My Nanaimo This Week - Dec. 19, 2022

Dec. 19, 2022

This Week...

Take part in several holiday themed events, help reduce waste and keep catch basins clear. Read on for more!

Holiday Hours at City Facilities

The City of Nanaimo wishes you good tidings this holiday season. City offices and recreation centres will be closed or have reduced hours over the holidays. City Hall will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and Bowen Complex is closed Dec. 24 to Jan. 8 for a maintenance project. Please check the website for drop-in activity schedules before you come to make sure no cancellations have been posted due to staffing or maintenance issues.

DROP-IN SCHEDULES

See You in 2023!

We are taking a break from My Nanaimo This Week, making this the last edition of 2022. We wish you a Happy New Year! May 2023 be healthy and filled with joy.

Holiday Activities are Aplenty!

The "Frosty Bucket Sticker Search" is back this year. One clue will be posted each day for 12 days. Clues can be found on the City of Nanaimo Facebook page and on the website. Clues will help identify 12 local parks. At each park, locate the sticker and scan the QR Code to reveal a word. Once you've collected the 12 words, unscramble the phrase and enter by email for a chance to win a Parks, Recreation and Culture gift pack. Keen players may view all of the clues at once on the website.

Swimmers will want to check out the "Snowball Swim" at Beban Park Pool on Sunday, Dec. 18, from 9 am to 12 pm where participants will enjoy winter-themed activities complete with games, arts, crafts and more.

Santa will be visiting Nanaimo arenas this year for two special "Skates with Santa". The first one will be held Wednesday, Dec. 21, 6:30 to 8 pm at Frank Crane Arena and again on Thursday, Dec. 22, from 6:15 to 7:45 pm at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.

The "Winter Wonderland" tradition is taking place again this year between Dec. 24 and Dec. 30. Frank Crane Arena will be transformed into a Snow Globe. This year, all sessions are free and include helmet or skate rentals thanks to sponsorships from community businesses and organizations.

On Jan. 1, the community is invited to "Activate 2023" . This New Year's Day event is being held at Beban Park from 12 to 5 pm and includes swimming at Beban Pool, skating at both Frank Crane Arena and Cliff McNabb Arena, arts, crafts, sports, bouncy castles, a StoryWalk and more. Both a food truck and concession will be on site. Tickets are available in advance at the Beban Park Pool office or on the day of the event. Tickets are $10 each or buy a Festive Five Pack for $35.

PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURE EVENTS

Recycling Right this Holiday Season

This year, let's reduce waste and choose decorations, cards and gifts that have less of an environmental impact. When decorating, use popcorn, cranberries and dried oranges instead of plastic garland and tinsel. Consider swapping holiday cards for e-cards and giving an experience instead of a thing! We realize that some gifts will be given, but if you use 100 percent paper wrapping, skip the plastic bows and make sure items end up in the right cart, it will make a huge difference. If you don't know which cart something should be put in, please use the handy what goes where tool.

WHAT GOES WHERE TOOL

Meal Prep & Planning

Meal plan and stick to your list.
Don't overserve and have a plan on how to recreate a new meal with leftovers.
Ask guests to bring reusable containers to take home their favourite dishes.
A reminder that all plastic cutlery (regular, compostable and bio-degradable) go into BLACK carts.

Wrapping Paper, Bows & Cards

If made of, or coated with foil or plastic, it is NOT recyclable and must be put in your BLACK cart.
Wrapping paper, bows, cards and tissue paper made of paper can be recycled and placed in your BLUE cart.

Try to remove as much tape as possible.
Please remove any electronic parts (which can be recycled at the nearest battery depot).
Store reusable bags to use next year.
Save old cards to use for crafts.

Warming Centres

We are expecting colder temperatures this week. The City has provided funding for two cold weather warming centres:

520 Prideaux Street, open daily in two shifts, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Operated by the Risebridge Society.
St. Paul’s Anglican Church,100 Chapel Street, open 10 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday. Operated by the 7-10 Club Society.

COLD WEATHER SUPPORTS

Snow and Catch Basins

We are expecting a wallop of snow this week. Make sure you are prepared! Have snow clearing supplies on hand, have flashlights, candles and batteries in the event of a power outage and make sure your vehicle is winter-ready.

Also, there's 'snow' time like now to think about catch basins and melting snow, because whenever it snows, there is always the risk of flooding. Michael Olson from Public Works shows us how to keep our catch basins clear so that the melt off will have an easy run into the storm drain.

FLOOD CONTROL

Will Your Commute Be Affected This Week?

Up-to-date information on City construction projects:

Along the Nanaimo Parkway, between East Wellington Road and Northfield Road, construction crews continue to break rock and fuse pipe for the Midtown Water Supply Project. Commuters should expect merging construction traffic entering the Nanaimo Parkway south of Northfield Road.
Trench Preparations will create visual distractions and minor delays along Northfield Road, between the Nanaimo Parkway and Northfield Marsh before Boxwood Road. Commuters should expect minor delays along Boxwood Road between Meredith Road and Tulsa Road in relation to the Midtown Water Supply Project.
Beban Park has detours within the park and areas of restricted access for the Midtown Water Supply Project. Access to the Stevie Smith Bike Park and Community Gardens is off Bowen Road past the tennis courts and golf course. All main parking lots, facilities and park amenities are open. In an effort to protect the public and provide a safe working area, certain areas of the park are fenced off and restricted for all non-construction personnel.
Labieux Road between Beban Parkway and Kenworth Road will be closed in both directions for the Midtown Water Supply Project. The road closure will be in place for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Access is available for local traffic and emergency vehicles only. Commuters should plan an alternate route. A detour will be in place and the closure will remain in effect until mid-January.
Metral Drive is substantially complete! Road markings will continue as weather and temperatures allow.