16 — Wednesday, September 18, 1991 ~ North Shore News

NVD parking lot dust-up

Local citizen criticizes district over clean-up

A NORTH Vancouver man has criticized North Vancouver District for failing to clean up a parking lot just east of the

Phibbs Exchange bus loop.

But a district official said the issue has been blown out of pro- portion.

Verne Prior said he parks his car in the lot at the east end of Oxford Street and takes the bus to his job in downtown Vancouver. The parking lot, he said, has been littered with trash and has become an eyesore.

Prior said he has been writing to district officials as far back as last year when Marilyn Baker was the mayor. And while, Prior said, ‘promises’? were made to him that action would be taken to clean up the lot, nothing was done until recently.

But Harry McBride, the district’s deputy director of engineering services, said the district is now regularly maintain- ing the parking lot.

“Mr. Prior is somewhat off base, and | think he tends to overstate the case. His priority is not our priority,’? said McBride. “We are now paying more atten- tion to it (parking Jot) and, in my view, we are paying too much at- tention to it.”

McBride said district staff now tegularly sweep the parking lot.

“Frankly, | think it’s a non- issue. We are paying more atten- tion to it, more than is war- ranted,”’ said McBride.

While Prior said the surface of the parking lot is cleaner now than it has been in the past, there is still litter in surrounding bushes.

But Prior said the condition of the parking lot is no ionger the issue.

“The real issue is the failure of civic officials to live up to prom- ises made. If they had dealt with it in a timely manner when I first brought it to their attention then, yes, I think it would have been a lesser issue,’’ said Prior.

In an August telephone conver- sation with the News, North Van- couver District Mayor Murray Dykeman said he was not aware of the parking lot issue.

But in a May 23 letter to Dykeman, Prior wrote:

“fam disappointed that 1 have not heard from you pursuant to your letter of Dec. 14, 1990 wherein you stated your intention to seek comment from your department of engineering services with respect to the unsightly con- dition of the parking lot. Your letter clearly suggested a response would be forthcoming.

“Your failure to respond is typ- ical of the experiences I have en- countered since the matter was first raised with your predecessor more than a year ago.”’

Prior was referring to a letter Dykeman wrote to him on Dec. 14, 1990 in which Dykeman said:

“This will acknowledge receipt of your letter regarding the clean up of the public parking lot at the east end of Oxford Street near Phibbs Exchange and advise this matter is under review.

“Thank you for putting your concerns in writing so that I may respond,’ wrote Dykeman.

Prior said he is upset that promises made to him were not kept.

*iours CAqage

By Surj Rattan News Reporter

“Unfulfilled promises and un- substantiated statements from . . a . department officials are quite _ ae wee te another matter and, in my view, NEWS photo Neil Lucente represent a serious breach of VERNE PRIOR surveys rubbish on a parking lot next to the Phibbs Exchange bus loop in North ethics," said Prior. Vancouver District.

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