Tuesday April 22, 2014 (Vol. 39 9 No. 32))
V O I C E
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Green days: The City of Surrey is said d to be leading the way with schemes hemes to encourage sustainability ity and environmental building practices. i see ee page 11
Swift reaction to ‘terrible mistake’ of realty placard bolted on iconic mural
A sign of passion over Whaling Wall Alex Browne Staff Reporter
White Rock residents were up in arms over Easter weekend after a commercial realty firm’s sign was bolted to the city’s iconic “Whaling Wall” mural. The ‘for-lease’ sign, on behalf of Colliers International, was installed Wednesday, obscuring part of the mural of a whale pod painted on the side of an uptown commercial building 30 years ago by internationally noted nature artist Wyland. By Monday morning, the sign was down and the eight bolts holding it to the wall, at the corner of Johnston Road and Russell Avenue, had been removed. “It was a terrible mistake,” Kirk Kuester,
executive managing director for Colliers in Vancouver, told Peace Arch News. “The sign has been removed and if there is any damage to the mural the damage will be repaired.” Kuester, who was away from his office for an Easter vacation, said he had received a barrage of calls and emails from concerned residents as soon as word spread that the sign had been bolted to the mural. Numerous angry comments were posted online over the weekend, after criticism and a photo by White Rock blogger Dave Chesney were shared on the Facebook site, I Grew Up In South Surrey/White Rock/ Langley/Cloverdale/Crescent Beach. “The reaction was very quick,” Kuester
Tom Saunders photo
Residents respond to bolted ‘for-lease’ sign. said. “You have a community that is very passionate about the wall.” Kuester said he couldn’t explain, without further investigation, how the decision was
made to bolt the sign to the mural. “There are usually three to five people involved in deciding where (such) a sign goes, including a third party, our sign company,” he said. “I can’t say how this was decided, or who decided it, but that’s immaterial. We wanted it removed as quickly as possible.” Kuester said it was not possible to get a crew out Sunday to remove the sign, but it was done at the first opportunity the next morning. “Our goal is to remedy this and restore the wall to its original condition,” he said. Wyland’s mural – fourth in a series of 100 whale walls that he painted around the world between 1981 and 2008 – was dedicated in September 1984 and received restoration work by the artist in 2007.
Tree bylaw disputed
Taking a stand Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Border wait goes south
Gord Goble photo
Motorists southbound on Highway 99 Friday morning were backed up north of the 24 Avenue overpass – a lineup that tested drivers’ patience and reportedly took those headed for one of the South Surrey border crossings more than three hours to get through.
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A South Surrey man who wants to cut trees on his own acreage – for safety and value reasons – is frustrated by city rules that he says “bully” private citizens. And David Secord says he’s prepared to take a stand on the matter – all the way to court if he has to. “If it comes down to it… I’m going to cut a tree down (myself),” Secord said. “Give me the fine and I’ll see you in court.” Secord – former president of the Reform Party of B.C. – said he started inquiring with the City of Surrey about cutting some of the mature firs on his 144 Street lot – across from Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest – about 18 months ago. He’s got about 75 trees that are 100-plus feet tall and wants to remove around 30 of them – some due to the hazard of falling branches, which have damaged vehicles and nearly struck Secord himself; others to open up the lot and make it both more attractive to potential buyers and easier to build on, should he, or any future owner, decide to take that route. i see page 4
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