A third attempt for an Alternative Approval Process (AAP) has been approved by Nanaimo City Council to upgrade an aging facility.
Council is seeking to borrow up to $90 million to upgrade its Public Works Yard, previously known as the Nanaimo Operations Centre.
The AAP was unanimously approved in a special council meeting on Monday, July 29 and Coun. Ian Thorpe said this is the best path forward for the project.
“In light of past discussions, I just want to make it clear that I personally feel this is a totally appropriate process for moving ahead with this project and I absolutely support it.”
It will be the third time Council tries to move forward with an AAP, after two failed attempts in the past were made for $48.5 million but failed due to “administrative errors.”
An emphasis on public awareness will be made this time around, with social media advertising, open houses of the current facility, and flyers being sent to households.
The flyers will inform people on the project and provide information on how they can submit their AAP forms if they choose which will now be available electronically.
Coun. Erin Hemmens thanked the staff’s commitment to rolling out the new communication and engagement strategy for the AAP.
“I very much appreciate the mail-out, I think that’s going to address a lot of the concerns, so if a flyer is going to every single house, I think that’s a great approach.”
AAP forms will begin to be accepted on September 18, 2024, with a final deadline to submit them on October 31 at 4:30 p.m.
Nearly 8,000 electoral response forms will need to be submitted to have the AAP fail.
