At over 9,000 square feet of indoor space, the former South Wellington Elementary School property will be converted into a community centre. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

community hall

Funding approved for South Wellington community hall project

Dec 13, 2023 | 1:40 PM

NANAIMO — A long-closed school south of Nanaimo will be brought back to life following funding confirmation from regional governors.

Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) board members approved an additional $1.3 million for Electoral Area A funds to refurbish the former South Wellington Elementary School into a community centre.

An RDN staff report estimated the project site, located on Morden Rd. at South Wellington Rd. will cost $2.8 million.

A day following a Tuesday, Dec. 12 endorsement from RDN board members, Area A director Jessica Stanley called this an important project for their community.

“We’ve been able to use the gym in the fire hall, but we have very little otherwise in Cassidy or South Wellington. It’s really exciting that we’ll be able to use that public space that’s going to enhance community well-being,” Stanley told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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South Wellington Elementary School closed in 2013. The RDN has spent $100,000 so far on pre-construction work to prepare for the building’s transition. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Cost escalation concerns ruled out the potential of demolishing the old school for a new community hall on the property which also includes a field, playground and sports court for public use.

Remediating the building was approved by the RDN board in 2021 with a project budget of nearly $1.5 million at the time, however, costs have subsequently rose sharply.

An RDN staff report showed a pair of project revisions which refined the project, to complete a minimum amount of remediation work to make the conversion happen.

While the building doesn’t have a gym, Stanley said enhancing the classroom spaces and adding a functional kitchen will provide a multitude of benefits.

“It’s a public space for gathering, it’s a public space for community to connect and it’s definitely a public space for (recreation),” Stanley said, pointing to opportunities for RDN recreational programming and private room rentals.

Architectural drawings show the one-storey building will see the six existing classrooms transition to five activity rooms.

The largest room is categorized as a neighbourhood learning centre by combining the former library and a classroom.

The former staff room is slated to become a kitchen.

Notably, high-efficiency heat pumps will be installed in the South Wellington community hall project, which Stanley said is a vital addition.

She said the South Wellington and surrounding area is home to many seniors, a demographic disproportionately impacted by exceedingly hot summer conditions.

“It not only provides a comfortable public space, but it is also a safe public space when those temperatures in the summer are going to get increasingly hot and put people at risk,” Stanley said.

With the required funds in place, RDN directors also voted in favour of senior staff tendering a construction tender without the board’s blessing to speed up the process.

It’s unclear when trade crews could be on site and when the remodelled building could open for public use.

School District 68 has a 25-year lease agreement with the RDN for the community hall initiative in place until 2047.

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Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes