Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

The notion that a developer would appear and pay big money for the building
and/or the land has not been realized.
The Case for the Doubters
The cartoon is purely coincidental but appropriate.
• A Community Centre Not Viable and would Cause Debt for the
Town “Mahone Bay resident, Barry Gallant expressed concern about the size and
scope of the project, “It is beyond the capacity of a volunteer organization to run
and operate.” This view expressed in the October 25th news report continued
to received support from some observers.
Marg Hennigar’s Editorial of December 8, 2004 [when tax payment was
overdue and the Society was asking for a tax break: to move the property
from commercial to residential assessment]. commented: We applaud society
members... but we think it’s time they stopped investing in a project that is not
financially viable.
• A Centre is Viable, The Council can negotiate a Low-Risk Agreement
The October 26th Article on page 245 contains the society’s case:
Society members…believe the Centre would provide a focal point for community
activity by providing programs and services…Our vision is that the centre will
become a catalyst for community development…
That building has a lot of life in it…The community needs that building as much
as the building needs the community ...
The town will not have lost anything if the centre is not self-sustaining…we’ll have
failed and the town will own the building and they will sell it ...
The town has taken what it has-its beauty and heritage- and built on it… we have
chosen to follow that trend and take something old and of value and increase it
value by turning it into something new.’
Society members also point to the success of the Oakdene Centre in Bear River [
the North Woodside Community Centre in Dartmouth] as proof the project can
succeed.
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