The Brechin Hill neighbourhood got spruced up thanks to the efforts of volunteers last weekend.
Members of Brechin Hill Neighbourhood Association, City of Nanaimo, École Océane elementary school, Nanaimo RCMP Community Policing and Rotary Club of Lantzville partnered on a cleanup Saturday, April 9, organized by Steve Roy from the school and Christy Wood from community policing.
The francophone school grounds were the site of the cleanup. Garbage was collected and nearby Waddington tunnel saw a fresh coat of paint to cover up graffiti, as per a recommendation from a neighbourhood safety audit conducted by Nanaimo Community Policing. The audit also expressed concerns about the safety of children using the tunnel to get to and from school.
“It started from having a safety audit in our neighbourhood,” said Michael Ribicic, Brechin association past-president and Lantzville Rotarian. “We thought, what are some things we can do from the audit and one of them was having something like this, where we bring community together and work on a cleaning project.”
Ribicic said organizers are considering a possible art project for the area as well in the future.
According to a city press release, the neighbourhood safety audit “is a hands-on crime prevention initiative” undertaken by the Nanaimo Community Policing program in collaboration with the RCMP, neighbourhood associations, Vancouver Island University, and other partners.
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