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Meadowood residents want RDN to act on proposed $1.35M community centre

Motion presented to get project to proceed to tender
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Potential site of a Meadowood Community Centre. (MSR Solutions photo)

The Corcan Meadowood Residents Association has reiterated a desire to have a community centre built in their community and say they want the Regional District of Nanaimo to act now.

Having worked on the proposed Meadowood Community Centrefor more than 10 years, the association requested the regional district to get the project moving forward. The centre will be located within the Qualicum River Estates Village Centre in Electoral Area F (Coombs, Hilliers, Errington, Whiskey Creek, Meadowood).

Chris Burger of the CMRA spoke to the RDN’s Electoral Area Services Committee on July 14. He said they live in the most isolated part of the regional district and with their population now at 2,000 and rapidly growing, they really need a central hub in their community that they can utilize and go to.

“We have to leave the area to go to any recreational facility as we don’t have anything that is available to us,” said Burger, who also pointed out with COVID-19 pandemic, many of the residents are reluctant to leave the area.

RELATED: Corcan-Meadow group unhappy with regional district

“It isn’t really convenient or even really applicable for us to have to travel so far to get to any kind of facility,” Burger pointed out. “We think this is the time. We are ready. We’ve had so much work done already toward this end.”

The association’s request was discussed at a special Electoral Area Service Committee meeting held on July 21. Electoral Area F director Leanne Salter indicated the project has not advanced since it started more than a decade ago.

“There hasn’t been any movement forward with regard to that,” said Salter. “We want to get this off the ground.”

Salter presented a motion that was approved by the committee for recommendation to the RDN board that the construction drawings be finalized for a community centre and the project proceed to tender with a target completion date of Oct. 21. It will include the cost to add a well and water connection to the building as well as a sports floor. The RDN, the motion als0 indicated, will contribute up to $1.3 million that will be drawn from Electoral Area F allocation of Community Works Funds.

“We want to assure that that Meadowood community has a place to gather,” said Salter. “At this point, they have no place to gather. That’s a young community that’s growing exponentially.”

In 2018, the cost to build the pre-fabricated building was estimated to be approximately $1.35 million. The price is expected to increase to $1.55 million but staff said they’re working to find ways to keep the cost to $1.35 million.

RDN CAO Phyllis Carlyle said they will put out a request for proposal but will also inform bidders that the project will be subject to the Union of B.C. Municipalities awarding the funds for the project.

Michael.Briones@pqbnews.com

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Michael Briones

About the Author: Michael Briones

I rejoined the PQB News team in April 2017 from the Comox Valley Echo, having previously covered sports for The NEWS in 1997.
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