By ROY WOOD

The cedar-bordered Collins Department Store property in Main Street will remain essentially empty and unused after council decided Monday to limit potential liability posed by turning it into a formal parking lot.

The town bought the property at 6219-6231 Main earlier this year and in May asked town staff to report back on the feasibility of turning it into a downtown parking lot.

The report from operations director Shawn Goodsell made two main points: creating a parking lot would cost about $7,000, for which there is no budget; and potential hazards from loose gravel, older wooden steps and pieces of rebar protruding from concrete half wall could open the town to liability claims.

The discussion was lengthy and at times heated. At one point Councillor Jack Bennest said it seems “every idea that comes from this council (is greeted by) a negative reaction from staff.”

Mayor Ron Hovanes went further saying that the suggestion to install concrete steps and an asphalt surface makes little sense for what is a temporary use of the land. He also suggested “the first response from (town) management is ‘We shouldn’t do this.’”

Councillor Petra Veitimilla light-heartedly pointed out that town staff’s dire suggestions of how to save the money to create the parking lot included cancelling the repair of concrete steps near the elementary school or stopping completion of a row of grave marker bases at the cemetery.

In the end, council voted to table the matter until budget discussions later in the year and to post “PARK AT OWN RISK” signs on the property.