salt «„;. ,ps Av= ,n8 Is V8K 2T,fr? ' !sUn<<">d"' . BC fcat DriftWcxxWednesday, February 21,1996 Vol. 37, No. 8 Your Community Newspaper Salt Spring Island, B.C. i$1 (incl. GST ) Vandals trash skate area By VALORIE LENNOX Driftwood Staff Salt Spring's skateboarders are victims of vandalism. Apparatus for the sport, includ­ ing ramps, a grind box and a rail, have been built by young people for use on Kanaka Road. The road has become an unofficial skateboarding rink since it was closed to traffic. But the youths have repeatedly found their equipment vandalized and their skateboarding area lit­ tered with garbage and smashed "Every day we come here it's all trashed on," said Micha Booy. "We're not the vandals. We're being vandalized." His statement is confirmed by administrators from Gulf Islands Secondary School (GISS) and Salt Spring Middle School (SIMS). They say the transforma­ tion of Kanaka Road into an unofficial skateboarding park has been a boon to skateboarders from both schools, which has Happy Hoppin' Rabbits been marred only by the vandal­ Katie Hosie was one of many leaping, formed by visiting artist Graham Walker event invited children to dress as their ism. capping and jubilant youngsters at the at the Activity Centre Saturday. The Salt favourite hopping creature. An estimated 30 to 40 young Leapin' Lizards children's concert per- Spring Island Co-op Preschool-sponsored Phao&rGalSVtbtrg people use the site each day, hon­ ing their jumps and flips. Skateboarding is their passion. "Every spare second of our lives we're down here practising," Mediation meeting sets stage for negotiation Booy said. They used their pocket money b was a good start. ents, the RCMP and mediators. to buy supplies to build the appa­ Although a mediation meeting She said the meeting identified non- Issues cited by merchants included "But the meetings were not well- ratus, some of which was con­ between youths who "hang around" garbage problems, damage to proper­ attended," Butkus said, "and there was structed in the school woodwork­ the Mouat's buildings and Ganges mittee to attempt to involve these peo- ty, and density, or the sheer number some confusion about getting the zone ing shop. Both SIMS principal rrgchants did not reach any solutions, ple in mediation of students hanging around their maps out. I talked to kids who hadn't Bob Brownsword and GISS vice- i defined problems and issues and set As professional mediator Gordon stores. even seen the maps." principal Nancy Macdonald (he sage for another meeting next Sloan noted, the major group missing Butkus said she discovered the issue Student mediator Christie Charish praised the skateboarders. week. was the "youth not in school" is something the entire community said the four mediators at Friday's In addition to building the ~i -s meeting wasn't hostile or "One task of the table is to deter­ needs to address: it is not black and meeting worked to ensure "everybody apparatus, they have kept the area agoesswe," said student Kate Butkus, mine how to get involvement from white. She added that communication had a fair chance to speak." They drew clean and regulated their own one of three people who formed a that perspective," he said. and respect are vital components of the on mediation techniques,, re-stating users. Younger skateboarders eLcm^jeations committee. "The for­ Butkus said students at the meeting mediation process. speakers' major concerns, drawing have been helped by those more mat was great — there was no diiect explained why they like to hang MisconuTiunication, she said, ren­ main points from speeches, and asking experienced in the sport. open ended question. around the areas between the Mouat's dered ineffective a previous agreement "These guys have been great," BuOais said a large number of island buddings. between students and merchants. Last "It went quite well," she said, Brownsword summarized. fictions were represented among the "Basically, it's the most attractive November, a series of meetings "everybody wanted to find a resolu­ Macdonald said the young peo­ 40 people who attended the Friday area in awn. It's by the water, it's dry seemed to resolve the issue with a tion." ple have been conscientious about t, including a huge stu- — Centennial Parte is really wet tins zone plan, which detemiined appropri­ A second meeting has been set for i. merchants, par­ time of year, there are places to hack. ate areas in which the youths could next Wednesday night at die Core Inn. AREA TRASHED 3 Region votes to rehire Hume as administrator Tony Hume was confirmed as Five applicants, including board decision. The PRC and the when we get there," she said, CRD board. Sab Spring Parks and Recreation Hume, were short-listed, inter­ CRD's Finance and adding that the CRD will deter­ "It's the board's budget so the administrator Wednesday by the viewed and ranked. All but one of Administration Committee had mine Hume's salary. board can adjust it any way they Capital Regional District (CRD) the hiring committee members both recommended last fall that Advertisements for the position see fit," he observed. board. recommended Hume for the post. Hume's contract be renewed. indicated a salary range of Salt Spring regional director Hume had been recommended Hume's appointment took effect Booth noted the PRC budget $50,000 to $60,000 annually plus Dietrich Luth said the entire for me full-time position by a five- yesterday. had been drawn up last fall under benefits. Hume's recommended process fell under the CRD's pre­ member committee which sifted "It looks like it's more or less the assumption that Hume would contract for 1996 would have been rogative. through 113 applications to find over," Hume said. "We can get be working on a three-quarter- $48,000 a year with no benefits. "I've got no comment at all. someone to fill a position created into a positive spirit for 1996." time contract. Now that he will be CRD Executive Director Bill This is all at the discretion of the last November, after the CRD Parks and Recreation working full-time, the budget will Jordan said the commission's bud­ CRD board," he said. "There's board decided not to renew Commission (PRC) chairman have to be amended. get is part of the CRD budget and nothing more to be said about it, Hume's pan-time contract. Keliie Booth welcomed the CRD "We'll have to cross that bridge can be amended as required by the by the way," he added. i WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY21,1996 NEWSBEAT GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD My dear Carol: What about editor's licence? Last week's column on the English language Pierre Berton was in town so Bonisteel invited Let me share two more thoughts on the sub- brought a gratifying response in that it was reas­ him to speak to his class. Perhaps you are now suringly free of grunts or other signs that we are asking, as the journalism students did, "Who is Next time you're in conversation with a going downhill faster than I thought TONY Pierre Berton?" baby-boomer or someone younger, listen care­ There was, of course, the obligatory remon- The identity of a noted Canadian historian fully to sentence structure and vocabulary. How stration from a reader who seemed bound and RICHARDS and author of 39 books should not be unknown often do you hear those New-Age conjunctions determined to find grammatical fault with a col­ to any Canadian, let alone students of journal­ that pepper our language today? I use the word umn on grammar. And she did. indicated I was learning anything), and I ism, who might as well give up writing if they pepper freely, for pepper's purpose is to Carol Simpson used to proof-read phone remember too that little rule about poetic don't read. enhance flavour. The urns, ahs, likes, you- books for a living and now just sticks to editing licence. I employ it frequently. I suspect that ignorance of Berton is part of knows and other variations on the grunt do them, and deleting sentences like the last one. Those were the days when teachers had the our failure to promote nationalism among nothing to enhance our language. But, I protested to her on the telephone, what book on their side. Today, Mr. Grain's succes­ Canadian citizens. Led by the big spenders in Secondly, how many times have you heard about editor's licence? And have you consid­ sors have video monitors and television screens, Ottawa, we nurture our culture by feeding it people describe their reaction to a negative ered the impact created by beginning a sentence media which have replaced the book as a source gobs of money. The citizenry, meanwhile, experience by beginning a sentence with, "And with a conjunction? of irrformation and entertainment for too many remains largely ignorant of our cultural achieve­ I'm going —" At this point they pull a face, Yes, she was aware of such excuses but has­ of our children, working against them. ments because of an underlying suspicion that introducing imagery, and then continue with tened to remind me of the teachings of the late This is not to say that video devices are bad. Made in Canada isn't necessarily a label to be their narrative. One supposes that a thousand Mr. Peter Grain, an English teacher at Gulf It's simply that the book is no longer accorded admired. words are saved by using such a technique.