Nanaimo’s Loudon Park on Long Lake will not be getting upgrades in the immediate future. City council reconsidered a proposed boat house and new amenities at its May 27 meeting, after postponing a motion to approve the upgrades earlier this month.
The improvements would have cost about $10 million and would include a boathouse and training facility for the Long Lake Flat Water Training Society. The park also would have gotten a multipurpose room, accessible washrooms and a new playground.
Council reconsidered the motion after a decision made in April to go ahead with the upgrades was met with opposition from community members who were concerned about tree removal and the loss of public green space.
BACKGROUND: Nanaimo council asked to reconsider removal of trees in Loudon Park
Council voted to postpone a decision on the park indefinitely and refer the matter back to staff so they can use feedback from delegations to look at other options.
Councillors voiced a desire to move ahead with improvements but recognized there could be more options.
“I think it’s important that staff take all the feedback that they have heard from both groups and council and try and see if there is a way that we can come to a compromise that works for everybody’s needs so I think this is really important that this does get built,” said Councillor Sheryl Armstrong.
Craig Rutherford, president of the Long Lake Flat Water Training Society, spoke to council and said he wants to see the park used more by the community year-round.
“Other than two or three months in the summer, generally we are the only users in the park other than a few people walking dogs. We would love to have more people in there more often, taking part in programming, being a member of the community and for us the big thing is having that happen soon,” he said.
Danielea Castell with the Save Loudon Park Campaign asked council to look for other options for the park, including increasing its footprint instead of putting more infrastructure in the existing area.
The decision did not include a date for Loudon Park improvements to come back to council.
