www.mapleridgenews.com - THE NEWS -- Friday, September 28, 2012 -- 3
Student letter prompts park cleanup Environmental group suggests elementary school adopt the stream by M o ni s ha M a r tin s staff reporter
Haley Murgatroyd has always known Reg Franklin Park, a patch of green, adjacent to her school, was a place that’s off limits. She’s seen teenagers stumble out of bushes, drug deals and the homeless bed down for the night near the stream that trickles below. “It’s always been gross,” says Murgatroyd, a Grade 7 student at Eric Langton elementary. A field trip to the park last Friday, however, forced Murgatroyd to use another superlative. “It’s one of the most scariest places in Maple Ridge,” she says. Her class headed into the park for a science lesson to find living and non-living things interacting with each other, but instead found a place littered with hazards. She says there were syringes, beer bottles, lighters and condoms. There wasn’t an organism in sight. “I don’t think they can live in that water,” Murgatroyd said as she describes a dying brook that’s “bubbling, disgusting and orange.” Murgatroyd’s complaints, however, are familiar to the school, although principal John Wheatley says he didn’t hear about the class’ experience from her teacher. “It’s always been a space where teenagers have gathered and sometimes the homeless,” said Wheatley. “It’s not a spot where we let the kids go too often.” A fence was built earlier this year between the school and park.
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Haley Murgatroyd, 12, walks past a stream in Reg Franklin Park, which was cleaned by the district on Thursday, after she complained about the park being full of litter. The previous day condoms, drug paraphernalia and garbage was strewn throughout the park, adjacent to Eric Langton Elementary School. The park has always been littered with garbage, but Wheatley adds the school has not called the parks department to complain. “It’s not an issue for the school,” he said. Murgatroyd’s complaints however, prompted quick action from the District of Maple Ridge, which sent workers to the park Thursday, a day after being forwarded a letter from her. Director of parks and facilities David Boag commended Murgatroyd
for taking the time to report a “potentially unsafe” condition. “We rely on our parks patrons a great deal to be our eyes and ears in our parks, and certainly appreciate a phone call or a memo reporting any unsafe conditions,” said Boag. Litter patrols in areas such as Reg Franklin Park are scheduled every two weeks. However, Boag indicated that when the district receives a complaint or concern, it can alter the schedule to have the site checked much sooner.
Parks staff did not find any syringes inside the park, but are planning to add garbage bins to reduce litter. The Alouette River Management Society believes the stream that runs through the park is an arm of Morse Creek, which feeds into the South Alouette River. Acting executive director Greta Borick-Cunningham said Murgatroyd’s school might want to adopt the stream. Murgatroyd thinks that’s a great idea.
Sprott-Shaw College shutting down Maple Ridge campus Ridge Meadows College primed to fill post-secondary void by Ro b er t M a n g e ls d or f staff reporter
After more than five years at the corner of Lougheed Highway and 203rd Street, Sprott-Shaw College is closing the doors of its Maple Ridge campus. The privately-owned college with more than 15 locations across B.C. is one of the only post-secondary options for residents of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows who want to study locally. According to Sprott-Shaw College’s website, the Maple Ridge Campus has “been around for a long time, but we’re a well-
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kept secret.” Sprott-Shaw College did not return requests for interview, however staff at the Maple Ridge campus confirmed the school would be closing down as of Friday, Sept. 28. With the closure of Sprott-Shaw College, the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District’s private accredited post-secondary school, Ridge Meadows College, remains as one of the only local options for students studying past high school. Douglas College previously operated a satellite campus based out of Thomas Haney secondary. However, its presence dwindled after the opening of the David Lam Campus in Coquitlam in the mid1990s, eventually shutting close to 10 years ago. Bruce Grady, district principal for River-
side Centre, which houses Ridge Meadows College, says the closure of Sprott-Shaw College opens new opportunities for Ridge Meadows College, the profits from which are used by the local school district to fund public education. “With them leaving, we can look at offering courses,” said Grady. “This may open up areas we’ve stayed away from in the past, because students were best served by Sprott-Shaw.” Ridge Meadows College offers certificate programs in early childhood education, dental reception, computer accounting, and office administration, as well as general interest courses. Grady said prospective students should contact the college if there are programs they are interested in that aren’t offered. “If there’s a program that people are inter-
ested in, we’ll look at the demand and look at getting it ready for September,” he said. Grady said while there may be little in the way of local post-secondary options, elsewhere in the Fraser Valley there are many schools competing to attract local students. “There’s been tremendous post-secondary expansion in the Fraser Valley in the past decade,” he notes. University of the Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Trinity Western University, Simon Fraser University, and Douglas College each have campuses within 20 km of downtown Maple Ridge. Sprott-Shaw College also has campuses in Abbotsford and Surrey. • For more information about Ridge Meadows College, visit http://rmcollege.ca/
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