10nov2008: First movies online from Sea Coast studios... the long-awaited videos from America film producers Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow have debuted online on YouTube and have attracted more than 150 viewers over the weekend. 
     The videos feature the Mary & Jimmy Show, in which the pair appear to provide advice to viewers.  A similar series appears in the pair's self-published newspaper column. The spots also feature Dolphin Boy, Mr. Hand and a dog called "Bite Me."  Using a peculiar brand of humour the pair takes shots at Shelburne, the deaf and "indians." Online comments say the spots are "great" and "very funny". 
     The videos appear to be the first in a series. Kendrick has also recently announced that he will also be producing and directing a feature film set in and starring  Shelburne and its residents. See the videos here: ...Video 1 ...Video 2 ... video 3

29june2008:  Vampire film to be shot in Shelburne...  Halifax film maker Paul Kimball plans to bring his cast and crew to Shelburne in August to shoot portions of Eternal Kiss, written and directed by Kimball and produced by his Halifax-based Red Star Films. The feature film stars Halifax talents Christina Cuffari, Vanessa Furlong, Amy Kerr, and Elizabeth Langstrom.
     The plot, according to Kimball, involves an evil female vampire who owns a sound stage in a small, rural town. "The Sea Coast Studios sound stage and Shelburne are a perfect fit," Kimball told SCT. The film is budgeted at $500,000 to $750,000.
     Kimball's previous projects include Synchronicity (Bravo - 2008) and Best Evidence: Top 10 UFO Sightings (Space, TVNZ - 2007). He produced the 1996 New Frontiers Symposium:Extraterrestrial Life, Space Exploration, & The Future and was a featured speaker at UFO Retro 3 in Yucca Valley, California.  He is a regular columnist in Alien Worlds Magazine. UFO interview with Kimball HERE. See sample of Best Evidence HERE  See another sample of Kimball's work HERE . See Kimball's Red Star website HERE.
    "Anne MacKenzie of Film Nova Scotia suggested Shelburne over coffee one day," adds Kimball. "I called the new owners that day and here we are." The regional development authority and CEO Frank Anderson have been very helpful, says Kimball. 
    Kimball has a distribution deal in place for Kiss and also plans to film his next project here, for which he has full financing in hand from an American firm. Plans are also underway to adapt Kimball's play Doing Time, to the screen, starring Cuffari, who will appear in a Boulder (Colorado) International Fringe Festival production of the piece in August.

18june2008:... Goofy Golf, drive-in movies, Sea Song Inn open at former base... In stories and ads in the Coast Guard this week, Sea Coast Entertainment announced the opening of the Goofy Golf  mini-putt course and the long-awaited drive-in movie theatre at the former Shelburne Film Studio. 
     A candle factory is due to open next week, with a recording studio and the Sea Song Inn ready to open. Twenty local people are now on staff, according to owner Jim Kendrick. Several acts which in the past would have played at other local venues will be appearing soon at the Sea Song Inn, including the Hupman Brothers, RazzaMaTazz, Troy McGillivray and South Shore Idol. 

31may2008:  More legal woes for RDA in Sea Coast Film Studios deal... Claussen Walters Realty has sued the South West Shore Development Authority in Supreme Court in Bridgewater for $275,000, claiming that SWSDA reneged on a written offer to pay a finders fee for the recent sale of the former Canadian Forces station at Sandy Point to U.S.-based magazine publisher Jim Kendrick.
     The suit alleges that a Claussen Walters agent showed the property to a  Kendrick associate and that the agreement (for 10% of the sales price, which was $2.75 million) is in writing. SWSDA's defence says that no such deal exists and that the real estate firm did not show the property. Local broker Al Keith apparently showed the property and received the 10% offer letter.
     Australian film producer Steve Gilmour, who claims to have been ousted from the deal by Kendrick and SWSDA, told SCT that SWSDA chief Frank Anderson told him early on their negotiations for the property that he (Anderson) could not sell it to another party because SWSDA would have to pay a $300,000 fee. 
     SWSDA, Anderson and the property have recently been in the news surrounding questions and court actions regarding funds from the sale of the former Boy's School in Shelburne, the refusal of Anderson to disclose his travel and entertainment expenses and the apparent conflict of interest of SWSDA executive Paulette Scott, who quit as Shelburne Municipal Warden after taking a job as chief financial officer at Sea Coast.  >>> more

21may08: SeaCoast Studios moving along at a brisk pace... building lots, recording studio, retail, golf, drive-in and hotel... first film production slated for September... in a recent electronic interview, SeaCoast Entertainment Arts (S.E.A.) exexecutive Jim Kendrick told SCT that much activity is taking place at the former military installation in Sandy Point. 
     Kendrick says that 14 people are now working at SeaCoast Studios, including eight full-time and three part-time staff, plus owners/managers Kendrick and partner Mary Barstow, working as unpaid directors. Three full-time and two part-time employees work for the "Sea Store" group and several local staff are "on-call".           
     Former warden Paulette Scott is now chief financial officer and administrative supervisor. Scott vacated her warden's chair due to conflicts of interest which arose between the SeaCoast position and her role with the council and as an executive with the regional development authority, from whom the property was purchased.
     The previously-reported May 1 movie deal turned out to be a UK-based hoax, the origins of which are being investigated, says Kendrick. Final contracts and scheduling are being set for a film to begin shooting in September. The pool renovations are on slow-down mode for the time being.      
     Nineteen lots have been surveyed and perc tested and are being prepared for subdivision approval by the Municipality. The hotel on site is being renovated and, as soon as it is licensed, will be available for invited guests, film crews, recording studio clients and event participants, according to Kendrick.
     The drive-in movie theatre and mini-golf facilities are due to open in two weeks.

8may08: Shelburne a "Banana Republic" according to new film studio owners... in a May 5 news release, Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow touted the fact that Americans were finally taking over the "crown jewel" of Nova Scotia film studios, located in what they described as "Canada's Banana Republic"  (the disambiguative phrase is described by wikipedia as "a pejorative term for a country with a kleptocratic government, often with a primitive economy and sometimes a puppet state of a major power".)
     Some local citizens are none too pleased with the demeaning description, and one ventured to say that the implications for the mayor and warden overseeing kleptocracies are not good either. "It's great when folks from away come in and insult us all right off," groused one businessman. 
      When interviewed about whether he saw any relevance in calling Shelburne a Banana Republic, inferring a puppet state, Shelburne mayor P.G. Comeau told SCT, "They were obviously referring to the Municipality of Shelburne."
     The news release also described a hotel on the site, which the facility's promotional video says has 60 rooms. The property has not previously been licensed as a hotel and the Province of Nova Scotia has no record of an application being made to operate a hotel or food service at the former military base. One local tourism operator chafed at the addition of 60 unlicensed rooms to the struggling tourism picture. "We're all hurting already, now this."
     Mary Barstow described the long-dormant property as "alive and thriving" and portrayed Shelburne as an "historic village". At a recent presentation to Municipal Council, Barstow and Kendrick made no mention of the film studio, but told council that a mini-golf and drive-in theatre would be built there, as would a candle factory. The $15 million film scheduled to begin shooting May 1 has yet to materialize. sct 

14may08: Marblehead visitors and film studio investors feted at the Yacht Club.... Three prosperous-looking gents enjoyed the famous hospitality of the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club at the weekly "toonie-Tuesday" celebration last night.
     The Massachussets trio, who are reported to be the majority investors in Sea Coast Film Productions Studios and are also enjoying the local hospitality of the Cooper's Inn, chatted with the commodore and watched as young Liza Haegart wowed the assembled crowd with songs and music as a fund-raiser for a school trip to Quebec City.

14may08: Pizza and a movie...Sandy Point convenience store opens... after spending $2.75 million to buy the former Shelburne Film Studios (now Sea Coast Film Production studios), Americans Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow announced Tuesday that they have opened a convenience store at the site, which would be followed by mini-golf and a drive-in movie.
     The duo also told the Coast Guard that plans were underway to repair the swimming pool. Kendrick told SCT weeks ago that the pool repair was "days away" from being finished and has previously assured European film producers that the pool was already refurbished and operational. 
     The new committee raising funds for a public pool informed Municipal council that they would be meeting with Kendrick soon about possible use of the pool at Sea Coast. >>> read more

8may08: Shelburne a "Banana Republic" according to new film studio owners... in a May 5 news release, Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow touted the fact that Americans were finally taking over the "crown jewel" of Nova Scotia film studios, located in what they described as "Canada's Banana Republic"  (the disambiguative phrase is described by wikipedia as "a pejorative term for a country with a kleptocratic government, often with a primitive economy and sometimes a puppet state of a major power".)
     Some local citizens are none too pleased with the demeaning description, and one ventured to say that the implications for the mayor and warden overseeing kleptocracies are not good either. "It's great when folks from away come in and insult us all right off," groused one businessman. 
      When interviewed about whether he saw any relevance in calling Shelburne a Banana Republic, inferring a puppet state, Shelburne mayor P.G. Comeau told SCT, "They were obviously referring to the Municipality of Shelburne."
     The news release also described a hotel on the site, which the facility's promotional video says has 60 rooms. The property has not previously been licensed as a hotel and the Province of Nova Scotia has no record of an application being made to operate a hotel or food service at the former military base. One local tourism operator chafed at the addition of 60 unlicensed rooms to the struggling tourism picture. "We're all hurting already, now this."
     Mary Barstow described the long-dormant property as "alive and thriving" and portrayed Shelburne as an "historic village". At a recent presentation to Municipal Council, Barstow and Kendrick made no mention of the film studio, but told council that a mini-golf and drive-in theatre would be built there, as would a candle factory. The $15 million film scheduled to begin shooting May 1 has yet to materialize. sct 

8may08: Embree takes over as Shelburne warden in fractious council meeting punctuated by outbursts, epithets and crying jags... reports from the most recent Shelburne Municipal Council meeting describe the session as "wild and crazy", among other things. 
     Former warden Paulette Scott quit her honorific post citing the appearance of conflict with her new job as executive assistant to Mary Barstow, one of the new owners of Seacoast Studios, located at the former military facility at Sandy Point. 
     Upon Sherm Embree's election as warden, councilman Raymond Davis apparently launched into a series of interruptions and tirades against Embree, finally storming out of the room saying "kiss my #@s!" Former warden Pat Nickerson broke down weeping and the meeting was adjourned temporarily. Nickerson told SCT previously that Davis had driven her to day-long bouts of crying with vicious personal attacks against her and her family.
     When SCT called Davis for comments, we were told that he was "away for  awhile" and is not expected to return soon. sct

25apr08:  Warden tells Herald "no conflict"... says that "nasty" people have wrong idea.  Paulette Scott denied any conflict of interest in her position as warden and employee at SeaCoast Entertainment in a Herald story on Friday's front page business section. Councilor Terry McIntyre is quoted as being shocked and several of her councilors have urged her to resign.
     Scott has been heard privately to be blaming the entire problem surrounding the conflict issue on SCT, telling some that "most people don't care about the issue."

23APR08:  Shelburne Warden to resign over conflict of interest issues... "right thing to do"... in an unannounced closed-door session on Tuesday evening, Municipality of Shelburne warden Paulette Scott informed her council that on Monday, she would announce the end of her tenure as warden of the municipality.
     Recently, Scott was at the centre of a controversy regarding her being hired for an executive position by Seacoast Entertainments, the firm which has recently purchased the former Sandy Point Canadian forces site. Scott is also vice-chair of the regional development authority, which owned the property.
     Just days ago, Scott told SCT that there was "absolutely no conflict" in taking the job and no matter what pressure was put upon her, she was "...taking the job and staying on as warden." Tuesday she apparently told her council colleagues that she was stepping down because it was "the right thing to do."
     Deputy warden Pat Nickerson is likely to serve as warden until the October elections, but councilor Raymond Davis opposes such a move, saying he has three votes for his plan. "I would like to see Paulette stay on as warden," Davis added, "and give up her post on SWSDA." Davis has been the SWSDA alternate for several years and, according to him, he is "fully up to speed on all of the issues" before the body.
     Davis opined that Scott was the only viable warden on council and iterate a variety of professional and personal issues which would make him and other councilors inappropriate candidates for the position.  

23apr08: Seacoast property sale and mortgage finalized for former Canadian Forces site... two-years of no payments part of the deal...  The South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) has taken a first mortgage for $1.75 million on the recent $2.75 million sale of the former Canadian Forces Station (the base) at Sandy Point, according to documents filed with the registrars office in Shelburne.
     The mortgage is payment and interest-free until May 1, 2010, after which an interest rate of five per cent per annum for eight years and has payments of $22,000 per month attached to it. Seacoast Entertainment Arts, owned by American investors Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow, is the mortgagee on the property. 
     Seacoast recently received more than 200 applications for employment at "Sea City" and Seacoast Film Production Studios, after announcing plans to solicit producers for filming at the site and to create a business "incubator" there, housing a variety of businesses, including candle making, fish hatching, food services, tourism accommodations and a variety of retail operations.
     Of the the $1 million cash received by SWSDA in the deal, there is a court order to hold aside $520,000, there is a $400,000 plus mortgage from the province and there has also been much discussion in the community of a 10% broker's fee promised for the sale.  

24apr08: Seacoast principals to appear before Muni Council... Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow have been requested by Shelburne Municipal Council to make a presentation at Monday's council meeting in chambers. The American pair were the successful bidders for the Shelburne sound stage at Sandy Point, which they have renamed Seacoast Film Production Studios.
     They have recently announced the hiring of municipal warden Paulette Scott as executive assistant to Ms. Barstow

14may08: Pizza and a movie...Sandy Point convenience store opens... after spending $2.75 million to buy the former Shelburne Film Studios (now Sea Coast Film Production studios), Americans Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow announced Tuesday that they have opened a convenience store at the site  >>> Nova News Now.

8may08: Shelburne a "Banana Republic" according to new film studio owners... in a May 5 news release, Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow touted the fact that Americans were finally taking over the "crown jewel" of Nova Scotia film studios, located in what they described as "Canada's Banana Republic"  (the disambiguative phrase is described by wikipedia as "a pejorative term for a country with a kleptocratic government, often with a primitive economy and sometimes a puppet state of a major power".)
     Some local citizens are none too pleased with the demeaning description, and one ventured to say that the implications for the mayor and warden overseeing kleptocracies are not good either. "It's great when folks from away come in and insult us all right off," groused one businessman. 
      When interviewed about whether he saw any relevance in calling Shelburne a Banana Republic, inferring a puppet state, Shelburne mayor P.G. Comeau told SCT, "They were obviously referring to the Municipality of Shelburne."
     The news release also described a hotel on the site, which the facility's promotional video says has 60 rooms. The property has not previously been licensed as a hotel and the Province of Nova Scotia has no record of an application being made to operate a hotel or food service at the former military base. One local tourism operator chafed at the addition of 60 unlicensed rooms to the struggling tourism picture. "We're all hurting already, now this."
     Mary Barstow described the long-dormant property as "alive and thriving" and portrayed Shelburne as an "historic village". At a recent presentation to Municipal Council, Barstow and Kendrick made no mention of the film studio, but told council that a mini-golf and drive-in theatre would be built there, as would a candle factory. The $15 million film scheduled to begin shooting May 1 has yet to materialize. sct 

Banana notes... 
-     One reader suggests that SeaCoast meant to say "Banana Belt"
-     A concerned taxpayer writes to say that, since former warden Paulette Scott is now the marketing & sales person for the outfit, she might have written the release, based on her experience as warden.

22apr2008: It's true... it's true... this job's for you... Shelburne warden goes to work for new base owner... stepping into yet another firestorm of conflict-of-interest allegations, Municipality of Shelburne warden Paulette Scott has accepted a job as executive assistant to the chief operating officer of Seacoast Entertainment Arts, Inc., the company which recently purchased the former Canadian Forces Station at Sandy Point (the base).
     Scott is also vice-chair on the executive of South West Shore Development Authority, (SWSDA) who sold the base to Seacoast, which is helmed by the American team of Mary Barstow and Jim Kendrick. Scott told SCT that, although she did not have a title yet, she would be overseeing all "economic development" at the facility.
     With now-departed CAO Reg Ridgely, Scott was intimately involved for months in the recent machinations to sell the property. Scott says her involvement did not include any negotiations with Kendrick and partner Mary Barstow, but Australian film producer Steve Gilmour says that is simply not the case.  
     "She met with Jim, Mary, me and my partner Clare (Bourke-Jones) at least twice," says Gilmour, who exited the deal prior to closing. Gilmour says that he was told by Ridgely that there were several other meetings at Municipal offices with the pair. Scott and Ridgely were reported at the time to have suggested that Kendrick and Barstow encamp in offices supplied by the municipality, but current CAO Kirk Cox nixed the idea. 
     Scott told SCT that she sees "no conflict whatsoever" in taking a position at a firm which just bought property from an organization on which she sits as an executive as part of a deal that she helped orchestrate. "Think about it," says a local expert in economic development and government process, "she helps negotiate a deal for a couple of American investors, then votes to sell the property at a bargain-basement price, then votes to have her agency carry 60% of the selling price. It's a no-brainer"  
     Scott told her councilors at a closed-door council meeting this past week, which she described as a "personnel" discussion, which, according to provincial law, are designed to discuss issues surrounding employees, not government officials. Some on her council are disturbed at what they consider improper, if not unethical, behaviour, and some, like councilor Raymond Davis, see "nothing wrong whatsoever". Councilor Terry McIntyre says he definitely does not approve of the move.
    According to Kendrick, the purchase and sale agreement with SWSDA had always committed SWSDA to ensuring $1.75 million of the purchase price. "Paulette never told us that when she reported to council," adds McIntyre. "I was very surprised to hear about it."  SWSDA treasurer and Lockeport mayor Darian Huskilson says he was also not informed of the $1.75 million guarantee and thinks the SWSDA board should have been informed. 
     The minutes of the SWSDA meeting cinching the $1.75 million agreement read "It was moved... and seconded... to accept the terms to facilitate the sale of the Shelburne Base as negotiated."  
     Scott says that on April 28, she will reveal to the public all of the details of her employment. "I realize that some on my council do not approve," says Scott. "and that I may take a pounding from the public for it, but I am keeping this job." Note:  Shelburne Municipal Council recently opposed a recommendation that conflict-of-interest legislation for municipal bodies be amended to allow challenges by citizens without going to Supreme Court.
     Scott was at the centre of another conflict of interest outcry when she went to work as a public relations worker for the proposed controversial El Paso natural gas project. There have been several out front and back-channel attempts by the Municipality to get Scott a hefty increase in her warden's pay and to find her a job. According to informed sources, former CAO Reg Ridgely spent considerable effort both trying to find her a job and badgering council members to increase her pay. Note: Councilor Raymond Davis informed SCT that he was the one behind the move to increase Scott's income and brought such a motion to council, where it was defeated.
     Several months ago, Scott put her name forward as an employee of SWSDA, where she also sits as vice chair. The plan was apparently scotched when calls of concern were made to SWSDA officials. More recently, the warden paraded in downtown Shelburne wearing a sandwich board trumpeting the base sale and appeared on the front page of the Coast Guard with Kendrick and Barstow.    sct 19apr08

Butt out of base business, or, pound sand about where the money comes from... the matter of where the funding is coming from to finance the $2.75 million purchase of the former CFS Shelburne and sound stage is still a murky mystery, despite this reporter's efforts to get some clarity.
     According to new owner Jim Kendrick, the purchase a sale agreement for the sound stage at Sandy Point included a provision that required owner SWSDA to finance $1.75 million of the purchase. There have been reports that SWSDA has been "shopping" a grant or loan to Kendrick and Barstow out of an economic development fund which houses millions of dollars in "forgiveable" loans. 
     Mary Barstow told SCT that both partners were very "financially stable". When asked why they would then get a government loan or grant or mortgage, she said that was what rich people did, they got mortgages. Barstow refused to divulge whether the $1.7 million from the government would be a mortgage, grant or loan. 
     Kendrick said that the deed is scheduled to be registered today. This reporter quipped that "sounds like they found the money", at which point Kendrick launched into a tirade saying that his was a "real deal", not some "f*&%king fantasy world...", and, he added, that if the reporter "played loose and fast" with him, he would "fix you, you motherf*#@ker."  
     When asked whether the $1.7 million will be a loan or grant or mortgage, and what agency or department was funding the deal, Barstow refused to answer, saying if we wanted to know, "call the government." sct18apr08

Things get ugly in Shellywood??... Australian film producer Steve Gilmour and screenwriter/producer Clare Bourke-Jones are stunned by revelations that former business associates Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow may be trying to torpedo a film project which has been years in the making.
     "We couldn't be more shocked at what we are reading and hearing," says Gilmour, who publicly congratulated the American pair in their successful bid for the base and sound stage property at Sandy Point. "It is simply outrageous what they are doing, and we have instructed our lawyers to take appropriate action regarding this obvious slander," says the outraged Aussie.
     Gilmour and Bourke-Jones received a copy of an email purportedly sent on April 16 to a literary and film agency in Toronto which was signed by James Kendrick of SEA Seacoast Entertainment Arts and using the email address of Kendrick. The email is disparaging of Gilmour and claims he is being hunted by the RCMP.
     Another Sheburne-based business person says that Kendrick made the same assertion to her personally some weeks ago. In a meeting earlier in the month, Kendrick and Mary Barstow reportedly made similar assertions to two other local business people.  
     "I've put my heart and soul into this project," says Bourke-Jones of her Moon Harvest film, "and to have people we once trusted try to scuttle it in such an ugly and venal way is heartbreaking."  The Toronto agency, according to Bourke-Jones, represents several key players in Moon Harvest.
     When contacted about the emails, Kendrick said that he did not recall sending an email to a business in Toronto, but was "so upset at one point about lies being reported about me, I may have sent something like that." Kendrick then named a litany of alleged bad debts by Gilmour, but when pressed further, he said he had no personal knowledge about the debts or the assertions about the RCMP. 
     Kendrick added that Barstow's blackberry device which housed some of his emails was apparently missing or stolen two weeks ago. He says also that his email log doesn't show such an email and the email could be a fake.      
     Gilmour's attorney says the RCMP has assured him there is no file open on Gilmour.  Canadian slander law differs from the American version in that, once a claim of slander is made, it is presumed to be true. sct18apr08

26mar2008: Base purchase on schedule... the proposed purchase of the former naval base at Sandy Point is moving at an accelerated pace, according to buyer Jim Kendrick. "We've been working on this idea for a long time," says Kendrick, "and now so many people have come to us saying 'how can we help?'"
    All of the requirements of the purchase agreement have been met and financing is in place for a March 31 closing, says Kendrick. He and partner Mary Barstow have put an offer in on a home in Shelburne and plan to spend much of the month of March in the area getting ready to take possession of the property.
     The recent reports in the Herald and elsewhere that he would not be using the sound stage are false, Kendrick says. "We've met with Ann Mackenzie and Film Nova Scotia have been very cooperative." MacKenzie told SCT that, when the sale is complete and Kendrick and his Seacoast Entertainment / Arts want to start attracting tenants for the sound stage, "We at Film Nova Scotia will take an active role in marketing the venue."
     Kendrick and Barstow were formerly allied with Australian film producer Steve Gilmour on the project, but that partnership ran aground and Kendrick says he has "no idea what has become of Gilmour." The Aussie has told SCT that he and his Atlantic Film Studios are continuing a Nova Scotia production of the feature film Moon Harvest, written by his partner, Clare Bourke-Jones and Gilmour was featured in a front page op-ed piece about the film industry in the March issue of Nova Scotia Business Journal.

14mar2008: Funding partnerships for Shelburne Film Studios well ahead of projections...  Jim Kendrick, who with partner Mary Barstow is slated to be the new owner of the Shelburne Film Studios, told SCT Thursday that he and his project partners will produce far more than they have promised in the development of the former military base and that funding levels are well in excess of original projections.
     "Business plans evolve, we are in our fourth iteration now and people will see that this facility (Shelburne Film Studios) will boast a very fine film production facility and all necessary support services," Kendrick explained from  his offices located at the Sandy Point site. "The tremendous support from all quarters has been very encouraging," he added. "We expect this development to be good for all of the financial partners, for Shelburne and for Nova Scotia." 
     In the past, Kendrick said, the operators of the studio had mistakenly depended upon film making a a sole source of income. His company, Seacoast Entertainments, will be looking at other sources of income.
     "The deal," says Kendrick, "just gets better every day."  sct14mar08

18june2008:... Goofy Golf, drive-in movies, Sea Song Inn open at former base... In stories and ads in the Coast Guard this week, Sea Coast Entertainment announced the opening of the Goofy Golf  mini-putt course and the long-awaited drive-in movie theatre at the former Shelburne Film Studio. 
     A candle factory is due to open next week, with a recording studio and the Sea Song Inn ready to open. Twenty local people are now on staff, according to owner Jim Kendrick. Several acts which in the past would have played at other local venues will be appearing soon at the Sea Song Inn, including the Hupman Brothers, RazzaMaTazz, Troy McGillivray and South Shore Idol. 

Editorial... Can't we just get along?...  Shiretown Mayor Comeau's very public rant Wednesday eve against the Municipality of Shelburne and the Joint Services cost-sharing between the town and the Municipality was notable in a couple of aspects.  
     First, during the necessary discussion  by Council of the issue(s) regarding waste pick-up costs and schedules, and quite contrary to the elemental principles of Robert's Rules of Order, Mayor Comeau hijacked the discussion, inserting himself  at will several times to launch ad hominum claims about the "disaster" of the Joint Services Board and the "notorious overstaffing" by the municipality, suggesting this combination was at the root of the budgetary difficulties of the board.
     Notwithstanding that these claims, according to research and interviews done by this editor, appear utterly without merit, not one member of Council - even including JSB members - stood to correct the Mayor and set the record straight. The bully pulpit is called that for a reason, but we all know that bullies are encouraged by lack of resistance to their antics.
     I have to admit to being a sometimes unwilling witness to many instances of similar shenanigans by the Mayor at Council and they are often as not treated by Councilors like we would the precocious child at a Thanksgiving Dinner who pours gravy in the ear of old grand-dad. They chuckle among themselves and roll their eyes - but offer encouragement through their silence. 
     In the past months the Mayor has publicly attacked or embarrassed the federal MP for the region, the Minister of ACOA and the head of the regional redevelopment agency, just to name some. Little wonder that the Mayor has found that financial support for his port development project is not forthcoming.    
     An ironic counterpoint to this shameless - but passively encouraged - behaviour is the article in Thursday';s Herald in which political observer Marilla Stephenson wonders aloud whether taxpayers are being punished for the inability of their elected officials to get along with each other.  
      It is no secret that these are perilous times for the future of this town and region and it should be the responsibility of elected civic leaders like Mayor Comeau to stop the sniping now and, as Stephenson suggests, "to work together co-operatively to attract new investment to the area, create future development plans and possibly share costs" - if that is what will have us save tax dollars and perhaps even prosper. T Gillespie

July 8: Editorial: Shelburne should post its "Closed for Business" sign immediately. If the July 5 Town Council meeting is any reflection of the attitude prevailing in local government - and it appears to be - then we should just stop pretending and hang up the "closed" sign now. 
     In no fewer than three agenda discussions at the July 5 meeting of Council, discussions ensued which would give the definite impression that we really don't want new businesses or people coming here to muck up our tranquil lifestyles.
     Just at the beginning of what could be a desperate tourism season, the beautiful entry sign into town from exit 25 has been removed. Let's Hope it's back up before the snow falls.
     When a request was brought before the Council to help pave the way for town sewage connects for a small housing development just over the municipal line, some councilors and the mayor voiced objections, with his worshipness raising the bar on negativity regarding development on this one.
    When, after hearing testimony of the jobs, retail sales, investment and other benefits of such a development, the Council agreed to consider the matter at a future meeting, mayor Comeau was adamant that he absolutely opposed the project and would lobby and vote against it.
     In a far more pressing and disturbing development, the Council refused the request of the South West Shore Development Authority for an invitation to Council and Port Authority meetings in order to better serve the Town's development needs.
     In a familiar litany, Mayor Comeau denounced SWSDA, Frank Anderson and "that crew" for their previous and numerous betrayals of the Town and for "stealing" business ideas and clients from the Port. 
     The Council, in a spate of self-described paranoia about the SWSDA evil empire, decided against such an invitation for assistance to the admittedly most powerful funding source in the region. More than one Councilor pointed out that meetings were open so SWSDA could attend any time they wanted. Oh yeah, they'll be standing in line.
     SWSDA rep Alan Reid, who brought the item to the Council,  and whose recent work with the agency was recently lauded in a report to the Shelburne & Area Chamber of Commerce, was understandably dejected by his colleague's intransigence, but seemed to put on a brave face in spite of it.
     Even if they were not coupled with the near-collapse of the CFB Shelburne/Youth Centre deal from a questionable appraisal and conflict of interest and the umpteenth cancellation of the umpteenth "sure thing" ferry scheme by our Boston pals, these misadventures would be enough to cause anyone to wonder what, if anything, is being done to attract and retain credible, talented, ambitious people to invest in Shelburne? SCT 

July 8: Base deal likely torpedoed by questionable appraisal.... In what could be the final chapter in one of the most bizzare real estate sagas ever in or around Shiretown, the Utah-based buyers of the former CFB Shelburne, film studio and former Youth Centre have told SCT in an exclusive interview that that are still hanging on to hopes that the multi-million dollar deal will close shortly.
     Max Fiez told SCT late Friday that when the respectable European-based financing partner discovered major irregularities with the appraisal done on the property by Shelburne mayor P.G. Comeau. The property price was inflated by more than $10 million, according to informed sources. 
     The added fact that Comeau did not inform the buyers that he sits on the board of directors of the seller (South West Shore Development Authority), "raised more red flags than a Spanish bullfight," according to a party to the deal.
     Comeau's colleagues on the SWSDA board insist he never informed them that he had the obvious conflict-of-interest, something which, if prosecuted, could result in a jail term of one year or fine of $25,000.
     Fiez says that he has called SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson to apologize for the delay and is working feverishly to rectify the problems created by the now-useless appraisal. Fiez also said that the visit he and partner Jim Dixon made to Shelburne to visit the site and meet with Warden Paulette Scott, Frank Anderson, other officials and former partner Justin George revealed may inconsistencies in the project plans.
     "Let's just say," said Fiez, "that we were never given the whole picture about the property or project." One factor which disturbed both Fiez and Dixon was the $5 million price tag on the very small Ocean Produce  property abutting the base, as it would make it appear to some that the base was worth many times in excess of what the buyers have estimated.
     Fiez expects that the project could close in two weeks, but he says he could not blame Anderson taking a "cash buyer" at this point. Several weeks ago it was reported that two or more interested parties from Houston Texas were eying the base as a site for an international dive centre. SCT