By Nancy Kelly
Berwick town council has decided to divest itself of the annex, a building that has served many civic purposes since it was constructed in 1926.
“Over the years it has been a combined town and fire hall, police station and more,” Berwick chief administrative officer Don Regan explained after council’s Dec. 13 decision to put the building on the market.
The RCMP used the back portion of the building until recently relocating to Kingston as part of the town’s 18-month joint policing project with the County of Kings. If the RCMP were to come back to town at the end of the project, Regan is doubtful the annex would be the RCMP’s choice for a detachment.
“They would probably request a fair amount of work to bring it up to new standards. And that would be costly.”
Regan said the building, which is currently used occasionally by two community organizations, requires a “few thousand dollars worth of regular maintenance” and some work to air handling equipment.
“Given that scenario, it is hard to justify keeping the building.”
The Municipal Government Act allows municipal units to sell property, with an understanding it is done at market value, unless it is being sold to a non-profit group. Regan said council chose to hire a realtor to take offers on the building, rather than contract an appraiser, a decision which cost the town thousands of dollars when it decided to put the old fire hall up for sale.
When the idea of selling the building was first discussed at council several months ago, it was said a potential buyer had come forward expressing interest in the property.
