Fire Restrictions in New Westminster Parks

CITY OF NEW WESTMINSTER
511 ROYAL AVENUE NEW WESTMINSTER, BC V3L 1H9
TEL: 604 521 3711
www.newwestminster.ca
FAX: 604 521 3895

For immediate release

July 28, 2009

Fire Hazard in New Westminster Parks

New Westminster – Due to the extreme hot and dry conditions in New Westminster, effective today, the following precautions are now in place for all City parks and trails:

• No smoking in parks or on trails
• No charcoal or wood burning barbecues
• No open fires

The use of propane barbecues is permitted provided they are placed on a raised, non-combustible surface.

Park visitors should take precautions against accidental fires and be alert to signs of fire:

• Campfires are not permitted at any time in any City park
• Report any signs of smoke or fire by calling 9-1-1 immediately
• Watch for additional fire safety information on the New Westminster Parks, Culture & Recreation website

New Westminster Parks, Culture & Recreation continues to monitor the state of city parks and requests the cooperation of all residents to help prevent fires in our City.

For further information, please contact New Westminster Parks, Culture & Recreation at 604-527-4567, or visit the City's website at www.newwestcity.ca

Contact: Dean Gibson
Director of Parks, Culture & Recreation
604-527-4628
dgibson@newwestcity.ca
---------------------
Ashleigh Young
Communications Coordinator
City of New Westminster
ph: 604.527.4559
fax: 604.527.4689

This August Celebrate Arts & Culture in British Columbia

August 1-31, 2009

The 8th annual BC Cultural Crawl is a month-long celebration of the vibrant
arts, culture and enriching heritage in our province.

Jump on your bike and take a spin through the Pemberton valley, visit the
artisan wineries of Naramata, or simply explore the local galleries on Main
Street.

Plan your local 'art-full' adventure or a weekend getaway to another region
of the province by visiting www.art-bc.com. Here you'll find hundreds of
community-led events, local art walks, farmer's markets, culinary
experiences, concerts, arts performances, museums and heritage sites, and
much more.

TAMARA’S BLOCK PARTY Queen’s Park, Wednesday, July 15th

TAMARA’S BLOCK PARTY
Queen’s Park
Wednesday, July 15th
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

CTV camera crews and sports personality Perry Solkowski will join weathercaster Tamara Taggart as they broadcast their live sports and weather reports on the CTV British Columbia five and six o’clock newscasts.

The first 1500 participants will receive BBQ burgers from Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse and Bar. There will be live music by Dr. Strangelove at the bandshell, face painting, a dunk tank, and a giant inflatable bouncy castle.

Tamara’s Block Party is a family event and will be held rain or shine.

Sponsored by The City of New Westminster in partnership with CTV.

Minutes of Regular Meeting, May 27, 2009

Chairperson: Lila Wood

Recorder: Miriam Smith

Call to Order: 7:08 pm in the Lounge of the Parish Hall, Holy Trinity Cathedral, with 21 people in attendance.

Directors Present: Andrew Boyd, Judy Ross, Miriam Smith, Jonathan Story, Lila Wood.

Guests: Dave Jobson, Developer; Eric Westerberg, City Planner.

Guest Speaker: Dave Jobson spoke on proposed redevelopment of the Telford Block, 10th Street and Royal Avenue, and the relocation of a house from the uptown area to the adjacent lot on Royal Avenue.

Guest Speaker: Eric Westerberg updated us on various city issues. The Telford Block, the Fraser River Discovery Centre, the new Hyack Square, as well as the redevelopment of the St. Mary’s Hospital site as
An elementary school. A lively question and answer period followed.

Committee Reports

Homeless Coalition: No report. Lila reported on plans for the Holbrook Block, formerly the 660 Pub, on Columbia Street. The top two floors are being renovated to be used as a shelter for women and children. At present this is only for two or three years. The city and developers are working together to try to make the location a permanent shelter.

Traffic Committee: Updates on traffic calming in Queensborough as well as a presentation on the 2009 transportation work programme. This is to be posted on our web site.

Community Policing: Last meeting did not have a quorum therefore consisted of a roundtable discussion of neighbourhood issues and concerns.

Farmer’s Market: Opens Thursday, June 25th. A fundraiser is to be held June 11th at Brooklyn Tap and Grill, tickets $20 each.

Hyack Square Committee: Reopens Saturday, June 20, with a special programme and trolley tours. Friday night musical entertainment is planned from June 26 to August 28.

Business: Barbeque planning – our grant has been received! Special events this year will highlight the 150th birthday of New Westminster. Planning meeting is scheduled for June 3rd, 6:00 pm in the Queen Building.

New Business: Correspondence received re neighbourhood quiet time. Motion carried that this be sent to City Hall.

Next Meeting: Community Barbecue and Street Festival, July 30, 2009. AGM September 23, 2009.

Adjourned: 8:40 pm.

Call for support for Riverside Raceway RC car track

We are a remote control car club that resides in New Westminster at 420 Wood street. We use this location in New Westminster for the past four years. We are a family oriented place for members, guests and spectators to come and enjoy the hobby of remote control off-road car racing. It has been a great place for kids,teenagers,adults and families to come out and spend constructive time. It gives a lot of youth chances to interact with others and build confidence. We raise all our own funding through our members and club racing.

We have started a petition to show the support of a facility like ours and the no cost to the city good it does in the community. We also have a lot of surrounding areas come to use the facility. We do generate some income for New Westminster by having members and visitors purchase food, supplies, building materials and use hotels for out of town racers on big events.

If you would like to help us show support for the track please visit the link below and let others know about it.
www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-riverside-raceway.html

Thanks for your time
Derek Johnson