Vancouver Park Board saves Bloedel Conservatory

The Vancouver Park Board has approved a planto partner the Bloedel Conservatory with the VanDusen Botanical Garden, saving the conservatory from being closed in acity budget crunch.

The plan was approved by a committee in July andthe full board, as expected, approved the committee's recommendation in a unanimous vote Monday night.

Commissioners voted in December 2009to close the 41-year-old conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park to help deal with a $2.8-million cut to the park board's budget.

The park board also voted on the fate of another threatened facilitythe Children's Farmyard in Stanley Park.But no prior rescue plan had been approved for the popular family location and the boardvoted to close the petting zooin January.