Mustang Gallops for the End Zone
THURSDAY October 2, 2014 • www.langleytimes.com
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NEWS TWU Prez Goes Coast to Coast
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BUSINESS Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner
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SPORTS Living the Dream
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Intersection fix rejected
Riding For Life
PROPOSAL TO COVER DITCH NEAR ACCIDENT SITE TURNED DOWN, SAYS PROPONENT DA N F E R G US ON Time s Re po rte r
DAN FER GUSON L an gley Time s
Cops for Cancer riders rolled into Langley on Tuesday, the sixth day of their Tour de Valley fundraiser. They stopped at Shortreed Elementary school in Aldergrove, the RCMP Langley detachment, Cedarbrook Bakery, Deli and Bistro and Coast Capital Savings in Brookswood. This year’s Tour de Valley campaign raised $280,000 for cancer research. Story and more photos on page 11.
A proposed quick fix for the scene of a fatal intersection crash has failed to find support from Langley Township engineering staff. “They gave me a flat no,” said Gary Hee, who proposed covering over the ditch on 72 Avenue near 198B Street with temporary steel plates to provide an immediate, low-cost interim safety solution. He said the plate would allow better separation of pedestrians and traffic until a proper sidewalk is built. Because there is a deep ditch, residents currently have to walk within a metre of oncoming traffic near the intersection. Hee was speaking at the Monday evening (Sept. 29) meeting of Township council. A petition organized by Hee, which demands traffic calming measures at the Langley intersection, has collected more than 175 names since the Sept. 4 collision which claimed the life of an 83-year-old pedestrian hit by a car. Hee said he understands there will be improvements to the intersection next year, but something needs to be done sooner.
No money for new schools, says province LANGLEY DISTRICT LEFT IN DIFFICULT SPOT BY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION BELT TIGHTENING MO N I Q U E TA M M I N G A Ti me s Re po r t e r
The Ministry of Education is sending a message to all school boards in B.C. — there is no money for new schools, so don’t bother asking. News of the government’s new policy didn’t go over well at Tuesday evening’s Langley board of education meeting. “This is very disappointing. We have a real problem in this district with two schools opening over capacity,” said Trustee Megan Dykeman.
“Next year, how are we going to accommodate students in Willoughby?” Secretary-treasurer David Green explained that the ministry sent a letter in July, telling school boards to no longer submit five-year capital funding plans. “Normally, we submit a capital plan every fall. Not any more,” Green said. “Given the significant need for school construction in Willoughby, this change presents a significant challenge.” His sense is the province has spent money on large projects like the Port
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Mann Bridge and, soon, the Massey Tunnel, and there isn’t any money left. “The money all comes from the same place,” Green said. As well, the ministry now requires school districts to fund nearly 50 per cent of any new school project — making it nearly impossible for any district. Langley has around $4 million to contribute to a new high school that would cost upwards of $30 million. Building a high school takes up to 48 months, meaning a new school would
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not open any earlier than 2018. The district envisions its size would have to be similar to Walnut Grove Secondary. All this bad news from the ministry means some big decisions in Langley, Green emphasized. “The board needs to get into the thought process of disposing of properties. “We have real short term needs and no real solutions.” Continued Page 4
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