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THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016
VOL. 27, NO. 71
250.390.1871
Revisiting water deal Lantzville’s top priority
Crime stoppers
Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman and Crime Stoppers coordinator, sees Crime Stoppers relying almost solely on e-mailed and texted tips in the future, which allows for two-way communication between the organization and tipsters to gather information for police to follow up. For more on Crime Stoppers, please see page 3.
I
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
MAYOR SAYS connections from Nanaimo should go to current residents first. BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
Management agreement for Mt. Benson park nears completion BY KARL YU THE NEWS BULLETIN
An agreement between the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust for Mount Benson Regional Park is nearly complete. The two entered into a contribution agreement in February 2006. The park was purchased by the regional district for $950,000, with the land trust providing 50 per cent, or $475,000. A management plan for the park was also developed. Gail Adrienne, land trust
executive director, said based on the agreement, the regional district would take title to the property and the land trust would hold the covenant. “The first part of that item, which is the RDN’s review of, and ... approval of the conservation covenant that NALT staff and the RDN staff have been working on for more than eight years, that is ready now for the RDN board to give its approval,” Adrienne said. While the regional district board gave approval at a Tuesday night meet-
ing, final approval is anticipated at a Jan. 26 regular meeting. Following final approval, the regional district and land trust will move to register Section 219 Conservation Covenant on title with the Land Title and Survey Authority of B.C. and the 2006 contribution agreement will be terminated, as the requirements have been fulfilled, said Tom Osborne, regional district general manager of recreation and parks. Going forward, Osborne said the regional district will manage the park as per
the park management plan. The plan identifies key items in regards to how the park will be managed over the next 10 years, including how trails will be maintained, upgraded and how the park is used, he said. “It also speaks of maintaining or decommissioning trails as well that aren’t in line with the regional park. “It’s basically fulfilling all the direction of the management plan and the RDN will work to be consistent with that management plan,” said Osborne.
2016 COROLLA
EARN UP TO
Fine tuning a water supply deal with the City of Nanaimo is top of list for Lantzville’s new council. The District of Lantzville will seek revisions to a water supply agreement with Nanaimo in the next five months, according to a list of strategic priorities recently released by the district. Lantzville politicians, four elected last summer, revised strategic priorities for the term in late December, with revisions ranked at the top, followed by communication, engagement and transparency and an economic development strategy. The district has long grappled with the question of where to get additional water. Some private wells are contaminated and limited water has been blamed for the district’s stagnant growth. In 2005 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Nanaimo and nine years later inked a supply deal that would allow water to be piped to 225 homes in upper Lantzville at a $1.3-million connection cost. It also allowed for 50 new development hookups each year and the potential for another 211 homes on private wells to connect in the future. But while an agreement with Nanaimo “in some form” is recognized as advantageous, there are challenges, according to Lantzville Mayor Colin Haime, who sees the need for the 50 new development connections to instead go to existing residents, and changed wording in section 14 of the deal on capital costs for Nanaimo’s future water system. See ‘TALKS’ /6
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