Cooke Aquaculture bought the former Synagogue on Carletown Street from the city for $1. It plans to renovate the historic building and turn it into office space.
The city bought the building when the congregation moved out in 2008 for $275,000. It had been looking unsuccessfully since then for someone to take it over…and finally sold it to Cooke for a loonie.
Deputy Mayor Shirley McAlary told the Telegraph-Journal it’s not unusual for the city to sell a building for $1 if someone comes forward with a solid plan to put it to good use. That way the city doesn’t have to pay for maintenance or to demolish it.