Developer, municipality at odds over well

Ken Anthony purchased the old Barrington high school from the municipality several years ago.

At issue is a well located on municipal land that’s been supplying Anthony’s complex. He appeared before council Aug. 17 requesting continued use of this well, the only water source he has to supply tenants and the only water source to his sprinklers.

He received a letter from the municipality one week before completion of the project informing him that he has 30 days to disconnect. “This is after two and a half years of being hooked up, as well as the only water source when I bought the property,” said Anthony, who has considerable property holdings in the area and has been highly instrumental in local development, attracting Tim Hortons, the Atlantic Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, Subway, and the Great Canadian Store amongst others. “The unfortunate part is this was the best project I have ever done in Barrington, taking an eye sore and vacant building and turning it into a 27 family and seven commercial tenants (project), over an acre of square footage and now having it completely full in Barrington’s biggest downturn of the economy. “This truly was a very successful project and council, who say they want business to develop here, is trying to sabotage this project if this water is disconnected,” he wrote in an email. Anthony says the municipality sold the property to him with the well intact, although they told him that the water source came from a different well – the one in front on the property he bought. He brought it to their attention that the water was actually coming from the well in back of his complex just recently.

After his presentation, Anthony was advised by council that continued communication regarding the matter be done through their legal advisors. “It should be a non-issue. I’m not asking for the world here. I’m just asking for the status quo,” said Anthony, who added that he had been assured by several lawyers his request pertained to nothing more than a “normal well easement”. The 30-year old educational complex was closed in 2005 because of environmental reasons, which Anthony says he has fully addressed in the renovations.

He indicated to members that the well on the property he purchased is believed to be too close to a contamination site to be used as a source of water for the development.

Another lawsuit by Anthony involving the Municipality of Barrington was filed last year after he says he discovered oil contamination on the same property. That case goes to court next month.