The City of Nanaimo is reviewing a replacement plan for its aging public works yard facility estimated to top $100 milllion. The Labieux Rd. facility is home to several critical City operations. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

big project

Vastly overhauling Nanaimo’s public works yard estimated at roughly $125 million

Sep 22, 2021 | 11:33 AM

NANAIMO — City councillors are reviewing recommended costly upgrades to the public works yard near Beban Park, described as being far beyond its lifespan.

Poul Rosen, the City’s director of engineering, outlined an architectural study and business case regarding the Labieux Rd. site’s future at a finance and audit committee meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

Councilllors were told several key new buildings are required at the property to meet the public and staff’s needs. Rosen said in a post-seismic event, the ability for their crews to fix critical infrastructure like roads, bridges and water and sewer lines could be severely restricted.

“There likely won’t be a facility for them to operate out of. It will make it extremely challenging or almost impossible maybe for public works to be able to respond to an emergency,” Rosen said of the severely seismically vulnerable building.

The concept anticipates the City physically starting the project in 2023 to be done in phases over five to six years to include a new administration building, maintenance facility and storage building.

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Many critical services such as sanitation, roads, water, storm, water and fleet maintenance are based at the central Nanaimo property.

Built in the 1960’s, the existing workhorse Labieux Rd. site has numerous capacity issues hampering staff, which Rosen said included converting closets into office space and placing trailers in the parking lot for staff in recent years.

The City also intends to consolidate its parks facilities on Prideaux St. and Nanaimo Lakes Rd. to be included in the Labieux Rd. plan to be known as the Nanaimo Operations Centre.

Rosen said a 30 per cent contingency fund was built into the project since costs could range substantially in future years.

While most councillors signaled the project is necessary and are eager to see it proceed, Coun. Don Bonner in particular raised concerns about the price tag.

“It’s such a large amount of money that I would really like to see options so we can pick and choose things,” Bonner said.

Chief administrative officer Jake Rudolph said the presentation’s intent was to put all of the available information on the table.

“This has gone through a vetting process and this is staff’s best recommendation as to how to proceed. That’s not to say that there aren’t options and so forth and some of that could be in the phasing, some of that could be inputs in design,” Rudolph told the committee.

Artist rendering of a fleet maintenance building included in plans to overhaul the City’s public works yard on Labieux rd. (City of Nanaimo)

Councillors are expected to hear funding options later this year, but were warned senior government grants aren’t guaranteed and most of the project will likely require borrowing.

The phased construction approach would allow the public works yard to continue functioning as new additions are made.

The project requires future council approval and is subject to electoral consent through either a referendum or an alternative approval process.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes