NANAIMO — While ambitious plans to vastly expand Ravensong Aquatic Centre (RAC) appear to be history, a local committee will examine the facility’s future.
Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) board of directors voted on Tuesday, April 22 for the Oceanside Services Committee (OSC) to discuss the scope of potentially renovating the 30-year-old facility, with the status of a substantial conditional federal grant in limbo.
An RDN staff report suggested switching gears to focus on non-pool related enhancements for the Qualicum Beach building, such as changeroom renovations and two new multi-purpose rooms.
However, Tom Osborne, RDN general manager of recreation and parks, said there’s no guarantee the $7 million grant will still be in play, noting the funds were pledged based on the full scope of expansion/renovations as part of the recently failed referendum.
“A lot of inquiries still have to be made and another application essentially has to be submitted under another project for the Ravensong Aquatic Centre,” Osborne said.
He told the meeting the RDN can’t get immediate answers from federal government staff due to the ongoing election campaign.
The next OSC meeting is scheduled for June.
Last month the RDN was awarded the sizable grant under a program for infrastructure projects featuring environmental and inclusion benefits.
While it’s unclear when a recommendation on how to proceed will materialize or what the funding ramifications would be, the RDN board appears committed to not have the grant disappear.
“I think this would be a real shame to actually lose the $7 million dollar grant when the Ravensong pool is in a very much a dire need of this renovation. I understand that most likely we won’t see an expansion anytime soon, but the renovation needs to go ahead,” Alternate Qualicum Beach director Brian Wiese said.
His motion, later altered for the OSC to discuss the scope of potential Ravensong renovations as opposed to RDN staff, was unanimously endorsed by RDN directors.
Nanoose Bay director Bob Rogers successfully pushed for committee level discussions to happen next.
“If we’re about to have a major scope change within Ravensong, that should be discussed with the members of the Oceanside Services Committee, they’re the only representatives here representing the electorate who are paying and contributing to that facility,” Rogers said.
Doubling the size of the pool, including a new four-lane, 25-metre pool headlined proposed enhancements to RAC, which required borrowing up to $30 million to fund a vast majority of the project.
Eligible voters in Qualicum Beach, Parksville and four neighbouring electoral areas voted 61 per cent against the longterm borrowing plan earlier this month, with 4,487 voters opposed.
While $240,000 was budgeted by the RDN to cover referendum related expenses, a staff report estimated the final bill would be $165,000.
About $5.7 million in reserve funding is set aside for enhancing the Ravensong pool facility, according to the RDN.
Last fall RDN directors advanced the proposed expansion of RAC to referendum, leading to several public engagement sessions prior to the plan’s clear rejection.
Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening. Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.
info@nanaimonewsnow.com
Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook
