FRIDAY
SENIOR STARS
FEBRUARY 7, 2014
Eight Abbotsford high school football players have secured university scholarships A26
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$63-million courthouse proposed
MUSICAL SHREK
One of two Valley projects considered ‘high priority’
A16 Yale puts musical version of popular movie on stage, starting this Sunday
Vikki HOPES Abbotsford News
Recommendations released this week as part of a 20-year court expansion plan in the Fraser Valley suggest a new 14-courtroom courthouse be constructed in Abbotsford by 2018. The courthouse should include five B.C. Supreme Court courtrooms and nine provincial ones, according to the recommendation. The report, prepared by representatives from five Valley municipalities, indicates that the current site at 32203 South Fraser Way in west Abbotsford can accommodate a larger facility if required. The site is part of a large parcel of land that also includes city hall, the Abbotsford Police Department, a fire hall, Clearbrook Library and The Reach Gallery Museum. Abbotsford’s courthouse has faced some of the longest delays in the province for two-day trials, as well as the longest waits for child protection hearings, due to a shortage of courtrooms, according to a provincial government report last fall on court congestion. The estimated cost of demolishing the current facility and constructing a new one is $63.7 million ($62.5 million for the new building, $900,000 for parking/landscaping, and $300,000 to demolish the current facility when the new one is complete). Abbotsford currently has only a provincial courthouse, but the plan states that it has “serious deficiencies and it will be difficult to maintain safe and effective operations” there beyond 2018. The report states that problems with the current courthouse include overcrowding, insufficient meeting space, poor acoustics in some courtrooms, not enough judge’s chambers, and technical deficiencies such as asbestos and vermin infestation. The suggestion is part of the final report of the Lower Fraser Continued on A4
RECYCLING RELIEF A5 Most businesses won’t be deeply impacted by changes to provincial recycling rules
COPS FOCUS ON ROADS A4 Abbotsford Police once again make road safety a top priority
It’s BRRR out there!
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Flagger Ronda Toews does her best to keep warm while working at a road construction site along Gladys Avenue as the Valley joined the rest of province in a chilly week. Environment Canada is predicting a possible snowfall as early as Sunday.
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THOUGHT OUGHT OF THE DAY
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.