The Crater Lot on Mill Street — Peterson and Dr. Metcalfe

The old parking lot next to the Victoria Mill was the property

The lot on Mill Street, which was the cause of Mr. Louis Peterson’s resignation from the Utilities Commission a few weeks ago was sold to him for a second time by the Almonte Town Council Tuesday evening during a special session in November of 1945.

The parcel of vacant land which originally had an old crater in the middle of it was sold to Mr. Peterson some months ago by the Council for its assessed value of $240. He wished to build an extension to his ice cream plant and as the property was of no use to him or no one else the Council was overjoyed to sell it to him. At the time Mr. Peterson was a member of the Public Utilities Commission and Dr. A. A.Metcalfe who was at loggerheads with him for years took advantage of a technicality to disqualify him. Dr Metcalfe got an Ottawa lawyer to write letters to the Commission pointing out that Mr. Peterson had violated the law which forbade an elected representative to do business of any kind with the municipality. This law had been in effect for years. On the other hand it was pointed out that there were no members in other municipalities with an attitude like Metcalfes to take advantage of unseating an elected representative.

After considering the matter for a couple of weeks, Mr. Peterson, who considered the lot more important than a seat on the Commission which brought him no money, decided to resign. After he did this and became a private citizen once more he gave the town a quit claim for the lot and the Council ordered his cheque for $240 returned to him.

The lot was once again the property of the town and the Council advertised it for sale in the local paper. The only offer received was from Mr. Peterson who said he would purchase it once again at its assessed value. In the meantime the assessment for the current year had come into effect and Mr. Peterson had to pay $250 for it which was ten dollars higher than the 1944 price. This of course was neither here nor there.

At this same special meeting of the Council a bylaw was passed confirming the sale of the old Windsor Hotel property to the North Lanark Co-Operative for $1,000. Another bylaw dealt likewise with the old Belmont building which was sold to Howard Davey . (The site of the hotel on the brow of the hill on the north side of the river had something majestic about it, and Mr. Reilly’s square plan, once completed added grace and charm to the site. But to make assurance doubly sure that his hospitality would be welcome to people of the quality, he gave the hotel a name to ensure the royal flavour. On the south wall, between the windows of the third floor, he had the painters inscribe a royal name for his enterprise, WINDSOR HOUSE.) read- Mr. Reilly Founds a Hotel in Almonte