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Test results Regional district monitors groundwater on Gabriola Island. PAGE 13 Name game Musicians have more in common than just same moniker. PAGE 33 Gritty win Incredible football game has improbable finish for V.I. Raiders.
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 49
Backpacks need filling Donations provide students with clothing, supplies, food
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Construction begins on aging reservoir, new storage facility
BY JENN McGARRIGLE
BY CHRIS BUSH
THE NEWS BULLETIN
THE NEWS BULLETIN
Every year, some Nanaimo students come to school in September with no binders, pens or paper to write on. Some don’t have jackets or proper shoes, so they sit in class all day with wet clothing or feet, some won’t have glasses even though they can’t see the board, or they will be too hungry to concentrate on what the teacher is saying. Nanaimo-Ladysmith Schools Foundation aims to give these students the start they deserve through its annual Stock the Lockers campaign. “Some families are able to make ends meet on a day-to-day basis, but any new expense that comes up, they can’t meet it,” said Erin van Steen, foundation executive director. “[The campaign is about] meeting basic needs so when kids come to school, all they have to concentrate on is learning.” The campaign kicked off Thursday and runs until Sept. 6. Donations can be made at the checkout of any Staples location, at any Coastal Community Credit Union branch in the city and at the HSBC branch on Aulds Road. People can also donate online at www. nlsf.ca or by calling the foundation office at 250-753-4074. The goal is to raise $50,000. A good portion of the money goes toward buying school supplies – last year the foundation spent about $20,000 on supplies – with the remainder going into the foundation’s student support fund to assist vulnerable children with items such as bus passes, clothing, food vouchers, sports program fees and glasses. Last year, the campaign raised about $44,000, short of its $60,000 goal. Van Steen said this year’s goal has dropped a bit in reflection of that. For more information about the foundation, please go to www.nlsf.ca.
Nanaimo is replacing its 100-year-old open reservoir with an enclosed water storage facility and power generation system. Construction of the first phase of the $11.2-million project – $7.8 million will come from the federal Gas Tax Fund, administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, with the balance covered by city water reserve funds – starts this month with laying of a new pipeline and clearing trees at the build site. The reservoir is in the southwest corner of Colliery Dam Park next to the Nanaimo Parkway and Nanaimo Lakes Road. Phase 2 of the project includes construction of the new reservoir and energy recovery facility to be completed in the spring of 2014. Bill Sims, city water resources manager, said it is still too early to tell what will happen with the old reservoir and the land once the project is complete and the facility is decommissioned. “It’s actually still under study and still under thought,” Sims said. The hydroelectric generation plant included in the project will generate enough electricity to power up to 70 homes. The electricity is sold to B.C. Hydro to offset pumping costs to operate the system and might even produce a surplus of power offering further cost recovery. “It’s sort of an ideal location, because if you look at the existing reservoir, you can see the water jetting out and that kind of gives you an idea of the pressure that we’ve got behind and the amount of water we fill that reservoir with – and those are the two elements you need, pressure and flow,” said Sims. Construction of a new 14-million litre reservoir, which will supply 30 per cent of Nanaimo’s drinking water, starts in January and will start receiving water from the new South Fork Water Treatment Plant in 2015.
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The first round of school supplies is in and Erin van Steen, executive director of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Schools Foundation, is busy stuffing backpacks in preparation for the new school year. The foundation is seeking monetary donations through its annual Stock the Lockers campaign, which aims to provide vulnerable students with the supplies and necessities they need to succeed in school.
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