Ground under proposed cinema location contaminated
BattlefordsNOW has learned a large plot of downtown land where a five-screen cinema was set to be built, has been deemed unviable due to contamination. As such, construction of the cinema will not happen as originally proposed and no new location has been finalized as of yet.
On July 11, 2016 the city announced a deal with Magic Lantern Theatres (M.L.T.) to bring the first five-screen cinema to the city. The empty lot beside the liquor store was considered the perfect spot and was sold to M.L.T. for a dollar. Construction was supposed to start within weeks of the sale but for some reason it never did, now we know why.
Oil contamination from a car dealership, which used to operate on the land decades ago, has halted the project. According to Tom Hutchinson with Magic Lantern, the contamination is 25 feet deep, making it impossible to build on without a very costly remediation of the land.
In a statement from the city, they said no contamination was found during preliminary testing before the sale, however shortly after the sale, soil contamination was found on a portion of the property.