Now Teri and George, You should know better than give me what in effect is a "blank cheque" to get something going here.

I am fine Teri, other than being slightly "unemployed" shortly, but been there done that, guess my own "Winter Break" in Timmins is going to have to take a back seat as I swing into survival mode...

Really things are fine and I will email u with all the "gory" details...

Right how short are you for taking over the place.... Best post in US Dollars so everyone has to "convert"... Between the boards and Forums if we cannot help you out, well words would fail me.

Will need some simple rules here...

1. Donations are gifts... non refundable should your enterprise fail and the Maple leaf have to be resold at a later date due to personal or financial reasons.

2.......... That's it. No fuss or legal fees, just trust and goodwill... now there is something that reminds me of a breath of fresh Air.

3. You must maintain a running total and update pages at all major Shania Twain "Maple Leaf" donation points at your expense and time arranging the details with each site's web controller.

4. You must agree to take payments in cash, cheques or credit/debit card in any legal form. My cheque to get things rolling should reach you mid January... Timmins Web Inc will be responsible for publishing in full the accounts in line with the laws applying to Canada and an independent auditor may be appointed by any 80% vote from all donating sites

5. A roll of "honour" in alphabetical order of country of every named donation be maintained and eventually built into the structure in a public area for all to see. The amount of each donation will not be listed. Those who don't wish to be named should be respected as far as possible.

6. A poll on each site taking part must give a clear mandate of over 60% for this project to start on that site and the poll should be simple and only 2 questions... Owners and Web controllers of each individual site have control on this and may wish to opt out without any poll.

7. Any former employer or employee may donate and take part in this attempt to re open the Maple Leaf hotel. Local and national media in Canada using the same route as the Internet may take donations.

8. If things don't work out priority should be given to maintaining the structure as an educational project or tourist attraction.

9. Only one chairman/chairwoman be in overall charge of the fundraising at any time and the period in office not exceed one year. That person must live in Timmins.

10. Timmins Web Inc will liase with all external Web sites on that persons behalf and provide any facilities and training required to get the Timmins chairperson on line and comfortable with the internet technology.

11. The venue must remain a home for live music and the Genre of this music must be decided by the owner and dictated by commercial forces. An open evening for young singers and songwriters must be a feature once a week.

Hello everyone, a wee update from George and Teri at Timmins Web...

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I've forwarded the email to George and he has mentioned about getting a lawyer to set up an independant corporation. He's still playing around with ways to pull this off. The Maple Leaf Hotel will be it's own entity and not part of Timminsweb Inc. We had already decided that. We don't care if it makes a profit as long as it can hold it's own. It's a Timmins landmark and I would love to see it restored back to it's former glory.

As for the hotel. We walked through it today. Several of the water pipes burst when the heat was turned off last winter. It seems that the previous owner just locked the doors and walked away without turning off the water.

To make matters worse the building was hot water heated so several of the radiators are cracked open. On the second floor one of the ceilings is about to collapse from water damage in one of the rooms. The kitchen is so old the main stove must be at least 40 years old. It will have to be completely redone. We still have to hire a contractor to give us an estimate on repairs plus roof etc.

George figures it's going to cost us about 1/4 million dollars canadian for the purchase and renovations before we can open. That's an awful large sum of money but before we back down he's going to see what he can do.

In order to reopen the hotel we'd have to do several months of renovations including replacing the heating system, repairing the water pipes and replacing some of the electrical. I don't think anything has been done in there as far as upkeep for at least 20 yrs.

The current owner of the building is a bank in town here. It's strange they have a bunch of stipulations on purchase and even have a purchase agreement already written up which gives them the ability to cancel the deal right up until noon closing day even if the final waiver has been signed. It's the first time I've ever seen the seller come up with the contract.

Also we need to look into taxes etc. It seems we will be responsible for all leans and anything owing on the building including some of the debts of the previous business including city taxes. There has also been an environmental study done on the building which hopefully we will see tomorrow.

It was done a few months ago and in order to open we have to comply with it's findings so I am curious to see this report.

On the plus side most of the memorabilia is still there including the autographed picture of Shania. There were a few things missing mostly pertaining to Stompin Tom Connors another canadian country star who had his start at the Maple leaf Hotel. The place is full of old furniture etc. so restoring it to a previous era would be much easier than we had hoped in that regard. After seeing the rooms upstairs George had the wonderful idea of turning the upstairs into a bed and breakfast for people visiting Timmins. I can see it now "Spend your vacation at the Maple leaf
Hotel" *h*

George is determined to check everything out before he makes his decision and I have given him the ok to use my house as collateral in this venture which I would not have done if I didn't think George's intentions were honourable. He really does want to see downtown Timmins prosper.

Things are slowed down by the fact that no bank in Ontario will lend money to a bar nowadays. That will pose a large problem but I know George, if he really wants it he'll figure something out. All the funding will have to come from private sources.

George has contacted a promoter from the Toronto area we both know and he's agreed to supply us with all the live country entertainment we need at a very reasonable cost so that's no problem and the previous staff have caught wind of all this and have already handed in their resume's to George.

Whew, I've probably left a lot out but that's the start of it anyways. At this point it seems like one hell of a mountain to climb (pardon my english) Well I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride. No one ever said life with George would be boring.

Hope you are well Tom and I've got my fingers crossed that you find employment. umm..have you ever managed a bar?

Teri.

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Please read the next post for an update on this thread... and again lets formally start an appeal fund on this site!

Hello Everyone, A little update from the pages of the Timmins Daily Press for you all to ponder....

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City businessman wants to keep Maple Leaf Hotel from falling

By Bruce MacKinnon

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 07:00

Local News - The Maple Leaf Hotel is a living piece of Timmins history and is worth preserving.

It’s a sentiment George Kirkman, a Timmins businessman,
is willing to back up with his own money.

The owner of Timmins Web is trying to purchase the
landmark from the bank.

The Business Development Bank of Canada, with whom the
building is in receivership, is not willing to let the building go for under $50,000, but remains open to offers that meet or exceed that amount.

Pending their approval, Kirkman is willing to renovate and restore the launching pad for legends like Stompin Tom and Shania. It will only cost $250,000 to do, but it’s worth it to Kirkman.

“It’s not an unreasonable amount of money to spend for
an established business,” he said. “It’s an historic landmark in Timmins and it should be preserved.

“To country and western fans, it’s a shrine.”

The building needs considerable work done on the inside
to restore it to it’s former glory and Kirkman is looking for the public’s help if he’s the successful bidder.

“We’d like to find pictures of the original lounge,” he said. “The upstairs rooms will be turned into a classy bed and breakfast.

“It will be advertised all over the world on the internet and will become a major tourist draw for country fans.

“This could be a way of continuing to revitalize the downtown core.”

It all depends on reaching a deal with the bank, but the possibilities are all positive, Kirkman said.

“We need to keep this piece of Timmins history alive, it’s not just about tourism,” he said. “It’s about promoting our legacy and our pride in our past.”

Kirkman would like to include an alcohol-free night, to encourage children and teens to come out and be part of the famous talent search night.

“It worked for Shania Twain and Stompin Tom,” he said. “We have so many talented performers here, they need a place to be seen.”

Even if another bidder is successful, Kirkman only hopes the Maple Leaf is preserved.

“All I care about is, if the establishment is kept alive,” he said. “I just hope it isn’t torn down or turned into something else.”

Thanks to News Editor OSPREY MEDIA GROUP INC. for permission to post.

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Well I am going to open my wallet.... what about you?