Supporters of the Battlefords Agricultural Society have stepped up efforts calling on North Battleford City Hall to negotiate a long-term lease with the society.
At Monday's meeting, council received correspondence from local resident Robert Tannahill, who voiced concern that 'the City was headed in the wrong direction and making for a bad decision by dealing with a short term lease as opposed to a long term lease" with the Ag Society.
The Ag Society has been seeking a new long-term lease deal with the City for the land occupied in the southeast quadrant of the city that houses their annual North West Territorial Days fair.
They have repeatedly expressed concern about provisions for a six-month cancellation of lease notice in their current deal. At a council meeting in November 2010, director Harvey Walker spoke against that provision in a presentation to council, saying the provision impacts negatively on future planning by the Ag Society.
Ag Society supporters have stepped up their letter-writing campaign in the past several weeks. Tannahill's latest correspondence repeated many of the same concerns expressed by society supporters over the past several months.
"How in the world can the Agricultural Society or any business organization plan for the future and succeed if they are threatened with a six month cancellation of lease notice," Tannahill wrote.
Tannahill's letter raised the prospect of the end to the Ag. Society.
"It would be a tragedy if this council should cause the failure of the Agricultural Society," he stated.
He called on the City to "leave the Agricultural Society where it has been for the past 106 years. If they are forced to shut down it will be the end of this historic organization, as they do not have the funds to relocated and rebuild."
City council discussed the letter with a number of councillors seeking details about the lease deal the Ag. Society currently has.
Mayor Ian Hamilton confirmed that the Ag. Society is currently in the sixth year of a 10-year lease.
Councillor Grace Lang appeared frustrated by the suggestions from Ag. Society supporters in recent months that council was ready to close down the society.
"We've never said in six months we're closing. We've never said that, and yet we keep on hearing about a 'six months lease, six months lease.' Well, you just finished saying it's a ten-year lease," said Lang.
Hamilton explained that the six-month clause was "an out clause, it's just like any other lease." Another clause that isn't often recognized, he pointed out, was one to compensate the Ag. Society for the fair market value of their assets.
