Local History Room – Saskatoon Public Library A-1185
The new Saskatoon Main Library is proposed to be situated on lands that were negotiated by the City of Saskatoon Land Branch on behalf of the Library Board. In my view, they overpaid for this property purchase but perhaps there was added benefit to this purchase that was not previously disclosed?
For more than 30 years, there was a gas station on the corner of 2nd Avenue and 25th Street before it was levelled for a parking lot for the Patricia Hotel. I have found no record of reclamation for this after demolition was completed. On the corner of 2nd Avenue and 24th Street was the former Merlin Motors site. I have been told that this site had its own fueling station located on the property but again no record of reclamation has been found. Perhaps the sellers of these locations had promised to fully reclaim these properties prior to construction commencement at their own expense?
I think that it is good civic accountability that should drive the City of Saskatoon and the Library Board to disclose if both or either site have been reclaimed prior to this expensive land purchase.
Or has the City of Saskatoon and the Library Board just ‘accepted’ this property ‘as is where is’ transferring all future costs onto the taxpayers of this city?