WEWS photo Tom Burioy

NEPTUNE BULK Terminals (Canada) Ltd. president John Willcox literally stands by the port facility’s commitment to improve environmental con- trols at the bulk commodities shipping site. Behind him jets of water are sprayed into the air to catch dust escaping from a ship potast loader.

NV residents fear potash shed will cause noise, block views

A CONTROVERSIAL Neptune Bulk Terminals (Canada) Ltd. proposal to construct a new potash storage shed at its North Vancouver port facility is up for public hearing at NorthVencouver City Hall Monday night.

Since originally applying for the zoning changes necessary to allow the addition, Neptune has drawn the pent-up wrath of some residents living near the waterfront industrial site.

Homeowners and several North Vancouver City aldermen are look- ing for assurances from the com- pany to nullify perceived dust and noise problems. Residents also fear the planned 120-foot-high, 700- foot-wide shed will block residen- tial waterfront views.

Neptune representatives met with a selected group of angry Cloverly area residents Wednesday to respond to numevous concerns.

But, said Stan Holmberg, chairman of the North Vancouver City Community Railway Action Liaison Committee: ‘I don’t think Neptune has lived up to being a good neighbor in the past years. As a North Shore resident, any view loss is not acceptable. A lot of people will be losing their waterfront views with the devel- opment. As far as the expansion is concerned, the issues are view loss and noise from the railcars.””

But according to Neptune presi- dent John Willcox, the new potash storage shed is needed to handle a projected increase in volume of

By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter

potash :noving through the facili- ty. Neptune presently ships about 2.8 million tonmes per annum. That figure is expected to see a five per cent a year compound increase. But potash is only one of several

resulting from industrial activity at Neptune, the company has spent millions of dollars to install en- vironmental control systems over the past seven years.

To control possible dust drifting from a 600,000 tonne pile of un- covered coal, Neptune has installed a network of water sprinklers. Waste water is collected and clean- ed by a series of slurry ponds.

According to Willcox, Neptune spent $419,000 in 1982 to overhaui and add a dust collection system to the in-bound phosphate rock unit-

One of the poinis being made on a fairly regular basis is that Neptune, as a result of its application, has suddenly started spending dollars and becoming environmentaily

conscious. ”’

bulk commodities handled at Nep- tune.

For example, during the period from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, Neptune’s shareholder companies shipped 2.8 million tonnes of Canadian coal; 1.8 million tonnes of dry bulk goods, including potash and alfalfa pellets; 13,000 tonnes of canola oil; and received 708,000 tonnes of phosphate rock.

To combat the dust and noise

— Neptune president John Willcox

train load-out facility.

Last year the company spent approximately $1 million to con- trol site waste water. Ship potash loaders have been rigged with cuoke feeders and the loader spouts have been extended to cut down the amount of dust escaping from the hatches of ships being loaded. Plans are under way to in- stall, over the next year, wet scrubbers on the dry bulk ship

loaders.

Said Wilicox, “One of the points being made on a fairly zsegu- lar basis is that Neptune, as a result of its application, has sud- denly started spending dollars and becoming envirvnmentally con- scious. From our prespective, we feel that since the current group of shareholders took over in October 1980, we've been consistently performing studies, we’ve been consistently making improvements. The total accumulated amount on environmental controls, dust and waste water management, is roughly $4.3 million.”

Train cars that go bump in the night are a major point of conten- tion with Neptune’s neighbors. The increased movement of phosphate cars has many worried.

But the company argues that all rail service to waterfront industries west of the facility passes by Nep- tune.

Said Willcox, “I think in terms of noise, we’ve addressed that as best we can. We’ve instalied rail- track lubricators. We’ve spoken to CNR. We've approached the su- perintendent to slow down the speed of the moving trains. We’ve got Lim to commit a locomotive which has a modified lubricating wheel flange unit, which wouid reduce the rail squeal.’’

The public hearing on the Nep- tune applicaticn is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday at North Vancouver City hall.

3 ~ Sunday, October 1, 1989 - North Shore News

Matsumoto Shipyards site sold

A NORTH Vancouver tugboat company operator has purchased the Mat- sumoto Shipyards site.

By MICHAEL BECKER

Art Noble, owner of Noble Towing Lid., closed the deal with Sam Matsumoto for purchase of the 3.76-acre Dollarton waterfront property earlier in September.

The site will be used as a new base for the local tug operation. The existing shipbuilding facility will also be the new home for Pacific Western Shipbuilders (PWS) Co. Lid., a fleet repair and shipbuilding company operated by Noble on Columbia Street. PWS recently built a 38-foot tug for Riverside Towing, a subsidiary of Noble Towing. And Noble pians to build more tugs and barges at the Dollarton facility.

Said Noble, ‘‘We’re moving to the Matsumoto site starting Oct. 1 and sheuld be completely moved in by about Oct. 15.” ‘

The old tugboat site on Colum- bia will continue to house Noble’s Marine Petrobulk Ltd., a supplier of bunker oil to deep-sea ships.

Nobie Towing Ltd. has been based on the North Shore for the past 25 years. The company operates six tugs in North Van- couver. The Riverside Towing sub- sidiary operates five tugboats on the Fraser River.

Controversy over the Mat- sumoto site erupted in early 1988 witen plans to construct a 154-unit, tvo-highrise residential develop- ment on the property were pres- er.ted to North Vancouver District Council. The development was defeated. In the meantime area

residents attempted to convince North Vaacouver District to buy the property and turn it into park jand.

Business .............. 40 Comics................36 Fashion ............-.. 19 Horoscopes ............ 36 Lifestyles..............33 Sports ...........2256.17 Travel ................ 58 What’s Going Gn........41

WEATHER

Sunday through Tuesday, mostly sunny. Highs near 18°.

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North Van City Council considers rental protection

HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS on sat-infested North Vancouver City waterfront and eviction demonstrations by angry tenants have lubricated the political machinery on the

North Shore.

North Vancouver City Council agreed Monday to consider rental protection measures including a six-month moratorium on the demolition of rental housing, a study on the city vacancy rate, and further requests to re-establish the rentalsman.

The decision came on the heels of two high-profile housing stories in the North Shore News, and a presentation to city council by three tenants recently evicted from their suites at 201 West 8th St.

By CORINNE BJORGE Contributing Writer

‘“‘North Vancouver City is becoming an elite community for the wealthy,”’ said Shan Williams, a tenant in the 8th Street Boscobel building.

Williams said she holds down a full-time job and wants to continue to live on the North Shore but said “Pm getting priced right out of here.”’

Williams said North Vancouver City's steadily declining vacancy tates are creating a crisis in rental housing.

“In April 1987 the city had a vacancy rate of 2.1 per cent with 143 untis available. In April 1989, there was a .2 per cent vacancy rate with 16 units available,’’ she said.

In addition to requesting a dem- olition moratorium, vacancy study, and a provincial lobby to reinstate the rentalsman, Williams and other tenants in her apartment asked that their landlord, Mide Management, be requested to ap- pear before council to justify its decision to demolish affordable,

rental housing.

“No one is against companies making a profit,’’ said Williams, “‘but we’re not talking about prof- it, we’re talking about greed.’’

Tenants Rights Coalition repre- sentative Jennifer Bradley agreed there is a housing crisis on the Lower Mainland, and said **predictions are that it is expected to get worse.”*

“Seniors, families, people who thought their lives were secure, suddenly find it’s hitting them too,”’ she said.

Bradiey suggested that North Vancouver City adopt similar guidlelines to those in Vancouver.

“The developer can’t get the

demolition permit until all tenants leave willingly, or six months pass,’’ she said.

Bradley said the Tenants Rights Coalition supports a demolition moratorium “Anything that will give some pause until the pro- vince and municipalities can come up with some plans.’”

Bradiey suggested the city con- sider rental protections similar to those recently implemented by the Ontario legislature.

In Ontario, the province gives a mandate to certain municipalities to withhold demolition permits if there is less than a 3.0 per cent vacancy rate, unless the developer agrees to build affordable housing.