Sidney & Saanich Peninsula Audited Circulation 12,933 Wednesday March 28, 1990 40¢ m season as garages are L cleaned BUSINESS Al4 CALENDAR A18 CLASSIFIEDS B9 COMMUNITY A16 EDUCATION AQ LIVING Al7 OPINION A6 OUTDOORS A20 SPORTS B3 BEYER Ald BRENNAN Al7 GRENBY Al4 HAMPSON A20 LANG Al0 NASH Al TOP OFTHE PILE A7 by George Lee The Review The Port of Sidney project will have 100 of “the highest quality floating berths for marine use” in place by the April 27 deadline, a progress report presented to coun- cil Monday says. Council also learned that the structure of a marine facilities building will be in place by the deadline, that a dredging and blast- ing contract has been let, and that negotiations for boat fuel service haven’t been successful so far. Amiving April 23 are the first 3.000 feet of an investment in 7,000 linear feet of the polysty- rene-filled, concrete floats, “the most technologically advanced system available,” the report by the Port’s architect Robert Boyle says. Their arrival will give Granville West Capital Corporation a week to place securing piles. Granville West will spend $1.6 million on the floats alone. “It is their opinion that both the boating public and the location warrant this first-class approach,” the | Teport says. Ald. Tim Chad moved council accept the report and place it in a prominent place in the town office for public perusal. It was. a report council was pleased to see, covering the entire project in six pages plus drawings. An Island Publishers Newspaper Port project strides Mayor Norma Sealey said Robert Boyfe Associates Ltd. is making a good effort at keeping council informed. “I find that quite refreshing,” Sealey said. “I’m sure it’s helpful to the media as well as ourselves.” Council will tell the architects that it wants regular reports to continue. The contract to build the marina was let to Topper Floats of Van- couver, a division of Rivtow. Boyle’s report calls the 16-foot walkway and eight-foot semi- mains on the marina “of a size unprecedented for marina services in the Pacific Northwest.” The progress report also says: e A contract between Granville West and Pacific Piledriving for about $400,000 will blast and dredge the marine basin to stan-~ dard “comfortable for even the largest boats.” The contract, which follows eight weeks of soundings and seis- mic tests on the basin, includes removal of the treacherous rock at the entrance to the harbor. Blasting will involve no flying rock and will be co-ordinated with Fisheries to have “as little effect as possible” on fish. e The marine facilities building has been upgraded by Granville West from a service building to ‘an attractive entrance to the Town Continued on Page AS toward deadline Public hearing or referendum up fo Prairie Inn | by Glenn Werkman The Review Prairie Properties Ltd. president Ted Anderson was given a choice Monday between holding a public hearing or conducting a referen- dum to help Central Saanich coun- cil decide if a retail liquor outlet can be built with a pioneer theme at 1940-Mt. Newton Crossroad. The Prairie Inn first applied for an extension of its license in April 1988 so it could build a cold beer and wine store on a lot immediate- ly west of its existing parking lot. Since then there have been many hurdles to cross, Anderson said. The Liquor Control and Licensing Branch originally rejected pre- clearance because the retail outlet would not be attached to the original building. “They wanted us to attach it to the front, side or back of the building,” Anderson said. “That would make us lose all our heri- tage and all our looks.” Armed with letters of support from the regional heritage com- mittee, police and fire departments and legal advisers, the Prairie Inn successfully appealed pre- clearance rejection to the Minister of Labour and Consumer Services. “Tm requesting only an exten- sion of my license,’ Anderson said. “The only difference is the selling of wine on display inside my building.” The Prairie Inn Cottage Brewery now sells off-sales cold beer and cider until 11 p.m. and if it opens a Continued on Page A2 Keating closed as search for explosives conducted Access to Keating Crossroad for northbound traffic off the Pat bay Highway was closed for three hours Friday as an excavator and crew worked to find explosives believed to be buried on private Jand, Central Saanich police said. “Everything went according to plan,” deputy police Chief George Lawson said. “A small dynamite charge was exploded to ensure there was no explosives present,” he said. Lawson said a property owner in the 2400-block Keating Crossroad believed nitroglycerin, a thick explosive oul, may have been pre- sent on the property. Workers consulted with the Can- adian Forces’ detonation unit and exploded the dynamite charge to ensure no explosive remained, he said. Access off the highway was closed from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. SPRING AHEAD one hour to begin Daylight Saving ¥ -Jime at 2 a.m. Sunday. (ia remap nee ary MNEs Ae Ricay he!