The B.C. government says it’s happy with the number of bids to take over operation of the historic Craigflower Manor and schoolhouse properties, to turn them from museums into a new community use. Requests for expressions of interest closed Aug. 19.
The government won’t say how many groups bid on the project but “staff are pleased with the number of responses,” Jennifer Iredale, director of the B.C. heritage branch, said in a statement. The next step is to determine which bidders will be invited to make a more detailed proposal for use of the properties, she said.
The properties at Craigflower and Admirals roads date back to 1855. The schoolhouse is the oldest of its kind in B.C.
The sites had been operated as museums by The Land Conservancy, but the money-losing operation was handed back to the province last year. The government had called for bids to increase the financial viability and self-sufficiency of the properties. Bidders will be evaluated this fall, with a final agreement in place by early 2014, said the government.
