Tim Lauer could be excused late Monday night for feeling like he had just sprinted two blocks to catch a bus only to turn the final corner to see the vehicle pulling out of the station.
The veteran city politician made an impassioned, last-ditch plea to keep the former CN Train Station in city hands but it proved to be too little too late.
Last Monday night, in a closed session meeting, councillors debated the sale of the city-owned property at 150 Front Street.
During the open part of the council committee meeting, councillors voted to give staff permission to negotiate the sale of the property to a bidder they selected. Staff had said earlier there were multiple bids on the property which was put up for sale last fall.
This week, prior to city council ratifying the decision to allow staff to negotiate the sale, Lauer tried to convince his colleagues to put the brakes on the initiative.
He said there were both practical and abstract reasons for his plea.
The Ward 4 councillor said there is “new development going on in that area,” including an ambitious townhome project slated for the former Schacter scrapyard.
He also noted Front Street is set to be revitalized and added waterfront redevelopment will have positive spinoffs in that area of the city.
“The whole area is in transition,” said Lauer. “I think the value of that property is going to do nothing but increase.”
Lauer, who is a long-time real estate agent, said he was miffed the property was put on the market at the worst time of the year (November through January) and wondered why the “current opinion of value” is a two-year-old number.
He said the city should have put out a request for proposals for the property rather than just listing it on the open market.
Lauer also said the property could be used by the city as an active transit hub, could be an ideal spot for bike rentals when the nearby trails are connected and had been earlier identified as a good spot for a future city transit hub.
But there’s even greater abstract issues, he said, noting it’s all about location.
“The location is critical. It is what’s going to be the gateway to the downtown and waterfront,” said Lauer, noting once work is completed on major road and infrastructure projects, this location is at the centre of it all.
He also touted the “heritage aspect" of the building. “It’s got a huge, huge history.”
Lauer noted the building is 100 years old, it’s where generations got dropped off when they arrived in the city. It also, he noted, served as a depot for soldiers from across Canada who landed in Orillia before heading to Base Borden.
While the history is important, the future could be even more vital, he noted.
“The potential for that building, in my opinion, certainly outweighs the short-term gain that may be realized by selling,” Lauer noted.
“I think we've got to put the brakes on for a couple of years, allow development to happen, get Front Street rebuilt, we need to sort out the King Street extension (and) we need to sort out infrastructure needs that might impact the area,” he said.
“While we’re waiting, we need to explore the cultural and recreational potential of the building ... (and) see what is possible.”
Lauer used the Orillia Museum of Art and History as an example of what can be accomplished through patience.
He recalled when the Sir Sam Steele building “was in disarray (and there was) lots of talk about selling it.”
Fortunately, said Lauer, “councillors listened to the community.”
He conceded it took years and a lot of patience but, “in the end (it) is one of the most vibrant entities in the downtown."
“This is exactly the same situation,” he said of the former train station.
Laure said some councillors are worried about “an embarrassment factor” after the city already changed course on the sale of the building previously.
“The decision not to sell requires vision and commitment to the best possible result for citizens of Orillia - not the development community.”
Lauer found a kindred spirit in Coun. Jay Fallis. Fallis said the facility would be a good place for a transit hub and sided with Lauer.
However, the rest of council disagreed.
Long-time councillor Ralph Cipolla noted the building has sentimental value to him; his family arrived from Italy to Orillia and disembarked at the Front Street train station. They have made their life here since.
“My preference would have been to hold on to it,” said the Ward 2 councillor. But he said the city’s move to designate the station as a heritage building “solves the whole problem.”
With that in mind, he believes it’s time to sell.
“The taxpayers of Orillia can’t afford to maintain (the building),” said Cipolla. “Let’s just get on with it.”
And that’s what council decided.
As a result, staff are now empowered to negotiate the sale with the preferred bidder.
However, council must approve any deal that is reached before it’s official. Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke said he expects the issue to be back at council within 45 days.
