An attempt to use the old Kent County Jail and Courthouse for municipal offices has failed.
West Kent Councillor Mark Authier proposed that the municipality purchase and renovate the buildings, but says he wasn’t surprised that idea failed.
“I figured there would be a lot of work to get it up to par for people to work in it daily, but I was hoping we could have the courthouse and the jail and keep it in our hands so things aren’t majorly changed,” says Authier.
The buildings are currently owned by the province and will be listed on the market in the near future.
Many councilors have expressed support for the private sector to purchase and renovate the buildings.
Authier says he hopes a private buyer will come forward.
“One person that spoke to us say they were interested in it. This was a couple of years ago, so I’m hoping he’s still interested in it and that if he does purchase it, he’ll keep it as close [to its original look] as possible,” Authier says.