Before he died, Anders Olesen sat down with staff at the Regional District of Nanaimo in 2008 with one goal in mind – he wanted to give back to the community he and his wife, Dorrit, called home for so many years.
This summer, the regional district will invite residents to view the concept plan for the Olesens’ donation – their 2.5-hectare Jingle Pot Road property.
“It’s a wonderful gift to the community of East Wellington and Pleasant Valley,” said Maureen Young, director for Area A. “It has the Millstone running through it and many rare trees around the home and beautiful views of Mt. Benson. It’s absolutely spectacular.”
The property, located in the 3700 block of Jingle Pot Road, is currently undergoing work by regional district parks staff to ensure it is safe for public use.
“We’re still removing structures and there’s barbed wire everywhere,” said Wendy Marshall, RDN manager of parks services.
Half of the property is forested and the other consists of open fields, garden and a home. The Millstone Creek runs through the southern part of land and there is a mix of native and ornamental plants on the property. As well, the wooded bluff contains native a forest of Douglas fir and grand fir.
The property was transferred to the regional district following Anders’ death in May 2011. He was 86 years old.
Marshall said the plan will closely follow the Olesen’s wishes, which include preservation of the property, use of the land as a community park and planting additional trees.
During the open house, for which a date has yet to be set, residents will be asked to provide input into some aspects of the plan which require direction.
The donation, in itself, is pretty rare, Marshall said.
“Sometimes people want to donate property but we [RDN] have to want to accept the property,” she said. “We don’t want to take anything that’s not going to benefit the community.”