This week, fall officially begins, Nanaimo Fire is knocking on doors and with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) annual conference taking place, Council will not be in session.
Read on to see what's in store for the week ahead.
Summer is officially coming to an end with the fall equinox taking place on Monday, September 23. With fall's arrival, comes cooler temperatures and increased rainfall...the perfect combination for planting trees and shrubs. Roots still have time to establish in warm soil before the ground freezes and get a head start on spring.
We will be planting trees this fall in Third Street, Harewood Centennial and East Wellington Park. If you or your group are interested in helping out with tree planting or tree care this fall, please contact us for more info at parksandrecreation@nanaimo.ca. Please note, there are limited spots for tree planting and we will take volunteers on a first-come basis.
Fall also means our Parks Operations crews will be getting parks ready for shorter days and colder weather. Water parks in Departure Bay, Deverill Square, Harewood Centennial and Mansfield parks will be shut down for the season, the water fountains in dog parks will also be shut off and if you see sprinklers in city parks or on our sports fields turned on at full blast, our crews are clearing them out in preparation for winter.
Nanaimo Aquatic Centre reopens on Monday, September 23 after being closed for annual maintenance and cleaning. This means Beban Pool will return from having extended opening hours to its regular hours. Check out the Public Schedules to see when your favourite pool activity takes place!
Knock, knock!
Who's there? Nanaimo Fire Rescue! City of Nanaimo firefighters will be knocking on doors in mobile home parks this fall to spread the word about the importance of working smoke alarms.
On average, there are less than three minutes to escape a house fire which is why working smoke alarms are so important. Research has proven that individuals have a 73% greater chance of dying in a fire if they don’t have a working smoke alarm. Homes should have at least one smoke alarm installed per floor and outside each sleeping area.
Firefighters will check and install smoke alarms if needed. If you have questions or need assistance installing or testing your smoke alarms, please call Nanaimo Fire Rescue at 250-753-7311 or email fireinfo@nanaimo.ca.
Did you know?
Staff from our IT and engineering departments have won a Spirit of Innovation award for a project management software designed in-house at the recent Municipal Information Systems Association of BC (MISABC) conference! To learn more about the award, check out the "In the News" section at the end.
Upcoming Community Events
- Tuesday, September 24: Hockey! The Exhibit, 6:30 to 8 pm in Frank Crane Arena
- Friday, September 27: Free Swim Courtesy of Coast Capital Savings, 7 to 9 pm, in Beban Pool
- Sunday, September 29: Lions FREE Skate, 11:30 am to 1 pm in Frank Crane Arena
Find a complete list of City-related events at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/events.
Plan your commute!
The City has $3 billion in infrastructure that have to either be maintained, upgraded, or replaced depending on their lifecycle. We acknowledge that it's been a busy and sometimes frustrating commute for the Harewood neighbourhood with so much construction affecting roads. We want to thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we make these needed upgrades to utilities and roads.
The following routes will be affected by City construction projects this week:
- Bruce Avenue is closed between Third and Fourth Streets as crews work on Bruce Avenue transportation and utility upgrades.
- Bruce Avenue will be closed between Dundas Street and Fifth Street as the development project at Bruce and Fifth completes road work. This closure is expected to be in place until mid October.
- Plan ahead if you are in the Hammond Bay area as the Hammond Bay Road widening and storm improvements project continues and delays should be expected.
- Over on Seventh Street, closures continue between Park Avenue and Short Avenue for the pump station and forcemain project.
- Work on Haliburton Street has just begun and will continue until spring 2020. Expect delays and detours throughout the project.
Find more information on these and other City construction projects at www.nanaimo.ca/construction
What's New
Members of Council are at the UBCM conference this week, which means there are no meetings scheduled. In the meantime, you can visit the Meetings, Documents and Videos page on the City website to view past meeting videos or visit the Council Meeting Summaries page to read a recap of decisions made in previous meetings.
Here's a recap of City-related news from last week: