Video: Discovery Langley City's Parks and Trails

Learn about two of my favourite places in Langley City: The Pleasantdale Creek Trail and Sendall Gardens. These places provide an escape from the busyness of urban life.

Stats show that Langley City's Library Branch is Busier than Ever

In 2018, Langley City council budgeted to invest $1.59 million into our library branch in 2018, and plans to invest $1.68 million this year. While libraries are still a great place to get access to books and other resources, they also provide other valuable services to our community.

Langley City’s library branch is a safe place for all people in our community to visit, learn, or participate in events. It is one of the few indoor spaces in our community that is accessible to any person who is respectful of others.

Langley City is a member of the Fraser Valley Regional Library system which is one of the largest library systems in Canada. This gives Langley City residents access to 881,000 items to borrow as well as access to programs and other services that wouldn’t be possible if Langley City went it alone. The Langley City branch was open 67 hours per week (excluding holidays) in 2018 which is longer than any other branch in the FVRL system.

In 2018, 382 programs where offered at the Langley City branch with over 8,800 people attending. That number represents around a third of Langley City’s population. As shown in the following graph, the number of people taking part in these programs has been increasing year-over-year.

Program Attendance - Langley City Library Branch from 2014 to 2018. Select chart to enlarge.

A quick search of the FVRL website yields a large selection of events in our branch. This is in addition to other programs and resources such as tools to create music and videos, to help learn how to program, to become an amateur astronomer, and to experience virtual reality. Other services include booking time with a librarian to help people navigate technology and help with research.

Another important service that is provided is access to computers and the Internet. There are 23 public computers at the Langley City branch with an average of 70 to 80 logons per day. There is also free WiFi access for card holders.

Around 52% of Langley City residents were active card holders in 2018. System wide, FVRL has seen the number of active card holders increase from 34.4% in 2014 to 42.7% in 2018.

Libraries are still a place that people use to access books, audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs. It’s no surprise that circulation of physical audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs has been declining. What is interesting is that while adult physical book circulation appears to have stabilized, the circulation of children & teen books, plus magazines has actually increased in Langley City. While the FVRL does not provide “by location” stats for e-books and other e-material, those e-materials have increased in circulation by 29% over the last five years.

Circulation by Format - Langley City Library Branch from 2014 to 2018. Select chart to enlarge.

Langley City’s library branch continues to be an important part of our community with more and more people taking advantage of the many services offered. Libraries are a place for continual learning, not just a place to check out books.

As a note, the Langley City branch was renovated in 2016.

Langley City Youth Week Events - May 1st to 7th

Every year throughout BC, Youth Week is held from May 1st through 7th. Langley City’s Youth Committee plans and hosts a week of events throughout our community during that time. They have put together a packed schedule of events for younger people in our community. The following is the current schedule of events planned.

Unless otherwise noted, the events are drop-in and free. Check out Langley City’s youth web page or Instagram for more information and for the latest updates.

Fraser Valley Regional Library - Geocache Treasure Hunt
Wednesday May 1, 2019
Treasure hunt begins at 5pm
Langley City Library - Ardron Meeting Room
Grades 6-12
Discover the joy of geocaching! Learn the basics and find geocaches buried in and around the Langley City Library and Timms Community Centre. Free snacks provided by the library!

Bob Ross Painting & Free Dinner
Thursday May 2, 2019
2pm-6pm
Langley Youth Resource Centre
Ages 12-24
Drop-in for free at the Langley Youth HUB! Let’s paint some happy little trees, and remember... No mistakes, only happy accidents! After-school shuttle bus available run by Youth Unlimited!

Screenagers Movie Night
Thursday May 2, 2019
6:30pm-9pm
Langley Secondary School
Free tickets available at EventBrite.ca
For any age
Screenagers dives deep into how technology impacts kid’s development and the challenges of parenting in the digital world. Free popcorn provided by the Langley Youth Council!

Hawaii on Ice Teen Skate
Friday May 3, 2019
7:30pm-9:30pm
Canlan Ice Sports - Twin Rinks
Grades 6-12
Bust out your best tacky hawaiian shirts for our Hawaii on ice free drop-in teen skate! Live DJ on the ice, so get your song requests ready. Free snacks and refreshments for skaters.

Youth Glow Dance Party
Saturday May 4, 2019
7pm-10pm
Timms Community Centre
Grades 6-12
Dress up in white or neon, show up in glow paint, or wear your best LED accessories. Get ready to dance the night away, or just chill (and glow) with your friends! Free snacks!

Langley Walk Youth Booth
Sunday May 5, 2019
Entertainment starts at 12pm
Aldergrove Athletic Park
Register for free on site Participants can walk, run, or bike a 5km or 10km route and enjoy entertainment and activities including face painting, games, and bouncy castles.

Grades 6-8: 3 vs 3 Basketball Tourney
Monday May 6, 2019
3pm-5pm
H.D. Stafford Middle School
Grab a couple of friends and register your team of 3 for $3! All players must be in grades 6-8. Come watch the tournament! Prizes for top teams.

Grades 9-12: 3 vs 3 Basketball Tourney
Tuesday May 7, 2019
5pm-9pm
Timms Community Centre
Grab a couple of friends and register your team of 3 for $3! Two age categories: Junior & Senior. Come watch the tournament! 3-point shot competition. Prizes for top teams.

Water main construction along Fraser Highway starts soon

Fraser Highway is a major transportation corridor for Langley City. Not only does Fraser Highway moving people and goods, but it also moves water. Langley City’s primary connection to the Metro Vancouver water system is at Fraser Highway and 196th Street.

Map of Metro Vancouver water main to Langley City. Select map to enlarge.

While Langley City only has one connection to the Metro Vancouver water system, there are also interconnections with the Township of Langley’s water system that can be activated if the primary connection to Metro Vancouver becomes unavailable. Langley City also operates a water reservoir near 200th Street under the BC Hydro high-voltage power lines which can serve as a backup water supply.

The short of it is that what’s underneath Fraser Highway is critically important for our community.

Starting next month, and continuing throughout the summer, work will be done to rehabilitate the water main under Fraser Highway between 196th Street and Production Way. The following notice is from the Langley City website:

Motorists are advised that Langley City will be completing water main construction and road rehabilitation on Fraser Hwy from 196 St to Production Way. Hours of work will be from 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Monday to Friday. Businesses will remain open and two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the course of construction. The City will strive to keep the streets open during normal business hours, although some traffic may be redirected from time to time. Traffic control personnel will be present to direct vehicles and pedestrians safely. Motorists should use alternate routes during this time if possible as there will be delays. Transit services will be available but pedestrians should plan ahead as temporary bus stop locations may be in effect.

Map of project area for Fraser Highway water main and road rehabilitation project. Select map to enlarge.

A route that I encourage people to discover is the 196th Street overpass and 56th Avenue as shown in the following image.

An example detour around Fraser Highway using the 196th Street overpass. Select image to enlarge.

Doing construction on a major road for several months is disruptive, but it will ensure that Langley City residents and businesses will continue to get clean drinking water for many years to come.