Thursday, January 3, 2013 Generations Run took place in Osprey Village on New Year’s Day.
Page A18 • LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT • mrtimes.com • 604-463-2281 • 28 PAGES Polar Bear Swim
New Year’s dip refreshes revellers Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club put on its annual Jan. 1 event. by Maria Rantanen
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Alouette Lake is where diehard polar bear swimmers take their New Year’s dip. It’s colder than the one at English Bay and the one in White Rock, according to Elaine Attew who ran into the lake at Golden Ears Provincial Park at noon on the first day of 2013. “Here it’s cold in summer, never mind in winter,” Attew said. The Maple Ridge resident missed an allyou-can-eat brunch with friends this New Year’s to take part in the annual swim put on by the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club. About 100 people gathered before noon at the boat launch at Alouette Lake to cheer on the approximately 20 people who dipped into the freezing water. This was the second year Bruce Hay took part in the Polar Bear Swim. The Maple Ridge resident is originally from Trinidad, so the water seemed especially frigid. “It was cold, freezing, but bearable,” Hay said. Before the humans went into the water, several dogs were already swimming, apparently not fazed by the chilly temperature.
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A group of outdoor enthusiasts tested out the waters at Alouette Lake on the first day of the year. The Polar Bear Swim is put on by the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club every year and attracts participants from across the Lower Mainland.
Home ownership
Property assessments arrive at doorsteps Jan. 31 is the deadline to appeal home values. by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Home prices dipped slightly in all categories in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, according to home assessments released by BC Assessment this week. Typical home assessments Ask us How to
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topped half a million in Pitt Meadows last year, but came down slightly to $492,000 for this year’s assessment. A typical single-family home in Maple Ridge was assessed at $441,000, down about $3,000. Strata apartments were down a couple thousand, and townhouses about $3,000. In Pitt Meadows strata apartment dipped $3,000, and townhouses, $4,000.
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Assessments are based on property values on July 1, 2012. Throughout the Fraser Valley, property assessments aren’t much different compared to last year. Notices should be arriving in the mail to property owners within the next few days. “Most homes in the Fraser Valley are remaining stable compared to last year’s assessment roll,” said deputy assessor
John Green. “Most homeowners throughout the Fraser Valley will see minimal changes in the value of their properties.” Of the top 100 property assessments in the Fraser Valley, several were in Maple Ridge. The top value in Maple Ridge, $1.94 million, was on a property on 103rd Ave. and the second highest was on Alouette Road at $1.926 million. Property owners who are con-
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cerned about their assessments can call the assessment office at 1-866-825-8322. Appeals must be made in writing by Jan. 31. For more information, go to www.bcassessment.ca. Finance Minister Mike de Jong announced this week the homeowner grant threshold will increase by $10,000 to $1.295 million “to keep pace with rising property value assessments.”
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Don’t miss important information from School District 42 on page A9