Belated birthday wishes to longtime New Westminster resident Freda Hogg, who recently turned 95.
Hogg celebrated her birthday on July 16 with a wonderful family dinner at the Boathouse restaurant.
Hogg is well-known for her volunteer efforts in the Royal City.
Hogg shares a birthay with the City of New Westminster, which was incorporated on July 16, 1860.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Coun. Jonathan Cote didn't have to look far to find inspiration for his urban design course at Simon Fraser University.
The two-term city councillor wrote a project about public open spaces for an urban design course at SFU.
His project focused on how to build great public space at Eighth and Columbia streets.
"With everything that is happening at this location, there are some small changes that could really improve this space," he said in an email to The Record. "I hope to bring some of these ideas to council."
In his project, Cote wrote that renovations that took place in 2009 played a significant role in deterring some of the nuisance behavior that had been occurring on the site.
"There is now a greater feeling of safety and comfort in the plaza, which is now starting to attract more positive interactions," he wrote in his report. "The renovations, however, have fallen short of creating a vibrant and lively space. The site is currently dominated with concrete, which makes the space appear very grey and lifeless."
Cote believes that a number of things can be done to improve the space, most of which wouldn't be overly expensive or difficult to accomplish.
His suggestions include: adding more trees to Hyack Square; adding moveable tables and chairs to the site; using different paving materials to create a pathway through the site; finding a way to tell the story of the site through public art; enhancing the water play feature; and adding way-finding elements to the site.
