A month after the District of Saanich received $14.6 million in provincial funding for community infrastructure, the municipality has come up with a way of spending it.
Facing significant cost increases for the rebuild of one of its fire halls the district has decided to follow the advice of its staff and provide $6 million toward the project, just over $8 million toward future redevelopment of the Nellie McClung library branch and affordable housing project, and $500,000 for planning and design of a redevelopment of the Lambrick Park Campus.
Though council enthusiastically endorsed providing money for the fire hall rebuild, a project that has nearly doubled in cost to $44 million since it was first approved in 2019, and there was strong support for the library expansion, it took some convincing to get all councillors on board with the money for Lambrick Park.
Mayor Dean Murdock noted the money was going to be spent on the projects anyway as they were all identified as priorities, while the fire hall just made sense as every penny they can find in their coffers does not have to be borrowed.
“I think what staff have come back with is trying give us an opportunity to play in each of the areas we’ve identified as priorities,” he said. “The reality is this is money that would otherwise come from the Saanich budget. So, whether we put it towards the fire hall, towards the Lambrick concept plan, towards Nellie McClung, these are priorities that are already in the queue. We’re going to spend this money regardless.”
Coun. Karen Harper agreed, noting the funding provides certainty to the fire hall and funding for the library project shows the district has “skin in the game” which will improve the chances of attracting senior government support for the project.
Coun. Zac de Vries said the Lambrick project is tailor-made for the province’s Growing Communities Fund.
“This is a space that has enormous potential, has been created over time with uses that are so spread out,” he said, adding it could benefit from a broader mix of uses that are tied together better.
The $14.63 million grant from the Growing Communities Fund is based on population and is intended to be used to increase the local housing supply with investments in community infrastructure and amenities. It must be spent within five years.
The Nellie McClung library branch was identified by Saanich staff as a priority because it is the most used of the four libraries in the district, is overcrowded and has been identified by the Greater Victoria Public Library board as in need of redevelopment or expansion.
Redeveloping and expanding this library branch provides Saanich with an opportunity to build affordable housing units on the same site.
That project has not yet been costed, which is why staff suggested providing whatever was left after funding the fire hall and Lambrick Park projects.
District staff have recommended an overarching site plan and redesign for the Lambrick Park Campus.
A staff report notes all park assets were designed as single-use for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, lawn bowling, and tennis, while modern active recreation facilities in other communities are now being designed as multi-sport facilities, and often include opportunities for non-sport programming.
The report also notes Gordon Head has been identified as an area of priority in an analysis of the need for another ice rink, especially with the planned closing of the Ian Stewart arena by the University of Victoria.
