Posted in Community Coming Together, Neighbourhood Flavour, Neighbourhood Issues, tagged Lavender Lane on July 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Angie Eyford unlocked her gate into the alley behind her Needham Street home in Nanaimo for the first time in five years on Saturday.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Posted in Community Coming Together, Events, Neighbourhood Flavour, Neighbourhood Issues, tagged Newport on July 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Over the years, we have seen the many faces of addiction in the laneway by our back yards, bordered by Nicol and Victoria, between Watkins and Needham. We have seen drug dealing and prostitution.
We recognized that we needed to create positive changes. After a few phone calls and introductions, several families from the immediate neighbourhood gathered one evening to brainstorm ideas and it was unanimous to create a plan for improving the alley. The vision for Lavender Lane came into being.
Now if you don’t know this already, lavender has long been valued for its ability to produce calming, soothing and sedative effects when the scent is inhaled. A hardy non-invasive perennial, it needs little water so survive. And for you fans of language, the word “lavare” is Latin, meaning “to wash”, “to purify.”
Invites were sent to all neighbouring houses and a large community work party began on Saturday morning. Gates in the laneway opened for the first time in years, neighbours shaking hands and introducing themselves. Positive words of hope, love, and community were chalked along the whole alley to change the energy and help raise the vibration. Everyone participated in the clean-up and laneway makeover: the RCMP bike patrol, security people and by-laws staff came out to show their support.
We ended the day with a BBQ, a strong sense of community, and great pride of our accomplishments together.
Our next work party will be on Saturday August 25, from 9:30 AM to 1 PM where we will focus on painting the fences and planting lavender along side the lane, which will be loved and cared for by the entire neighbourhood, because we LOVE the South End, and we believe in community. We know that we can create positive changes only by working together.
We are especially grateful to the following LOCAL businesses for their support of this effort:
Rona, who gave us paintbrushes.
Buckerfields, who contributed 2 lavender plants.
Tim Horton’s, who helped out with morning snacks.
And Country Grocer, who provided the lunch items for our volunteers.
If you would like to donate paint or lavender plants, please call Angie @ 250.753.8279 or Madilynn @ 250.591.5096. (We’re also planning to add motion lights and a solar panel sensor if you can help out with that, too.)
Angie Eyford
Posted in Neighbourhood Issues, tagged Newport on July 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Published: Thursday, July 26, 2012
Gunfire shattered the early-morning quiet Wednesday as a home on Nicol Street in Nanaimo was the target of a drive-by shooting.
Read more here.
And a different take on it from the News Bulletin.
Police are investigating an incident of shots fired at a home in south Nanaimo.
The shooting happened shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday when police received a 911 call about gunfire heard in the south end of Nicol Street.
Read the rest here.
Posted in Events on July 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
250-753-7963 ) for more info.250-753-7963 <nabbey@shaw.ca> , or Scott Akenhead 604-837-8701 Posted in Community Garden on July 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Jenn Bogwald
YPN Community Gardens
The Young Professionals of Nanaimo
PO Box 291 Stn A, Nanaimo BC V9R 5K9
gardens@ypnanaimo.com
www.ypnanaimo.com
Posted in Creative Ideas, Neighbourhood Flavour on July 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Right next door in Harewood…whodathunk it?
Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The faint hum from three beehives tucked in between rows of Roblyn Hunter’s vegetable garden adds to the serenity of her south-end Nanaimo backyard.
Click here to read the entire article.
Posted in Building Developments, tagged Nicol St on July 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Published: Wednesday, July 18, 2012
New life is being pumped into the old Caprice Theatre on Nicol Street in downtown Nanaimo.
Click here to read the entire article.
Posted in Businesses, Neighbourhood Issues on July 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
DNBIA Wins Provincial Grant for Terminal/Nicol Corridor Project!
Downtown Nanaimo, Friday, July 13, 2012 – The Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association has been awarded $217,500 from the Province of BC through the Brownfield Renewal Funding Program. The project, one of 24 sharing more than $1.64 million, was awarded the highest amount for the Terminal/Nicol Corridor Project led by the DNBIA’s Planning, Design and Development Committee (PDDC).
The Terminal/Nicol Corridor Project, developed by the PDDC is aimed at developing strategies to overcome challenges currently inhibiting development and business growth opportunities along the corridor including:
Due to the cost and complexity of these challenges, it would be difficult for a single property owner to explore feasible solutions. To approach this project and overcome these challenges, the PDDC’s goal was to leverage available DNBIA funding through volunteer efforts, partnerships and federal/ provincial grants. Darren Moss, project manager and PDDC Chair commented that “Winning this provincial grant funding is a critical piece of the puzzle for Terminal/Nicol corridor revitalization. With this show of support, the province confirms that the vision and goals of this project are in line with their remediation strategies and allows the DNBIA to move forward with confidence.”
The DNBIA understands that this project could not be possible if it wasn’t for all of the volunteers and community partners that have come together. Shari Molchan, President of the DNBIA stated that, “The revitalization of the Terminal/Nicol corridor has been a priority for the DNBIA and the downtown core for many years. We are so grateful to have the expertise of the volunteers on our Planning, Design and Development Committee and for the partnership with the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation (NEDC) and City of Nanaimo to move this project forward.”
As a contributing partner in this project, the NEDC is happy to see this project move forward. “The NEDC is thrilled to learn the DNBIA’s grant application for environmental testing was successful. For years, development along this critical corridor has been stagnated and this is one very large step forward. The NEDC will be a partner with the DNBIA as we work to remove obstacles for property owners; ultimately improving the downtown area.” said A.J. Hustins, Board Chair of the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation.
The Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association (DNBIA) is a non-profit organization mandated to lead revitalization in downtown Nanaimo. The DNBIA is made up of twelve Board members, four volunteer committees and four staff that carry out projects and programs that will create a vibrant and successful downtown.
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For more information contact:
Darren Moss, Project Manager,
Chair, Planning, Design and Development Committee,
Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association
(p) 250-714-0062
darren@tectonica.ca
Corry Hostetter, General Manager,
Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association
(p) 250-754-8140 (f) 250-754-8108
corry@dnbia.ca
Posted in Community Coming Together, Events on July 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
On behalf of the Harbour City River Stewards, I am pleased to announce that volunteers are needed for two projects on the Chase River.
The first is a Chase River Clean-up Weekend. A student from the VIU Resource Management Officer Technology has prepared a report of large and small items along the river. The Nanaimo Recycling exchange has offered the use of their truck. There are over 14 shopping carts on (in) the Chase River! Come out and be a part of the clean-up. We would like to publicize the event and let everyone know we care about Chase River. We are considering the weekend of August 18 and 19 for the event.
The second is the Community Watershed Monitoring Program of the Regional District of Nanaimo. Last year, 6-7 groups conducted water sampling on their watersheds across south-central Vancouver Island. This cooperative program between the BC Ministry of Environment and the Regional District of Nanaimo is looking to expand their efforts in 2012. Sampling data will be used to help determine future zoning, bylaws, area planning, and assist in better land use decisions across Vancouver Island. The Ministry of Environment would like to develop “watershed report cards”. There are several levels of commitment available, and 5 sites along the Chase River, Cat Stream, and Beck Creek have been identified as sampling locations. The Regional District of Nanaimo will provide the water testing equipment. Training for the program is July 24 (see email below). More information on the program is also available at:
http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2245
If you are interested in participating in either of the projects on the Chase River please contact Dan Fox at:
Dan Fox – Technician
Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
Vancouver Island University
Office 380 – 114
900 Fifth St.
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5
Daniel.Fox@viu.ca
office (250) 753-3245 ext 6370
cell (250) 618-8307
Email sent to Community Watershed Monitoring Network: July 24th Training from Christina Metherall – RDN
There will be a Community Watershed Monitoring Equipment Training Day on Tuesday, July 24th. This training day is mandatory for all new Community Watershed Monitoring Program participants. We strongly encourage all participants who were involved in monitoring last year to attend a training session as a refresher.
There will be two training sessions on July 24th:
1. Qualicum Beach Workshop: 9:30AM-11:30AM – Water St., Qualicum Beach
Directions: Going North out of Qualicum on the Old Island highway (Highway 19a) turn left on Kinkade, Right on Waters. Park at the gate. We’ll meet at the cars, and then walk down the river together.
2. Nanaimo Workshop: 2PM-4PM – Bowen Park lower picnic shelter
Directions: Wall Street parking lot, across from curling rink. We’ll meet in the parking lot and walk down to the river together.
Please RSVP so that we can ensure we have enough sets of equipment and trainers on site. As well, if you can forward this message on to any other members of your group that you know may be interested in participating, that would be great. I would be happy to add new participants to the email list.
What to Bring: For the training session, please come dressed for the weather with appropriate footwear (i.e. hiking boots/shoes) and clothing, water, note-taking materials, and sunscreen. Each group will be provided with an instruction handbook, however if you are anything like me, you may feel the need to take your own notes. There will be minimal walking/exertion for the day, however the training will occur in streamside areas so it will be important to be dressed for some walking and uneven ground. Light refreshments will be available on break.
Finally, thank you very much for your interest and your help with this important program.
I look forward to working with you in August and seeing you in July.
