To the editor,
Re: Designs come in for jail, March 10.
The Province of British Columbia is spending $167 million to rebuild Nanaimo’s existing jail. Based on the description, it seems that B.C. taxpayers are going to foot the bill for a luxurious lake-front Taj Mahal resort where ‘guests’ will also be provided with three nutritious meals daily, front-of-the-queue health care, and other resort amenities.
I should warn the province that the proposed facility will be greatly undersized once our homeless people choose this waterfront resort over converted shipping containers.
Anthonie den Boef, Nanoose Bay
letters continue below
Creative juices are flowing as designs come in for the new Nanaimo Correctional Centre. The plan is to design this facility so that it resembles a post-secondary campus. Read more: https://t.co/JADPFt9VhV #OurBestBuildYet pic.twitter.com/mrF4sVPWpD
— Stuart Olson Inc. (@StuartOlsonInc) March 15, 2021
To the editor,
Re: Designs come in for jail, March 10.
With the design plans for the luxurious amenities-laden campus-style holiday camp (a.k.a. Nanaimo Correctional Centre) coming up before the city council, perhaps they will also turn their attention to the only road and junction leading from that site on Biggs Road to Jingle Pot.
Waiting on Biggs Road and intending to turn left to the parkway, you have to swivel your head to the left watching traffic coming off the parkway corner. Then swivel again to the corner on the right, to see if your way is clear. Then left again to make sure. Drivers coming off the parkway often do not switch off their right turn signal but you dare not move forward because they continue straight ahead on Jingle Pot and not go into Biggs Road as indicating. Often there is a long lineup on Jingle Pot waiting for the lights to change and you cannot get out of Biggs Road anyway.
There are already a large number of double-length heavy trucks using Biggs Road and with the additional construction and staff vehicles, this junction will be more dangerous than ever. There has also been a large housing development built opposite and farther around the corner on Jingle Pot, which all adds to the traffic chaos.
Representation was made to city council a year or so ago for lights or a circle to be built at this junction. This was turned down for reasons of not high enough traffic density. Will it be high enough now for city council to look again at this junction before there are any accidents/deaths?
It is noted that the cost of the facility will be $167 million for a capacity of only an additional 12 inmates. Why? One has to wonder why this highly desirable lakeside property was not sold and a new facility built farther north of Nanaimo on less expensive land. The money generated from that sale would have gone a long way to funding a new facility and easing the taxpayer burden.
In the meantime I am thinking of what crime I can commit so I can be transferred to this new holiday camp and take advantage of two years of expense-free living.
Pauline Langley, Nanaimo
RELATED: Builder chosen for Nanaimo’s new jail, design work to begin in new year
RELATED: Province announces $157-million project to replace Nanaimo Correctional Centre
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