NEWS photo Terry Petors

YO. TRUCKS, over! West Vancouver Police, North Vancouver RCMP and Highways Department officials ticket- ‘ed 34 trucks, vans and courier vehicles Tuesday during an

- Inspection near ir Lions Gate Bridge.

‘placards ds “banished —

MEMBERS OF the public - who’ expressed ‘their hostility toward evection signs dis- played on the Keith Road median have won their c cam-

Paign. ,

THE.. WEST Vancouver YMCA may be locking for.a new home if rent on. its Inglewood facility rises from $1 to $42,000 per year.

By Kevin Gillies Contributing Writer

_NORTH VANCOUVER : "CITY COUNCIL by Grace Golightly

The former Inglewood school, located at 1735 Inglewood, is owned by the West Vancouver School District (WVSD) and leased to the municipality of West Vancouver, —

Election signs wiil no longer be permitted on the Keith Road median, city council decided April J1. Due to a recent Supreme Court decision, the city must _provide - public property where election candidates‘

. Signs.may be displayed, but ‘ during recent elections, some members ef the public made it clear that signs on the Keith Road median wouldn't be tolerated.

_ Coun. Stella Jo Dean said a middle-aged couple kicked over the signs each day as

they walked their dog, and another, man refused to stop to talk) ta Coun. Darrell Mussatto, forcing the coun- cillor to accompany him as he continued pushing signs over with his umbrella. But) ,Coun. — Barbara? Perreault added that allowing

- the display of campaign signs

is “one of the prices we pay

for democracy.”

treasurer Len Archer, the lease to the municipality is for $42,0U0 per ‘year.

The municipality, in turn, licences the building to the YMCA for $1 per year with the agreement that the YMCA provide space for

certain youth programs or commu- nity services.

West Vancouver District still has eight years left on the current 10-year lease, which is in effect until June 30, 2002.

But YMCA chief operations officer Bill Stewart said the school district could “claw” it back in three years.

/West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager said that itis the school board that sets the conditions. The munic- ipality simply administers them,

The school board can only lease to the municipality.

The building needs renovations — including the installation of a sprinkler system and roof work — which amount to more than $300,000,

“CALL US:

933-2208

According to WVSD secretary- .

NV

Sunday, April 17, 1994 - North Shore News - 3

OKs regional plans

A consensus approach to urban growth management.

LONG RANGE planning ini- tiatives from the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) got official approval from North Vancouver District Council Monday night.

NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL ty Martin Millercnip

But while all councillors agreed on the need for regional planning nol everyone agreed on the specifies.

Since 199), he GVRD has been stick-handling an ambitious region- al management program through a public participation and consulta- tion process.

Comprised of several docu- ments, the Livable Region Strategy

Tequires endorsement from the

GVRD member municipalities to make it werk,

The GVRD was stripped of its regional planning powers in 1983 by changes in the Municipal Act and since that time has operated on a consensus-based system,

And while the GVRD is seeking renewed provincial legislation that recognizes the legitimacy of region- al planning, the proposed legisla- tion still leaves it up to the munici- palities through their Official Community Plans (OCPs) to coop- erate with the GVRD.

Coun, Janice Harris described the consensus approach to regional planning as “an ambitious project

that does not commit us to any- thing. Whether it can survive the consensus approach is a moet point.”

The proposed legislation “does not commit the regional district or member municipality ... to proceed with any action or project contained in the regional strategic plan.”

But Harris warned, “if we start taking pieces oul, it will all fall apart and a legislated approach could give us something far worse.”

The Livable Region Strategy is intended to reduce the continuing urban sprawl into the Fraser Valley and emphasizes a compact metro- politan growth model in its place.

The plan calls for an increase in growth in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, North Surrey, Delta and the north- east sector of Port Coquitlam and beyond.

However, district planning staff say the plan has minimal impact on the district in terms of urban growth.

While the region will absorb an additional 1.2 million residents by the year 2021, staff say the regional Strategy forecast of 104,700 people in the district is in line with the dis- trict’s OCP which; forecasts figures of 93,000 by 2017.

But Coun, Ernie Crist said the

low growth rate is the reason that’

the GVRD uses to deny the North Shore access to rapid transit,

“The GVRD has really puta gun to our head. Unless you accept a higher rate of population growth we are not going lo give you rapid transit, (don’t accept that argu-

NEWS photo Mike Waketleid

YMCA chief operations officer Bill Stewart addresses approxi- mately 100 YMCA members on the North Shore facility’s future.

Assistant chief Steve Sentes of the West . Vancouver. Fire Department said that when the lease was renewed, it was agreed the sprinkler system would be put in.

At the time the lease was signed, Inglewood School did not meet B.C. fire safety standards.

The YMCA is concerned about spending the renovation money and then losing use of the building in the not-too-distant future.

“At last’ Monday's West Vancouver Council meeting Sager said i was no secret the YMCA was considering withdrawal from the building. The municipality could not force them to stay.

“It’s not bleak yet,” he told the

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: | Is the public being adequately informed about native land claims?

North Shore News.

“We want to do whatever we can to accommodate them and keep the YMCA in West Vancouver because they are a valuable com- munity asset.” he said,

West Vancouver Council met with school board officials and the YMCA’s directors to discuss the problem.

“Is an important issue and hopefully sve will resolve it,” Sager said.

Stewart said that if a deal cannot be worked out with the municipali- ty, the YMCA will have to relocate.

The move would probably mean a

reduction in services to the North Shore.

ment,” said Crist.

Describing the transportation mitnagement plun as one of “two fundamental flaws.” Crist also remained opposed to the proposed regional strategy because of infra- structure costs.

“The GVKD has said everybody is welcome. (t will cost hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for the infrastructure. Because of the low growth of popu-

lation in the district our infrastrace

ture expenses are lower than the region,” said Crist.

Responded Coua. Pam Goldsmith-Jones, “Costs and transit are the prices we will pay. But for those prices we will preserve our way of life just boul exactly the way it is.”

Mayor Murray Dykeman cescribed the Livable Region Strategy as “fair to the people who are here and those who will come, Certainly North Vancouver is looked upon as one of the great green areas and | for one look for- ward to keeping it that way.”

Coun. Jim Cuthbert was unsuc- cessful in his attempt to classify the district's last two major areas of urban reserve scheduled for devel- opment as “areas under review.”

Cuthbert argued that the Cove Cliff and Mountain Forest areas had had little environmental recon- naissance and that the regional pop-

“ulation figures presented an artifi-

cial target which did not have to necessarily be met through devel- opment of all of the fands in the urban reserve.

| Rent i increase and renovation costs too high for organization

66 Currently the West: ~

Vancouver YMCA is ° their only facility on- “the North Shore. Le

Depending on relocation costs, it-

could mean the organization would only provide services for children and daycare.

Adult health or fitness programs would suffer.

Currently, the West Vancouver,

YMCA is the only such’ facility | on the North Shore.

Stewart said the YMCA had been trying to sublet part of the ouilding to Mulgrave private school us a means of producing revenue.

But WVSD Policy 950 priori- tizes uses. of closed or, partially closed school property.

Use by private schcols has a low priority, falling behind use by gov- ermment agencies, community groups, post-secondary institutions, pre-school, daycare or other WYSD plans.

Judy Christie. a volunteer fitness instructor at the YMCA, is con- “cerned.

“Nothing hus been resolved and this is a valuable facility that ser- vices the whole North Shore.”