Closed since last March, the Manoir Rouville-Campbell could be converted into a town hall by the City of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, which could become the owner of this heritage building in the coming weeks.
The Manor had been put up for sale for $28 million late last year, then last month we learned that the Groupe Gestion G5, owner of the place, was closing the luxury hotel that the real estate complex dating from the 19th century housed since the end of the 1980s. And, a few days ago, the City of Mont-Saint-Hilaire announced that the property had been donated to it.
The mayor, Marc-André Guertin, confirmed to us that the idea of installing the town hall there is on the table.
“Until very recently, this scenario was not considered, but it is now one of the scenarios considered and that we are going to evaluate,” Mayor Guertin told us, without wanting to go too far on the subject. As part of the current town hall is in poor condition, moving the town hall to the Manoir Rouville-Campbell could prove to be an interesting option for the Town.
However, other scenarios have been discussed. One of them would be to delegate the management of the building to a private company to pursue the hotel vocation of the Manoir Rouville-Campbell. Another idea is to transform the place into a cultural center since there is a theater in the Manor. However, this scenario could be ruled out since there are already performance halls in the region, in Beloeil and Saint-Hyacinthe.
When the scenarios are better defined, the City wants to ask the opinion of its citizens. However, it is still too early to say whether this citizen consultation will take the form of a referendum.
Regardless of the decision, the City swears to perpetuate the occupation of the premises, to respect the environment and to ensure sound financial management. “For the municipal council, it is important to maintain the vocation over time. In addition, we absolutely want to protect the wooded areas on the property,” said the mayor.
Still in reflection
Before deciding on one project or another, the Mont-Saint-Hilaire municipal council must first decide whether to accept this donation from the owner Groupe Gestion G5. “We want to make sure of the state of the manor and fully understand the nature of the work, if there is any to be done,” mentioned Marc-André Guertin.
This one is not able to confirm how much money would cost annually the maintenance and the heating of this vast manor. However, he assures that this sum would not be staggering since the place has been well maintained over the years.
A paid donation?
Even if the owners intend to give away their property, these will not remain empty-handed. In fact, according to the website of the Ministère des Finances, the donation of a fixed asset can be used to reduce the business’s pre-tax income by up to 100% of its income.
Groupe Gestion G5 did not wish to mention the amount that this donation could bring in. “We will not comment on this subject,” simply replied the vice-president of finance, Michel Desrivières when we asked him the question.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com