New Westminster city council will be returning to council chambers this month.
Council meetings have been held at locations around the city over the past few months, while renovations were underway in council chambers.
“We have had huge problems with the audio and the visual part of our council chambers and connecting that so it can be streamed online,” Mayor Jonathan Cote told the Record. “Plus, we are also looking at making the room more usable during non-council times, recognizing that space is pretty limited at city hall.”
The mayor’s seat – which has been elevated above other councillors and city staff – is coming down to ground level.
“I am not going to be up on a pedestal anymore,” Cote said. “I think that’s all about recognizing the work we are doing is to have functional council meetings. Having me being 10 feet above everyone else isn’t really that conducive to productive dialogue.”
Visitors to council chamber will also notice some other changes.
“There will be a different configuration of how the desks are set up. The old bleachers are going to go. They will be replaced with movable chairs that can be rearranged into different types of meeting rooms. Really, it’s trying to maximize the utilization of space, but also provide a more comfortable area for council meetings on Mondays, where people can come and participate in council meetings,” Cote said.
When I popped by city hall on Dec. 21, chairs were being placed in the council chamber and some final tweaking was taking place. I’m told the space will be good to go for the Jan. 11 council meeting.
Ray Pigeau was a ‘stand-up guy’
A longtime supporter of downtown New Westminster passed away last month.
Ray Pigeau was the former owner and operator of Pier 660, which had been The Windjammer and The Best in the years before. Prior to closing the establishment in October 2007, Pigeau was active with the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Society and once served as its president.
“Ray Pigeau was a friend of mine for most of my life, beginning when I was a kid growing up on Agnes Street in the 1940s, and he was a young longshoreman boarding across the street,” recalls New West resident Don Benson. “He was always a stand-up guy, a loyal friend who would stand up and be counted. The girls in the neighbourhood thought he looked like the actor Gilbert Roland of that era. Ray was a raconteur, and one of his favourite stories was about how he was motivated to own the very hotel and beer parlour he had once been barred from.”
Our condolences to Pigeau’s family and friends.
History in photos
Historical images will take centre stage at the next presentation by the New Westminster Historical Society.
The presentation, taking place on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the New Westminster Public Library’s auditorium, will feature a miscellaneous set of historical images. Photos will include the Great Fire of 1898, the waterfront as a working harbour with ships and industry, the provincial exhibition in Queen’s Park, paddlewheel steamboats, and, by request, a selection of aerial views of New Westminster. The presentation will also include a special set of photos of the Fraser River from high on the city’s hillside in various seasons and times of day.
The library is located at 716 Sixth Ave. The presentation is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
Save the date
Saturday, Jan. 30: Order of the Eastern Star Friendship Chapter #75 and Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band are putting on the Royal City Robbie Burns Gala at Anvil Centre. The evening includes a traditional Robbie Burns dinner, a silent auction and a performance by world-class bagpipers, drummers and champion highland dancers. Evelyn Benson will be doing the Immortal Memory. Tickets are $75. For information, call 604-524-5675 or email [email protected].
