MELFORT — An auction for Melfort’s old Chamber of Commerce building has ended, but despite having bids, the building remains unsold.
The auction ended on Aug. 10 with the highest bidding being $15,500. The goal was to raise enough to pay for the Chamber’s $40,000 worth of debts.
“There were bids but it wasn’t sold at this point of time,” said Darryl Benson, a director with the chamber.
“It was subject to owner confirmation and the bid wasn’t high enough,” said Barrie Yung, auctioneer at Bruce Schapansky Auctioneers.
As part of the auction, the buyers are responsible for moving the 28 foot by 56 foot building from the City of Melfort’s property.
“I don’t know what their plan is,” Yung said. “I’ve talked with them, I’m still sort of negotiating with some of the bidders, see if they’ll up their bids any. As of right now it didn’t meet the amount they felt they needed.”
Benson said the chamber was still working out its next plan of action.
The $40,000 debt was due to $36,000 in unremitted payroll expenses and another $4,000 in unpaid bills. Former board members of the chamber could be personally liable for the payroll expenses, proportional to the number of years they sat on the board while the payroll expenses were unpaid.
Benson said the chamber is hoping to have the building sold and get its finances in order. After that, the goal is to have a downtown office. The director added the chamber’s going to need help from the business community to get back on track.
