The Public Works Yard Updates Project 101

Designing and creating a development plan for an active public works yard is a huge task. Visioning for the site’s necessary upgrades has been underway since some of the yard’s key buildings were determined to be high-risk during their condition and seismic inspections in 2012 and in 2018.

The original yard, built in the 1960s, looked much different than the public works yard today, but despite seismic safety concerns, these original buildings are still in full use today.

The yard today has a few more buildings than the 1960s and construction trailers have been used to expand office spaces. These portables were originally meant to be temporary, but it became necessary to not only keep them long term, but to continue adding more with our city’s growth.

When the City developed the concept for a renewed public works yard, there were a lot of considerations:

Efficiency. Currently, the City's Parks and Public Works operations teams are spread across Nanaimo at three locations. There’s the Public Works Yard on Labieux Road, the Parks Annex on Nanaimo Lakes Road and the Parks Operations Yard on Prideaux Street. Bringing these teams together at the Labieux yard creates greater efficiencies, houses most of the operations equipment where it’s cleaned, fuelled, maintained and repaired, and ultimately brings most of the City’s operations staff (over 100 crew members) together under one roof.
Seismic Stability. While we don’t know when, a sizeable earthquake in our region is inevitable. In 2012, the City’s public works buildings underwent their first seismic study, and their condition was assessed again in 2018. Based on these studies and assessments, and because the community really needs the City to keep its fleet operational and its staff working, a new fleet maintenance building and a new crew & administration building are the cornerstone of the Public Works Yard Updates Project. Where possible, a couple of the aging buildings in the yard will be kept, given seismic upgrades, and continue to be used for non-critical storage.
Active Yard. It isn’t just new construction; it’s building a new facility in the midst of active daily work. Despite major construction, the City needs (and wants) to pick up garbage on collection days, brine the roads ahead of a cold snap, service sewers to keep them flowing, repair any broken watermains, and keep Nanaimo's roads clear and intersections functioning. This plan will allow crews to work while the new facilities are being constructed.
Fleet Size. The City's fleet is large, both in numbers and, in some cases, mass. Our largest fire trucks and full-sized sanitation trucks don’t even fit in the yard's largest service bays and while the City's heavy-equipment mechanics have found some work arounds to keep these trucks in service, these work-arounds are inefficient. The City has over 400 pieces of equipment including 200 vehicles that needs to be maintained and repaired regularly in the shops at public works. The shop bays aren’t suitable to handle the over 4000 repair orders per year that come in, and they definitely aren’t ready for that number to grow with our city’s future growth.
Staff Capacity. Currently, many of the City's public works staff work in or are based out of portable office spaces. By building a crew & admin building that is future-proof and large enough, the City will also be creating efficiency, bringing its growing teams together.
Storm Water. The original drainage system installed under the public works yard is now end-of-life and literally crumbling away. It’s time for it to be replaced. This will be an opportunity to make modern rainwater improvements, helping to retain runoff and improve drainage quality in the face of climate change.
Sustainability. With climate change upon us in a big way, the City is committed to balancing responsible, cost-effective design choices with those that lead to energy efficiency and a small carbon footprint. The City isn't looking to win any awards, but from lighting, to insulation, to materials used in construction, sustainable choices will be made where they make sense.
Growth. Our community is growing very quickly and it seems to be well known that Nanaimo is a great place to live. While that means an increase in the number of resident taxpayers, it also means that demand on the City’s services will be greater over the coming years. The Public Works Yard Updates Project plans include space and development for increased staff, equipment and supplies so the City can continue to grow with the community.
Location. Bringing together both Parks and Public Works will mean an even busier yard and the new design will help avoid any ‘traffic jams’, while keeping office staff together and away from the most active work zones. An additional entrance to the yard will help reduce congestion at both gates and in the yard’s corridors. The location of the two new buildings will also allow day-to-day work to continue while construction is underway.
Washrooms. When the original staff building was built in the 1960s, it was built with the then current workforce (mostly men) in mind. This included a very large change room with showers and plenty of space to clean up after a day of work in the elements. The workforce has changed since then and inclusivity is important to the City of Nanaimo. Considerations for all potential staff members will be brought forward when designing washroom spaces.
Emergency Operations. A city the size of Nanaimo is mandated by the Province to have an accessible emergency operations centre as well as a backup location. The new crew & admin building will have a multi-purpose room dedicated as a backup emergency operations and communications hub.
End of Life Buildings vs Usable Infrastructure. While many of the on-site buildings are at their end of life, there are a few buildings built in the 1980s and 1990s that are built well enough to keep, do a few seismic upgrades to, and continue using to their full potential. These include our stores building, our truck barn and our small equipment and signs shop building. The new infrastructure at the yard is designed around this existing infrastructure.