On Monday, Dec. 11, the council considered an item, Memo from the Manager of Economic Development, Re: Offer to purchase 255 Highway 108.
ElliotLakeToday’s advance story with recent history about the property, is here.
The Monday agenda listed four topics for closed-session discussion. They included: The 2024 street dance headliner, two property updates, and the offer to purchase 255 Highway 108.
The council went into closed session for approximately an hour and a half Monday evening. When they returned, there was no information shared about any of the four topics.
Were there two proposals for 255 Hwy 108 in the fall of 2022, or three?
The new council was sworn in Nov. 21, 2022. Two days later, on Nov. 23, the Manager of Economic Development wrote a memo to the Mayor and Council. “Subject: Proposals for surplus lands at 255 Highway 108.” The memo informed, “Staff received two proposals for development on a scale appropriate with the location and size of property. In closed session, staff will outline the proposals […]”
The Nov. 23 memo was consistent with a staff memo to the previous (outgoing) council, written Nov. 9. “Staff received two proposals […]” That memo was received at the Nov. 14 council meeting by all members of the previous council, which included two councillors who would become members of the new council.
New council receives staff report of two proposals but says there is one more
At their first regular council meeting, Nov. 28, the new council considered the staff memo of Nov. 23 as agenda item 7.8. The specific details of the two proposals, the closed session information, was item 7.10.
When item 7.8 was introduced, Councillor Norman Mann said, “I guess it’s probably appropriate to move an amendment for this item at this point. I realize the matter to go into closed session is 7.10. However, as council is aware there is actually a third expression of interest, so I just want to make it clear to the community that we’re not discussing two items tonight regarding this, we’ll be discussing three.”
Did the third expression of interest arrive after the last meeting of the previous council? If so, why was this expression of interest not presented to the new council in a staff report?
And if it was received before Nov. 14, why was the same amendment not made then?
The ‘third expression of interest’
At a special council meeting, Jan. 12, 2023, the public was informed that the council decided to divide the surplus property and keep the northwest side for a performance theatre. A grant application was being prepared for the theatre.
On Feb. 13, 2023, staff informed the council, "As direction given to staff, we did contact the two parties that had an interest in purchasing the lot at 108. Both were directed with the southeast side of the lot, ranging with opportunities from two and a half to three acres. Both did respond, saying their preference was to proceed with the northwest side and have chosen to withdraw their proposals."
There was no mention of the third expression of interest.