Resurrecting the White Hotel?

The infamous White Hotel in downtown Cloverdale has been closed for about a year. Shortly after the police pulled a fugitive out of there after a few hours stand off the front door on sidewalk level and the 2nd floor windows were boarded up.

The street level houses 2 stores - Danica's hair and Sea Shanty fish & chips.

The building is about 100 years old and I guess many years ago it was a hotel. Even since I've been a kid its been living spaces up there. I'm not sure if they are bachelor apartments or 1 bedroom apartment or what the scoop is because I've never been inside. A couple of years ago the building's owner had put a sign on the door saying he'd renovated the building in hopes of attracting better quality residents.

Not judging by the fugitive hiding out there!

A couple of days ago I was walking the dogs past and noticed two men on a ladder/scaffolding changing the sign area. I can't really recall what was there before but they're putting up something very white. White Hotel? Whitewashed plywood type of thing. The front door was open and I glanced inside and saw the floor is a rather cheap looking laminate not placed correctly. Slapped widthwise across the hall instead of going lengthwise. I'm not sure what the reason was for doing it this way. Save money? Running low on laminate? Do-it-yourselfer who doesn't have a clue and didn't read the instructions on the box? It looks ugly, but I don't live there and I don't own it so its not my issue. Its a safe bet that whoever placed that floor doesn't live there either and doesn't care how it looks!

Anyway if that floor is any representation of what it looks like upstairs after renovations.....hmmm.

I guess after the fugitive issue the owner must have evicted all tenants or else they moved out on their own and the place has not been occupied for the past year. I don't know whether the last owner has since sold the White Hotel and somebody knew is taking it over and trying to get some revenue going again from the upstairs suites.

I do know it must be going slowly. Those 2 guys were back today again working on putting up that white sign. I'm not sure what's taking so long other than its overhead work and maybe awkward. The sign is only about 2 feet high and about 30 feet long and its in sections.

Oh well. I shall keep an eye out for a "rooms for rent" sign to show up on the door.

Playing at the Clova from July 1 to July 6 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday July 1 until the 6th:

7pm - Green Lantern

9:10pm - Hanna

Last show lets out at 11pm. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. If there are 2 people admission is $15. Add $4 for each additional person in your group. Tuesdays is $5.

Getting the Millenium Park ready for Canada Day 2011

I drove past the Millenium Park in Cloverdale today when I had to pick up something at London Drugs across the street.

They're getting things set up. I saw several canopy tents. I saw a ferris wheel - kind of hard to miss that one its pretty tall! A few other midway rides are being set up. I saw the octopus - do they still call it that? I saw some food concessions, one selling chicken.

I heard the weather forecast on the news today - 50% chance of showers. Ha, I guess they're playing it safe! Have a 50% chance of getting that one right!

Might be a good idea to pack a light raincoat or hat. I would not recommend bringing an umbrella. In the past its been on the forbidden list for the Canada Day celebrations. Its kind of inconsiderate too with the amount of people present and everyone getting crowded together. Bringing an umbrella is sure to poke out some unsuspecting spectator.

What is on the forbidden list to bring inside the Millenium Park? Pets, BBQ's, alcohol, drugs.

Rush hour traffic jam in Cloverdale June 28

There's a bit of a traffic snarl in Cloverdale right now at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 15. It appears a semi truck and trailer rig were in the left hand turn lane on Highway 10, ready to turn onto the Cloverdale Bypass and head northbound. Truck stalled.

I heard it on the news so I walked the dogs over. What I saw was another tractor from the same company showed up to assist. They disconnected the trailer and left it there in the left hand turn lane and attached a chain or cable onto the stalled tractor. I guess he was planning to tow it to the parking lot of the old Cloverdale Mall. Light changes and they turn left. Except unfortunately the cable snapped. Sproing! I heard that!

The tractor has now stalled in front of both lanes of Highway 10 traffic heading west. Tractor has not blocked the left hand turn lanes heading south on Highway 15 nor the right hand turn lane that borders the Husky gas station. The crazy thing is drivers start honking. Hmm. I don't think that big truck is going anywhere. Want to get out and help push it?

The driver of the tractor that's mobile pulls over to inspect the situation. I guess there was no resurrecting that chain. He decides to abandon the stalled truck and circles around to collect the trailer that's still in the left hand turn lane.

I walked down Highway 10 and traffic is backed up as far as I can see. When I circled around Cloverdale I saw cars leaving Highway 10 at 176A or 177B Streets and making their way down 57th Avenue so they could get around the stalled truck.

The stalled truck was still there when I walked past 10 minutes later. Perhaps they should call a big tow truck?

Is Anyone Using Greenaway Pool?

I still haven't seen any swimmers in Greenaway Pool when I'm driving past Greenaway Park. Granted the weather has been a little cool but there have been sunny days, even yesterday was muggy though not hot and sunny, still would have been a good day to cool off in a pool.

And I did. I went to YMCA's pool!

According to the City of Surrey's website here are the hours that Greenaway Pool should be open:

Monday to Friday: 1pm to 3pm and then again from 6pm to 7:30pm
Saturday, Sunday: 1:30pm to 3:00pm, and then 3:30pm to 5pm, and then 5:30pm to 7pm

It also claims on Monday and Wednesday night from 7pm to 8pm its adult swim only.

I still say its hit and miss. There have been many times I've driven by the pool in summers past when it was supposed to be open but was empty. There are also times it was not supposed to be open and I saw swimmers in the pool. And not swimming lessons. Lots of people moving around and doing stuff not consistent with lessons.

So use those hours from the City of Surrey as a guideline but don't be surprised if you show up at Greenaway Pool and see the gates locked.

Its free to swim here so one might say you get what you pay for!

Canada Day 2011 Celebrations at Cloverdale Millenium Park

July 1 Canada Day is either a very good day or a very bad day to be in Cloverdale. About 100,000 people show up each year for the celebrations at the Millenium Park that is on the southeast corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue. If you are not planning to celebrate - stay away from this part of town. Traffic is a madhouse! Sucks if you have to get into the Clover Crossing Mall. Don't even think about parking here and sneaking across the street to watch the action. The mall puts out big signs stating don't park your car here and leave. Several security officers are stationed in the parking lot ensuring that people who park their cars in the lot are going into one of the shops. They will call for tow trucks.

Admission is free. Festivities start at 10am and go on for about 12 hours. Click here for more information about Canada Day celebrations.

The headline act this year is Trooper! They will be on stage from 8:45pm until 10:15pm. I last heard them when they played at the Maple Ridge Fair about 5 years. They put on a very good show. Good enough that we plan to walk over to the park so we can hear them. We don't think we'll get close enough to see them clearly because the place will be packed but we like their music. We'll also get to enjoy the fireworks on our walk home because that's when they'll be set off.

So where to park? The streets east of 176th are packed with cars. The fairgrounds has some parking and today I saw a sign pointing at the fairgrounds for Canada Day Parking. I think they open the gates to the racetrack and park a lot of cars in there.

Just want to watch the fireworks? A lot of people bring a blanket and sit down on the football field at Lord Tweedsmuir. Another good spot we found was the parking lot of the old Shop Easy and I never remember its current name. Cloverdale Super Market? Its on the corner of 176th Street and 58th Avenue. Good view of the fireworks from there if you sit in your car. The shop is closed so you're not taking away patron's parking.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Free Pancakes and BBQ at the Cloverdale Legion Saturday June 25 2011

The Cloverdale Legion at 17567-57th Avenue is holding an open house this Saturday June 25 2011 from 8:30am until 4:30pm. They have booths and displays showing the Legion's history and part of this event is to recruit new members.

There will be a free pancake breakfast between 8:30am and 10:30am. If this is typical of the Legion's pancake breakfast, expect pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and orange juice/drink.

There will be a free BBQ between 1pm and 3pm. Menu unknown.

Playing at the Clova from June 24 to June 30 2011

This week at the Clova is the same as last week. June 24 to June 30 2011 is Bridesmaids and The Hangover Part 2.

See last week's blog for more information. Nothing has changed!

First Sounding of an Ice Cream Truck

I heard the first ice cream truck of the season tonight. Up and down the streets in my Cloverdale neighborhood playing the theme song from The Sting.

I guess summer has officially started.

Cloverdale Mall Development

Development signs have popped up on both sides of the former Cloverdale Mall on 58th and 57th Avenues.

I saw them on Thursday and I thought that was a little odd. You'd think they'd have had all this approved prior to tearing down the old mall!

The signs say retail space and living accomodations for 102 units. The thing that surprised me was this is to be a 5 story building. For some reason I thought it was only going to be 3 stories, same height as other apartments and condos in Cloverdale.

I guess the thing with having a 5 story building approved is that soon other tall building will follow suit. The same thing happened in White Rock. They only allowed 3 story buildings and about 10 or 15 years ago a tower was built and now there are several condo towers around White Rock.

But where could 5 story condos follow this new one in Cloverdale? East of the Cloverdale Bypass, 176th Street have seen several condos built in the past 5 or 7 years. I don't think there are any old houses left on that side that could be torn down to make way for condo development. Well, there are a couple of older shabby apartment buildings on 176A and 177B Street that could very well be torn down to build new taller condos.

But nope I think the next targeted area for new construction will be the west side of the Cloverdale Bypass. Already on the northwest corner of the Bypass and Highway 10 construction crews are preparing the ground for a new mall to be built there. Not an indoor covered mall that seems to be bad luck in Cloverdale. It looks like something similar to the malls in Panorama or Clover Crossings. Between Highway 10 and 60th Avenue west to 172 Street are several streets full of houses built after World War 2 and through the 60's. Sure a couple of houses are newer than that and on the other side of 172 Street is the area we call Cowtown because all the streets are named after cow breeds. They sprung up in the late 70's early 80's if memory serves me.

But if you take a look at the houses in the quadrant between the Bypass and 172 Street and Highway 10 and 60th Avenue many houses are one story bungalows. Most of them are in very nice condition and the house and yards are neat and tidy. Its a nice quiet neighborhood built in the days when people actually had decent sized front and back yards. On the flip side some of them are very obviously rented out. A realtor friend of mine told me the houses on the south side of 58th Avenue between 175 and 173 Streets are owned by developers. Well, there's one bungalow I think the owner lives in because it is well looked after. On the other side of the street everyone in the houses are renters, whether the properties are owned by developers or not I don't know.

I think this will probably be the next area targeted for a high density condo development once the site of the old Cloverdale Mall is underway. Oddly enough there is one new house smack dab in the middle of all these old houses that are rented out and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Its up for sale. $799,000. Probably at least $400,000 more than the surrounding houses. And what do you get for this price? 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. Its a 2 story house. They had it up for sale a couple of years ago for $850,000 and it said it had 2 suites in the basement. I think that's one suite more than the City of Surrey allows. Also the house didn't pass final inspection because its water main has not been cut down to ground level. You know when you build a big honking house like that in an area full of run down smaller homes you better be sure you're building something you like and plan to live in for a very long time.

Anyway I think that builder just screwed up all the other home owners on that side of the street who rent their houses out and are hoping for the area to be developed.

I think if we come back in 10 years that section west of the Cloverdale Bypass will be full of new condos that are at least 5 stories high.

Father's Day Salmon BBQ in Hazelmere

I saw the sign out in front of the Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club on 184th Street advertising their Father's Day salmon BBQ.

Oddly enough I couldn't locate anything on their web page about it but the White Rock Visitor's Guide blog mentioned it. So if you're looking for something to do on Sunday afternoon keep this in mind.

They're a little south of Cloverdale in the Hazelmere area at 1284 184th Street.

Sunday June 19 2011 from 1pm to 5pm, drop in anytime. Cost says about $15. I haven't verified that. They usually get a good crowd and have lots of picnic fixings there.

Canada Post on Strike

Oh well no mail again. We've been through this scenario many times over the years!

A few years ago I was in England visiting relatives. I left one glove in my aunt's car in London. She mailed it to my aunt and uncle's house where I was staying near Manchester. The glove arrived the next day and cost less than 10 cents to mail.

Now that's service!

They get mail delivery twice a day and once on Saturday. No mail on Sunday. And they do it for very good postal rates.

Here the cost of postage goes up every year while Canada Post says they have to deal with rising costs and lower customers.

Well, yeah, in this day and age of emails, couriers, and sending money over the Internet patrons don't need to rely so much on Canada Post.

Until they got locked out last night they decided to cut mail delivery to 3 times a week. That idea is actually not too bad. Mostly all I get in the mail is junk mail and bills so getting them 5 times a week or 3 times a week doesn't affect me. Most everyone I know sends emails and letters only seem to arrive for birthdays and with Christmas cards. If cutting mail delivery back to 3 times a week of even twice a week helps Canada Post save money and get their act together and stop raising postal rates all the time then I'm all for it.

Actually we're so close to Blaine that if I'm sending packages I head to the Blaine post office along with many other British Columbians to mail them. However I rarely mail packages. Again in this day and age of gift cards that's the option many people take when it comes to buying presents.

We have a post drop off box near our house and I often see a Canada Post van show up to drop off a mail sack and pick up empty sacks inside the bin. What really irks me is the times I see the Canada Post delivery person showing up or leaving in a taxi to start/finish the route. I've talked to other people who say they've observed this in other areas of Canada - taxi service for Canada Post employees. Who do you think is paying for this?

We live in an area with door to door mail service. Many new subdivisions have mailboxes and the residents in those neighborhoods go to this central area to pick up their mail. I can see how that saves costs. If there's a hundred mail boxes in one spot that saves a mail person from walking the route. Save time, save money. I'd be all for that in our neighborhood. I have no problem walking to a centrally located mail box. The problem is someone I know says they're still on a waiting list to get a mailbox. Hunh? It seems to me Canada Post should install some more boxes? You'd think they'd build enough for all the houses in the area. I guess the problem with these new houses is that they also have basement suites and coach house suites. Instead of being one family houses they're 3 family houses so perhaps that's where the shortages come from.

When I was a kid we had a mailbox in the Canada Post building on the corner of 176A Street and 57 Ave. We were Box 165. When we wanted our mail we had to drive down to the post office, go to our box, open it with a key, and get our mail. Sometime in the late 60's door to door delivery started in Cloverdale.

So there you have it Canada Post my suggestions for saving money. Enough mail boxes to supply the neighborhood. Deliver mail 2 or 3 times a week. Cut out taxi cabs.

The Donairs are coming!

I don't know if everyone knows Cloverdale has a tattoo place at 17583 - 57th Avenue. Just around the corner from 176th Street and the former Surrey Leader building. The store actually moved one store down. We were walking the dogs one night and the owner was out on the sidewalk and we chatted with him a bit. Apparently his original location flooded and the next door store was empty and the same person owns all three stores so he suggested he move in next door which he did.

Over a year ago a saw a handprinted sign on the former tattoo shop saying a donair restaurant was opening soon. It was on the window for a month then removed. I guessed the potential donair proprietors had a change of heart. About a year later I saw some renovations going on inside the store and then nothing. Then about 3 or 4 months ago I saw more activity going on and then a custom made sign appeared outside saying Shannon Donair and a sign in the window promising it would open soon. You can see inside the store now and it looks like its set up with a kitchen, counter, soft drink fridge, etc. Doesn't look like there's been any change in the past month so I'm not sure how soon it is opening!

Today I walked the dogs down 176th Street and in the former site of Rico Burrito and then Clover Creek BBQ a new restaurant is opening. King Tut's Donairs! They have a custom made sign and a hand printed sign which spells donair incorrectly - doniar. There's a phone number on the sign and we'll all be relieved to know its a different number than the one shared by Rico Burrito and Clover Creek BBQ Pit so maybe this one actually has the chance to be open during the hours it states it will be open. King Tut also says its opening soon.

This took me by surprise. Cloverdale has gone all these years without a donair restaurant - excluding fair food when the rodeo is in town - and now there are two donair joints about to open. I'm a vegetarian and unfortunately both their signs claim they sell Mediterranean chicken, lamb, and beef so it does not appear I will be a patron unless I spot a vegetarian option.

How has our town managed for so long without a donair restaurant?

Good luck to both new establishements. I hope they are opening soon!

Playing at the Clova from June 17 to June 23 2011

Playing at the Clova starting Friday June 17 until the 23rd is:

7pm - Bridesmaids

9:20pm - The Hangover Part 2

Last show lets out at 11:10pm.

Admission is $8 or $15 for 2. Add $4 for each extra person in the group. Tuesday nights is $5. Stay for one or both movies at that price.

Bring your own reusable popcorn and drink containers and fill up at the concession for $2.50.

Pancake Breakfast at Cloverdale Legion Saturday June 11, 2011

The Cloverdale Legion is holding a pancake breakfast this Saturday June 11 from 8am till 11:30am. Cost is $4.50 for pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and orange juice (drink). The legion is located at 17567 57 Avenue.

Playing at the Clova from June 10 to June 16 2011

Playing this week at the Clova starting Friday June 10 till June 16 is:

7pm - Thor

9:25pm - Soul Surfer

Last show lets out at 11:10pm. Times are approximate. The Clova doesn't start the movie until all customers have cleared the lobby and concession area. Could be 10 or 15 minutes late on weekends and Tuesdays. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person in the group. Tuesdays is $5. Stay for one or both movies.

Greenaway Pool has water

I noticed a week ago that Greenaway Pool is full of water. I've driven by several times at various hours and I've not seen anyone swimming in there yet.

The pool's hours are posted on the City of Surrey's web site.

However past experience has shown that no matter what the hours are posted on the city's web site its hit or miss whether or not the pool is actually open for swimmers!