Charity: The Santa Train made its first stops of the holiday season. 16
Arrts: Art Bar lets adults crreate like kids. 20
Sports: Hitter top prospect in Canada. 23
We d n es d ay, D e ce m b e r 9, 2015 · mapleridgenews.com · est. 1978 · (office) 604-467-1122 · (d e li ve r y) 6 0 4 - 4 6 6 - 6 3 9 7
‘Closing pool a year best option’ Leisure Centre staff would be laid off By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Closing the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre pool for only a year is the bestcase scenario regarding renovations, council heard Monday. Director of parks and facilities David Boag delivered a report to council that recommended awarding a contract for the pool upgrades and renovations for $4.8 million. All three bidders said they would have to close the pool for about a year. “Is there any way we could shave some time off of this,” asked Coun. Craig Speirs. “I believe this is the best-case scenario timeline, not the worst,” Boag said. See Pool, 10
Tim Fitzgerald/THE NEWS
Force Awakens Gail Payeur decorates the Christmas tree in her Maple Ridge home with a Star Wars theme, complete with a Millennium Falcon tree topper that plays the movie’s theme song. The tree also has lighted storm troopers and R2D2, Wookies, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The new Star Wars movie, the Force Awakens, opens in theatres on Dec. 18.
Revised hospital parking pitched Mayor and Coun. Bell to meet Fraser Health By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Maple Ridge council is going to take on the issue of pay parking at Ridge Meadows Hospital. Coun. Corisa Bell brought it up before her council colleagues at Monday morning’s workshop meeting, and unlike the last council, found they were supportive.
Mayor Nicole Read and Bell will now seek a meeting with Fraser Health officials. Councillors said they acknowledge that Fraser Health needs to collect money for parking at the hospital, but would like to address residents’ concerns about overzealous parking enforcement. They suggested a pay-when-youleave system, so patients and visitors don’t have to feel stressed about being ticketed when their time runs out. Bell said during the last council
term, residents brought the issue to city hall, but it received little support from her fellow politicians or former CAO Jim Rule. With changes at the table, she wanted to try again. “I didn’t feel like the proper attention was put toward the conversation last term,” said Bell. “Because we have a different council, with a different mentality, and I thought it would be great to see if there was an appetite to have this discussion this term.” Three Christmas seasons ago,
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Russ Curnew and his band, the Rx Rockers, received unwarranted $60 parking tickets while performing Christmas carols at Baillie House. They had the tickets voided, but since Curnew has been campaigning for free hospital parking. The issue has been the subject of a documentary by the CBC news program The Fifth Estate, and inspired a song by the Raging Grannies of Maple Ridge, but no changes have been made locally. See Parking, 11
Tim Fitzgerald/THE NEWS
Coun. Corisa Bell has raised the issue of pay parking at the hospital again.
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