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"We're going to be in four buildings over the weekend. It's going to be a huge event."
By Nigel Maxwell
The owners of a large mansion southeast of Prince Albert want community feedback regarding what to do with the massive property that includes a pool, solarium and safe room.
Tracy Lebeau and her husband, who own a Kamloops-based logging company, purchased the Weldon-area home for $550,000 at a Ritchie Bros. auction last week. Lebeau said they only learned about the property a week-and-a-half before the auction.
Lebeau said she tagged her husband on a Facebook post featuring the mansion.
The couple had guessed the home, which was valued at $2.5 million, would go for $1.5 million. Lebeau said they were quite excited when they learned they purchased the home for less than $600,000.
They visited the mansion over the weekend and had a chance to see what repairs would be needed. Lebeau estimated they would be spending about $2 million over the next three years to finish the home that was started in 2009.
“My husband doesn’t even know what a hammer is for,” she said. “We’ll be hiring all local people to do [the work], and keep all the money in the community.”
Moving forward, Lebeau said she and her husband are also very interested to hear what people in the area have to say about what should be done with the property. A few of the ideas pitched so far have been a bed and breakfast, a hospice, a rest home and a youth shelter.
“The house is so large, so we thought maybe there’s something that there’s a need for [in the area],” she said.
The couple plans to hold an open house in the spring, at which time they will discuss the ideas further. A family is currently living at the property for security purposes.
The Lebeaus have also started a Facebook page documenting their progress.