by Aaron Cumming
and Laura Martin

Prince George is a
growing city these days, and
with its growth comes the
development of many new
buildings. Among these in
progress are the nearly-
completed university, the
courthouse, and the shopping
center on Central.
Unfortunately, not all of
Prince George is in a state of
improvement. Much of the

downtown business district
has been in poor shape for
years. Recently, a plan was
submitted to City Council to

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i
5
dH
4
s
hes,

give downtown a _ much-
needed facelift. The plan
suggested the following
changes to 3rd Avenue:
changing the streets from
one-way to two-way access;
removing parking meters;
creating parallel parking;
widening the sidewalks to
make them wheelchair
accessible; adding furniture,
planters, streetlights and
banners; putting up new
canopies and changing the
appearance of storefronts;
and building four gateways to
First Avenue.

POINT-I fee! that Prince

George would really benefit
from an imposed
revitalizaton scheme.
Because of the recent
opening of UNBC, many
people, including staff and
students, have moved into
Prince George. As a native
of the city, 1 feel that we
should do our best to make a
good impression on all our
visitors and newest citizens
by~ making our city as
attractive as possible.
COUNTERPOIN!-| agree
that we should try to improve
downtown Prince George,
but not as proposed in the
current plan. There are just
too many problems with it to
justify spending over three
‘million dollars.

P-There are a number of
grants available from the
Provincial Government that
are specifically available to
cities for improvements such
as these. The merchants of
Prince George would only
need to spend 40% of the
estimated costs; that is,
appriximately $1 600 per

over THE EDGE-Friday November 4,1994 3

Downtown Revitalization: Point-Counterpoint

year for ten years. The
remainder of the costs would
fall upon the taxpayers and
the government, I
understand that $16 000 per
business seems like a lot to
be spending on improving
downtown, but with these
improvements business
would assuredly pick up and,
eventually, be a profit to the
merchants.

C-I agree with your basic
point, but J think that is
somewhat circular reasoning.
If downtown merchants want
to make more money, they
have to spend money. Many
merchants may not be able to
come up with the sixteen
hundred extra dollars a year.
Although the government
grants are available, the
government has never been
known to be overly generous.

P-Though the cost is an
inconvenience, the benefits
of improving downtown
would exceed that. It is a
fact that a deteriorating city is

If the city does all it can to
improve its slum areas, the
people in. the city will do
what they can to protect these
areas. Then the cities will
stay attractive and people can
be proud of them. I am
probably speaking for many
people when I say that
downtown Prince George
needs to improve its image,
especially since the opening
of UNBC and the influx of
people into the city.

C-The people who cannot
afford to live in the
expensive parts of town will
need somewhere else to go.
If we do try to improve slum
areas, it will only create
others, usually close to the
central business district. It
will likely be near downtown
because of lower property
costs and transportation.

P-George Street was once
Prince George's most
rundown area of town.
Anyone who goes there now
can see a marked
(continued on page 10)

a breeding-ground for crime.

WELCOME TO THE UNBC WOMEN'S CENTRE

The women's centre is a student organized facility aimed at providing a physical and social
environment for all the women on campus. The Women's Centre is presently being developed by
students and faculty who have an interest in creating an atmosphere that reflects and welcomes the
diversity of women's experience across sexual, cultural, physical, generational, and economic
lines.

In the fall of 1993, a women's group involved in UNBCs quick start program gathered
together to discuss creating a Woman's Centre on campus. We created the above mandate, spoke
with other Women's Centres across B.C., wrote up a proposed budget, and requested a list of
furnishings for the space. Our proposal was sent to senate and was approved based on the |
recognized need for a Women's centre on campus. The decision is a reflection on the mandate of
UNBC to promote awareness of a broad range of women's issues. The resulting space will be
used as a resource centre and meeting place for women.

A sign-up sheet was made available during registration this year for all women interested in
participating in the development of the centre. To date, a budget has been secured, a space
allocated, and many meetings have been held to determine the various interests of women on the
campus, The centre operates through sharing rounds of information, and has thus far started to

focus on specific areas such as: |
| -women's health

-participation with the development of a student society

-community awareness

-harassment issues and policy

-planning events (such as opening: Nov.2 from 12 noon -2pm)

-gathering resources

-starting a library

-making ccntact with other groups on campus such as newspaper, radio station,
Woman's Caucus, etc.

-lesbian issues

-cultural awareness

As well, we plan to exchange and share information with various faculties and groups on the
campus such as International Studies, First Nation Studies, women in sciences, sports teams, the
Environmental Club, and any other interested clubs, both on and off the campus.

As this is a student-run centre, we encourage as much input and participation as possible. At
this point, our objective is to create a comfortable, workable, space for all women, and we will
accept any donations of books, pamphlets, plants, and valuable volunteer time to help the
Women's Centre achieve its obj:ctives and goals. We welcome your questions and comments and
| invite everyone to our opening on November 2, from 12 n

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