ALDERGROVE STAR R Your Hometown Community Newspaper for over 55 Years
| Thursday, August 29, 2013
‘Zoo Experience’ Goes High Tech!
Check our website daily for updates, breaking news and more: www.aldergrovestar.com
Page 3: Same suspect in two sexual assaults? Thunderbird Hosts International Competition
PAGE 3 PA
Aldergrove trolley service ‘suspended’ By KURT LANGMANN Aldergrove Star
HARRY HUNT PHOTO
Justin Prather aboard Beau Soliel was the winner over 27 other entries in the $10,000 Cowell Auto Group event on Saturday, Aug. 24 at Thunderbird Show Park. The weather was great for the weekend-long Summer Fort Festival, three days of top international equestrian competition, along with shows by the RCMP Musical Ride.
Langley split up for federal election By FRANK BUCHOLTZ Aldergrove Star
Langley is being split, for the next federal election. The final decision on federal electoral boundaries for the next 10 years was announced Wednesday by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. The province gains six new seats in the House of Commons under redistribution, with one of those seats the new Cloverdale-Langley City riding. It combines Langley City and a sliver of the
Township with Cloverdale and a portion of Surrey as far west as 144 Street. Langley MP Mark Warawa and many Langley residents had wanted Langley to remain as a single riding, which included both the City and Township. However, the commission concluded that the population of the riding was too high. The new Cloverdale-Langley City riding will include Langley City and the portion of the Township west of 200 Street, north from the City boundary to Hwy. 1. The Langley-Aldergrove riding will
include all the rest of the Township and a portion of Abbotsford west of Bradner Road (north of Highway 1), and west of Mount Lehman Road, south of Hwy. 1. Warawa plans to run in the 2015 election in Langley-Aldergrove. The new boundaries take effect in the next federal election in 2015. To consult the report, visit www.federal-redistribution.ca. To view the new electoral boundaries, go to http://www.redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca/map/ pwt/pwt.html?lang=e&province=BC.
The Aldergrove Trolley Company has ceased operations. Service to this community was suspended as of Monday, August 26. “We’re not giving up, we will revive it once we have a stronger plan and improved finances in place,” said Lynne Vanlaarhoven, spokesperson for the trolley company’s board of directors. The trolley service in this community had been operating for the past three months, offering both a south route and a north route from downtown Aldergrove. Vanlaarhoven said the south route, to Zero Avenue and back to Aldergrove, never really caught on. There were five trips daily, Monday to Friday, and the grand total of riders rarely exceeded 20 per day. On the other hand, the north route to Gloucester Industrial Estates and back to Aldergrove, had seen steady and consistent growth in ridership. There were eight trips daily, four in the early morning and four in the evening, to accommodate shift workers at Gloucester. “There were definitely way more people using the north route, and many people were getting jobs there because of the trolley service,” said Vanlaarhoven. “In the last couple of weeks we were getting 100 riders a day on the north route, while the south route was very low ridership, no way close to paying for that service. “It’s the saddest thing to have to suspend the service but the board will be seeking income from grants and the community to bring it back as soon as possible. However, we will probably be reducing our scope to just the north service to Gloucester,” said Vanlaarhoven. While the seven directors on the trolley Aldergrove’s trolley service ceased company’s board are all operation as of this week. volunteers, the two trolley drivers are paid staff. There are also the costs of leasing and fueling the trolley, provided by Vancouver Trolley. Vanlaarhoven noted that “Vancouver Trolley has been outstanding in its support of the Aldergrove Trolley effort.” Aldergrove Trolley Company had also hoped for more charter bookings on the weekends, for such events as weddings and farm tours, but there has not been much interest. “We need more commitment of financial support from the community — we knew that ridership alone would not pay for the service, to start out with, at least — but we also need more ridership,” said Vanlaarhoven.
RE/MAX Call Dan Flokstra 604.857.1100 ALDERGROVE LISTINGS WANTED – ANY SIZE – ANY PRICE – ANY CONDITION The Aldergrove specialist.... Ready to move, when you are!
26641 FRASER HWY, ALDERGROVE realestate@danflokstra.com
www.fraservalleyrealestate.net
ALDERCENTER REALTY