Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, today announced the sale of the Ark Inn and Restaurant at Spry Point, to the company which operates The Inn at Bay Fortune.
Minister Currie said the sale of the property to the private sector will inject new life into the area, and he says new ownership will help make the Ark a successful tourism business.
"The Wilmer family have proven to be very successful in rural Prince Edward Island with The Inn at Bay Fortune, which has become popular with visitors from across North America and around the world," the Minister said. "Tourism numbers are continuing to increase each year and the push is on to attract tourists to all parts of the Island. The Ark is a key to attracting visitors to eastern PEI."
The Department of Transportation and Public Works, along with Enterprise PEI, had called for Expressions of Interest in November 1998, in hopes of attracting private developers for the project. It was then decided to put the property up for sale by tender. The Inn at Bay Fortune came in as the highest bidder.
"We are very pleased to be given the opportunity to develop the Ark property at Spry Point and look forward to making it an attraction that tourists and locals can appreciate and enjoy," said David Wilmer, owner of The Inn at Bay Fortune.
Mr. Wilmer plans to have the Ark open for the 1999 tourist season and will begin renovations. Plans will be completed in phases, with the first phase calling for renovations to the existing facilities. Subsequent enhancements will be released as they become available.
Minister Currie also announced that a day use park and provincial campground facility will be built on 33 acres near the Ark property, at Sally's Beach. This area has been popular with locals for a number of years and the day use park will compliment the area.
"We are looking at an area for camping sites and trailer hook-ups, as well as a day use park that everybody can enjoy," Minister Currie said. "Area residents had expressed the importance of Sally's Beach and we are pleased to have been able to support this initiative in the community. We want any development at Spry Point to be successful and for that to happen, we need co-operation from the developers, the tourists and the local residents."
Local residents have praised the deal and are hopeful the new ownership at the Ark Inn and Restaurant will re-vitalize tourism in the area.
"This is great news for the area, and we are especially pleased to be getting a day use park and campground," said Dave Dingwell, former president of the Spry Point Co-Operative, former operators of the Ark Inn and Restaurant. "We wanted to make sure the Ark would continue to employ locals and be an important development in Eastern PEI. This announcement ends one chapter of the Ark and begins another. We are confident the best chapter is yet to come."