Former plant has $35,000 price tag

Ken Johnston
Editor

The secrecy surrounding Rainy River town council’s $35,000 bid to purchase property in Rainy River was revealed by a very credible source late last week.
While council refused to tell the Record exactly where the property known as land parcel 25912, being parts of lots 19 and 20, River Range, designated as Part 3 on Plan 48R-3646, at a cost of $35,000, the source confirmed that the property was formerly the R.D. Koeneman Lumber Company on Highway 11.
Council seized the property early in 2002 in lieu of a reported $70,000 owing in back taxes. With another year passing the property has come up for sale. Council said that they are looking at purchasing it for economic development opportunities.
The source said that council is working with Rainy River Future Development Corporation to find someone interested in utilizing the lumber remanufacturing plant that has virtually sat idle for most of its six or seven year history.
Pending the satisfactory completion of a $3,770 sub-surface environmental investigation of property formerly owned by 912189 Ont. Inc, council passed a motion to purchase it.