Nanaimo News Notes May 10, 2011

Dayliner: The E&N Dayliner Budd car will arrive in Nanaimo where it will remain in a secure yard until such time as it is pressed back into service. That of course won't happen unless senior governments come up with the needed money to fix the tracks, as the company operating the line apparently has no assets of it's own aside from a huge piece of real estate they can't leverage for operating funds.

Seaplanes: from Nanaimo to Vancouver will continue to fly into Vancouver Harbour despite a controversy with the operators of the new Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre. Seair and Tofino Air will continue to offer flights from Nanaimo to Vancouver. Other airlines had chosen to boycott the new terminal in protest over what they thought were excessive charges.The levy at the new terminal has apparently been lowered to $9.50 per head from the proposed price of $12.00 per head which kicked off the original boycott of the new terminal.

Condo Project for South End: An upscale condo development planned for the corner of Milton and Esplanade has south end residents hopeful it will help rejuvenate the area. The project which is said to see 72 high end condos built on the location once occupied by Samuel Robbins, a mine superintendent from 1884 - 1903 will range in price of $400,000 for an average unit of 1.150 square feet. This is immediately across from the existing rail yard and is the home to many exotic plants and trees imported by Robins when he lived there.

New Terminal: the new cruise ship terminal is being reported as a big hit with the captain of the Norwegian Pearl who was the first to dock here. He is reported to have said the new dock is a mariner's dream with being easy to approach and dock and easy to exit from as well.

Heritage Tour: if you want to discover the big part coal played in the history of the development of Nanaimo then you will want to participate in the Black Track tour conducted by author Tom Paterson. The four hour tour complete with commentary is conducted at the Morden Colliery Historic Provincial Park at 10:00 am on Sunday May 15. Tickets are $30 per person or $25 per person for two people. Proceeds will help preserve the head frame and tipple of the Morden Mine. More information is available at 250-714-0377.

Jesse Island: the price on this beautiful little island situated at the entrance to Departure Bay has been reduced by nearly $1.5 million and now can be yours for the low, low price of only $4.5 million. The island includes a four bedroom home and a cottage which is occupied by the year round caretakers responsible for protecting the island.

Vinyl Floor: the new vinyl floor planned to replace existing hardwood at Beban Park will result in Nanaimo no longer being able to host the Island Fantasy Ball which sees ballroom dancers come from all across the country.

Discovery College: staff and students collected boxes of donated shoes and socks which they made available to those in need in our community. They gave out the foot gear at the fountain by Port Place Mall downtown as it is recognized as a gathering place for some on Nanaimo's residents in need of some pretty basic help. Warm, dry feet is pretty basic.