ommunity EDITOR CARLY WIGNES THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012 7 ZipCar to reach Langara Car-sharing company considers college as a south Vancouver site By BRANDON REID urrently, no car-sharing drop-off spots exist south of 41st Avenue, but students might choose to take advantage of the program once it expands into the area. The general manager of ZipCar, Mark Pribula, said the company plans to move into the area later this year. “We're looking at Langara as a loca- tion,” he said. “We’d start with a soft launch in the summer.” ZipCar currently offers UBC stu- dents reduced rates on vehicles located on campus. Customers can use the in- sured vehicles at rates by the minute, hour or day with gas included in the price. “lve been holding off but if some- thing was offered similar to UBC then absolutely, ’'d sign up,” said general sciences student Andre Chabot-Gaspe. “T wouldn’t use it for schoo] commuting but for running errands on weekends.” “Tve heard of ZipCar and stuff but I have my own car,” said Cassidy Palmer, a general arts student. “I live in Port Moody so it’s a 45 minute to an hour commute.” Along with ZipCar, Modo and car2go make up the three primary car-sharing companies in Vancouver. ZipCar and Modo offer a variety of vehicles including sedans, trucks, mini- vans and hybrids while car2go only of- fers Smart Cars. The latter, though, is the only program that doesn’t require vehicle reservations before use. Modo rates are the lowest at $7.50 an hour and $60 per day. “We're not for profit. We set our rates to break even on operations,” said Modo marketing director Bernice Paul via email. “Any profit we make goes to improving our entire service and fleet.” Vehicles must be returned to a desig- nated parking spot or any reserved permit-only resident spot within the operating area. Despite accessibility, some students won't be swayed. “T ride my bike and I prefer it to cars,” said aboriginal studies student Laura Stevens. “My friend’s dad is signed up. I think it’s a really cool idea.” COSTS per hour 1 ZipCar: $7.75 per hour on week days, $11.25 Fridays and weekends 2 Modo: $7.50 per hour 3 car2go: $12.99 per hour The new owner of All India Sweets and Restaurant takes on the recession by catering to customers By ASHLEY VIENS The warm, triangle-shaped samosa dipped in sweet chutney calls loudly to students’ grumbling stomachs, espe- cially at a price of 75 cents. On the southwest corner of 49th Av- enue and Main Street stands All India Sweets and Restaurant, one of two lo- cations in Vancouver. “We have customers coming in from North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby and Coquitlam — they see we have something different than other Indian restaurants,” said Pramod Chand, who took over from the previ- ous owners approximately six months ago. “TPramod] never stops dreaming,” Tina Chand said of her father in an email. “He is very self-confident and deter- mined, which is why he has still man- aged to succeed with the recession.” Son-in-law Steve Ram, also part- owner of All India Sweets, said he and his father-in-law have multiple years of experience owning commercial real es- tate. “The restaurant has been a part of the heritage in this area for over 20 years,” he said. “In the future, we would love to partner with Tour- ism Vancouver to help preserve that heritage.” Chand’s goal is RAPHAEL BEDARD DE to have customers VILCA enjoy both the food student/customer and their experi- ence, said Ram. “If you come to [our] house, you'll get the same food as you get at the res- taurant — authentic Indian food,” Ram said. “We want to give people value in what they pay for, not just the food,” he added. Chand is planning changes for All India Sweets, such as updating decor ASHLEY VIENS photos Clockwise from left: A customer dishes up at the buffet; Owner Pramod Chand poses for the camera; Samosas keep warm won display Small samosas, bigger dreams and adding meat to the current vege- tarian-only buffet. “T think if I add meat to the buffet, that will appeal to a lot of people,” Chand said. “We had been getting some bad comments about the previ- ous owners, the lack of training, cus- tomer service and the food quality.” Since he took over, Chand said that he has diligently worked on hiring and training extra staff to better serve cus- tomers. The changes have helped and their customer numbers have grown, he added. Raphael Bedard De Vilca, an arts and science student at Langara, has been to All India Sweets every week since the summer. “T wasn’t an Indian food lover, but I tried it and now I’m hooked,” said De Vilca. “TPramod] always changes the menu,” he added. “There’s always something new.” “As a student, the food is really good for a great price.” The full buffet costs $9.95. If meat is added, Pramod said customers may ex- pect a small additional fee. Kids’ park reflects heritage An all-natural playground at Oak Park shares rail- way history of Marpole- Oakridge community By SASCHA PORTEOUS grounds are going green and break- ing the mould of traditionally fabri- cated monkey bars and slides. Of more than 150 playgrounds in Vancouver, Oak Park’s train-themed, nature-based children’s playground is the first of its kind. Located at the Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre, the playground is built with all-natural materials and landscaping, with no manufactured equipment. “The kids absolutely love it,” said Community Recreation Supervisor Karen Grant. “They enjoy the natural [landscape].” “We are thrilled with the collabora- tion between Marpole-Oakridge Com- munity Association and the Vancouver park board in creating this special play- ground that links to the Marpole neigh- borhood’s [railway] history,” said the board’s chair Constance Barnes in a press release. As a reflection of the area’s railway history, the park includes a child-sized train engine and car made out of native yellow cedar. The natural design was built for pre- schoolers by Sec- ond Nature Con- tracting at a cost of $70,000. Landscaper Matt Meade re- turned to the park last week to make I: an eco-conscious world even play- some additional | 3 r modifications. MATT MEADE “A lot of the kids Landscaper, like the idea of the train, so we are in- stalling three steering wheels for the kids and we are also creating a tunnel made of willow branches.” Children may have a chance to im- prove their gardening skills as well. Raised garden beds will be planted with flowers and vegetables as part of the community centre’s daycare and preschool teachings. “There is hope that we will make more of these parks around Vancou- ver,” Meade said. Barnes said “keeping all children healthy, active and connected with na- ture is important for today’s families ” Second Nature _ BeSeeal SASCHA PORTEOUS photo A yellow cedar train ‘turns’ the corner of the new nature-based Oak Park playground.