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NLIS 2
September 14, 2000
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

 

Road to Ferryland lighthouse to be relocated

Charles Furey, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, today gave approval to the town of Ferryland to start construction of a new road which will lead to the Ferryland lighthouse. Lord Baltimore�s mansion, a significant historical and archaeological find, lies beneath the existing road to the Ferryland lighthouse and, at the request of the Colony of Avalon, government agreed in March 2000 to relocate the road in order to allow archaeologists to dig under the present road without blocking access to the lighthouse.

"The Colony of Avalon is quickly becoming one of the most popular tourist attractions on the Southern Avalon, drawing nearly 16,000 visitors annually," said Minister Furey. "It has been featured prominently in the national media and is providing an economic alternative to an area hard hit by the fishery crisis. Between 50 and 90 jobs were created at the site this summer and relocating the road will allow this work and employment to continue."

Eleven parcels of land owned by nine separate owners will need to be acquired by government to build the new road and allow for the continued operation of the historic site. In the spring of 2000, the government initiated expropriation procedures to clear the way for the road and provide fair compensation to land owners. These procedures were placed on hold on a tempory basis due to concerns of the land owners that further negotiations should be held. These negotiations were made possible by the Colony of Avalon rearranging its archaeological field work for the summer to avoid digging under the existing road. To date, four of the land owners have agreed to negotiated settlements. The sale of these properties will be finalized pending the completion of a title verification by the Department of Justice.

Offers were based on a standard which recognized the commercial and tourism nature of the immediate area, along with other standard market and location criteria applied in land appraisals. Due to the time sensitive nature of this project, construction of the new road must begin right away, and although some land owners have not accepted the latest government offers, they will still receive fair compensation for their land.

"The offers made by government have been based on independent appraisals. We are satisfied that fair, open and appropriate steps have been taken to account for the concerns of the property owners and provide fair value for their properties," added Furey.

Construction on the relocated road is expected to commence as soon as the town council of Ferryland awards the tender for the job. This is expected to happen early in the fall of 2000, so that work can be completed before the winter freeze-up. This will enable the archaeologists to begin work under the existing road to uncover the mansion next summer.

Government is pleased to be able to assist the community of Ferryland with this exciting project, which not only deepens our understanding of the past, but which also provides hope for the future.

Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Communications, (709) 729-0928

2000 09 14 4:25 p.m.


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