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NEWS
Nanaimo News Bulletin Monday, December 22, 2014
THANK YOU!
www.nanaimobulletin.com
Weekend parking free downtown
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DECISION EXPECTED to have positive effect on number of visitors to city’s core. BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
The Lantzville Cenotaph Committee wishes to thank the following for their generous contributions towards the “New” District of Lantzville Cenotaph Project in Huddlestone Park. Gov’t of Canada (Veterans Affairs) Gov’t of B.C. (Gaming Fund) District of Lantzville Barber & Haime Accountants Bayside Bistro & Lounge Restaurant B.C. Concrete Curb & Gutter Inc. Broco Auto Glass Butlers at the Crown Mansion Rest. C & S Transmission Canadian Energy Inc. Douglas Hitchen Fairwinds Golf Course 4 Cats Art Studio Geez Bar & Grill Restaurant Herbal Majic Herold Engineering Limited HI-TEC Industries KC’s Boutique Island West Paving Stone Independant Diesel Sales Ltd. Jemco Food Equipment Kellers Jewellers Koers & Associates Eng. Ltd. Jeanne Ackles-Cardinal Blanche Agostinone Geraldine Barr Bell Family Barbara Boreham Mary Bowman Pauline & Alan Brigden Roy Cardinal Ralph Carlson Mr. & Mrs. Carr Richard & Pat Chahley Margaret Champaigne The Charmley’s Barbara Chell Marylin Cholin Byron & Rob Christopherson Micheal Clegg Alfred Coderre Steve Crowley Earl Culpepper Jack & Jacqueline de Jong Thomas DeMarce Colleen Dempsey Diane Dobie Stu Donaldson The Dunbars Nancy Dunlop Lois Earle Bernard Farrell Joan Frame The French Family Marty Frizzell Doreen Gates
Kristin M.J. Rongve Law Corp. Lantzville Dentistry Lantzville Hurford Girl Guides Lantzville Rotary Club Levelton Consultants Ltd. Malaya Borneo Veterans Assoc. Marks Work Wear Masters Touch Catering Mayco Concrete Merit Furniture Mid-Island Co-op Qualicum Village Echo Theatre RCL Branch 257 RCL Branch 257 L.A. RKM Crane Services Slegg Lumber Snaw-Naw-As First Nation Sow’s Ear Medical Clinic United Services Institute Wandering Whisk Catering West Coast Motor Sports Winchelsea Golf Course Woodgrove Animal Hospital
Sarah Gerecke Barbara Graves Carol Halliwell John Halliwell The Halsall’s Betty Hartman Lynn Hedekar Adrian and Nell Hovestad Jacquie Howardson Rob Huchison Bob Jepson Richard & Lynn Johnstone Thomas “Bud” Klyne Alex Konopczynski Joseph & Joan Lapointe Eileen Little Dave & Maureen Lowden Dr. James Lunney JanetMacDonald Vivianne Mageau Grace Magrum William McCullough Bonnie McEwanStolz Isabel McEwan James McEwan Russell & Barbara McEwan McKendrick/Pritchard Family Darren Merrick Joan Moody Joy Nash Roger Northwood Ginny & Barry Ostrand
Cliff & Dorothy Pascoe John Pearson Gary Peters Lynn Peters (Murray Family) Earl & Cindy Pleasance Chuck & Geri Reamer Clare Reid Clem & Debbie Remillard Paul Remillard Richard & Jacqueline Robinson Robert & Delaine Rogers Georgina Rosewall Helen Ross Harriet Rueggeberg Ian Savage Freda Spencer Helen Sponaugle Don Stedeford Mary Stoner Joseph Szasz Anne Thomas Gregory Utas Stanley Watts Joanne Whipps William & Ruth Wilken Clayton Williams Robert B. Williams Douglas Winters Leroy Wood Rosie Wright Robert Wright
CENOTAPH AT HUDDLESTONE PARK Huddlestone Rd and Lantzville Rd Lantzville, BC ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION 257 7225 Lantzville Rd Lantzville, BC
Downtown street stalls are now free on Saturdays thanks to a change that a Nanaimo merchant organization calls one of the most “positively impactful adjustments” to parking policy in years. For the next year, people will no longer have to pay on Saturdays to use metered street stalls downtown, adding to parking already free for drivers on Sunday, evenings and statutory holidays. The new oneyear pilot program, approved by Nanaimo city council last week, was driven by the Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association, which aims to boost parking demand and the number of people who visit the
south-end shopping district. In a letter to the city, John Cooper, association president, said many downtown business owners are still struggling to attract customers while commercial vacancy rates have never been higher. With parking infrastructure use also low, and no demand for parking on evenings and weekends, the organization believes it’s “critically important” to offer free parking during off-peak hours. The new change is for on-street metered spots in the Old City Quarter and downtown and carries a two-hour limit. It does not apply to the Harbourfront and Port of Nanaimo
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Vehicle owners can stop worrying about having enough spare change handy when parking for downtown shopping. Metered parking spots, like these on Cavan Street, are now free on Saturdays.
parkades and will be monitored by the city to see if traffic increases on weekends. It also follows a year-long trial to offer free weekend parking at the Bastion Street parkade and a city parking strategy that’s set to eliminate free twohour parking downtown and increase meter rates for the first time in a decade. “It’s a good first step,” said Cooper,
who said it’s among a number of things on which the organization has been working with the city and its parking administration and provides a valuable promotional opportunity for downtown businesses. “We are hoping it’s going to have a big improvement on downtown economic activity.” Coun. Ian Thorpe supported the trial run. “That’s an excellent first step and we can see where it goes to and in the meantime, hopefully be having ongoing discussions about the city’s philosophy about parking and metering and other issues,” he said. Coun. Jim Kipp also supported the promotion of free parking, but said the city has to look at dismantling parking meters downtown. Even without the Saturday revenue, the City of Nanaimo still expects to make between $8,000 and $12,000 more than previous years because of increased parking fees under its new strategy. Progress of the pilot will be tracked by the business improvement association and City of Nanaimo over the next year. A report will go to council at the end of the trial period next December. news@nanaimobulletin.com
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