Nanaimo city councillors have given the nod to spend more than $10 million in provincial funding on downtown and park improvement projects.
The green light was given at a finance committee meeting Wednesday, Oct. 18, when the projects recommended for funding by city staff were presented by Laura Mercer, city director of finance.
Money for the projects was made available when Nanaimo received more than $16 million from the province’s one-time $1-billion grant divvied up between 188 B.C. communities in March. Mercer said $5.1 million was previously allocated, with $3 million to the Harewood artificial turf field project and $2.1 million to the midtwon water supply upgrade.
Staff recommended that $4 million go toward Commercial Street re-design, $3 million for new washrooms at Maffeo Sutton Park, $2.5 million to purchase land for a south end community centre, and $1.2 million for Phase 2 of Westwood Lake Park improvements, which includes a new amenities building with accessible washrooms and re-purposing the old washroom building for storage or other purposes.
Other projects on a list for consideration included a Nanaimo Aquatic Centre water feature, Loudon Park improvements, and E&N Trailway lighting. About $2 million in unallocated funds are to be kept in reserve “just to address future opportunities or any cost overruns that come in,” Mercer said.
Coun. Ben Geselbracht said he wasn’t in favour of staff’s list of prioritized projects, that he would like to see the existing washroom building at Westwood Lake renovated to make it more accessible and that he’d like more active transportation enhancements brought into the mix.
“At the very least, I’d like to see the lighting project of the E&N Trail in there … and I’m also hoping to see a bit, just on the minimum grid – I know I spoke of this at our last capital planning – just what sections are missing in terms of making a link between downtown, VIU, the hospital and the north end and prioritizing those with some of this money.”
Coun. Ian Thorpe described the washrooms at Maffeo Sutton Park as “quite disgraceful on our waterfront,” while Coun. Hilary Eastmure questioned the difference in cost between the proposed washrooms replacement at Maffeo Sutton Park and Westwood Lake Park.
Art Groot, facilities and parks maintenance director, said the Maffeo Sutton washrooms building would be a larger structure than what is planned for Westwood Lake, which would be similar, but with more fixtures, to what was built for Neck Point Park. The cost estimates are also preliminary and based on proposals made in 2011 and adjusted for inflation.
READ ALSO: City of Nanaimo to paint over Maffeo Sutton Park bathroom mural
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog supported the staff recommendations over the secondary suggestions, such as the E&N Trailway lighting.
“It would enhance it and I would normally support it if we had piles of money, but at the end of the day, somebody can carry their own light,” Krog said. “But for someone who needs to use a washroom down at Maffeo Sutton or Westwood Lake there is no alternative. There’s nothing they can do for self help there that would be acceptable public behaviour.”
The motion was carried with Geselbracht opposed.
READ ALSO: City of Nanaimo presents ideas for parking, amenities at Westwood Lake
