EA A Community Centre Project - former South Wellington School site

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) celebrated the official opening of the South Wellington Community Centre with dignitaries, funders, the South Wellington and Area Community Association (SWACA) and the public on Wednesday, August 19.

During the celebration, attendees enjoyed a variety of activities, toured the facility and learned about recreation and community programs available in Electoral Area A.

Prior to the ribbon cutting, speeches were presented by the following dignitaries:

• Tamara Kronis, MP, Nanaimo-Ladysmith
• George Anderson, MLA, Nanaimo-Lantzville
• Jessica Stanley, Director, RDN Electoral Area A
• Tom Osborne, General Manager, Recreation and Parks, RDN (retired)

The new community centre features spaces that can be rented by individuals, groups and businesses for programs, events and workshops, as well as a gathering space where community members can connect in a casual, welcoming setting. Outdoors there is a playground, sport court with basketball hoops and a play field.

Capital work on the building began in 2024 and, on August 1, 2026, the South Wellington and Area Community Association took on the day-to-day operation of the facility. The RDN is responsible for the capital costs of the building and the management, maintenance and planning of the community park (grounds, field and sport court). The $4.4 million cost to bring the building up to the required standards was funded by $2.9 million through the Build Communities Strong Fund Community stream, $360,765 in Growing Community Funds, almost $1.1 million in reserve funds and $60,003 from other funding sources.

Ongoing operational costs will be funded by the Electoral Area A Recreation and Culture Service.

We are excited to share that the South Wellington Community Centre is now open. Please join us on Wednesday, August 19 between 4-6pm for the official opening celebration. Take a self guided tour of the facility, take in the ribbon cutting and speeches, play some games, check out the playground and enjoy a cupcake. Volunteers with the South Wellington and Area Community Association and RDN recreation and park staff will be on site to answer any questions you may have.

The facility address is 2195 South Wellington Road.

We look forward to seeing you there!

An occupancy permit has been issued for the building. We are working closely with South Wellington and Area Community Association (SWACA) to start operations beginning in August. Watch for details about a soft opening before the end of summer. The playground is also now reinstalled and open for play! Please note the new address: 2195 South Wellington Road.

As of the end of January the capital project work on the former school building is complete. The focus now is systems testing and final inspection and securing official occupancy for the building.

The operating agreement between the RDN and South Wellington and Area Community Association has been drafted and is now in final review. Approval of the Agreement has to be given by SWACA and the RDN Board. Everyone involved is working towards having the Centre open to the public as soon as possible.

Please continue to respect posted signage and fencing when visiting the community park. The playground reinstall will happen in the first half of 2026.

Exciting progress continues at the South Wellington site. Interior and exterior painting, window installation, signage and accessibility upgrades—including new stairs and a ramp—are all underway.

A major milestone was reached last week with the replacement of the fire suppression system holding tank. The new tank, weighing 15,960 lbs. and holding 2,716 liters, was carefully maneuvered into the basement with the help of a crane—an impressive feat for the project team.

Looking ahead, the electrical distribution panel is expected to arrive and be installed in November. Meanwhile, the RDN and the South Wellington and Area Community Association are working together on an operating agreement for the facility. An official opening date will be announced soon.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to welcoming the community into this revitalized space!

Work on the site and the facility continues. A new entrance and parking has been created off of South Wellington Road. Renovation work is underway on the interior and exterior of the facility.

During construction access to the playfield will be reduced to ensure site safety, but the sport court remains available for use. Please use caution when visiting the park.

South Wellington Community Park visitors are asked to use caution when accessing the park as there will be heavy equipment and trucks on site for the next few months. A section of the playfield will be fenced off; however, the sport court and southern portion of the field remain available to the public.

Heatherbrae Builders took control of the South Wellington Community Project site December 16. Over the next few weeks, a new entrance to the site will be created entering the property off Wellington Road near the northeast corner of the property.

The creation of the new roadway entrance and on-site parking will require the careful dismantling and storage of the existing playground equipment. This work will happen in early January 2025. After the current work is done, the new playground location will be determined with the community's input.

The project team has been busy working on the following:

• Key reviews of existing systems including the water system, sewer system, and utilities.
• A required traffic impact assessment (TIA), the outcome of which will inform site planning going forward.
• Drafting site plans which meet established bylaws.
• Confirming the details of both the electrical ( i.e. connection options, timelines for required parts) and mechanical upgrades (i.e. sprinkler system, heating/cooling).

Construction will commence later this spring. The scope of work will include:

• New roof with seismic and thermal upgrades
• Hazmat remediation
• Mechanical upgrades and improvements
• Electrical upgrades
• Site development for parking and access
• Accessibility upgrades
• Washroom upgrades to meet current codes
• New exterior doors

Please continue to follow this page for updates. RDN Recreation staff will be onsite at the SWACA May 11th Plant Sale and look forward to answering any project questions you may have related to the building renovation plans. Park development planning (i.e. the grounds around the building) will begin later in2024

At the regular meeting of the RDN Board on December 12 the following resolutions were made:

There has been much work done by both the Community and RDN towards the goal of getting the former South Wellington School re-opened as a community centre. The goal remains to use as much of the existing school "as is" and open as a community recreation centre as soon as possible.

Detailed reviews of the following critical facility operating systems are mostly complete. Much of this was evaluating the state of the building itself and systems to ensure current and future building safety and determining the current state of the facility itself and building systems.

1. Hazardous Material Assessment
2. Seismic
3. Underground Oil Storage Tank
4. Fire Alarm and Suppression Systems
5. Water and Septic Systems
6. Heating
7. Building Envelope (roof, exterior doors, windows, sidings)
8. Heating System

While the facility and its operating systems are in relatively good shape for their age, some challenges, with various degrees complexity and costs to repair, have been discovered. Some of these include:

1. Accessibility
2. Seismic
3. Building perimeter emergency access
4. Parking
5. Electrical system capacity
6. Building fire suppression
7. Washrooms

Some of the answers found in the building and system reviews still underway will help determine the possible options available to meet the project goal (use as much of the existing school "as is" and open as a community recreation centre as soon as possible).

Further and continued review from earlier findings seem to indicate that expensive and lengthy improvements required such as hazardous material abatement, fire suppression (sprinkler) system and electrical upgrades will not be as extensive and costly as once thought.

There are also many regulatory obligations the RDN must follow such as; building bylaw and code requirements, parking capacity and variance application, traffic impact assessment, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure land use agreement in place, and accessibility modifications that will take time to complete and gain approval for.

The RDN and South Wellington and Area Community Association (SWACA) have been working with towards creating an operating plan and agreement for the facility. The next planned meeting for SWACA representatives and the RDN will be in late in October, 2023.