New West Record - March 30, 2011

Page 1

N E W

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011

W E S T M I N S T E R

INSIDE FEATURE: Curling for a great cause ◗P13

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NEWS,

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◗ DOWNTOWN

Aiming to build an ‘iconic’ centre BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com

The architectural team charged with designing the new civic centre continues to refine its designs for the project and ensure that the building won’t be a “misfit” on Columbia Street. Roger Hughes, a principal at Hughes Condon Marler Architects, gave council an overview of the latest concept for the civic centre on Monday. “The plans have become well developed,” he said. “The program has become quite refined in terms of area allocations.” The city’s portion of the civic centre, which will be located on Columbia Street between Eighth and Begbie streets, will include a theatre, convention space, art studios, an art gallery, a tourist information centre, the city’s museum and archives, the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and a restaurant. The city has partnered with the Uptown Property Group, which will build an office tower of up to eight storeys above the civic centre. Terry Atherton, the city’s manager of civic buildings and properties, said the excavation and shoring (bracing of the sides of the excavation) of the three levels of parkade will begin in the summer, but the actual construction of the parkade foundation and concrete will take place later. Much of the discussion at Monday’s council meeting focused on the exterior appearance of the building and the way ◗Civic Page 9

Larry Wright/THE RECORD

Ready to roll: Ingrid Tymm test drives one of the city’s new curb letdowns while out for a stroll with her daughters Melody (at right) and Ruby (in stoller) and their friend Isabelle Bobetsis.

No bumps for these babies

Mom delighted with city’s attention to ensuring curbs are easy to navigate with strollers BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com

A West End resident is grateful that the city has made it a little easier for parents to get their kids to school. Ingrid Tymm recently contacted city hall to raise concerns about the lack of accessibility of some sidewalks for children riding bicycles and parents pushing strollers. She was particularly concerned about the sidewalks on streets leading to Lord Tweedsmuir

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Elementary School. Tymm, who has had some experience dealing with municipalities through her job, said she was pleasantly surprised with the speed at which city officials responded to her email and followed up with phone calls. “They were so personable in virtually every step in the game,” she said. “It was totally a fluke that I opened up the paper and there was this article.” New Westminster resident Basil Fitz recently told The Record that he was concerned about the condition of some of the city’s sidewalks and “curb letdowns” which allow people to move easily from sidewalks to the road. He expressed concern that the condition of some sidewalks and the lack of

curb letdowns creates challenges for people who are getting around in wheelchairs, or use mobility aids or strollers. Tymm said that improvements were made to the sidewalks in her neighbourhood soon after she contacted city hall. She said the changes make it much easier for parents to manoeuvre little ones in strollers and for younger children who are riding their bikes. “Lo and behold, here they are,” she said of the sidewalk improvements. “They put most of the curbs in.” Blair Fryer, the city’s manager of communications, said the City of New Westminster’s website has an online map that shows the locations of all of the curb letdowns in the

◗Sidewalks Page 10

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