geography whiz Dover Bay student and Team Canada win silver. Page 10 Skandal-ous performer Burlesque show helps Nanaimo CDC. Page 21 Football loss V.I. Raiders keep game close but can’t pull off a win. Page 3
Triathlon training Page 30
Celebrating
1988
2013
Years
TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013
www.nanaimobulletin.com
VOL. 25, NO. 39
www.countryclubcentre.com
Lantzville residents raise concerns over water deal with city I Town inCreASeS fees to Port Theatre, economic development. By Tamara CunningHam ThE NEwS BULLETiN
GREG SAKAKI/ThE NEwS BullETIN
Hockey hugs
Aaron Schulze embraces teammates in the moments after he and his Youth Sticking Together group break the world record for the longest indoor ball hockey game. Thirty players established a new mark, playing for 50 and a half hours Friday through Sunday at Frank Crane Arena. For the full story, please see page 21.
Private well users in upper Lantzville are getting an unfair deal in the proposed water agreement with Nanaimo, say concerned citizens. The District of Lantzville is reviewing the draft terms of a new water deal with the City of Nanaimo, which officials say provides a solution to limited water supply issues and health concerns. But the conditions don’t wash with residents Carl and Linda Westby, who are concerned about hook-up costs to private well users as well as an increase to Lantzville’s contribution to Nanaimo’s Port Theatre and Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation. The duo have been distributing a pamphlet to the upper Lantzville community, claiming some terms appear unfair and deceiving to taxpayers. They want to see changes before Lantzville signs off on the agreement. According to the district’s summary of negotiations, Nanaimo is offering to pipe in water to 225 upper Lantzville homes already on the municipal water system. The move will cost users nothing
because it will free up connections the district can then charge to other residents, according to Mayor Jack de Jong. But it will cost the district approximately $1.3 million to connect homes. The terms also limit new development connections to 50 a year and allow for the potential of another 211 homes on private wells to hook up in the future. Unlike existing water system users, residents with private wells will be on the hook for infrastructure costs and connection fees because they are farther away from the municipal water system. All taxpayers will have to start paying new contributions to the Port Theatre and Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation as soon as the two municipalities start sharing water. Linday Westby said the terms clearly state there are no guarantees when private well users in upper Lantzville will access city water – if at all. So she questions why everyone should have to pay to supply Nanaimo water to developers and current municipal water system users. Residents with private wells should share costs if and when water is supplied to them, she said. She said it also seems deceiving to call the new money contributions, which ensures everyone pays, when the dollars are more likely a water tax. u See ‘CONTRIBUTIONS’ /4
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