DPAC WON’T REVOTE ON RESOLUTIONS
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HIGH RISK, HIGH STAKES WITH TOWER
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FIRE HITS ’BORO’S OLDEST HOUSE
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FRIDAY
MAY 4 2012
www.newwestnewsleader.com
New Westminster’s Justin Morneau hopes to be playing with his Minnesota Twins again, after resting an injured wrist. See Page A10
A risk worth taking: city Grant Granger newwestnewsleader.com
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Diedre Rubino and her husband Dominic bought the McColl home two years ago and it will be one of the featured stops on this year’s 33rd annual Hertage Homes tour in New Westminster on May 27.
Living in a place of history
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
When Diedre and Dominic Rubino moved from Calgary in 2004 they wanted a heritage home and looked in the Queen’s Park area, but couldn’t afford it at the time. They ended up winning the bid for a historic home sold by the City of Burnaby next to Robert Burnaby park.
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rest of the house looked like,” recalls Dominic. “I told the real estate agent, ‘You’re working late tonight buddy.’” It’s a feeling many of those taking the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society’s 33rd annual heritage homes tour on May 27—tickets go on sale Saturday—will be sure to get when they enter the Rubinos’ home. The 5,200-square-foot Victorian house was built in 1893 for lawyer Angus John McColl, who went on to become chief justice of the B.C. Supreme Court before dying in 1902 at age 48.
An addition was put onto the side and back of the home in 1911. It has had many owners, including a stint as a private hospital. At one time it had stucco on the exterior, but now it has a beautiful green and maroon wood siding. As the Rubinos discovered that day two years ago, the foyer is rich with dark wood done with exquisite craftsmanship. “The amount of work that must have went just into the foyer is amazing, and upstairs there’s more,” says Diedre.
BOTTLE DEPOT
Please see TOUR, A3
POP
Grant Granger
After a few years, they wanted to expand the house but couldn’t. The experience, however, had whetted their appetite for big, old homes and living beside a park. So two years ago they went looking in New West again. They wanted something grand, and when they got to 126 Granville St., with Queen’s Park across the street they were smitten. When they walked through the door they were blown away by the huge foyer with a grand staircase, intricate woodwork and panelling, and stained glass. “As soon as I got to the front I was done. It didn’t matter what the
POP
This year’s New Westminster heritage house tour includes a recently renovated huge Victorian home
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr isn’t prepared to endorse New Westminster’s venture into what even its city council supporters admit is risky business. On Monday, with only Puchmayr dissenting, council opted to continue building an of¿ce tower to accompany the civic centre it is constructing at Eighth and Columbia streets. The move follows the recent departure of private partner Uptown Property Group, which had signed on to build the eight-storey tower. Mayor Wayne Wright said the city decided to go it alone because the tower would mean 525 jobs for the area and property tax revenue of $50 million over 50 years. Wright said timing issues have forced the city to move ahead on its own on the project—budgeted to cost $94 million in total when completed. The timeline is due to a deadline from the B.C. Lottery Corporation, contributing $43 million to compensate the city for hosting the Starlight Casino, which has already been extended to 2015 to ¿nish the civic centre. Please see CITY, A4