Klaus Fuerniss Enterprises (KFE) and Gibsons Marina & Hotel Partnership announced this week that it has secured arrangements to purchase the assets of Gibsons Marina.
The announcement came following a closed door meeting just prior to Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting.
“As a condition of the agreement, KFE is responsible for securing the transfer of the lease agreement with the Town of Gibsons and the province,” said Mayor Wayne Rowe in a prepared statement.
The Town holds a 30-year lease with the Crown that was recently renewed and which expires on Feb. 27, 2042.
Gibsons chief administrative officer Emanuel Machado told Coast Reporter in a follow-up interview Wednesday morning that the Town is now focused on “reviewing both the head-lease and the sub-lease with the province and the marina so [council] can understand the implications of the transfer of ownership.
“We will then bring a report to council with the pros and cons,” Machado said.
A written statement made by KFE released on Monday and provided to media Tuesday said, “The transfer of the ownership will take several months and when completed will bring no immediate changes to the boating community that use the services and facilities of the Gibsons Marina.
“Klaus Fuerniss will, in the future, establish an advisory committee made up of members of the boating community to work with the ownership to resolve issues in the best interest of all parties concerned. Our desire is to build upon the work that has been undertaken to date and to look at ways of providing a broader range of service to the boating community.”
Neither current Gibsons Marina owner Art McGinnis nor his business partner Jon McRae could be reached for comment before Coast Reporter’s press deadline Wednesday afternoon.