The City of Nanaimo now has a place to put a new recreation and and community centre to serve the growing population in the south end of town.
Members of Nanaimo council and city staff gathered at the corner of Junction Avenue and Eleventh Street on Monday, July 7, to announce the purchase of an undeveloped lot envisioned to one day be the site of a new rec centre.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said the city is spending $3.85 million for the land to be acquired for what will be the south end community centre, and another $1.25 million for the purchase and construction of a parking lot "as part of the complex arrangements" that made the land acquisition possible. The lot will provide parking for a seniors facility next to the community centre.
The provincial government contributed $2.5 million from its growing communities fund.
“If nothing else, this is the most tangible representation of what a growing community is all about: the need for a brand new, full-blown community centre on the south end of the City of Nanaimo … This has been a topic of conversation on the political and community level for a very long time and today … the city has put its money where its mouth is in a very tangible way,” Krog said.
He noted that Nanaimo is one of the five fastest-growing regions in Canada and when the time comes, he hope citizens will approve building the new community centre and he hopes construction can begin on the new facility “sooner rather than later.”
“It would be really nice to see a shovel in the ground here as soon as reasonably possible,” the mayor said.
Planning for the new community centre will be guided by a feasibility study already in progress and further community engagement, and must align with the Nanaimo ReImagined city plan, noted a city press release. City council will consider next steps at a future public meeting.
Darcie Osborne, director of parks, recreation and culture, read a letter from Mike Parker, chairperson of the Chase River Community Association, which has worked for years to help develop a community centre for south Nanaimo.
“The new centre will be a hub of many activities for all ages and, hopefully, bring the needed services as well,” Parker said in the letter. “We are all looking forward to opening day in the future.”
Osborne said south Nanaimo has long been identified as lacking sufficient community amenities.
“The city plan references that everyone in Nanaimo should have access to supportive recreation, culture and wellness services and the opportunity to engage in meaningful experiences that foster individual leisure and community well-being … The addition of this community centre in this urban node will promote the opportunity for our citizens to thrive,” she said.
When shovels go into the ground for the centre is yet to be determined. Osborne said city staff will go to council to request to continue design work, determine costs, and engage with the public “to get a more solid and concrete idea as to what we need.”
“It will be up to our elected officials to determine where this project sits in their priority list of projects for our city,” she said.
A feasibility study to determine a preferred site and amenities for the centre was started in 2022.
The proposed facility would include a gymnasium, childcare facilities and multipurpose rooms and other recreational needs and will range in size between approximately 53,000 and 67,000 square feet. There is also potential for the centre to include a library, space for primary health care services and possibly community safety and performing arts spaces as well, the release noted.
