Classifieds 986-6222 Office, Editorial 985-2131

October 30, 1991 60 pages

Newa photo by Paul McGrath

Happy Halloween

BOBBING FOR apples, brightly-colored costumes, pumpkins and firecrackers are among the things we associate with Allhallows Eve. Ghouls, goblins and ghosts are invited to try their trick or treating skills at Capilano Mall on Halloween night. Malt merchants are prepared with treats for all youngsters decked out in their Halloween finery starting at 3:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. magician Randy Charach will dazzle the kids with his magical ways prior to the costume con- test. Registration for the event is scheduled to run from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the mail.

WV portrait artist Elizabeth Smily

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Lower Lonsdale neighborhood concerned about gangs, violence

SQME LOWER Lonsdale residents are afraid to leave their homes for fear of vio- lence that includes gang ac- tivity, beatings and a recent rape, North Vancouver City Council was told Monday nig it.

By Pamela Lang Contributing Writer

Resident Ann Barclay offered council a 118-signature petition complaining about area parking, but added that while distributing it she found ‘*118 very angry citi- zens”’ because of noise on the Street, abuse of Semisch Illahee Park by ‘‘drunken people lying in the park,”’ and other problems.

Mike Northcott, who lives di- rectly across from Sailor Hagar’s Pub in the 200-block of West Ist Street, said patrons of the bar and beer and wine store create many problems, including the threat of violence from gangs that ‘‘hang out"’ in the area.

When asked by Ald. John Braithwaite about gang activity, Northcott recounted an incident of 15 individuals beating up one person, and said that he had just learned of a recent rape in the underground parking lot.

‘“‘Many people are afraid to come out of their homes.’’ he said.

Barclay added that ‘‘not having the police support that we need’’ worsens the problem. A policeman has told her that they have more important things to do, she said.

Northcot! listed other problems area sesidents are tired of dealing with:

@ damage to, and theft of, vehi- cles on the street and in the park- ing garages;

@ vehicles driving past with loud stereos, with some honking their horns late at night (Northcott said he was chased by someone with a baseball bat after asking the per- son not to honk his horn);

@ vagrants passed out in the park where the area children play;

NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL

@ broken glass in the park where the children play; @ and juveniles hiding in their parking garage to buy alcohol from bootleggers.

Barclay said Semisch park playground users are endangered by speeders, and noisy pub patrons keep area residents awake at night.

One nearby West Ist Street building has approximately 60 children, she said, and a child was hit by a car recently while leaving the park.

Requests made by the delega- tion included:

@ changing the parking restric- tions on West Ist Street to be one hour maximum from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.;

@ offering free parking every evening in the nearby city-owned lots (which now charge $1 for the evening, but are underutilized);

@ adding playground parking signs on West Ist Street adjacent to Semisch Hlahee Park and better lighting in the park;

@ and extending the median on West Ist Street to prevent u-turns ia front of Sailor Hagar’s Pub.

Parking in the area is an ongo- ing problem, and Barclay sug- gested that the revenue lost from the few people who pay $1 to park in the city-owned lots could be made up from the $75,000 that the theatre developers paid in lieu of providing parking for their patrons.

‘*We need parking for residents, not theatre patrons,’’ said Dennis Smit, vice-chairman of the Lonsdale Citizens’ Association.

City council asked for a staff report on the area’s problems.

Braithwaite said the information given them indicates ‘‘not only a noise problem, or a parking prob- lem, but it indicates a real social problem.”’

Mayor Jack Loucks agreed that a composite report is needed, and that parking is ‘‘not the most im- portant problem.”

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