FRIDAY DECEMBER 5 2014 VOL. 41, NO. 48
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Busy bees Plans for a pollinator garden
Christmas on Bowen
The long-list of what’s happening
Mo photos
A few of the spectacular moustaches we saw sprout this November
Community Foundation announces grant recipients
Cove beautification, Youth Centre and Library expansion granted funds MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
The BICS library got a new addition to the Learning Commons Project last week with the set up of the loft pictured above. Teacher-librarian Carmen Yamashita stands with BICS students at lunchtime. Meribeth Deen, photo
New council compared to box of chocolates MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Following a procession of municipal delegates, Bob Baker, from the Squamish Nation, offered a traditional song to help make the transition from old council, to new. The Snowbird Song, he said (warning the audience to not expect an Anne Murray tune) is sung to neutralize negativity and help with the process of moving forward in a good way. The singing of this song, as well as Oh Canada led by the community choir, was followed by an inaugural address by Joyce Ganong who told the audience at Cates Hill Chapel that the new council is like a box of chocolates:
quite an assortment, she said, representing our collective tastes. Ganong told the story of lying in bed in Italy, with death lurking not far from her, and tricking her brain into staying alive by asking what Bowen could do differently to move forward with ease and move beyond even the community’s current aspirations. The answers she came up with in response to those questions involved vision, and values. Ganong says that she thought there must be some vision statement for Bowen Island, probably in the Official Community Plan, but she did not know where or what it was. She created her own vision statement for Bowen, but realized this was only one perspective. continued, PAGE 2
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Out of more than 14 applicants, the Bowen Island Community Foundation has chosen three local projects to move forward priorities of civic pride, community gathering places and environment. The Bowen Island Garden Gateway Initiative will receive $15 thousand; the Bowen Island Youth Centre will receive $2,500 for two programs; and the joint Library and Arts Council project, the Cove Culture Corner will receive $15 thousand. Holly Graff submitted the proposal for the Garden Gateway Project, which she says was inspired by the widening of the walkway between the ferry waiting area and the cenotaph and also by the Community Foundation’s Vital Conversation’s workshop. “The Imagine Snug Cove Facebook page was being used as a sort of inspiration board, and the suggestion that we create some beautiful landscaping on the widened area caught on,” she says. “During the Vital Conversations workshop, the idea of civic pride came up in the context of beautifying the Cove. So I thought this would be a perfect idea to submit as a grant proposal.” Graff said she contacted architect James Tuer and garden designer Wynn Nielsen to
DEE
$1,090,000
Country living for your family in one of Bowen’s quietest neighbourhoods. Large 3 bdrm, 3 bath rancher-style home on 2.47 acres. Separate guest suite with its own bathroom above two car garage. Well-planned layout and many unique features. Located at the top of Bowen’s south slope, this property gets good light all year. Private and secluded on all sides with a short path that meanders down to Josephine Lake. Good sized fenced-in veggie patch for the avid gardener.
R SINCE 2009 O T L A E R UCING D O R P P TO ACCREDITED ACC AC CR CREDITED BUYERS REPRESENTATIVE
BOWEN ISLAND’S
6YEARS
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Working hard to get you results.
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336 Salal
help craft a plan. She also started a conversation with municipal CAO Kathy Lalonde about how to craft such a proposal that would take place on municipal land. The vision crafted by Tuer and Nielsen would incorporate a stone seating area with native plants alongside the walkway. The proposal describes it this way: The overall vision is for it is area to be a more welcoming experience that would encourage vibrant interaction among residents and visitors alike. The Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association will be the recipient of the funding for this project, pending approval from council. Funding for the Bowen Youth Centre will get two eight week programs up and running. Twothousand dollars will go into opening up the BICS gym for sports and games on Saturday evenings, a program that Youth Services Coordinator John Stiver says was extremely popular in 2012. The other $500 will go into buying groceries for a weekly “Dinner Party” program. “There are some kids who come to the Youth Centre who are really interested in cooking and baking, others who don’t even know how to turn on a stove and cook pasta,” says Stiver.
Dee’s Fall sales to date: 1228 Oceanview 1238 Scarborough 347 Salal 1640 Evergreen 1572 Tunstall Blvd.
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