A new program at Balmoral school will crowd the area with traffic, according to residents who urged District of North Vancouver council to bring the community's concerns to the school district at a meeting April 2.
Adult continuing education classes are scheduled to share Balmoral with an alternative program for struggling and vulnerable students beginning this September.
"The additional 150 vehicles would overwhelm the limited onsite parking and spill over onto Mahon and neighbouring streets," stated John Hinze, a director with the Norwood Queens Community Association in his written submission to council.
Coun. Doug Mackay-Dunn suggested a series of discussions with community associations, the municipality and the North Vancouver school board to drive a solution on the issue. His suggestion drew loud applause from the 40 concerned residents in council chambers.
"We'll continue to stay close to this issue and work with the school district," promised Mayor Richard Walton.
Besides the extra traffic and limited parking, the program also fails to utilize a vital part of the community, according to Hinze.
"If these recommended closures proceed, the Balmoral and Seycove communities will be severely underserved at the secondary level, with capacity for only half of the resident student population," Hinze argued. "We have a stable base of children in our community and we need schools to send them to."
"As a graduate of Balmoral secondary, I lament its demise," said Coun. Roger Bassam.
"We need to keep reaching out to the school district," said Coun. Alan Nixon, who added that he was not totally optimistic.
A new parking lot at Balmoral would also carry a hefty price for the community, according to Hinze.
"The additional required parking would come at the expense of one or more of the athletic fields, which are already identified as scarce in the (official community plan)," he stated.
The vast increase in traffic near the Lucas Centre, which also hosts adult education classes, has been handled with speed bumps and other traffic calming measures, according to former City of North Vancouver mayoralty candidate Ron Polly.
"It's been a mystery to us why they're closing Lucas Centre down," Polly said. "It won't work at Balmoral."
A local business would not be able to bring extra cars into the neighbourhood without parking lots to handle them, according to one resident. "Any other enterprise. . . would have to comply with parking requirements," said Troy Vassos.
"The district has nowhere to put those but on the street," said Barbara McKinley, a director with the Norwood Queens Community Association.
The additional traffic places "a huge burden on the community," according to McKinley.
