Councillors question NV lot purchase

Martin Mitierchio News Reporter martin@nsnews.com

TWO days from today North Vancouver District is slated to spend $460,000 to buy a property acjacent to the northeast side of the Dollarton Bridge.

The money is part of the $6 million needed to widen the existing two-lane bridge to four lancs and match it up to a realigned Dollarton Highway.

But as previously reported in the News, council voted unanimously at its July 5 meeting to direct staff to prepare a November referendum question approving the financing for the Dollarton Bridge widening.

Council approval for the purchase of 1930 Dollarton Hwy. was made in-camera July 19 in a 3-2 vote.

Mayor Don Bell was absent from the meeting for per- sonal reasons, and Coun. Par Munroe was on vacation.

Munroe had previously voted against the $6 million widening of the Dollarton.

Couns. Ernie Crist and Lisa Muri voted against the prep- erty purchase and are furious about the in-camera decision.

“This whole thing is such a joke — the bridge, the road, CanOxy. Why are we even thinking about this (the property purchase) if we are asking the public via referendum if it’s OK to go ahead?” asked Muri.

“You can't keep putting the proverbial cart before the horse.”

Commented Crist: “This is a slap in the face to the peo- ple of Seymour and the district. In the District of North Vancouver we say one thing and do another.”

A confidential report to council from its properties staff dated June 7 reveals that:

@ the registered owner of 1930 Dollarton Flwy. offered March 26 to sell his property to the district;

@ negotiations were held between district staff and the owner May 14;

the district submitted a written offer of $460,000 to the owner on May 26 with the district also agreeing to rent back the home to its present owner at $1,500 per month.

The offer was made 10 days prior to council’s approving “in principle” the scheme te: widen the Dollarton Bridge.

Mayor Bell told the News he could not discuss the specifics of an in-camera item but after emphasizing he was not part of the vote to approve the property acquisition he talked in general terms about municipal! land purchase.

Bell said it would make sense to purchase 2 key piece of property in any development if it became available because “if'a decision was made not t«. 30 ahead with the project the property could always be reso.”

Commented Mun, “Why would anyone want to buy this property right next to a highway that they must know could

expropriated in the future if council went ahead with the bridge widening.”

in seis

1999 — North Shore News — 3 _

A 15-year-old boy fall off a clift on the west side of Indian Arm Sunday night. North Shore Rescue’s Tim Jones said an unidentified elderly man (left) joined the operation and saved the boy's life.

is rescue fa

15-year-old plucked from indian Arm cliff

Bob Mackin News Reporter

TEAMWORK was on display Sunday night as North Shore

Rescue, the Deep Cove Lifeboat and B.C. Ambulance Service res- cued a 15-year-old boy who fell off an Indian Arm .

The Deep Cove Lifeboat was called to the western shore of Indian Arm to an area acces- sible only by boat. The lifeboat, crewed by Jimmy Wart and three others, transported two paramedics and North Shore Rescue’s Tim Jones to the scene at 7:36 p.m. The Canadian Coast Guard's Osprey I picked up two more NSR members in Deep Cove.

The boy fell down the cliff and landed more than 10 metres (33 ft.) above the water and was found unconscious by Jones, who climbed the face of the cliff. .

An unidentified elderly man near the scene joined the rescue operation and played a key role in the operation.

“He prevented the (boy) from falling in the water. As far as I’m concerned, he saved his life,” said Jones.

The boy was put in an evacuation bag and airlifted from the scene using NSR’s heli- copter flight rescue system and taken to a nearby dock. He arrived at the Deep Cove

overnment dock via lifeboat for transfer to ospital at 10 p.m. ;

“It was an air, land and sea operation in a confined area in a compressed time period,” said Jones. ‘

For the NSR members on the call, it was a successful mission that will help them regain confidence. The tesm was deeply affected by the tragic death of a woman who slid down a snow slope at Mount Seymour on July 11. The woman died of internal injuries at Lions Gate Hospital.

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Pay ome,

NORTH Shore Rescue's Tim Jones and the survivor of a cliff fall ave lifted by

helicopter.

More traffic lights

Catherine Barr

Contributing Writer ‘CLOVERLEY area residents are charging that democracy is dead in North Vancouver City after council voted Monday to develop the area’s Sunrise Park into an all-weather soccer play- ing Geld.

“We were never approached,” said

Cloverley area resident Cathy - Scrimshaw.

Scrimshaw and other city neighbours said that after 27 years of fighting to preserve the area, they have been dealt an unfair blow.

“What (we) got tonight is'a kick in the face,” said Scrimshaw. “The soccer association comes along and boom, they get a field.” :

Sunrise Park is located along a green-

. bélt, just cast of ifaywood Avenue, south of Lions Gate studios and adjacent to Park and Tilford shopping centre.

The site has been the topic of much controversy in the past as proposals for everything from a parking lot and stor- -age facility to a golf range have been considered. ;

But now, because the city is strug- gling to find space for playing ficlds, Sunrise Park’s future has been decided.

“The only (place) to go now is

City votes for soccer field in Sunrise Park over Sacals’ wishes

Sunrise -Park, the other alternative is Grand Boulevard” said Coun. Darrell Mussatto. “We’re maxed out.”

Mussatto, who encouraged his fellow councillors to push ahead with the idea, said that the city is “land-locked” and that statistics show just how desperate the situation is. 7

In 1991, the city needed seven more playing fields. Today it needs 13 and will need an estimated 16 additional fields by the year 2000.

The Grand Boulevard area currently hosts 22 games a week on a fie!d designed for no more than six.

In total, said Mayor Jack Loucks, that works out to about one field per 3,800 residents, compared with one field per 3,100 residents in North Vancouver District.

Overall, the city’s six grass and five all-weather fields are used more than 1,160 hours on average per season.

But not ali councillors were in favour of proceeding with the development.

Coun. John Braithwaite called for a study of the city’s overall park situation saying that more information was need- ed.

“If we go ahead with Sunrise Park at this time, it will be a win-lose situation,” he said. He later called his fellow coun- cil closed-minded for not voting in favour of further study.

Braithwaite, who was backed by Councillors Barbara Sharp and Barbara Perrault, said that further study should not be looked upon as a stalling tactic, just a way of making sure that all other options had been thoroughly explored.

“What I hear from the soccer com- munity is that they need more than one field anyway,” said Sharp.

But all three councillors were defeat- ed as council voted 4-3 voted to develop the soccer field at Sunrise Park.

“I think that if we vote for seccer, that the community will be very happy,” said Coun. Stelia-Jo Dean.

Coun. Bob Fearnley agreed: “Ten years down the road, people are going to have forgotten this,” he said. “The field is only a small part of the park.”

But Cloverley-area residents are not

“going to forgive and forget anytime

soon.

Peggy McKintosh, who has been fighting to preserve the area for years, said that the city should have put its effort into cleaning up the park area in the first place.

“The soccer people were there in great numbers and the pcople of Cloverley never had a-chance,” said McKintosh. “Now is that democracy?

ot for West Van Set TOF WES! Van.

Brady Fotheringham Te es Contributing Writer : wo. WEST Vancouver District council approved. recommendations on Monday night for sever- - - al new traffic lights and minor alterations to | the Ambleside and Dundarave areas of *. .

‘Marine Drive in an effort to more closely contro! traffic volume and speed.

The recommendations . were detailed in the Ambleside/ Dundarave Traffic Study, a report © received by council and conducted by Hamilton and Associates.

' The report endorsed the instal- lation of two $50,000 pedestrian- activated traffic signals on Marine Drive at 24th Street. and 18th Street, one of which will be fund-_. ed out of the current capital reserve budget.

But Couns. ‘Allan Williams and Ron Wood didn’t see the wisdom of installing a pedestrian-activated signal. _ They suggested instead a more expensive automated *: traffic signal that might improve the flow of transit.

Traffic speeds are currently within acceptable limits'on

RUSS Fraser... —* emphasizes need to reduce speed.

Marine Drive except for the 2300-biock area; where a

pedestrians crossing at 24th Srrect often find it difficult to...

See Safety page 5 oe