Here's the Times-Herald articles about the sale of our building, which ran Tuesday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 25:
Elks Lodge sold to group of buyers
On Monday, the Moose Jaw Elks Club announced it has finalized the sale of its Langdon Crescent lodge to a group of undisclosed investors.
Sam Morrison, Elks management committee chairman, said the local non-profit group would remain in its current facility until the end of January. Until the end of 2008, it would be "business as usual" for the club.
However, for their final 31 days of possession, Morrison said members would be "cleaning up and moving out."
Although declining to disclose who bought the property or how much the new owner paid, Morrison said the sale was beneficial for the Elks, whose dwindling numbers have made the current facility more expensive to operate.
"We did good and they did good," he said, adding the club plans to find a new facility more within its economic means, allowing it to invest more fundraising into charity, rather than lodge operation costs.
Although he's sad to move out of the Langdon Crescent facility, which the Elks have occupied since 1912, Morrison said the building is not really wheelchair accessible and the 130-member organization (about 15 of whom are active) can't sustain the building long term either. "It's time to move along." Mike Ciona, local Elks president, said some of the club members might miss the long-time Elks home. However, he said keeping the current facility was simply unrealistic.
"It just got to a point where we had to downsize."
Ciona said Elks business shouldn't change too much during the transition from one building to the next.
Morrison said the Langdon Crescent lodge might be one of the finest locations in Moose Jaw and, whatever the new owners do with the place, they certainly acquired some nice property.
Group has no solid plans for Elks site on Langdon Cres.
What will happen to the local Elks Lodge property now that it's sold? At this time, new co-owner Bevin Leipert doesn't know.
On Tuesday, Leipert, of Moose Jaw's Leipert Financial Group, confirmed he is one of the investors who purchased the local Elks hall on Langdon Crescent last week.
He wouldn’t disclose the names of the other members of his purchasing group who, he said, saw an opportunity to buy some property near Crescent Park and took it.
Although he said it would be "very questionable" if the current Elks hall would remain once his group takes possession early next year, Leipert doesn't know what development might possibly go into the lot.
"We have nothing concrete in mind at this time," he said, adding he still is quite happy with the property and looks forward to its potential.
"It's an exciting time in Saskatchewan."
The Elks Lodge moved into its current hall in 1912. Over the years, club membership dwindled to the point where it became difficult for the club to cover operating costs for the large facility.
Currently, there are 130 local Elk members, about 15 of whom are active. Club president Mike Ciona said keeping the current facility was simply unrealistic.
"It just got to a point where we had to downsize."
The Elks Lodge will continue to stay in the Langdon Crescent building until the end of January, after which time, it will have to move to another location. (END)
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Our old Lodge was torn down in the spring of 2009 and is now a parking lot.
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