Elliot Lake council put an end to months of speculation and rumours when it voted in favour of buying Holy Trinity United Church at its meeting Monday evening.
Acting director of public works Bill Goulding told council he was relieved by the decision to make the purchase public as discussions about buying the church were held behind closed doors. Goulding said he has received questions about the purchase from residents since the rumours first surfaced but had declined to comment openly as is stipulated by city bylaws governing staff conduct in confidential matters.
He said city engineers found the building to be a sound structure since it was built as one of the first churches in the mid-1950s. Staff has also looked at what the building could be used for and Goulding said some of the options include a location for a museum and centre for small performance venues. Goulding said a decision on use will be made next year.
Although the price was not divulged at the meeting, Elliot Lake Today has learned it was sold by the United Church for $100,000. The church is located across from city hall on the corner of Hillside and Spruce.
Councillor Luc Morissette thanked the “United Church in town for letting us buy this property at such a low, low price compared to other houses.”
“I know they’ve made lots of renovations there and I think this is a little bit of a bridge that we need for now and I’m sure that this facility will be used a lot by this city,” he said referring to work done on the building to make it fully accessible.
Coun. Charlie Flintoff also welcomed the purchase.
“This is a great opportunity for the city to purchase a heritage building,” he said. “We have no welcome centre, we have no museum. Our staff have been working with all our museum artifacts in special storage and there’s a lot of work in that. It’s time we get things going.”
Acting Mayor Andrew Wannan also thanked the United Church trustees for the sale even though it meant closing the church.
“It’s bittersweet knowing that they don’t have enough people to go to church and it’s difficult to afford it that is a very sad part of this,” he said. “So, taking that and turning it into a good thing is essential. I think it’s an important building for the history of Elliot Lake.”
“It’s a very important piece of our puzzle and the plan for moving forward,” the acting mayor said referring to different city programs that could use the former church.
Council unanimously approved the purchase.