N E W
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
W E S T M I N S T E R
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‘It belongs to you’ BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
Thousands of people headed downtown Sunday to get a good look at the city’s new $40-million civic centre. The City of New Westminster held the official grand opening of Anvil Centre on Sept. 14, an event that featured entertainment and tours. It’s estimated that nearly 7,000 people toured the centre during the grand-opening celebration. For more “I’d like to thank photos, scan the many visitors with Layar or go to www. who attended and royalcityrecord. helped make the com Anvil Centre opening event one to remember,” Mayor Wayne Wright said in a press release. “I’d like to also acknowledge the remarkable support that this project has had throughout our community and to all those involved for seeing it through to completion. As I said to everyone on Sunday, enjoy Anvil Centre – it belongs to you!” After three years of construction, community members finally got a chance to step inside the building at 777 Columbia St. and view architectural features such as the “grand staircase” made of Carrara marble and a limestone-covered “canyon wall” that stretches from the lobby to the fourth level.
Jennifer Gauthier/THE RECORD
Quite a crowd: Thousands of people toured Anvil Centre during its Sept. 14 grand opening. In addition to checking out the new building, residents also took in some festivities on Columbia Street, including entertainment and an official ribbon cutting. At the grand opening, many people lined up to take guided tours of the building or view spaces such as the New Westminster Museum and Archives and new media gallery. The opening gave the
public a chance to see the type of events, programs and performances Anvil Centre will be hosting in the future. “It truly was overwhelming to see the activity and excitement buzzing through
Anvil Centre,” said Lisa Spitale, the city’s chief administrative officer. “The success of the day was the result of tireless efforts by city staff, volunteers and performers. ◗Anvil Page 8
City takes a pass on Whitecaps’ plan BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
It’s game over for a proposal that would have seen pro soccer played in Queen’s Park Stadium. On Monday, New Westminster city council rejected a proposal by the Whitecaps to establish a United Soccer Leagues pro franchise in Queen’s Park in March 2015, saying the plan would be too costly.
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The proposal would have cost $11.4 million to refurbish the stadium, relocate baseball to another field and replace the stadium’s grass field with artificial turf. While the city’s five-year capital plan had about $3 million that could be moved up in the plan and put toward the proposal, it would have left the city with an $8.4 million funding gap that would have required the city to borrow funds. The Whitecaps would have contributed funds toward the endeav-
our through rental of the facility. Coun. Lorrie Williams was disappointed the plan didn’t work out, but believes council made the best decision for the city. “It seemed like we were turning down a star, we were turning down a golden opportunity to have something extra special that would set New Westminster aside,” she said. “Even after all the arguments pro and con on both sides, it really came down to the numbers. It really did. The numbers
and the time. There wasn’t enough of either. There wasn’t enough to close the (monetary) gap of what they wanted and what we could provide.” Coun. Jonathan Cote said it became very clear when the city received the financial information that the costs were too significant. He said the majority of the costs in the $11.4 million plan aren’t included in the city’s five-year capital plan so it could have ◗Whitecaps Page 9
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