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Library board unhappy

with expansion progress

TERRACE — Constant scaling
down of its expansion plans and
a possible further year’s delay in
construction has the library
board worrying about the fate
of the project, says one of its
members,

“We are getting quite con-

cerned about it, it’s beginning
to look like a very expensive
band-aid,” Willy Schneider said
last week.
. Schneider said architect Alan
Soutar had now prepared revis-
ed drawings and cost estimates
and these were passed to the city
Jan. 13,

However, in order to get clase
to the $1.5 million council had
indicated was the maximum
cost it would consider, Soutar
had to reduce the size of the
proposed expansion.

The original plan, drawn up
in 1988, had called for an addi-
tion which would have doubled
the floor space to 12,000 sq.ft.
Now, that figure was down to
10,400 sq. ft.

Even with that more ‘than 25 °

per cent reduction in the size of

the expansion, the cost had
come in $42,000 over the coun-
cil’s limit.

To make matters worse,
Schneider said the city was now
indicating there would likely be
no referendum on the project
until November.

That meant construction
would not start until the spring
of 1993 by which time costs
would probably have increased

_ by ‘at least four per cent’’ or

another $60,000, he pointed
out.

That, Schneider said, had the
board worried the expansion
might end up being scaled down
yet again.

Recalling the original plans
were drawn up on the advice of
an ‘expert on libraries, he ex-
plained the idea had been to
provide a facility capable of ser-
ving the needs of the Terrace
area for the next 20 years.

‘We are definitely not look-
ing at that now,” he said.

Noting it was now going on
four years since the expansion

was first proposed, he said a.

Sverons getting
new walk lights

TERRACE — The death of a
college student on the Sande
Overpass last month has pro-
mpted the highways ministry to
change the traffic lights there.

Twenty-year-old Ian Patrick
LeRoss was killed Dec. 4 when
he was struck down in the
crosswalk by a car turning left
onto Greig Ave.

Starting “next week north-
bound Sande traffic turning left
there will have a red light while
pedestrians cross. Highways

ministry spokesman Jane
Sparks said pedestrians on the
west side of the intersection will
have a 17-second walk signal
while the traffic is held back.
During the walk signal, she
said, westbound Greig Ave.
traffic will have a left turn ar-
row allowing them to turn south
onto the overpass. Northbound
Sande traffic will still be able to
turn right onto Grelg Ave,
* Sparks said the second major

cont'd A2

$1.2 million, full-sized project
had now turned into a smaller
yet more expensive proposition.

And, he emphasized, that
latest $1.54 million figure only
covered construction of the
building shell not the fur-
nishings and book shelves that
would have to go in it.

Librarian Ed Currell pointed
out the current estimate also in-
cluded work needed to correct
“‘fundamental”’ structural, elec-
trical and roofing problems in
the existing building.

The urgent need to repair the
roof was underlined by the
library’s recent experience when

’ the area was hit by heavy snow

and rain. ‘We had gallons of
water pouring in here,” Currell
explained,

City administrator Bob
Halisor said a meeting between
council, and the library board
would likely take place next
week. Because the city wanted
the Kitimat-Stikine regional
district to share in the cost of

the project, directors Les Wat-.

mough and Sandy Sandhals

Willy Schneider
would also take part in those
discussions,

As for the referendum,
Hallsor confirmed, “I don’t

think we'll be looking at one un-
til the fall.’”

New university draws fire

Centralization |

worrles

TERRACE — The University
of Northern B.C. isin danger of
becoming merely a university of
Prince George.

That's the message the
university's governing council
heard Jan. 18 when a delegation
of northwesterners attacked the
centralization of all. UNBC
decision-making in Prince
George.

“We didn’t get any reaction
from them,” said Terrace and
District Chamber of Commerce
vice-president Gerry Martin,
who delivered a brief to the
board on behalf of the 27 nor-
thwestern representatives who
travelled to Prince George.
“Fhe message we gave them
was that the regions are unhap-
py with the board’s commit-
ment to regionalization.’’

“There doesn't appear to bea
really sincere desire on their
part to be innovative as far as
the regionalization of that
facility goes. There is no cam-
mitment in the administrative
structure to have it regionalized.
Philosophically, they don’t
seem to be on track that way.’”

Martin, city council represen-
tative Darryl “Laurent, school
board chairman Edna Cooper
and school: district superinten-
dent Frank: Hamilton
represented Terrace in the Jan.
18 visit to}address governors of
the northern university. The trip
was organized by school
boards, city councils and
chambers of commerce from
across the northwest.

School board chairnian Edna
Cooper said. the university’s
plans released to date remain
devoid of any decentralized
concept.

“They (university officials)
don’t have a regional plan and
even amongst themselves
they're having a hard time ar-
ticulating what they mean by
the word ‘regional’,’’ Cooper
said,

“This is not just a few people
complaining,’’ she said.
‘'That’s not the case. This is a
feeling that is going right across
the northwest.’’

The delegation to Prince
George demanded specific
answers on how the university
will provide service to the more
remote regions.

Plan |
delayed

TERRACE — Residents won’t
get a look at a long-awaited
land use plan for the city until
early spring, says planner Mar-
vin Kamenz.

Kamenz said preparing his
department’s 1992 budget and
dealing with the steady stream
of development applications has
taken up the time set aside for
long term planning.

Originally, the plan was set
for a public viewing last fall.

The delay does offer a bencfit
because some recent zoning
changes can be worked into the
new plan, said Kamenz.

The plan first has to go
through council before any
public meetings. That’s ex-
pected in February.

locals

They are supposed to receive
answers to those questions when
they meet again with the UNBC
governing council Feb. 28 in
Prince Rupert.

Martin said the original
university concept was one of
an innovative and regionalized
structure.

“And that doesn’t seem to be
happening,’”’ he said. ‘They
seem to be structuring a very
traditional type of university.’

He noted that this region isn’t
seeing any benefit from the
UNBC money allocated by Vic-
toria so far.

“Their initial budget is for
$136 million and all of that is
being spent in- Prince George,’’
Martin said.

Smithers school board chair-
man Bob. Haslett also expressed
fears that the university's se-
cond phase money — earmark-
ed for the regions — will be ax-
ed from this spring's provincial
budget by Victoria in an effort
to control the province’s $2
billion deficit.

Martin dismissed the univer-
sity’s announcement of regional
coordinators for Terrace,
Prince Rupert, Prince George
and Fort St. John to help gauge
the needs of each region. He
said some. of. the top-level
decision-making must also take
place in the regions,

“You're still at the mercy of
the central campus,” . Martin
said. ‘‘You have a coordinator
in your area who's maybe b@
places dowWri on the decision-
making ladder.’’

A regionalized administration
is needed up front, he said, or
else the university will have a
top-down structure ruled from
Prince George.

“Our concern is if they don’t _
have the structure in place up
front then it's going to be. very
difficult to change it down the
road,”’ he said.

If that happens, he said, there
will be no difference between
UNBC and the extension pro-
grams already offered by B.C.'s
existing universities.

“When it comes right down
to it you don’t really have
anything different from Uvic or
UBC, and for that reason I
think everybody’s a little bit
dissappointed,’’

Page
Turners

Wrong about
drugs,
Page A6.
TV show reels in
one tip,
Page AQ.
Volunteers
important,
Page B1 .-
Boxers strike gold,
Page B5.

Northwest Roundup

PRINCE RUPERT — The
chamber of commerce here
feels municipal costs for
businesses are excessive com~
pared to those in Terrace.

Chamber president Rick
Lindseth said the charges
keep businesses from
locating in Prince Rupert.

Prince Rupert mayor Peter
Lester asked Lindseth to give
him examples.

SMITHERS — The town has
enlarged the entrance to the
civic centre for people in
wheelchairs,

But it hasm’t ralsed a sec-
tlon of the floor so they can
see over the boards and onto
the ice surface.

A Spokesman from the
local community . services
association wants ‘councll to
visit the civic centre for a
first hand took.

HAZELTON — The.
Hagwilget band has boughi
Ben's Repairs and renamed It
Tse-kay Auto Repairs.

The $265,000 purchase
was made possible by money
from the
Gilksan-Wet’ suwetien
Economie Development
Commission, 9 native-based
loan: organization called
Tricorp ‘and a federal native

~ Joans program.

-.the

$800,000 asking jirice too ex:
‘pensive, |

good chance .of buying a-

BURNS LAKE — Council
‘here has called off negotia-
tions tv buy the former Im-
maculata Catholic school.

It had wanted to buy the
school in conjunction with
College of New
Caleodonia: but found the

Instead, the college has a-

public ‘elementary’ school
that'll close when: a: replace va