Group planning Glace Bay community centre loses some land to tax sale

A community group in Glace Bay, N.S., is taking a closer look at its options for the location of a proposed new $15-million recreation centre.

The group had been eyeing land on the coast along North Street as its preferred site with approval from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, but organizers were surprised recently when they found out some of the land has been sold off at a municipal tax sale.

CBRM Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger, who represents the area, said the news came as a shock.

"As it turns out, there was never a request put in for that section of land," he said. "Staff did their job. It's just unfortunate that this section wasn't at least marked off as a possible site."

However, Bruckschwaiger said the turn of events likely won't kill the project.

The land that was sold contains an old sports club building that was not going to be part of the new centre and there's a large abandoned ball field next to it that remains in municipal hands.

The group building the new centre has always had several sites in mind and each one will need a geotechnical assessment to ensure they are not undermined by old coal workings, Bruckschwaiger said.

"If there isn't enough property [at the preferred site], I think they'll move on to the next location," he said.

Project will still be a go: MLA

The group plans to build a 26,000-square-foot energy-efficient facility that will include space for youth, families and seniors with indoor and outdoor recreational activities, a commercial kitchen, nursery, community meeting space and a cafe.

John White, MLA for Glace Bay-Dominion, said the centre is desperately needed and he is on the hunt for any available land in the area.

"It still will be a go, there's no doubt in my mind about that," he said. "We're all invested in it so dearly, we're not going to let something like this stop us."

Group still has options, despite accidental sale: CEO

Erika Shea, president and CEO of the project manager New Dawn Enterprises, said she was not all that surprised to find the land had been sold.

She said organizers met with CBRM council in the spring and got a commitment to hold the land at the preferred site, subject to funding.

But the location includes a mix of municipal land and private lots, some of which were sold for unpaid taxes at a sale that was held before funding was secured, Shea said.

"The largest tract of land on the waterfront is still intact and still being held by the CBRM," she said.

"A smaller piece of land went up for tax sale in June and was acquired and so I think [that's] probably par for the course for doing this kind of development work in communities."

Shea said the community group has options and the loss of land along North Street will not affect the project's original timelines.

"There are a number of really promising pieces of land in proximity to the downtown, so we're working away at that every day and every night and still really optimistic for a spring 2023 construction start," she said.