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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2010
W E S T M I N S T E R
INSIDE FEATURE: Zero Heroes hits schools ◗P13
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Honour bound The kickoff for Helmets for Heroes on Friday afternoon included, from left: critical paramedic Ward Findlay, Capt. Russ Thompson, Taira Bourdeaudhuy and critical paramedic Rob Wand, in front of the air ambulance that landed beside Firehall No. 1. The event begins a week of fundraising for Honour House, which is scheduled to open in New Westminster on Nov. 10. More than 200 people came out to support the new care facility, which is being built specifically for military personnel and first responders.
Web EXTRA Lisa King/THE RECORD
For more photos go to www. royalcityrecord.com
No surprise ending for theatre fans BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER
nhope@royalcityrecord.com
A Massey Theatre Society board member says the school district and city’s recent decision to tear down Massey Theatre and build a new 1,000-seat theatre came as no surprise. Mike Redmond said the Massey’s fate was decided months ago, and the district’s
recent consultation process and gathering of community feedback on the plan to build a new theatre along with three new schools was just a formality. “We expected this to be the end result,” Redmond said. “We are not surprised that they came to that conclusion. That’s what they indicated they would do in July, and this was one more step in that process.” Massey supporters fought to keep the 60-year-old theatre alive. An emotional band of Massey supporters turned up in droves to board of education and city council meetings last fall to save the theatre from the wrecking ball. A Save the Massey Facebook page was formed and has almost 2,200 members who want to
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preserve the historic building. Despite efforts to save the theatre, Redmond said the Massey board has agreed to provide input on the technical requirements for the new theatre. “If this is the decision that city wants to go ahead with, we’ll provide any assistance to the city,” he said. The school district and the City of New Westminster endorsed motions on Monday to tear down the Massey Theatre, which has 1,260 seats, and build a new theatre. Board of education chair James Janzen told The Record that the Massey wouldn’t be demolished for at least three years, but once construction begins, it could be closed for up to two years.
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As a part of the theatre replacement plan, the school district is also offering $10,000 a month for up to 30 months to supplement salaries while the Massey Theatre is out of operation. The district and the city undertook a public consultation process on the bid to build a new theatre along with a replacement high school. A City of New Westminster staff report notes that in an Environics telephone survey of 500 people, 73 per cent said they were strongly or somewhat supportive of the proposal to replace the Massey Theatre. ◗Theatre Page 8
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‘When people are presented with a take it or leave it, of course people will take what they can get,’ Mike Redmond
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