Just months after a proposal to develop the Walkerton Jail fell through, new investors have emerged with a plan for the property.
Bruce County councilors received an update on the status of the jail property during an in-camera session this morning and were told county staff have been in discussions with a prospective investor.
Warden Mitch Twolan says he can't discuss the nature of the proposal, but says county staff will be coming back at a later date with more information, adding it's encouraging to see interest in the county-owned jail property, which has sat largely unused since the provincial government closed it in 2011.
The county had been pursuing a lease agreement with a pair of investors earlier this year who were seeking to transform the 148-year old building into a jail-themed hotel business, but council was told in May that those negotiations had fallen through.
Brockton Mayor David Inglis says the new investors are a local couple who are not yet prepared to go public with the details of their proposal.
"It's good to hear that there's an interested party. They have a decent plan for the facility and it's kind of exciting. I've talked to the young couple and they're enthusiastic about it and prepared to move forward and get some negotiations done and do what they want to do," says Inglis.
