NANAIMO REGION
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The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Saturday, May 2, 2015
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CITY
City seeks Dismantling of ferry dock expert to new will cost taxpayers $400K study proposal for dams SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
pleasantly surprised by the pace of change on the property. He noted that Seaspan Ferries, a freight hauler between Nanaimo and Vancouver that has one of the right-of-way agreements for the property, has indicated it is looking to consolidate its operations in the Duke Point area. McKay said he wants to have “broad conversations” with the company about freeing up additional areas for development. The mayor said he is also excited about the potential to bring goods into the area by rail from Port Alberni. “This project is going to go a lot faster than we had anticipated,” McKay said, referring to the Wellcox land.
Nanaimo city staff are looking for an independent dam expert to examine whether a proposed ‘overtopping’ option is a viable method of addressing safety concerns at the city’s Colliery dams. The engineer’s finding’s will play a key role in determining whether overtopping, which involves reinforcing the lower dam embankment with steel and concrete, is an option the province considers a feasible fix to the dams. Two other options have been identified so far: construction of a new labyrinth spillway, estimated to cost $8.1 million, or construction of a separate auxiliary spillway to handle excess water flows at an estimated cost of $3 million to $6 million. The estimated cost of overtopping for the lower dam is $2 million. However, the province has required that an independent engineer certify that the method is suitable for dams, since it has not widely been used for that purpose, said Toby Seward, acting general manager of community development and protective services for the city. The province’s water comptroller included the requirement for a third-party expert’s to sign off on overtopping in a revised order that told the city to select a remediation option for the Colliery dams by June 1 — a one-month extension over the previous deadline. The revised order also allowed the city the opportunity to add the overtopping method as a possible option. City council voted Monday to seek the amendment to the order and gave city staff a budget of up to $400,000, mostly to be used to complete detailed design work and construction plans for the proposed overtopping option, as well as the auxiliary spillway proposal. “If (an engineer) determines in concept it’s feasible, then we’ll get further into design (work),” Seward said.
Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255
Spencer.Anderson @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4255
The former CP ferry dock, located just south of the Gabriola ferry terminal in Nanaimo, will be dismantled. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]
Wellcox property to be prepped for development SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
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contractor will begin work this summer to dismantle the old CP Ferry Dock, located south of the Gabriola Island BC Ferries terminal. The disused dock is on a feesimple water lot owned by the city and is just offshore from the 26.7-acre Wellcox lands, which the city purchased from CP Rail in late 2013. The city is expected to issue a tender for the dock removal by the end of this month. The work needs to be completed between July 1 and Aug. 15 to meet Fisheries regulations, a report before city council says. The work was approved by council in an early list of projects for this year in January. Removal of the dock is
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budgeted at $400,000, but removing the dock is seen as an additional step towards preparing the Wellcox property for redevelopment and investment. A report from Herold Engineering said the dock was beyond repair and therefore a liability. The dock fronts the proposed site of a new fast ferry foot passenger service. The company behind the proposal, Island Ferries, is seeking additional investment. Another step taken by the city to move towards developing the Wellcox property includes terminating a lease with Island Pallet Solutions and clearing a portion of the property of a large
inventory of wooden pallets. The city is also working on an environmental study to determine what historical contaminants are in the water lot. A detailed analysis of soil contamination throughout the Wellcox property has already been finished. City real estate manager Bill Corsan has said that once a planning document is completed and specific land uses are proposed for the area, officials will have a clear indication of how much work needs to be done to clear contaminants from the site as well as the cost. There are other complications for the property, including a handful of pre-existing right-ofway agreements that prevent development. However, Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay said he and other city officials have been
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Celia White is in the process of applying for grant funding to create a western branch of the Toronto-based The Meal Exchange to enhance food security. » Nanaimo Region, A6
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