The Young Professionals of Nanaimo are incredibly excited to announce that they have now surpassed their fundraising goal for the restoration of the Nanaimo Train Station.

The YPN had their sights set on $391,000 to cover the shortfall for the $1.3 million first phase of the train station restoration. The campaign lasted just 6 months and in that time over $410,000 has been raised through a series of campaigns, events, grant requests and an extensive amount on community support.

“We could not be more pleased to make this announcement,” said YPN President Andre Sullivan. “It has been a long push and a lot of hard work by many people to get here and we could not have done it without the support of our community.”

Work on the station began in May with the assumption that the Young Professionals would reach their target and will now go full steam ahead with an estimated date of completion for both phases of Spring 2011.

“Work so far is going well,” says Darren Moss of Tectonica Management Inc. “The lift went smoothly and we are nearing the completion of the excavation required to accommodate the new foundation.”
“We look forward to placing concrete early next week and lowering the station by the end of July,” Moss continued. “We will then roll right into the structural repairs to the station’s framing and building exterior.”
The restoration of the Nanaimo Train Station will be completed in two phases. The first phase focuses on the foundation, structure and the building’s exterior. Phase two, which focuses on the building’s interior, is estimated to cost $1.1 million and will be funded by a commercial mortgage.

The Island Corridor Foundation has been looking for potential tenants to occupy the portion of the train station not needed for rail operations.  The goal was to find tenants that would ensure excellent rail passenger services, support the commercial financing and create a draw to the building in keeping with the historical feel of the building. 
The Island Corridor Foundation recently announced that two tenants are in the final stages of their negotiations. VIA Rail will occupy a portion of the station for passenger services and Trevor & Jane Ivens from The Fox & Hounds will open an Irish restaurant in the remaining portion of the station.
It is the Ivens’ plan to restore the inside of the train station and convert it into a traditional southern Irish pub-style restaurant which will be in addition to their English Pub, Fox & Hounds. Station memorabilia and original Irish artefacts will be used to ensure the design has the look and feel of years gone by and the Ivens’ vision focuses on traditional food, decor and music. 
The YPN are still accepting contributions which are now being put toward the second phase of the build, lowering the cost of the mortgage and keeping more dollars available for future building maintenance and future upgrades of the rail corridor. Next for the YPN are a series of smaller community initiatives including the upcoming Silly Boat Regatta for the Child Development Centre and the annual canstruction competition for the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank. The find out more about the Young Professionals of Nanaimo please visit www.ypnanaimo.com.

For more information please contact Andre Sullivan (president@ypnanaimo.com, 250-753-1124)

up-coming events

the project background

The Nanaimo Train Station, originally built in 1880 and rebuilt in 1920, has served as an important hub for freight, tourism and commuting and remained in continuous use until gutted by fire in 2007. The planned rehabilitation of the station strives to rejuvenate these roles and also to ensure Nanaimo’s leadership in the future of green mass transit on Vancouver Island.

Following the 2007 fire that damaged the E&N Station, the Island Corridor Foundation engaged Robert Lemon, a respected heritage architect out of Vancouver, to determine how much of the original building fabric of the station had survived. Lemon assessed that, despite the obvious fire damage, substantial fabric remained. Enough to warrant rehabilitation of this nationally registered Heritage Building.

A team of local consultants has detailed the complete rehabilitation of the station. Their careful design works to achieve two important goals:

Phase 1
Fix the building’s foundation and restore the station’s exterior, including its roof, envelope, windows and doors, to preserve the look and feel of the original station.

Phase 2
Rehabilitate the station’s interior spaces to a modern standard to bring life and energy back to this important site. These new commercial spaces will have all modern amenities with a décor and materiality that ties them back to the station’s original era.

the project budget

As indicated above, to upgrade the E&N Station to today’s building standards while maintaining the historical 1920’s look and feel, a two phase building project will be undertaken.

Phase 1 will cost an approximate 1.3 million dollars. Of this total VIA has contributed $869,000 and the Downtown Nanaimo Partnership Society has contribute $40,000 to a total of $909,000. We are currently $391,000 short of the 1.3 million required for Phase 1.

Phase 2 of the project, which focuses on the building’s interior, will cost about 1.1 million. Once tenant agreements have been solidified for the station a commercial mortgage will be obtained to fund phase 2.

The purpose of the Nanaimo Train Station Partnership is to raise the $391,000 shortfall through individual donations and corporate sponsorship; both through in-kind donation and cash donations.