JCDC is seeking Expressions of Interest

The Board of Directors of the Johnstown Community Development Co-operative Ltd. (JCDC) invites Expressions of Interest. Our purpose is to sell or lease the seven acre waterfront property located at 15281 highway 4, Johnstown, Richmond County, Nova Scotia. Be advised that the criteria for evaluation will include, but will not be limited to, consideration of community input through the establishment of covenants for use of part of the land and to ensure sustainable development of the portion being sold/leased. Interested parties are asked to submit their expressions of interest in writing to Ms. Rita Campbell, Board Chair, Johnstown Community Development Cooperative Ltd., 15281 hwy 4, Site 16, Comp 7, RR#1, St. Peter’s, NS B0E 3B0 by December 31, 2007.

Aerial photo of JCDC property - circa 1990's

We'll be adding some pictures of the JCDC site in the next few days. Scroll to the bottom of the blog page to see them.

Special Resolution passed at November 3 meeting of JCDC

Special Resolution

That JCDC Ltd. Board of Directors continue to seek partners such as the Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Antigonish and/or a Developer to follow up on the study of Vibe Creative Group commissioned by ECBC keeping in mind the Guiding Principles of the ECBC report which are to lease/sell the property, to ensure community control over development by establishing covenants for use, to pursue intentional development on the site and to ensure sustainable development through community support for any initiatives regarding the use of the property. To ensure transparency the Board will report to the membership and the broader community with recommendations by March 1, 2008.

JCDC and District 10 Fire Department Update

In October JCDC received a letter from the Fire Department indicating that they no longer wished to honour the option-to-lease and would like to receive back the money they paid for the option. The Board met and agreed to direct that amount of money to the Fire Department when it is viable to do so. A letter has been sent to the Fire Department Chair indicating this.

Final Report: Development Plan & Structural Assessment

Final Report: Development Plan & Structural Assessment. Johnstown Community Development Co-operative, Presented by Vibe Creative Group, September 2007

Executive Summary - Vibe Creative Group

Development Plan & Structural Assessment, Johnstown Community Development Cooperative – Prepared by Vibe Creative Group, September 2007

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Vibe Creative Group was engaged by the Johnstown Community Development Co-operative for the purpose of carrying out the following deliverables:

• Identification, through a needs analysis (in collaboration with the community sessions and client research) the requirements for the product – the future development of the site known as the Johnstown Community Development Co-operative Ltd..


• Structural assessment of the building that addresses issues as identified by the consultant.


• Identification of potential capital funding requirements.


• Recommendations for future development along with next steps.

The potential to redevelop and reuse lands for higher market use is seen as a priority for the community (which extends from Big Pond to Barra Head) on Route 4 in Cape Breton. The results of the Hatch Consultants Condition Assessment were clear – the building should be demolished and removed from the site. The six recommendations produced from the report were as follows:

1. A review and condition assessment of the building structure and its existing facilities shows that the structure has fallen into a state of disrepair and its existing facilities have been taken out of service and modified.


2. From the review and condition assessment, if the existing building is repaired at an estimated cost of $400,000. - $500,000. it will still have limitations due to structure and grade level and that if it is not to be repaired and put back into service, the entire building should be demolished.


3. From the review and condition assessment, it is recommended that the demolition see the removal of the structure from the site, with an estimated cost of $75,000. and that the grade for a new structure be raised (possibly utilizing the foundation as site infill). A recommendation from the consultant’s report is that capital cost for re-development and or sale/lease should be included in the cost of demolition.


4. From the review and condition assessment, it is recommended that the demolition identify salvageable materials (estimated at $7,000.) and that the remaining materials be trucked to a landfill site nearest the community.


5. From the review and condition assessment, it is recommended that a consideration of a new water supply to service a revamped building or a new proposed building be included in the planning.


6. From the review and condition assessment, it is recommended that to develop the existing site for a new building the grade level be raised and that the embankment behind the existing building be utilized to establish the new grade level.

It is critical that the community come together to support any initiative(s) that will be further investigated to determine feasibility for the long-term economic prosperity of the community. An organization, such as Johnstown Community Development Co-operative, would be able to work with all levels of government, individuals and developers to table discussion and negotiate the acquisition and/or development of the site for the common good of the community members.

The community consultation session held on Thursday, August 16 (2007) was very well attended with community members representing several areas (i.e. Big Pond, Johnstown, Red Islands, Hay Cove, etc.). Vibe presented the findings and recommendations of Hatch Consultants as listed above. The consensus of the group was to provide support for the demolition of the building based on funding for demolition and removal.

Vibe then led the discussion to future land development options and potential projects. A number of key issues were discussed including guiding principles of the community (listed in the report) and priority initiatives that would see support from the region.

JCDC and District 10 FD meeting, Nov 2006

Note: This document belongs before the January 2007 presentation to council but it is too much work to reshuffle the documents. Rita

JCDC - District 10 Executive Meeting re special resolution on divestiture
November 24, 2006 – Halifax
Bill Barrett, District 10 Secretary, Wilf MacNeil, District 10 Treasurer,
Don Peverill, JCDC Lawyer & Board Member,
Betty MacNeil, Community Planning Committee Chair,
Rita Campbell, JCDC Chair, Howard MacIntyre, JCDC Secretary

Discussion on the value of the JCDC property.

The Fire Department is in a position to accept charitable donations. JCDC has the option to retire member loans by giving member loan holders a tax receipt for making a donation to a charitable organization – the fire department. The receipt would give rebate for a percentage of the individual member loan.

• An Equity Tax Credit is normally given for a new limited company where new money is invested and jobs created – perhaps a consideration at a later date.
• The value of the property is reflected in the tax assessment. Property taxes have been paid by way of exemption as per municipal by-law 56. These may be repayable should the property be sold, although if transferred to a similar organization this may not follow. The Fire Department also gets an exemption although it is not clear whether these taxes are forgiven or just deferred.
• Enduring property – can a charitable organization own real property? Written permission is required from Revenue Canada.
• Consider the option of a 99 year lease to the Fire Department if Revenue Canada won’t approve ownership.
• There is a possibility that members will want their investment back. It will be necessary to determine how many member loans were taken out by individual members. JCDC Policy on withdrawal prevents run on the bank.

Discussion on the mortgage on JCDC & formation of new consortium

• JCDC is paying interest only and there are about 6-1/2 months before current funds run out.
• If the title to the property is transferred to the fire department or taken on by a consortium, a new mortgage will be entered into with League and it should cover the additional costs of appraisals and assessment by structural engineer. We need to budget for what needs to be done and include this in the new mortgage. To make any progress in paying down a mortgage in the range of $20,000 will require a monthly payment approaching $300.
• An approach should be made to the parish council to determine any interest in being part of a consortium with JCDC & Fire Department – their involvement would mean that most interest groups in the community are covered.
• JCDC would like to see a strong expression of interest from the Fire Department. The equity/debt situation related to the property should be strong on the equity given the potential value of 5 acres on the Bras d’Or Lakes.
• JCDC should remain involved since they can go after funding in circumstances where a charitable organization can’t.
• Other options can be considered for raising cash – selling off an acre or subdivision, but we have to be aware of septic system implications.
• The JCDC property needs to be converted to the new provincial land registration system.

Discussion on Board and general insurance.

• All insurance has been cancelled.
• Sign is up and the gate is closed.
• No amount of warning will absolve us from liability if there is a clear hazard on the property.
• There is no money to finance renewed insurance, appraisals or structural assessment.

To Do List

Contact Inspector of Coops to renew JCDC Registration & file extraordinary resolution for transfer of property (Betty)

Get a cost of an appraisal of JCDC property – look for some concession on cost before proceeding. (Wilf)

Get the cost of having a structural engineer do an assessment of the property (Betty )
Look into the process of transferring real property from JCDC to District 10 Red Islands Volunteer Fire Department. (Don)

Approach Dan Cash, Parish Council about being part of a consortium to take over JCDC property (Betty)

Investigate the cost of insurance on property only (Howard)
Provide a Letter of Intent to JCDC that the Fire Department will “undertake the work and give earnest money” (Bill)

Communicate with JCDC member loan holders, residents/fire department stakeholders, community through mail-out, parish bulletin once strategy formed. Cape Breton Post asked to be contacted once we have a plan. (Betty )

Prepare a presentation to council from the Planning Committee once consortium is described asking for money for costs associated with appraisals, assessments, sewer upgrade – phased approach – target January (Betty

Give Howard the process for registering the JCDC property on the new land system (Don/Howard)

The blog so far

If anyone was reading the blog in the last few days, you may note that some of the postings have changed place. I moved things around so they are in chronological order.

As much as possible I tried to copy and paste the complete document in the blog. However, when there are tables or images in a document it was difficult to copy. In those cases I put the document on my website at work and included a link. At some point I may try again to post these documents themselves and free up my workspace drive but until then just click on the link to download the files.

I believe that I have all the documents up to the meeting with Maureen Carroll in July, 2007. Vibe was taking the notes at that meeting for inclusion in their report.

Since I was copying and pasting documents, please let me know if what is posted on this site differs from the print copy of the document so I can make the correction.

Please pass the url for this blog on to others who would be interested.

Rita
rita.campbell@ns.sympatico.ca

Option to lease: JCDC and District 10 FD, May 2007

THIS OPTION TO LEASE made this 3J day of May, 2007.

BETWEEN:

JOHNSTOWN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIVE LIMITED, a body corporate under the laws of province of Nova Scotia (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the co-operative" or "the optionor")

and

DISTRICT NUMBER TEN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, an incorporated Society, of Red Islands, Richmond County, Nova Scotia (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the fire department" or"the optionee")

Copy of option to lease agreement

Proposal: Development Plan & Structural Assessment

Request for Proposal
Development Plan & Structural Assessment
Submitted to: Johnstown Community Development Co-operative
Submitted by: Vibe Creative Group
April 2007
Vibe Proposal April 2007

JCDC and District 10 Red Islands Fire Dept.April 2007

April 2007 document as posted on the Johnstown website

Johnstown Community Development Cooperative and District 10 Red Islands Fire Department

Report of the issues and proposal as articulated by the executive of the Fire Department and JCDC at the April 4, 2007 meeting of the ratepayers of the District 10 Fire Department

Johnstown Community Development Cooperative (JCDC)

• In 2006, the JCDC property was appraised at $185,000 (with the building removed). There is about $17,000 remaining on the mortgage on the property. Monthly costs include $240 mortgage and $60 insurance.
• In 2005, at the request of its members, JCDC embarked on a series of public meetings and formed the Community Stakeholders Planning Committee with the Fire Department, Bras d’Or Lake Seniors, Parish Council, and community members at large. Several initiatives from the ideas put forward are in progressincluding: a road between the church parking lot to the parish hall to extend the Tepyiak Trail; funding has been received to conduct a development plan and structural assessment for the JCDC site; and funding has been requested for an interpretive sign at the Parish Hall. Although JCDC is committed to the projectsit can no longer pay the mortgage and insurance.

Options for JCDC include:

• Let the Credit Union foreclose on the property;
• Sell all or part of property;
• Enter into option to lease with District 10 Fire Department to cover monthly costs and enable both groups more time to plan. (Not mentioned at the meeting: There is a question about the JCDC taxes which have been deferred for 18 years. Will a new owner be responsible for them?)

District 10 Red Islands Fire Department

Members of the Fire Departm ent Executive have concerns about the fire hall.

• The septic tank is old, not built to current code, and not working well. At the present time users of the building are not able to use the washrooms. As a result the Fire Marshall could declare the building unfit for community use. The building is located very close to the lake which means that replacing the septicsystem will be expensive.
• The fire hall has received heavier use with the close of the JCDC building. The Senior’s group uses the building. The CAP site was relocated to it. JCDC has used it for meetings. Increased use has increased the operational costs and wear and tear on the building.
• With an increase in the number of uses for the building, it is evolving toward being a community centre. Is this the direction they want to go?
• With the addition of a new truck, deterioration of the building facilities, and increased usage, the Fire Department needs to do some long-term planning and determine the best direction for their future.

Proposal

That District 10 Red Islands Fire Department enters into an agreement to pay $300/month to JCDC for one year, renewable, for an “option to lease”. JCDC will include the Fire Department in the planning process for the JCDC property; agree not to sell land that might be needed for possible use by the Fire Department; and will proceed with the development plan. The option to lease is similar to a lease but with a stronger end-oflease commitment from JCDC to the Fire Department than a regular annual lease. The agreement includes a pay back clause should JCDC withdraw from the agreement and sell the land. It provides time for JCDC to continue their initiatives and the Fire Department time to do serious consultation and planning.

Where is the money coming from? The money would come from District 10 Fire Department GST rebates. This is money, approximately $14,000, that can be claimed by the Fire Department for GST paid over the years. It has not been claimed prior to this because of the huge amount of work involved. Members of the Fire Department executive are willing to put in time compiling the information from the receipts and filling in forms to support this proposal.

Presentation to Council, January 2007

Community Stakeholders Planning Committee
Johnstown, Red Islands, Hay Cove, Soldier’s Cove

Presentation to Council

January 2007

Report to Planning Committee, December 18, 2005

Report to the Community Stakeholders Planning Committee
December 18, 2005

Members:

JCDC Ltd. – Betty MacNeil, Louise Campbell
District 10 Fire Dept – Scott
Magdy, Darrell Johnson, Bill MacKenzie
Seniors – Theresa Campbell, Carol
MacNeil, Dan Cash
Parish Council – Joyce MacMullen, Charlie MacIntyre
Members at Large – Father Joe Gillis, Bob Campbell

The last report to the planning committee was October 9, 2005 – that report was circulated to the community in general and to the members of JCDC Ltd. prior to their AGM which took place on November 5, 2005.

To Do List from the October 9, 2005 Report:
1. Request that the fire department invest in JCDC.
The AGM of the District 10 Fire Dept was held on October 20, 2005. The members in attendance passed a resolution authorizing the purchase of one share in JCDC.

2. Revise the terms of Reference and submit an application for assistance to ECBC.
With the assistance of the Regional Development Agency, new terms of reference were prepared (see attached). These were submitted to ECBC along with an application form for assistance.

On November 21, 2005, I emailed Rick Beaton, VP, ECBC directly with a request for a meeting. No response to that request has been received to date.

Other Initiatives Undertaken:

• On November 4, 2005, the members of the Planning Committee who were available met with our MP, Rodger Cuzner at the District 10 Fire Hall. Mr. Cuzner reviewed the terms of reference with us and indicated that he thought the project had merit and that he would give it his personal attention. With the election underway, we do not anticipate any action on this file until after January 23, 2006.
• On November 14, 2005, Scott Magdy, Wilfred MacNeil, Theresa Campbell and Betty MacNeil attended the regular session of Richmond County Council in Arichat. Our terms of reference and a request to be put on the agenda had been forwarded by mid-October to the Municipal Office. A presentation was made to the council and questions were answered. We were informed that our request for $20,000 for a business plan would be referred to Committee of the Whole and a decision reached there. Since that time, we have had no notification, although in an informal conversation with a councilor from outside our district we learned that we would probably not get funding in this round.
• On December 1, 2005, after hearing a CBC program on how Cheticamp got their theatre built after involving the Dalhousie School of Architecture, I sent a letter to Professor Ted Cavanagh, School of Architecture (see attached). I acted unilaterally because I figured a shot in the dark was better than doing nothing until after the election.
• Mr. Cavanagh responded on December 7, 2005 (see attached).
• In my response to him, I suggested that members of our planning committee could meet with him at his convenience when he is traveling to Cheticamp.

Next Steps:
With Christmas upon us and the election following in January, there will probably not be any attention given to our proposal (at least by government agencies) before February.

I would suggest that the committee try to meet in January and review our strategy. In the meantime, if we have the opportunity to meet with Mr. Cavanagh, I will contact you by phone.

If any committee members have suggestions or comments, please contact me at 535-2765 or email at betty.macneil@I-port.ca

Report to Community, October 9, 2005

Community Stakeholders – Planning committee
Report on Meetings of September 12 & 27, 2005

Report to Stakeholders April 23 & 30, 2005

Report to Stakeholders on Community Meetings
Held at the Johnstown Parish Hall April 23, 2005
and
Red Islands Fire Hall April 30, 2005

Background
The Johnstown Community Development Cooperative (JCDC Ltd.) is in the process of preparing a business plan that would reflect a new strategic direction for JCDC. This business plan would assist the Board of Directors in their efforts to obtain financial assistance for the renewal/upgrade of the infrastructure of the property. The first step in preparing a plan was to hold community meetings on April 23, 2005 and April 30, 2005 to receive feedback from stakeholders (community and coop members) about the appropriate use of the property and to hear their concerns, suggestions and questions regarding the future of this property.

The mission of JCDC was stated in 1990 as follows:

“to conserve, develop, and renew the human resources, the physical infrastructure, and the social and natural resources of the areas surrounding the settlement of Johnstown, so as to enhance the area’s capacity to attract and keep year-round residents who can contribute to its life.”

Among the original goals stated for the development coop were to provide needed services to local residents, especially to seniors and youth; to conserve the environmental values of the Bras d’Or Lake; to support the cultures of the main ethnic groupings of the area; and to contribute to sustainable development of Cape Breton.

A number of initiatives have been undertaken over the past 15 years:

• Seniors club activities;
• Tourism related ventures;
• Rental of space for the credit union and other tenants;
• Establishment of a Community Access Project (CAP) site;
• Youth employment and music/recreation camps.

The Board of Directors have consulted with the Bras d’Or Lakers Seniors Group, the first organization to take an active role in the use of the building, and have received a letter (September 24, 2004) confirming that the Seniors support the concept of a Seniors Room being included in any building on the property in cooperation with JCDC plans.

The Board of Directors approached the District 10 Fire Hall to ask permission to relocate the CAP site to the fire hall. This move was made on April 17, 2005.

Suggestions from the April 23, 2005 meeting (13 attendees)

1. Assess the building.
2. Sell the property and building.
3. Declare bankruptcy.
4. Create seniors housing with coop members having preference.
5. House the fire hall.
6. Sell a piece of property.
7. Sell the CAP site.
8. Acquire resources for facilitated meetings.
9. Meet with the NS Co-op Council in Arichat for resources.
10. Partner with the following groups: League Savings, Municipality of Richmond, CAP Society, Federal Government, ECBC Innovation Fund, Seniors Council, Richmond, New Dawn, Big Pond Community Council, Community groups (Sacred Heart Ladies, Fire Hall, Parish Council, Seniors, JCDC Ltd.)
11. Have JCDC take responsibility for a planning committee inclusive of entities willing to participate.
12. Discuss with politicians about the retirement of the mortgage.

Questions arising from the April 23, 2005 meeting

1. Who owns the CAP assets?
   In the event that the CAP site cannot be re-activated, the CAP assets will revert to the Richmond Community Access Society (RCAS) and the RCAS Board (comprised of representatives of the 11 CAP sites in Richmond County) will re-distribute these assets, possibly opening a new CAP site in a community that applies for one.
2. How do we disseminate the report from these meetings?
   JCDC will do a mail-out to the coop members, provide an insert in the church bulletin, and provide copies of the report to the groups identified in the conclusion of this report for them to distribute to their membership.
3. What happens when a member of the coop passes away?
   JCDC has a policy that enables a member to nominate, in writing, a person to whom his member loan shall be transferred upon his death.
4. Is there any money in reserve?
   No.
5. How are we meeting the mortgage payments?
   RCAS has provided sustainability money for the CAP sites to enable them to cover the costs of operating. This has enabled JCDC to cover mortgage payments and overhead costs in the short term.

   The remaining questions will be answered in a follow-up report.
   

6. What is the status of the sewer and water system?
   
7. Can we get any assistance from the Department of the Environment with regard to taking down the building?
   
8. What is the cost of tearing down the building?
   
9. What issues would come up, when and if we sell?
   
10. Can we go back to the municipality to write off the rest of the mortgage?

Suggestions from the April 30, 2005 meeting (21 attendees)

1. Go back to council for relief from payment of the mortgage.
2. Get assessment of the property and building.
3. Approach the parish hall for good water.
4. Make the building a seniors’ complex – apartments, meeting rooms, doctor’s office.
5. Have more than one building on the site – include a fire hall in the complex.
6. Refer to the Big Pond experience with one building for many purposes – look for advice from Big Pond.
7. Sell a piece of the property.
8. Restructure the coop community – revert to community ownership, seek new members.
9. Pledge the land to a community or parish council (requires consultation with the coop members).
10. A business plan would have to be initiated by an incorporated body.

Questions arising from the April 30, 2005 meeting

1. 1. Who would own the complex and whose responsibility would the complex be?
2. What do the shareholders want to do with the building?
3. If a larger group were to take over, would the coop be willing to give the building over to the larger group?
4. Is there an assessed value on the property?

Conclusions
A steering/planning committee will be established through consultation with stakeholder groups. Anyone interested in participating on the committee may contact Betty MacNeil, JCDC, 535-2765; Dan Cash, Parish Council, 828-2791; George Presby, Fire Hall, 535-3553, Theresa Campbell, Seniors Group, 535-3598. There are also two “at large” positions for any persons who may not belong to one of the above groups. Interested persons may contact any one of the above.

Further Input
Anyone interested in putting forth further suggestions or concerns may contact JCDC Ltd., c/o Box 284, St. Peter’s, NS, B0E 3B0, phone: (902) 535-2765, email: betty.macneil@I-port.ca.

Welcome to the Community Planning Group Blog

I created this blog to serve as a source of documents about the Community Planning Group. In the next few weeks will add more information, such as a list of members of the Planning Group, documents such as the Vibe group porposal, and notices such as community meeting notes.