MUSICAL CHAIRS
As Vision Vancouver's Constance Barnes steps down to seek an NDP nomination for the next provincial election, the park board will have to select a new chair as one of its first orders of business at its next meeting.
Vision Vancouver holds a majority on park board, and it's a safe bet the next chair will again come from its ranks. Aaron Jasper has been chair twice and Barnes is stepping down, which leaves Sarah Blyth, Trevor Loke or Niki Sharma. The next chair of the park board will be decided at the June 11 meeting. (See related story on page one.)
PARK PAISANO
Former park board commissioner Allan De Genova has been named Italo-Canadian of 2012 by the Confratellanza Italo-Canadian Society.
The Vancouver-based society is dedicated to the preservation of Italian cultural heritage and advancing the interest of the Italian-Canadian community while ensuring that, as a group, Italian-Canadians are contributing to the enrichment of their community and nation.
De Genova, a Vancouver realtor, sat on the park board for 15 years, during which he helped save Nat Bailey Stadium from demolition, led the restoration of Victory Square in the Downtown Eastside and supported the creation of the Italian Gardens in Hastings Park. De Genova's proudest moments in recent history have been as president of the Honour House Society, which opened in New Westminster last year as a place to stay for members of the Canadian Armed Forces, first responders and their families while receiving treatment for illness or injury in Metro Vancouver.
Past recipients of the award include Lui Passaglia, Tony Parsons, Luigi Aquilini, Angelo Branca, Bob Lenarduzzi, Michael Cuccione and Michael Buble. De Genova will be honoured at a gala banquet Sept. 29 at the Italian Cultural Centre.
ISWIM
A new free "Swim Guide" app allows beach-goers, swimmers and surfers to find that perfect stretch of sand and water in and around Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
The app, free from the Fraser Riverkeeper and Toronto-based Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, helps users locate the closest and cleanest beaches in their area. The mission of the Fraser Riverkeeper is to protect, conserve and improve the water quality and fish habitat of the Fraser River as a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
Along with GPS-based directions to swimming holes and surf spots, users can view beach photos and descriptions. More importantly, they can see if the water is safe for swimming. A feature of the app allows user to report pollution and other water concerns via a dead fish icon.
When users see a green dot next to a beach name, it means recent data indicates it's free from harmful bacteria, while red warns against swimming there. A grey dot means there is no recent data. While scrolling the Swim Guide website yesterday, most of this city's swimming beaches, including English Bay and Second Beach were marked with green dots, while Trout Lake was marked with red due to its poor water quality. False Creek West and False Creek Central were marked with grey.
To download the app, available for Android and iOS devices, and peruse the website, go to theswimguide.org.
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