plans unveiled for religious centre

ISMAILI PROJECT HAS NEIGHBORS CONCERNED ABOUT TRAFFIC IMPACT

public information meeting, said Hamilton Associates are proposing building a road from the Edge- mont Village to run parallel to the Upper Levels Highway as an access route to the facility and termed that idea ‘‘a real pain.”’

“le won't take care of the traffic problem at all,’’ Gilbertson said. ‘‘And who is going to pay for it? The majority of the people (Ismaili congregation) don’t live in this area. Gloria Dei and the Ismaili centre need each other because they both want to expand. When you get both of them together on a weekend, this place is going to be a gong show.”’

Gilbertson said one of his main concerns is that because the Ismaili centre would be a2 _ non-profit association and a religious centre, local homeowners could end up

footing the bill for any road con- struction in the area.

“This is going to come down to a battle,”’ he said. ‘‘We have one of the most unique areas*in North Vancouver sitting on the edge of destruction. [t's going to get bitter and frustrating if this thing is rail- toaded through.’”’

Parking spaces at the Ismaili centre site would almost triple, from the current 82 spaces to 234 spaces, if the development is ap- proved.

Another area homeowner, Steve Campbell, who lives at 1270 Gladwin Dr., said the existing toads in the area will not be able to handle the anticipated traffic in- creases.

He added that his wife was recently driving in the area along Paisley Road and was forced to pull over to the side of the road to let a stream of cars heading to the Ismaili centre pass.

West Van Counci! delays outdoor burning decision

THE LONG awaited decision on the future of West Van- couver’s outdoor burning bylaw was postponed again at Monday night’s West Vancouver District Council meeting.

Emotions were near the surface as the matter was debated by council members and residents for and against the continued burning of garden refuse in the municipali- ty.

The issue is an extremely con- troversial one in a community with a lot of enthusiastic gardeners and a high percentage of seniors and others whose respiratory dif- ficulties can be exacerbated by outdoor burning.

During the burning debate, Ald. Alex Brokenshire raised concerns over the problem of dealing with West Vancouver’s garden waste without further overloading the regular garbage collection system — a problem to which municipal manager Terry Lester said council currently did not have a solution.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District has yet to establish a com- posting program for such waste, while a mountain of garden mate- rials has piled up around the North Shore’s inoperative chipping facili- t

y. Ald. Carol Anne Reynolds and

Ald. Mark Sager argued for an

immediate ban on burning.

Sager said West Vancouver should adopt Oak Bay’s practice of encouraging residents to sweep their leaves onto the street for a twice annual pick-up.

Recommendations from the recently-released citizens task force report on outdoor burning were also debated.

The report recommended an eventual ban on burning after a three-year phase-in period.

Though in favor of a transition period, Ald. Pat Boname was

dent that shouldn't have happen- ed...when the tanks were put in, they had what they call a bung hole, it’s like a plug at the top of the tank. The plug wisn'’t put in properly. The weight of the snow brought the plug down below the water level and blew the plug out.”’

The owner can't look to in- surance to cover his losses, which he estimates at about $10,000.

“The premiunis for this kind of thing are worth more than fixing it,”* he said.

The family has lived aboard the floating home for close to a year. Said Defalco, ‘I've spent a lot of time working on the water. This was our first houseboat. Once you’re hooked on the ovean, you can’t get out of it.”*

By MAUREEN CURTIS Contributing Writer

against extending the burning season.

Anti-burners were incensed by the task force recommendations to spread outdoor burning over a longer period, rather than concen- trating it on the first four Fridays

and Saturdays in October and

burning, arguing that it is a way of disposing of the waste without any cost to the taxpayer.

Pointing out that opinion is divided even among local medical experts as to whether outdoor burning constitutes a health hazard, Rev. Tom Oliver urged council to act democratically and vote on the basis of the results of a recent citizens survey which he said supported continued burning.

But Sue Cameron of the World Wide Environmentalist Network said delaying the end of the ‘‘dan- gerous health risk’’ of burning was

ae I a Anti-burners were incensed by the task force recommendations to spread outdoor burning over a longer

period...

April, which often coincide with the inclement weather conditions that result in a lot of smoke from fires.

Open burning between October and April would require a permit, knowledge of proper bucning prac- tices to minimize inconvenience to neighbors and same-day consulta- tion with the authorities to deter- mine if weather conditions were suitable for burning.

Each home burner would be restricted to two burning days, and could be subject to complaints from neighbors.

But the idea failed to delight pro-burning task force member Dr. L.S.A. Boothroyd, who claimed that the garden waste pro- duced by his acre and a half could not be dealt with in just two days.

He opposed an eventual ban on

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like not outlawing drinking and driving until taxis could be made available.

Alan Mudry of the Citizens’ Recycling Task Force argued that an extension of the burning period ran counter to the recent banning of outdoor burning elsewhere in the North Shore, in Burnaby and Vancouver, as well as the findings of the GVRD Pollution Control Department, North Shore Health and the North Shore’s Chief Med- ical Health Officer.

Mayor Don Lanskail reminded council that a ban on burning was not the issue.

“It’s a matter of how we do it and when we do it,”’ he said.

Council decided to table the matter for a week to allow the ab- sent Ald. Rod Day to join the debate.

Sunday, mostly sunny. Low 49°C, high 4°C. Monday, mostly cloudy with showers. Tuesday, periods of rain. High near 9°C.

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