City profits on property

Council Notes by Dan Hilborn
Published June 11, 2005


The City of Burnaby will make $20,000 more than expected after a property on the sunny side of Capitol Hill was listed for sale through the Internet last month.

Council agreed to sell the property for $310,000, the highest of two bids on the sliver of land located at 4886 Empire Dr.

The subject site was one of three properties listed for sale, including two others in the Mayfield district, that attracted attention from approximately 60 interested buyers.

CITY PARK GETS MORE PROPERTY

Council has given the go-ahead to demolish a home and garage at 7106 17th Ave. in order to add the property to the growing Stride Avenue Ravine Park.

The one-storey home is currently vacant and city staff do not believe it has any heritage value.

The demolition will allow Burnaby parks staff to plant more riparian vegetation and move the trail farther away from the sensitive area along the bank of the creek.

ENVIRO HEROES RECOGNIZED

The City of Burnaby will host a special reception at Fraser Foreshore Park on June 12 to recognize two associations and four people as its environmental heroes of the past year.

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C., based on Ledger Street, won the environmental award for communication for the publication of its quarterly newsletter, Sustainability Now.

The SFU Community Trust won in the planning and development category for having its Cornerstone building at the new SFU UniverCity development registered as the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building in the city.

Bob Henderson of the Burnaby Lake South Slope Streamkeepers won the award for community stewardship for his long years of work on the little-known Craig Avenue fish hatchery, helping to raise up to 30,000 salmon fry each year.

Burnaby also named Brian Sieben, Erica Wong Conway Lum as its three Environmental Stars for the year.

Sieben won the Community Stewardship Star for being the prime mover behind the placement of wheel locks on shopping carts at Lougheed Mall to help reduce the number of carts that are discarded into Stoney Creek. Wong won the Youth Star for organizing a 'kiss-a- fish' fundraiser at Burnaby Mountain Secondary and Lum, an employee of GardenWorks Mandeville, won a Chemical Free Lawn and Garden Star for his extensive work to promote organic gardening, integrated pest management practices and the Plant a Row, Grow a Row program.

FITNESS SHOP GETS BREAK

Burnaby council has agreed to reduce the lease rate for the swim and fitness shop inside the Bonsor Recreation Complex in an effort to keep the facility open until after renovations at the complex are finished in June 2007.

The shop owners will now only have to pay the standard $900 lease rate for the space, while eliminating the requirement to remit five per cent of net monthly sales receipts to the city.

A report from the city's director of parks, recreation and cultural services said the current shop owner would have likely closed his doors without the change, resulting in a total loss of revenue for the city.

The term of the new lease runs until June 14, 2007 and does not include a renewal provision.