More changes at royal city centre
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new west traffic in rhyMe
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translink says no UBe after all
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friday
July 12 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com
some local stars join the ensemble at stanley Park’s theatre Under the stars this season. see Page a21
TransLink apologizes for UBE reference Solution sought to improve goods movement north of Fraser Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
Grant GranGer/newsleader
four new digital signs that were installed in new westminster recently stirred quite a bit of criticism from people who see them as an eyesore.
Sign money pegged for pool, theatre Millions to be set aside for Canada Games, Massey Theatre projects Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
Most of the cash New Westminster is to receive from those big digital signs recently erected in the city are earmarked to help pay for two future capital projects. Council decided Monday to put half the guaranteed revenue— expected to be between $1 million and $1.6 million annually—from the advertising boards in a reserve fund
for a replacement or an upgrade of the 40-year-old CGP and the the Canada Games Pool (CGP). Centennial Community Centre Forty per cent will be set aside as next door. New Westminster has part of the city’s contribution already done detailed studies toward the Massey Theatre into what it would take to replacement when a new New upgrade or replace the pool, Westminster secondary school but hasn’t decided which is built. The other 10 per cent direction to go. will go into an affordable “We recognize the facility housing reserve fund. is aging and in the next five Coté “It really puts those to 10 years there’s going to projects on a lot more stable have to be either a major standing financially,” said Coun. rehabilitation or a replacement to Jonathan Coté on Tuesday. the facility,” said Coté, pointing out The city is still in the process the pool gets about a million visits a of determining what to do with year. “This facility is probably one
of the most-used facilities in the city.” According to a staff report, there will be $25 million in guaranteed revenue coming into city coffers during the 23-year deal it has with Allvision Canada, the company that built the signs and operates and markets them. The report also noted if Allvision achieves its advertising targets there could be an additional $23 million coming New West’s way. Council decided it would deal with allocating any bonus revenue when it arrives.
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TransLink is not reviving the United Boulevard Extension (UBE), an apologetic executive for the transportation authority told New Westminster council Monday. In its fiveyear regional transportation strategy it recently distributed to municipalities, TransLink included three specific regional transit and road priorities. One of them was a long-term solution for goods movement along the north side of the Fraser River. The strategy included a map with a dotted line that mimicked the UBE component of the former North Fraser Perimeter Road, a concept TransLink abandoned in 2011 because a solution that would satisfy council and Sapperton residents couldn’t be found. The line alarmed New Westminster staff and council. They feared the UBE was back on the table. What is on TransLink’s radar, said Bob Paddon, Please see CounCil, a23