NEWS 3
Condos going up by the river NEWS 9
How much did campaigns cost? ARTS 13
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
One student’s creative journey FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2015
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
W E E K E N D
6
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NewWestRecord.ca
E D I T I O N
Residents rally to save the parkade By Theresa McManus
tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
Some downtown residents are urging city hall to reverse its plan to tear down part of the Front Street Parkade. A trio of residents appeared at the Feb. 23 council meeting to ask the city to keep the western por-
THE CHANGING CITY
PHOTO LARRY WRIGHT
tion of the parkade. Along with providing parking for a growing downtown population, they said there are opportunities to use the parkade in a way that is more attractive and connects the downtown to the waterfront. “It is really structurally sound. It requires routine maintenance and cosmetic work,” Roland Guaspari-
ni later told the Record. “It may be a bit underutilized with parking now, but most of the parking that’s used is on the west side, where their own reports have said there is a shortage, the park toward the Quay and the market.” Doug Whicker said the parkade is a “valuable asset” that will be needed even more when the Bosa
development on the western side of River Market and the Larco development on the eastern side get underway. Both sites currently provide parking next to River Market. Jim Lowrie, the city’s director of engineering, said the city conducted an inventory of downtown parking and found there was a
“significant” surplus of parking to meet the downtown’s needs. Last April, New Westminster city council directed staff to proceed with actions needed to deconstruct a portion of the Front Street parkade and restore Front Street frontage road.The city’s plan for the Front Street frontage Continued on page 11
Some downtown residents want city hall to step in and save the Front Street Parkade from demolition. The portion across from the Larco site, seen at right, is set to be demolished.
Foreign enrolment boosts bottom line School district expected almost $3 million from international students, but now anticipates receiving almost $4.5 million from international education but is now expecting approximately $4.5 million to flow into the district, according to the 2015 amended budget released at Tuesday night’s school board meeting. “The bulk of our (international) students go to New Westminster Secondary School, and they are extremely happy at NWSS,”
By Niki Hope
nhope@newwestrecord.ca
The New Westminster school district’s $1.3-million surplus this year largely stems from a higher-than-expected boom in international education enrolment. The district budgeted almost $3 million
superintendent John Gaiptman told the Record. “The international community talks back and forth. If you have a positive experience at a certain school, others in the community know about it. If you have a negative experience, just about everybody knows about it.” The district went from 213 international students in September 2013 to a current enrolment of 330 students.Tuition for a full course load is $13,000 per year for international education students.
Gaiptman praised the international education staff, including director Karen Klein, for the program’s success. Most of the students are from Asia, Gaiptman said, but others come from Mexico, South America and Europe. “Really, we encompass the globe,” Gaiptman said. School districts throughout the province must by law pass balanced budgets. New Continued on page 8
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