Nanaimo is getting sporty again as it begins to reopen ice rinks and switches on a $1.1-million LED field lighting system at Serauxmen Stadium.
City council approved the opening strategy for ice rinks this week, starting with one sheet of ice at the Nanaimo Ice Centre on July 27. If there’s enough demand, a second sheet will open at that location on Sept. 1.
Another sheet is scheduled to open at the Cliff McNabb Arena on Aug. 3, provided there’s enough interest. More ice could open at the Frank Crane Arena, if demand calls for it.
Rinks will operate under safety protocols aimed at preventing the transmission of COVID-19. For example, hockey players will have to arrive at the arena in their gear, and a maximum of 16 skaters will be allowed on the ice at one time. Competitive play will not be allowed.
Plans to reopen pools and community centres at Beban Park, Bowen Park and Oliver Woods Recreation Centre will be presented to council soon. Outdoor amenities such as parks, trails, sports fields and playgrounds have already opened.
Lynn Wark, Nanaimo’s director for recreation and culture services, said the process for reopening the arenas was thorough. “It will look different in many ways than it was before the pandemic, but the safety and health of the public and staff is our top priority.”
Meanwhile, the Serauxmen Stadium on Third Street now has eight new LED lighting poles up to 24 metres tall and a new scoreboard.
The lights are designed to provide specific lighting levels for “optimal playability,” said a statement from the city. “These lights will greatly improve opportunities for baseball teams in Nanaimo by lengthening their seasons and giving players more hours of play.”
The baseball stadium will also be home to Nanaimo’s new West Coast League team, which will begin play in the spring/summer circuit next June. The expansion WCL franchise is to be called the NightOwls, it was announced Wednesday.
Better lighting has long been a wish of local baseball fans.
Lorne Goodall, president of the Serauxmen Stadium Amateur Baseball Association, said the new lights will allow the field to be used more, “helping the sport of baseball to further grow and flourish in this area.”
The stadium’s history goes back to 1972, when the Nanaimo Minor Baseball Association and the local school district agreed to build a baseball field on what was an old mine site behind Nanaimo District Secondary School. That mining site was transformed into the Serauxmen Stadium, which opened July 31, 1976.
The opening ceremony was attended by retired Major League Baseball players Mickey Mantle and Jim Piersall, hockey players Johnny Bucyk of the Boston Bruins and Chris Oddleifson of the Vancouver Canucks and football great George Reed of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Nanaimo took over the site three years ago. The city is working with the amateur baseball association to put together an overall improvement plan for the stadium.
