Provincial funding will add bleacher seating for 800 people to q'uniq'inuqwstuxw Stadium (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Stadium District

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NANAIMO — Creating a long-planned medium sized multi-sport stadium beside Nanaimo District Secondary School is expected to take a significant leap forward next year.

Richard Harding, the City of Nanaimo’s general manager of parks, recreation and culture said $1 million announced this week by the province as part of a program to boost tourism related infrastructure will enhance a key local project.

“These funds will go towards the new bleachers for 2024 for the q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium, that’s what we used to call the NDSS Community Field, which is now working towards making it a medium-sized stadium.”

Harding said seating for 800 spectators, along with a media and coach’s booth, will be installed on the west side of q’uniq’inuqwstuxw Stadium next year.

Eventually, a seating capacity of 1,500 is envisioned for the well-used venue, home to several school and community based sports clubs.

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A paved plaza situated between q’uniq’inuqwstuxw and Serauxmen stadiums and the Rotary Bowl was put in place last year.

Harding said a shared ticketing booth shared by all three venues is expected to be put in place this year.

“The public is realizing the benefit of those three stadiums and so now we’re seeing sports groups taking advantage of it. That whole sports zone, stadium district is really coming to fruition,” Harding told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Bleacher seating and future permanent washrooms and changerooms will be located on the west side of q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Currently only limited bleaching seating is in place on the east side of the field, configured for football, soccer and field lacrosse.

Longer term plans feature permanent washroom and change room facilities on the west side of q’uniq’inuqwstuxw Stadium to replace interim measures in place now.

Meantime, continually overhauling Serauxmen Stadium continues, with additional seating being added some time this year to the third base side the facility, Harding said.

The City also intends to address the pot-hole filled gravel parking lot behind the baseball stadium, home of the Nanaimo NightOwls.

“We hope to pave that later this year. For the amount of use we’re getting the gravel just can’t hold up,” Harding said.

The much-maligned gravel parking lot behind Serauxmen Stadium has been the source of public complaints for years. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes