Several mature Douglas Fir trees would need to be removed from Loudon Park along Nanaimo's Long Lake after Councillors voted in favour of a more extensive upgrade option for the park. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

increased budget

Long Lake park upgrades get $6 million budget boost following Nanaimo Council debate

Apr 8, 2025 | 11:41 AM

NANAIMO — A popular city park on the shores of Long Lake is getting more extensive upgrades after all.

City Councillors voted against a staff-recommended motion to add $1.8 million to the Loudon Park expansion project budget and instead went with the more expansive option and increased the budget by over $6.1 million for the space at the end of Victoria Ave.

Following an hour-long Monday, April 7 council meeting debate, councillors voted 5-4 in favour of vastly increasing the project cost to over $10.8 million to establish an enlarged boat storage building (which could double as a community centre), and a fully accessible washroom among other investments to the area.

Coun. Ian Thorpe felt the original staff recommendation was just the “bare bones” to improve the park which has been in the design phase since 2019, with Thorpe stating Loudon Park deserves much better.

“I don’t think we should shut the door to making this a much-improved facility. Loudon Park is more than just a storage shed for boats, it is a very popular public place, especially in the summer, and it deserves to be improved and expanded.”

election night

Federal Election 2025: Results & reaction from Nanaimo-Ladysmith & Courtenay-Alberni

A few moments ago

don't buy through facebook

Scam promoting fake RDN Transit passes continues through Nanaimo

14m ago

important fundraiser

Tim Hortons' Smile Cookie campaign backs Nanaimo hospital

4h ago

Investments to enhance the playground, fishing pier, swimming area, as well as trail system/park access enhancements, are also included in the more ambitious version of the project.

The staff recommendation made during last month’s finance and audit committee meeting pegged the budget at $6.5 million for an improved boat storage facility and updated washrooms.

Water vessels of all kinds are currently stored in this outdoor section of Loudon Park. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Multiple people spoke in favour of the more expansive option during the March meeting, wanting an improved storage facility which could serve multiple purposes as an indoor space.

They said their current storage facility leaves them vulnerable to weather, theft, and vandalism, highlighted by a fire in November 2024 which destroyed a restored heritage canoe.

Thorpe was “disappointed” when he heard some opinions from people who live near Loudon Park opposed to any expansions, saying “it’s their quiet little park and they wanted it to remain so.”

He doesn’t think that’s fair to the community at large especially when the money for the increase comes from the City’s reserves and doesn’t require a tax increase.

“This is not a hidden gem, but it’s a smaller gem in our city which is extremely popular during the summer with users and we need to put some money into it.”

Coun. Erin Hemmens disagreed with Thorpe that the cheaper option was limited to only the replacement of the boat storage shed.

She voted against the motion for the more expensive option, saying the original staff recommendation gets them improved storage and washroom facilities without the removal of trees, with expansion still possible in the future.

“This is a $6 million cost-savings when we know we have an RCMP building coming, we know we have the south end community centre coming, and wrap that into the Ravensong referendum just failing, I think there is a sense from the community that ‘good enough is good enough’. I’m seeing in this option the needs met of the community who came to speak to us.”

Approximately 29 trees would need to be removed from the park to accommodate the design of a larger building for boat storage and other purposes at Loudon Park, an idea which Coun. Ben Geselbracht (pictured) is strongly opposed to. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

An increase in the size of boat storage with the more expensive option would require the removal of several mature Douglas Fir trees on site, something Coun. Geselbracht was not in favour of.

“I am dead sure that we’ll go to that park when the trees are removed in that central area and there’s a building there and feel shame…we are deciding to put an $11 million building into an area that is highly used. One, to me, at a gut level, it feels extremely wasteful, especially when we’re talking about a large part of this is for boat storage.”

He said while he knows the importance of recreational options in the community, Geselbracht believes a more appropriate spot should be found for the storage building.

“I don’t want to be disparaging to the canoe and kayak club and the rowing club, I really value getting folks out and exercising and competition, and I think it’s a beautiful thing that I’d like to see grow and for us to invest it. But, that park is a special place to a lot of people, and it would be a crying shame to replace the large part of the park with a building.”

Councillors Sheryl Armstrong, Janice Perrino, Tyler Brown, Thorpe and Mayor Leonard Krog voted in favour of the more expensive version of the project, with councillors Geselbracht, Hemmens, Hilary Eastmure, Paul Manly opposed.

The money for the budget increase on the Loudon Park design comes from the City’s reserves, with $4 million from the Special Initiatives Reserve and $2.1 million from the Strategic Infrastructure Reserve Fund.

We’re on Bluesky! Stay up to date on news across central Vancouver Island through Bluesky, by following @NanaimoNewsNOW.bsky.social.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook