Clinton News Record, 2015-06-17, Page 7Wednesday, June 17, 2015 • News Record 7
Theatre owner buys Centralia College for entertainment centre
Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Postmedia Network
He looks around not quite
sure what he was thinking. The
grass is higher than the win-
dows, the landscaping is non
existent and the 53 acres
including six buildings that
once made up part of the RCAF
Station Centralia is now his.
Allan Bames, owner of the his-
toric 60 year old Starlite drive in
theatre in nearby Shipka, is
now the proud owner of
180,000 square feet of history.
RCAF Station Centralia was a
Royal Canadian Air Force train-
ing base located just outside the
village of Centralia near Exeter,
Ontario, Canada. It became one
of the largest training stations in
Canada. The construction of
the Centralia base in land
which had formally been used
to grow sugar beets drastically
changed the face of Stephen
Township.
In 1941as World War II
entered its third year there
was sound of some unusual
activity on a 600 -acre parcel of
land just west of the village of
Centralia. The sound was the
pounding of hammers as
hundreds ofworkmenworked
around the clock building
what would become the Royal
Canadian Air Force base. The
village, which as bypassed by
Highway 4 many years before
was suddenly given a new
lease on life. They built 40
large frame buildings, hangers
and runways before the win-
ter. This base generated an
instant economic boom for
Stephen Township. At that
time The London Free Press
reported " Centralia, Crediton
and Exeter have become the
boom centres. All classes of
merchants reported increased
sales." And that is the direction
Barnes hopes for...
eventually.
In 1966 Ontario Agriculture
Minister William Stewart
announced his government
was looking at purchasing the
base as a site for an experi-
mental or research farm. The
land was eventually pur-
chased by the Ontario Devel-
opment Corporation. Some of
the RCAF buildings were used
as classrooms and residences
for Centralia College of Agri-
culture Technology. Others
became Huron industrial
Park. This is the college that
Barnes purchased.
In 1988, Barnes and his
father Frank thought about
buying the base from the
province. The $8 million price
tag was a whole lot too much
but the vision of what they
wanted to do stayed with the
duo. As the years passed the
price kept going down. Barns
dad died in 2010 but not with-
out coming up with plans for
the property if the sale could
ever be reached. By 2012 the
price was a little over $1 mil-
lion. In April, the property —
69731 Airport Line — was still
listed on the CBRE Canada
website with an asking price
of $269,000. Barns said the
property had been taken off
the market to the public but
returned this spring. He told
Postmedia in April CBRE was
waiting to hear from
Infrastrucutre Ontario as to
whether or not the price
would remain the same. The
college has been mostly
vacant since the province
closed it in 1994. Since then,
the buildings have fallen into
disrepair and have suffered
break-ins and vandalism.
Although Barns did not
divulge what he paid, the
price, according to the St.
Thomas Real Estate Multiple
Listing was $275,000 for the 54
acres. While he waits for the
landscapers to cut away the
debris, he certainly does have
plans.
"This is 54 acres of excite-
ment," Barnes tells Postmedia
Network, "It was a good deal
for just the land at an airport
with no environmental issues.
It is fully serviced with loads of
electrical power, sewers and
city water. There are empty
private paved roads with
street lights, mostly burned
out." And all this for a mere
$275,000.
Barne's overall plan is to
divide the park in ten parcels
for re -sale or lease. Sizes from
15 acres to two acres. There is
vacant land , office space,
classrooms a monster
kitchen, outside pistol range,
warehouse space. And two
bars including the former
Officers Club and a church.
"Nice landscaping with
expensive trees, we even have
a small creek, sadly no fish
that I can see."
He says the Huron Hall
hopefully will be redone as a
senior citizens long term care
facility.
rLynda Hillman-Rapley Postmedia Network
Allan Barnes
The zoning and services
in the main building are
okay but the former student
residences (built in 1980
holds 600 students) also
known as pods are in poor
shape. Due to vandalism
and roof leaks due to years of
neglect. "It was an Award
winning design by well
known London Architect,"
he explains.
"We hope the 2000 square
feet that make up the former
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church can be used as an
RCAF museum of some type,
maybe London's Radar
museum or Harvard associa-
tion would like the building
rent free," he suggests adding
the plans could result in 125
permanent full- and part-
time jobs.
Barnes personal focus is
Middlesex Hall. "It's a three-
year plan to turn it into a
three screen movie theatre
(400 seats total), a five -lane
bowling alley, electric
bumper cars with 10,000
square feet of office space. A
family entertainment centre
with an aviation theme."
Bruce Hall is still in the
works with a third party pri-
vate medical facility, he says.
He says two Hollywood
film crews (small and mega
big) have looked to rent the
site and the nearby private
airport "is a bonus for major
actors with private aircraft."
THE LIONS CLUB OF CLINTON
FUNDRAISING GOLF TOURNAMENT
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CLINTON PUBLIC HOSPITAL
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Saturday, June 20th, 2015
WOODLANDS LINKS GOLF CLUB
***COST: $80.00 PER GOLFER- includes GOLF,
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