Houston Light-Up & Midnight Madness
PAGES 10-11 & 13
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014
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Shane Brienen elected mayor By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
LIGHT Up
Shane Brienen is the newly elected Houston Mayor, defeating two-term mayor Bill Holmberg with 69 percent of votes. Of the 871 people who voted in Houston, 604 chose Brienen and 267 voted for Holmberg. Asked what made the difference for voters, Brienen said he doesn’t know. “I worked hard and I’ve done three terms [on council] and I think that being visible in the community helps,” he said. Bill Holmberg said he doesn’t know what caused the results either. “People voted how they feel and I wish Shane all the best,” he said. Brienen says he is excited to be mayor and get going with the new council.
Jackie Lieuwen/Houston Today
Rachelle Barden sets up lights in the shrubs at Steelhead Park in preparation for the Christmas Light Up. Houston’s annual Light up and Midnight Madness are this Friday. See pages 10, 11 and 13 for more details.
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“I’m excited for the change and to do something new.” - Mayor Shane Brienen
“I’m excited for the change and to do something new,” he said. Voters elected Jonathan Van Barneveld, Dawn Potvin, Tom Stringfellow, Tim Anderson, Rick Lundrigan and John Siebenga for council. Van Barneveld was the highest voted candidate, with 728 votes. See VOTE on Page 2
Houston plan suggests second crossing for Buck Creek By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
Houston is envisioning a new road to cross Buck Creek at 14th Street. At an open house last Wednesday, consultant Jan Voss presented a draft vision that will guide long-term road
development and help the District lobby for funding. A crucial part of the study was the “hourglass shape” of the roads, with no alternative routes crossing Buck Creek. “I never realized how constricted your road network was,” Voss said.
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS Last June, consultants counted traffic throughout the community and found that on average 8,381 vehicles crossed the Buck Creek Bridge every day. The draft
Transportation Plan recommends creating an alternative route besides Highway 16. The best way is to extend 14th Street past the Leisure Facility and across Buck Creek to 14th West by the Northwest Community College, Voss said. To lobby
HAPPY
the Ministry of Transportation for funding, show them how local traffic is clogging Highway 16 and suggest making this alternative route to make highway traffic flow better, Voss said. The draft Transportation Plan also recommends
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several road improvements to connect areas and give alternate routes for better traffic flow. (1) For better downtown access, the plan recommends a new traffic light at the Highway 16 intersection with Butler Avenue. It also suggests a
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better link between Benson Avenue across from the mall and 11th Street by the RCMP. (2) To improve the Nadina intersection, the plan suggests a short-term fix, adding a traffic light and extending Kanata Avenue straight to the Highway. See ROADS on Page 3
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