Businessman offers $1 million for Reversing Falls tourism centre

Tourists arriving at Saint John Reversing Falls are disappointed to find the site's tourism centre has been boarded up.

A Saint John businessman has offered the city $1 million in cash to buy the boarded-up tourism centre at the Reversing Falls.

The city plans to demolish the building, which also includes a restaurant, sometime this summer, but Max Kotlowski is trying to prevent that from happening.

“My plan is to refresh the Falls building and reopen for business,” he says. “That means 15 to 20 jobs, sales tax revenues and economic benefits for our community.”

Kotlowksi says the building needs to be restored, not demolished, and now he’s trying to convince Saint John Council to give the building a last-minute reprieve.

At least one councillor says he’s willing to consider Kotlowski’s offer. Gerry Lowe admits demolishing the building is becoming more complicated than the city first thought.

“This might be an opportunity that we never knew was there and is there now,” says Lowe. “We decided to tear it down, but we find out there’s an environment problem here because stuff’s going to drop into the water.”

Kotlowski has put his $1-million offer in writing and his letter is now in the hands of every Saint John councillor.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron