This week we talk about the upcoming eTown Hall, look at the Metral Drive Complete Street project and focus on safe winter driving. Read on!
Prepare your eQuestions for the eTown Hall
How much of the budget does the City allocate each year towards long-term asset management? How much does it cost to keep the pools fully operational? What colour of shirt does the Mayor prefer to wear during an evening walk?
Okay, maybe that last question doesn’t hit the mark, but here’s your chance to ask budget-related questions of our Mayor and Council at the eTown Hall.
The eTown Hall takes place on Monday, December 2 at 7pm in the Shaw Auditorium at the beginning of that night’s Council Meeting. You can attend in person or take advantage of our electronic options, including through the City’s website, Facebook page (CityofNanaimo) and Twitter feed (using #NanaimoTH) You can even give us a call ahead of the meeting (250-754-4251, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday). Save the date!
Metral Drive Complete Street Project
The Metral Drive corridor will soon be undergoing a change. Following public design consultation in the spring of this year, the City of Nanaimo has developed plans for this Complete Street project, and will unveil them at an open house event on Wednesday, November 27 between 4:30 and 7 pm at the Pleasant Valley Hall.
A complete street project is one that takes a very complete look at street design. From sustainability and street aesthetics, to safety and multi-modal transportation, these projects aim to make a more usable and inviting streetscape for pedestrians, cyclists, transit-users and drivers alike.
The Metral Drive project is a part of the City of Nanaimo’s commitment to capital improvement projects, which are determined by growth, development, asset management and other priority-based considerations.
Construction upgrades to Metral Drive will begin in 2020. To see the plans in person, come out to the open house or visit www.nanaimo.ca after November 29 to get a complete look at the upcoming complete street!
Ice, ice, maybe! Drive safely.
Temperatures are expected to drop below zero this week, and although it looks unlikely that we will see even a thin blanket of festive white snow, we can prepare for frost and black ice. Every winter season Nanaimo Public Works maintains approximately 1,500 lane KMs of City streets. That’s a lot of roadway!
The City takes a proactive approach by applying brine to our roadways when we anticipate a wet freeze. This anti-icing measure reduces the likelihood of snow and ice bonding to pavement during below zero temperatures and improves road conditions.
To learn more about the City’s snow and ice control measures, visit the City of Nanaimo’s Snow and Ice Control webpage. To learn more about brining, watch this video!
Safe driving is crucial when it comes to black ice and slippery roads. Slow down, stay alert and arrive to your destinations safely!
Have you signed up?
More than 7500 registrations have already come through for the new Voyent Alert notification system. Sign up today at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/alerts and be alert ready!
Upcoming Community Events:
- Wednesday, November 27: Metral Drive Complete Street Open House, 4:30 – 7 pm at the Pleasant Valley Hall (6100 Doumont Road)
- Thursday, November 28:Musical Entertainment, 1:30 to 3 pm in the Bowen Park Auditorium. This week featuring the Nanaimo Harbour City Singers.
- Friday, November 29: Free Swim, 7 - 9 pm at the Beban Pool, courtesy of Coast Capital Savings
- Sunday, December 1: Lions FREE Skate, noon to 1:30 pm in Frank Crane Arena
For a look at more City-related events, visit www.nanaimo.ca/goto/events.
Construction Updates
You can follow project progress and learn about detours that may affect your commute by going to our Current Construction Projects page.
Here is an overview of our current construction zones:
- 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. 24-hour single-lane traffic is in effect. Hammond Bay is expected to be open to two way traffic around the first week of December with the contractor returning in late February 2020 to complete the work.
- The pump station project at Seventh Street and Park Avenue continues and is expected to be substantially completed this month. Expect single-lane alternating traffic during working hours.
- Work on Haliburton Street will continue until spring 2020. Single-lane alternating traffic will be in effect at times during working hours. Some delays on Haliburton Street can be expected.
- Victoria Road from Milton Road to Selby Street will be closed from Tuesday, November 26, 2019 through Saturday, November 30, 2019 for full road milling and paving. *UPDATE - with the risk of inclement weather, full paving is delayed until the spring. Patching work will continue.
- Farquhar Street to Milton Road and Selby Street to North of Robarts Street will also see some disruption as a small crew removes temporary patching in poor condition. These sections of roadway will be completely repaved in the Spring of 2020.
This week’s Council and Committee Meetings
This week begins with a Special Finance and Audit Committee Meeting and a Governance and Priorities Committee Meeting. Please note, the regular Committee of the Whole meeting on the evening of Monday, November 25 has been cancelled. For more Council-related information, read our Stay in Touch with Council blog.
- Monday, November 25: Special Finance and Audit Committee Meeting at 9 am in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre's Shaw Auditorium
- Monday, November 25: Governance and Priorities Committee Meeting at 1 pm in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre's Shaw Auditorium
- Wednesday, November 27: Health and Housing Task Force Meeting at 3 pm in the HR Training Room at City Hall
Visit the Meetings, Documents and Videos page on the City website to view upcoming meetings, agendas and past meeting videos or visit the Council Meeting Summaries page to read a recap of decisions made in previous meetings.
And don’t forget, we also have Committee Meeting Summaries posted online, where you can follow along with the Finance and Audit Committee, Health and Housing Task Force, Environment Committee and more!
Here's a recap of City-related news from last week:
