Newly opened stairs at Seabold Rotary Park weave through the trees and down a steep embankment to the beach. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

new stairs

‘They’re excellent:’ popular staircase to Nanaimo beach rebuilt

Nov 27, 2020 | 10:21 AM

NANAIMO — A lengthy stairs case leading to a popular north Nanaimo beach has been rebuilt after a lengthy wait.

Trades crews vacated Seabold Rotary Park on Thursday, Nov 26, revealing a freshly opened yellow cedar staircase down the steep embankment to the beach at the northen edge of city limits.

Satisfied area resident Norm Laidlaw was among the first people to try out the extensive 190 steps.

“They’re excellent. It looks like all yellow cedar, rought cut two-inch thick stuff,” Laidlaw said. “It’s far better quality than it used to be.”

Laidlaw said the beach access stairs at Seabold Rotary Park were a well-used destination for a wide range of users, including the running community.

swifties unite

From Taylor Swift tattoos to ice cream, Vancouver businesses have you covered

1h ago

holiday spirit

NanaimoNewsNOW's annual Christmas lights map returns

3h ago

change is on the tide

'A lot of skepticism:' FAC members leery of BC Ferries decision to move away from advisory model

7h ago

“They’d take little pine cones and put them on the top rail here every time so they wouldn’t lose count how many times they’d been up and down.”

The old battered stairs originally built in the mid-1990’s were closed more than two years ago after inclement weather rendered the stairs no longer safe.

The City inquired on the feasibility of rebuilding the stairs, citing geotechnical challenges. The project was eventually included in the 2020 budget.

Extra security and a greater lifespan for the new set of stairs were enabled with steel screw piles anchoring and supporting the stairs to the slope, according to the City.

Addressing the beach access stairs at the base of Seabold Rd. came nearly a year after the City replaced a portion of the stairs at nearby Blueback Beach.

ian@nanamionewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes