ANTIGONISH: The exhibition grounds came up during a recent joint council meeting.
During a joint council meeting last week, Antigonish Town and County council members discussed the lease of the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition (ENSE) grounds.
Antigonish Mayor Laurie Boucher said the councils discussed an ENSE board request for improvements to the grounds.
“We’re supportive of the exhibition and we’re united as far as holding it at the arena as long as they want to be there,” said Boucher.
The exhibition was held last year after being cancelled in 2015, which marked the first time in 151 years the exhibition didn’t happen. The ENSE board made the decision after receiving word the Antigonish Arena was undergoing renovations from June 1 to September 30, 2015.
Bruce Thomson, president of the ENSE board, said the request was made by the boards and the Antigonish-Guysborough Federation of Agriculture to revisit the lease to avoid past problems.
“Those organizing the extremely popular Antigonish Farmers Market and other user groups would like to construct a new multi-purpose heated building to be used for the expanding market and also for use by other groups or individuals for rental,” stated Thomson in an e-mail.
“It is proposed to be located in the general vicinity of the old red horse barn. This new building is in the design/engineering phase at present. The earliest date of completion would be in the fall of 2017.”
Thomson said that in order to get any funding from government, all the users of the grounds, along with the town and county councils, need to work together.