The Daily Press is the city of Timmins broadsheet newspaper.
TIMMINS – The Shania Twain Centre and Underground Gold Mine Tour will be history in more ways than one if Goldcorp Canada completes a deal to purchase the land where those attractions are located.
“If an agreement can be reached, our plans are to demolish both,” Domenic Rizzuto, manager of human resources and corporate social responsibility for Goldcorp’s Porcupine Gold Mines, told The Daily Press.
Goldcorp’s interest in the property comes at a time when the company is developing an open pit mine in an area pocked by subsidances from the old Hollinger mine workings.
The original proposed layout of the open pit saw the exterior wall or berm curving around the property where the Twain centre and mine tour site are located. If the land sale goes through, there will be less need for Goldcorp to prevent the berm from encroaching in that area. “Goldcorp is in discussions with the city to purchase the Shania Twain Centre and Gold Mine Tour because there is an economic case to so,” said Rizzuto.
Timmins council announced on Monday the city was close to finalizing an agreement to sell the Twain centre and mine tour property to Goldcorp.
The potential sale price has not been revealed.
Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren said they were not in a position to publicly discuss dollar figures since the two sides were still in negotiations.
Laughren acknowledged the Twain centre and underground tour was costing the city a combined total of about $300,000 a year to maintain.
On Monday, Council unanimously supported taking the first step in selling the property by declaring it as “surplus” land.
The Shania Twain Centre opened July 1, 2001. The development of the centre was part of a $10-million upgrade of the tourist site shared by the two attractions. The construction of the centre was reported at the time to be approximately $5 million
For the original version of this article, please go to the Timmins Daily Press website: http://www.timminspress.com/2013/01/09/demolition-planned-for-shania-centre