Floor space Dry-floor sports groups happy with allocation. Page 7 chipping in Dover Bay students help carve totem pole. Page 32 clippers close Junior A hockey team looks back on season. Page 5
Playing for pleasure Page 11
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TuesDAY, MARCh 18, 2014
www.nanaimobulletin.com
VOl. 25, NO. 100
Lantzville considers options on water I developer made claims earlier this month of new source. By Tamara cuNNiNgham The News BulleTiN
CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
lights reflect off the road at night near the Cedar road overpass on the Trans Canada Highway. The ministry of Transportation experimented with a more reflective paint three years ago that allowed motorists to see lines better during dark, rainy conditions.
Paint experiment deemed success By Nicholas Pescod The News BulleTiN
Three years ago Nanaimo became the first city in Canada to apply a special type of road paint that allowed motorists to see pavement markings in dark, rainy conditions. The special type of road, known as Continuous Wet Night, was applied over nine-kilometres in both directions on Island Highway between Brenton Page Road and Kipp Road with only the centre lines receiving the new product. Ministry of Transportation regional project manager Darren Englund said Continuous Wet Night cost taxpayers roughly $120,000 and was extremely effective at first. “It was very vivid, especially at night,” Englund said. There are various types of road markings available for jurisdictions to use. The most common type of application is standard road paint with glass beads. When a motorist’s
headlights hit standard road paint markings the beads reflect the light back to the motorist, making the lines visible at night. However, when the beads are covered in water, the light becomes distorted, thus creating poor visibility for the driver. What separates Continuous Wet Night from traditional road paint is the type of beads used. Continuous Wet Night uses microcrystalline ceramic beads that use the water to help reflect the light back to the driver in wet night conditions, whereas traditional road paint uses large glass beads. However, since the application was applied nearly four years ago, motorists are unlikely to notice any visible difference between Brenton Page Road and Kipp Road in dark rainy conditions. The ministry was well aware that the application’s main feature wouldn’t last long, Englund said. “Over the years it wears down and we knew that was going to happen,” he said. See ‘LONG-LASTING’ /3
Emotions on Lantzville council are running from excited to cautious as politicians consider solutions for limited water supply. The District of Lantzville is evaluating future water sources for the rural community, including a water-sharing agreement with the City of Nanaimo and the potential of tapping into a source at the Foothills Estates. The district has long been on the hunt for water to address stagnant growth and contaminated private wells. This month, Lone Tree Properties – the company behind the Lantzville Foothills Estates – announced drilling efforts may have uncovered enough water to support its development and “all the needs” of Lantzville. It also said it would be willing to chip in to the cost of water-sharing infrastructure with Nanaimo as it urged the district to come to the bargaining table and discuss a joint water strategy. The move comes on the heels of the City of Nanaimo approving a proposed 20-year watersharing deal in February that offers 50 new development connections each year and water for 225 upper Lantzville homes. The initial hook-up fee is pegged at $1.3 million. According to councillors, it’s
RECRUITMENT
too early to talk about what the recent Foothills discovery means for negotiations with Nanaimo or which course is best. They say more information is needed on the costs of different options, water in the Foothills and the desire of the community. Mayor Jack de Jong and Coun. Joe Bratkowski said the district still has to review the terms and conditions of the Nanaimo agreement and would like to see a hydro geologist report from Lone Tree Properties that demonstrates the quality and quantity of water on the property. The source is “not proven at this point in time,” de Jong said, adding he has doubts “at this moment” the developer can supply as much water as the City of Nanaimo. Coun. Jennifer Millbank is also seeking more technical information, but says it’s “fantastic” the community has choices, while Coun. Denise Haime calls a local source “exciting” and wants the community to weigh in. Haime also plans to propose a referendum on the water-sharing deal this month. “The community needs to sit down and have a conversation about what they want to do with regards to water and from who and how this is all supposed to work,” Haime said. “If the developer feels there’s enough water on their own property now and enough for the community, well then maybe we need to look at that before we sign any water agreement. The price tag with the city is a huge price tag.” See ‘WATER-SHARING’ /3
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