Board Meeting Highlights
October 18, 2004

The following information is intended to provide quick highlights of this scheduled Board meeting. Every attempt has been made to summarize these highlights as accurately as possible; however, the complete and official minutes will be posted on the web site on the Monday one week prior to the next scheduled Board meeting.

Meeting Agenda - October 18, 2004

CHAIR'S REPORT

The Chair invited residents to attend the October 28th Dollars & Sense Park Board Open House at Trout Lake Community Centre to give their views and priorities on the 2005 Operating Budget. She also reported that there were several upcoming Open Houses on the new South East False Creek project - October 19th and 23rd. And, the Park Board participated with SPEC in a successful native shrubs planting and shore clean-up on east False Creek in conjunction with the recent American Bar Association conference in Vancouver.

GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORT

The General Manager outlined a number of matters on Council's Agenda this week which affect the Park Board. They include McBride Park traffic calming measures, planning process around Oakridge Centre, a new Santa Claus Parade, revival of a First Night event, Celtic celebration for St. Patrick's Day, Sea Vancouver festival, and water conservation.

STAFF REPORTS

By-law Repeal
The Board repealed the Freedom of Information and Privacy By-law enacted by the Park Board in October 1988. In 2003, the Board enacted a new by-law based on amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection Act of British Columbia. Making the old by-law obsolete eliminates any confusion to members of the public between the two by-laws.

Bequest from the Estate of Charles Franklin Moore
The Board accepted a very generous donation from Charles Franklin Moore, who left 10% of his estate for beautification and maintenance of parks. A retired engineer, Mr. Moore was an active tennis player and lived close to Stanley Park. Staff have worked with his family to determine the best way to reflect his wishes and recognize the gift, estimated to be between $450,000 and $500,000. His donation will be used in part to completely renovate the four tennis courts at Lost Lagoon, with the balance to set up an endowment fund for recreation activities in parks, creating a permanent legacy from the gift.

Queen Elizabeth Park Celebration Pavilion Project Funding
The Board approved a financing model to pay for the new Queen Elizabeth Park 'Celebration Pavilion'. The facility will be a new venue for weddings, memorial services, award ceremonies and other commemorative events in the park, already a very popular location for such events. The year-round pavilion at the highest point in Vancouver will offer seating for 100 people indoors and have a lawn area for outdoor ceremonies and receptions. It is expected to be completed in late 2005. The project is part of the Park Board's capital program at the top of the newly rebuilt GVRD reservoir at QE Park, which also includes a plaza, fountain, sculpture settings and parking lot. To construct the Celebration Pavilion, the Park Board will loan $1.4 million from its reserve accounts. The loan will be paid back over a time of 7-10 years from the revenues collected from use of the Pavilion. The Board will charge interest to the project which will be added back into the reserve funds.

NEXT MEETING

The next regular meeting of the Park Board will be held at 2099 Beach Avenue on Monday, November 1, 2004.

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