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Aldergrove Your Hometown Community Newspaper for over 56 Years
| Thursday, December 10, 2015
Mike Nolan Shatters Franchise Record!
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Page 21
New deal struck on farmland
In Memory of Harry Hunt’s Contributions
By DAN FERGUSON Aldergrove Star
KURT LANGMANN PHOTO
Harry Hunt’s children and grandchildren helped Township councillors unveil the new sign dedicating the sports field next to Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre in honour of the late Harry Hunt.
Sports field named after Harry Aldergrove Star
Harry Hunt, an Aldergrove man who was dedicated to sports, youth, and his community, has been commemorated through a playing field named in his honour. The field behind the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre at 26770 29 Avenue was officially dedicated as the Harry Hunt Field on December 6, during a celebration of life held by his family and friends and attended by members of Township of Langley Council. Harry, a photographer and longtime contributor to the Aldergrove Star, passed away on November 7 after decades of being deeply involved in the community. “Harry was one of those people whom everybody knew,” said Mayor Jack Froese. “No matter what you were doing in Aldergrove - at a sporting event, at the ice rink, taking in Fair Days, or enjoy-
ing a community celebration - chances are you would see Harry there. He could always be counted on to be in the middle of the action, camera in hand, to capture it all.” Harry didn’t just take photos of things going on in the community – he was involved in many of them, Froese said. “Whether it was local politics, sports, agriculture, or young people, Harry was keenly interested in many things. But Harry was especially dedicated to Aldergrove, the place where he lived and worked, and the people in it. Community meant a lot to Harry and he was integral to this place.” Harry and his wife Betty settled on acreage in Aldergrove in the late 1960s and ran a hog farm. Harry worked as a bricklayer and he and Betty raised their two children. Having played hockey and rugby in his youth, Harry coached and was a great
supporter of youth sports in Aldergrove. He volunteered with local organizations and service clubs and later worked as a school custodian. He also pursued his love of photography and for more than 25 years, Harry and his camera were familiar fixtures at local sports and community events. Harry’s dedication to the community earned him numerous awards, including the Hilda Reddick Volunteer of the Year Award and the Aldergrove Agricultural Association’s Centennial Award for the top farmer in the area. After fighting a difficult battle with cancer, Harry passed away at age 75, two years after losing his wife Betty. To commemorate Harry’s life, Township of Langley Council officially named the playing field after him. During the celebration of life, Council unveiled a descriptive panel outlining Harry’s achievements and dedicating the park in his memory.
A new agreement between the Township of Langley and the provincial Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) talks about using protected farmland to help development near the Aldergrove border crossing, local airport and Trinity Western University. The eight-page memorandum of understanding on the Agricultural Land Reserve in Langley was signed on July 20 of this year at a special closeddoor meeting of council but wasn’t made public until the Nov. 23 evening meeting. Among other things, the document suggests land could be removed from the ALR to “accommodate economic development at the international border crossing at Aldergrove, the Langley Regional Airport and appropriate areas of the TOL’s (Township of Langley’s) University District (next to Trinity Western University).” As approved by the Township, the university district is to be developed on 23.4 acres on the west side of Glover Road opposite the university, while another 48 acres is to remain protected farmland. “The objective (of permitting development in the three mentioned areas) is continued
protection of the ALR while also ensuring continued success of each area as key economic drivers in (Langley Township) and within the region,” the memorandum states. A need for a “defensible and durable urban/ALR edge” to form a buffer between farms and residential neighbourhoods is mentioned as well. The section says the Township and ALC will consider “adjustments” to the municipality’s official community plan and the ALR “to ensure creation of a welldefined permanent edge for urban communities within a permanent rural setting.” In addition, the document talks about the “need to move from a reactive model of responding to issues and challenges to proactive and more collaborative planning approach” in the future. In response to a question from Coun. Kim Richter at the November meeting, the agreement was described by Township CAO Mark Bakken as a “high-level … statement of intent” that is not “directly binding” on either the Township or the ALC. The protected farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve makes up roughly three-quarters of Langley’s 316 square kilometres.
Sheep stand in a pasture on a farm near the Langley airport.
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