The city of Vernon is not hiding the fact that's its been trying to buy a downtown piece of property for some time. Mayor Wayne Lippert says the city's been after the Merona site on 29th Street for a number of years which was brought out of in-camera this week. "The owner of the property knows it's of interest. The city has tried to purchase it in the past but haven't been able to come to an agreement on price and terms." Lippert says the city has made the property history public to provide clarity after former councillor Barry Beardsell criticized the city through the media over botching plans for the 25th Street extension project. Beardsell was critical of the city for selling its site on 30th Ave to the Okanagan Regional Library for $10 for the proposed new library, as it was an important part of the extension project. Lippert says that project is still a possibility in the future, and acquiring the Merona site would be part of it.
City documents brought out of in-camera Monday show council supported purchasing the Merona property for $600,000 on January 22, 2001, and then on November 14, 2005, council authorized staff to complete the purchase of the property at 2905 29th Street for a purchase price of $925,000, with the purchase to be funded from the existing Casino Revenue Fund. The Merona site is now the New Delhi restaurant.
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