The Blue Mountains town hall project will go back to the drawing board after town council approved a motion Monday to purchase the Diane's Attic property.
The purchase, at a cost of $270,000, gives the town the entire parcel of land between the Beaver River and Mill St. and between the Georgian Trail and Highway 26 (Bridge St.). The town purchased the former Thornbury Esso property, at the corner of Mill St. and Highway 26, last summer.
The remainder of the property is still owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources, but the MNR has declared the land surplus to their needs. The town and the MNR have agreed, in principle, to easements that will allow MNR access over the land to the river, the dam, the fish ladder, and the underside of the Highway 26 bridge for maintenance and repair.
The town also has to guarantee public access to the land and the river as well as adequate parking.
Negotiations are under way between the town and the ministry to allow the town to take ownership of the land, and Finbow told the Courier-Herald a value should be determined by the end of May.
As long as 25 years ago when the site was being considered as the location for the town hall for the then Town of Thornbury, the prospect of some day purchasing the property at 32 Bridge St. has been in the back of municipal officials' minds.
The town's growth over the past 10 years, and the growth in town staff numbers, the need for a bigger municipal office, more parking for visitors and staff, and a desire for a public gathering space adjacent to the river, have all pushed the town to buy more property.
A set of site design concepts has been in circulation for several months, but all exclude the 32 Bridge St. property.
In a report to council Monday, CAO Paul Graham said the purchase price is within the price range recommended by an appraiser.
Graham noted that $300,000 had been included in the town's 2008 budget for land acquisition related to the town hall site.
He added that legal fees and land transfer fees will add about $4,025 to the cost.
