City of Nanaimo is reopening recreation centres and Nanaimo Aquatic Centre

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed July 28, 2020 10:34 AM

Summary

At a special meeting on Monday, July 27, 2020, Council were presented with phased reopening plans for Beban Social Centre, Oliver Woods Community Centre, Bowen Complex and Nanaimo Aquatic Centre. These plans followed the same guiding principles used for the arenas reopening plan approved by Council on July 13, including safety protocols outlined by the Province of BC, WorkSafe BC and the BC Recreation and Parks Association.

Beban Social Centre will open on Tuesday, August 4 for facility rentals and Wednesday, September 9 for fall recreation programs.
Oliver Woods Community Centre will open on Wednesday, September 9 for rentals and recreation programs.
Bowen Complex will open on Wednesday, September 9 for rentals and recreation programs.
Nanaimo Aquatic Centre will open on Thursday, September 10 for both the pool and the fitness gym. NAC was chosen in this first phase due to its size and accessibility access. This allows for more participants in the building while still practicing physical distancing guidelines.

Facilities will be operating with modified operating schedules and reduced rental and program offerings. Participants will be required to pre-register and pay in advance for all sessions through our online booking system (https://www.nanaimo.ca/recreation-parks/register-for-a-program). More information regarding session registration will be announced at a later date.

The reopening plans took in the following considerations:

Community members want and need to get back to activities that support their social, physical and mental health and well-being
If a second wave of COVID-19 comes, this phased reopening approach will allow the City to easily scale back on services offered if required
The facilities must be able to accommodate physical distancing requirements and other COVID-19 protocols

An opening date for Beban Pool has not been determined at this time.

For more information on the City's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit www.nanaimo.ca/COVID19.

Link to Strategic Plan: The City of Nanaimo is committed to the safety and well-being of its residents.

Key Points

Community centres, pool, arenas and other City-owned cultural venues closed on March 16 due to COVID-19. Many City-owned cultural venues remain closed at this time.
Parks, Recreation and Culture will not be producing a Fall and Winter Activity Guide this season due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. Look for program offerings on the City of Nanaimo Facebook page and on the City of Nanaimo website.

Quotes

"After being closed for over six months, we are happy to be opening up our community centres and Nanaimo Aquatic Centre. Even though the doors are opening, the way these facilities and programs are operating will be very different than what we're used to in an effort to keep everyone safe and healthy. We know having these facilities open is key to helping our community get back to activities that support a healthy and active lifestyle."

Lynn Wark

Director, Recreation and Culture Services

City of Nanaimo

Contact:

Lynn Wark

Director, Recreation and Culture

City of Nanaimo

250-755-7512

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