TRI-CITY NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015, A3
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WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24, 2014
In response to The Tri-City News’ call for seasonal photos, readers Corey and Jovita Kleim of Port Coquitlam sent us this picture of their sons Mason and Jackson in front of the family Christmas tree. More seasonal photographs from Tri-City News readers can be found on page A6.
SCHOOL DISTRICT 43
The Tri-City News is looking for outstanding holiday/winter photos — one of which will be the front page of our Dec. 23 edition, the last before Christmas. If you would like your photo to be considered for publication, email it to newsroom@tricitynews.com no later than Wednesday, Dec. 16 with “holiday photos” in the subject line. A couple of notes: n We’re looking for photos taken in the Tri-Cities and preferably by Tri-Cities residents. n A vertical photo will be chosen for the front (other photos may also be used elsewhere). n Although you may send low-resolution photos for review, the photo chosen for print will need to be high-resolution (for the front: 10 inches wide at 150 dpi).
$25.1M for school site will go to other projects in SD43 Coronation site in Coq. & near a PM Evergreen station DIANE STRANDBERG The Tri-CiTy News
The School District 43 board of education was expected to pass a bylaw last night approving the sale of the former Coronation Park elementary school site to a developer for $25.1 million, with money expected to go to school projects in Coquitlam. Board chair Judy Shirra, who spoke to The Tri-City News Tuesday before the land sale bylaw was passed, said the money will be used for schools, including a rebuild for Sir Frederick Banting middle school, and for district needs, such as boiler replacements. “This money will be topping up our capital project [fund],” Shirra said. The district must first approve a disposal of property bylaw, with school officials expected to enter into a purchase agreement for the 8.2 acres with Polygon Pacific Homes; the deal is to close by Jan. 12, 2016. The sale amount was acknowledged to be “fair market value” for the property by an independent appraiser and the funds will be used to build other schools in the district, according to SD43. “We were able to write [a
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Working on FindaLostPet, a smart phone app, are (from left): Alin Kucheran, Brandon Mayhew and Laef Kucheran, the team leader for the project. TRI-CITY NEWS FILE PHOTO
The site of Coronation Park elementary school (shown here as it was being prepared for demolition) is being sold to the developer Polygon Homes. deal for] a project that will allow us to move forward with a lot of people willing to pay market price,” Shirra said. The former Coronation Park elementary land is located in Coquitlam but right next to the Port Moody border and within walking distance of the Inlet Centre Evergreen Line station. As many as 400 to 600 homes, plus park space, could be built there, according to the district’s request for offers. But it would be up to the developer to get the property rezoned and provide roads and servicing to support the development. Selling the property to Polygon ends a lengthy process that began in 2013 with public meetings through the district’s Learning, Lands and Neighbourhoods initiative. In all, 17 request for offers
packages were distributed and nine developers attended a voluntary site meeting. The district settled on Polygon, which provided the highest offer and is agreeing to take the property, located at 135 Balmoral Drive, Coquitlam, “as is.” The sale comes as the district reached a deal with the province to contribute $2.9 million towards the construction of Smiling Creek elementary school on Burke Mountain, as well as $4.8 million towards land costs, for the total construction costs of $17.6 million. Shirra said the province expects school districts to contribute toward school capital projects. “The ministry had to see we were serious in selling that.” dstrandberg@tricitynews.com @dstrandbergTC
EVERGREEN CULTURAL CENTRE
STUDENT INNOVATION
students need cash to finish missing pets app DIANE STRANDBERG Tri-CiTy News
Missing pets can be a tragedy for a family but a solution for finding them may be at hand thanks to a group of Coquitlam high school students. Lost pet posters aren’t up to the job because the information is often sketchy and valuable time can be lost between creating and putting up posters, and waiting for a call. The students who attend School District 43’s Inquiry Hub think they have a solution with FindALostPet, an app that links people with missing pets with people who may see a wander-
ing dog or cat, or who may be willing to search for the animal. “The pet posters don’t reach that many people,” said Laef Kucheran, 14, a Grade 9 student who is the project leader. “Very few people read them and there’s very little info and no multiple photos… “There’s so much data out there, we’re going to collect it in a central place where people can see the entire community. The idea is to have a map that shows in real time where pets have gone missing along with photos and information about missing animals, alerts and secure ways to contact people if a pet has been found. Another idea is to give pet
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finder “reputation points” so they are encouraged to keep looking, Kucheran said. But to get the app finalized, the students need $500 to pay for hosting, an SSL certificate to ensure the website connection is secure and safe, image storage and other costs. There is just over a week left on the team’s crowdfunding campaign and donors to the project are eligible for numerous gifts, including a handwritten Christmas card. To contribute visit indiegogo. com/projects/findalostpet-orglaunch--2#/story. • For more information, email team@findalostpet.org. dstrandberg@tricitynews.com @dstrandbergTC