Monday, May 6, 2013

We have heard this story before......

This morning all excited knowing that the deadline of April 30 had pasted and that according to the agreement between Medican and the municipality that the developer was supposed to announce the name of the hotel chain by that date.

So there I sat with the new municipal flag hanging over my fire place, and my pin of multi coloured triangles attached to my pyjamas top. I patiently sat in front of my radio this morning waiting for the Mayor to take his first opportunity since April 30 to bask in the announcement of the hotel coming to the old hospital site. There was much speculation that it would be a Best Western, has one of the comment's pointed out on my previous post, when you read the articles from the Okotoks paper, Medican, Group Vachon and Best Western seem like a natural fit.

I was so disappointed when the Mayor said the Board of Governors for Best Western are meeting next week to make a decision, (maybe the contract said April 30 2014? check below) which is really strange because about a month a go at a previous council meeting the public was told that the Board of Governors were meeting on April 8-11th.

Back to the radio the Mayor states that there are concerns coming from Sparwood because a Best Western was announced there quite a while back, (see Best Western update below, those two year deadlines are going to be difficult to make).

But the Mayor did come to the rescue with more positive news if Best Western does not come through then we have the Holiday Inn waiting in the back ground, hopefully their Board of Governors will not take too long to get together.

Word on the street is there is a third choice, the famous family ran Dick's hostel and discount water slides are taking a look at the site. (The head of the family Mr Dick suggests that he could get all the Dicks together for a meeting to make a decision, very quickly)

On a serious note folks does this not sound like the script from the Quebec Manufacturer saga except every where the words "Quebec Manufacturer" were used previously you now insert "Hotel Board of Governors" I will pee myself the first time I hear at a council meeting, "I'm sure these Board of Governors are running up lot's of Air Miles flying back and forth to the Pass"       

Medican and Municipality of CNP Contract available at http://transparencycnp.shawwebspace.ca/blog/posts/2/5/


Sparwood Update on Best Western site Feb 2012

 http://www.sparwood.ca/government/news/announcements/best-western-hotel-development

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Explain to me why we have to worry about Sparwood and their concerns.

Anonymous said...

I'd take the Holiday Inn, Express I assume, over the BW. These things have a life of their own with many considerations. Now this doesn't mean that I agree with the Mayor and how this has all been handled. Nor do I ignore the part that many people were involved in the CLC fiasco and that the efforts of the previous council made this all possible.

We are nearly across the river....if the raft doesn't hit the bank soon, you will have been right in your assessment. It also shows that the Mayor is but a pawn and a puppet in the whole scheme, but I doubt if he thinks that.

Anonymous said...

Here we are today out of five of the purchasers conditions we extended two back over a month ago.
Now we have obviously extended the most important one to this point. The name of the hotel chain.
So one could argue that the credibility of this agreement between the two parties is fading very fast.

Jack said...

Once again this Mare is putting the cart before the horse. Don't you think they would have checked with Best Western before they announced that they were coming.

Anonymous said...

Reminds me a lot of Bridgecreek.I am now reasonably sure we are not getting a hotel in the near future.But I do think the mare will try and keep up the charade for another 5 months.
It is so simple that if you got the Holiday Inn people ready to go and build a hotel then as the contract was broken, no need to make any extensions.
Colin and Bill would be proud.

John Prince said...

Dean,
"So there I sat with the new municipal flag hanging over my fire place, and my pin of multi coloured triangles attached to my pyjamas top." lol :-)

Good one Dean. I needed that laugh after I too heard the mayor's moment on the radio this morning and spilled my tea while shaking my head in disbelief at the audacity of the man to think we're all knuckleheads here in the Pass. This is just so much more pie-in-the-sky. I agree, this is just more never-ending manufacturing plant having the same eventual outcome, I'm afraid i.e. a whole lot of nothing.

I actually feel embarrassed... and ashamed. Knowing as I do that a simple letter of intent is a far cry and ways from getting an investor prepared and interested in ponying up $8-12 million to build this hotel, and we can't even get off the ground with the former (a mole hill in the scheme of things) makes one wonder how insurmountable a mountain the latter will be for these guys?

It truly is embarrassing to see this thing play out as it is, and I hate to be the one who says I told you so, but I did, and that is what makes me so ashamed for our municipality, as we are being perceived by many as incompetent backward hicks, in way over our heads, with this lot.

Better things would have been to leave it for the next council to deal with than to make a mess of things as they have and are doing.

Have little to no faith and a whole whack of concerns that will not abait anytime soon.

JP

p.s. It's a shame Randy is such a shill for the mayor (although he is being paid by the municipality, so I guess that's his job?) and as such does absolutely nothing in holding this mayor accountable for some of his outlandish claims and statements that even a discerning simpleton would find hard to swallow. To bad indeed!

Anonymous said...

Why would Randy question anything. He is just there as a radio dj to let someone talk. Don't get excited.

Also, little or no credibility to me when someone spells mare instead of Mayor. Then you wonder about hicks, hummm.

Anonymous said...

Check out the following I now have it figured out.

http://www.bestwesterndevelopers.com/membership/worldwide-development.html

The problem is not Best Western its finding the investor with the $10-12 million. It appears very simple to me to get a Best Western has long as you have the cash up front.

Anonymous said...

12:15 You said

"Also, little or no credibility to me when someone spells mare instead of Mayor. Then you wonder about hicks, hummm."

I would challenge you to find out the source of "da mare"? in this case it comes from the trunk of the Mayors very own car.

I will repeat "your" words.

"Also, little or no credibility to me when someone spells mare instead of Mayor. Then you wonder about hicks, hummm."

Anonymous said...

I will continue to spell Mayor any way I wish.Come October when we have a new Mayor, I will spell it Mayor. For the next 4 months however it will be mare.So you can do your name calling because that must be all right and I also could care less if my statements are credible to you,hummmm.
My statement was that I compared them(council and mare) to Bridgecreek.Lots of talk, no action.Tell me where I am wrong Mr. Credible.Or is that you,Misty.

Anonymous said...

So what the hell does April 30, or August 30 or any other deadline mean???????

Maybe in a year we will hear that Medican wanted to be closer to a larger center.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised the PR firm has not advised the Mayor to cancel his radio chats. It seems like every time he speaks he brings the blogs back to life.

Well Done

Anonymous said...

12:22 wrote:
"http://www.bestwesterndevelopers.com/membership/worldwide-development.html
The problem is not Best Western its finding the investor with the $10-12 million. It appears very simple to me to get a Best Western has long as you have the cash up front."


From the bottom of that page:
"Each Best Western hotel is independently owned and operated."

Best Western is in the franchising business. They sell their brand and management services (and mini-shampoo bottles etc.) to independent owners. That's what is happening in Okotoks:
“Between having Best Western approve the preliminary drawings and the Town approve the development permit application – those are two huge milestones in the project,” she said ...
Bodnarchuk, along with her husband Greg, owns BWO Hospitality Inc., the company building the hotel.

http://www.westernwheel.com/article/20111123/WHE0801/311239998/0/WHE
Medican, the contractor hired to build the hotel, said they are ready to go when they get the signal.
http://www.westernwheel.com/article/20130306/WHE0801/303069968/0/WHE

What's missing is a "BWCNP Hospitality Inc." to put up the money and operate the franchise. I don't think that is Medican or Group Vachon.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:55 I am glad you posted that.Even if Best Western says go ahead with our franchise we still have nothing until someone comes along with millions.So you can have approval from council and Best Western and still have nothing.
The press release, the open house,the contract, all of the talk from council and what do you got.Smoke and mirrors.

Anonymous said...

Valid point with the sarcasm. This is all becoming a repeating joke that I am sure does not go unnoticed by developers and future, potential, investors in anything that may be upcoming.

...unfortunately, Dean, something has come up and I won't be able to come over to your house for breakfast tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

It was a bit embarrassing to hear from our Mayor about the Board of Governors of the Best Western meeting on this matter. Where does he get his script? O la la

Crowsnest Pass Home said...

4:48.

Thanks for the comment, no free breakfast here. Get your name on the right list I'm sure you will be invited to the next wine and cheese event.

Anonymous said...




Blogger Crowsnest Pass Home said...
4:48.

" Get your name on the right list I'm sure you will be invited to the next wine and cheese event."

I am afraid to do that as, like you said, you may and I might have a bit of an incident. The free sample of 'Depends' says to allow at least two weeks for delivery.

At least they give a guarantee on delivery unlike our delusional council.

Anonymous said...

The word is the Governors will approve the Hotel as soon as Engineering works out a solution peculiar to the CNP. (notice buyer engineering condition was extended)

It turns out, CNP generates too much hot air during meetings, especially if it's Council related. The proposed Hotel's state of the art meeting facilities are not able to safely process this much hot air.

The Governors have determined the Hotel can not proceed until provisions for recycling all the hot air are to world's standards.

Engineers have been tasked to find solution. Until such time, the Governors are looking at two other locations.

Anonymous said...

I don't think too many developers will take notice. Most people don't even know about CNP. When I moved down from Calgary, they thought I was moving to BC.

Loreena Russomanno said...

“So there I sat with the new municipal flag hanging over my fire place, and my pin of multi coloured triangles attached to my pyjamas top”

Ha-ha Your sense of humour is refreshing! I don’t agree with everything you say, but enough of it that you will definitely get my vote. Thanks for be so diligent with attending council meetings and keeping us informed through your posts.

PS You get that we are going to make fun of you too, when you are on council again right? :)

Crowsnest Pass Home said...

Hi Loreena

Good to hear from you.
Most of this stuff is serious and should be taken seriously most of the time. But once in a while it does not hurt to lighten the mood a bit.

Two very important points one if we all agreed it would make for very little debate, two I fully expect that if I get back on council there will be the occasional shot coming my way.

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Quebec manufacturer can help with the hot air issue. Should be easier to solve than the hot water problem.