Opinicon Resort Summary of Information Available. Taxes $ 25,917.72 (2014). See tax bills included online with Roll numbers. Brief History Provided and edited by Cindy (Cross) Simpson - original written by Janice (Jarrett) Cross My great grandmother, Mae Lenore Phillips Jarrett Phillips and her second husband W.E. ("Wup") Phillips bought The Opinicon in 1921 from Mr. Phillips' uncle D.F. Anderson of Youngstown, Ohio. I believe that D.F. Anderson was part of the original "Opinicon Club". Mae had been born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and had also lived in El Paso, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah with her second husband. Shortly afterwards, in July 1923, "Wup" died. Mae Phillips asked her son Donald Jarrett (my grandfather) to come and help her manage the hotel. When he arrived, they lived in a tent on the hotel grounds during the summer. In 1929, Don Jarrett married Hazel Christensen (my grandmother). She was a teacher in Ogden, Utah. Don and Hazel moved to Chaffey's Locks that year, and in 1930 their daughter Janice (my mother) was born. Janice married Albert Cross (my father) in 1952. Al's family was from the Boston, Massachusetts area. From 1954 to 1966 Al and Janice assisted with the management of The Opinicon during the Ontario tourist season, and Al managed the Beach Club Hotel in Naples, Florida during the tourist season there. I (Cindy Cross Simpson) was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1956 and my sister Karen Cross was born in Naples, Florida in 1959. Don Jarrett passed away in 1965, and the next spring Al and Janice returned to live full time in Chaffey's Locks. The resort has been in the same family ownership since 1921 and was incorporated in 1949. The Resort began expanding beyond the main lodge with additional lands being purchased and the first cottages being constructed in the 1940 s through to the 1970 s. The roads inside the resort were paved in the 1960 s. The Resort has passed through the hands of four generations and is now being sold to settle the family estate.
Septic Systems Please see attached the rough drawing of the septic systems and all of the detail in the Seller s possession regarding septic permits and installations. In general terms, according to the Seller, there are 14 +/- separate septic beds and 19 +/- septic tanks of various ages and sizes. Water / Wells The principal water system for the resort is the pump house located across Chaffey s Lock Road in the Rideau Canal. There are 2 water tanks and 3 water pumps and a chlorine injection system. A new waterline was installed to the Resort under the road around 2009. There is a drainage basin across the road from the well and pits with water shut off and drainage valves throughout the resort. In addition to the pump house there are two other wells onsite. Alford house has its own well; this property was purchased by The Opinicon in 1999. Previously, it had operated as a bed and breakfast with snack bar. The second well is located just right of the main entrance to the hotel. This well supplies the owners/managers residence, the Jarrett House, 2 taps in the commercial kitchen and the ice cream tap in the snack bar. This water system has its own UV system and the water must be tested separately. Potable water is available in the dining room, the snack bar and the owner's residence. Ice and water were delivered daily to the cottages and hotel rooms. The owner s residence and Jarrett house were switched to lake water for the hotel season, however this could easily be changed to provide potable water to those locations year round. The purpose of the 2 water systems is to allow for winterization of the resort from the pump house while the well continues to provide water to the parts of the resort that continue to require water during the winter season (hotel basement, owner s house, Jarrett house). The owner had always lived onsite during the winter and the Jarrett House was typically occupied during the winter. Both properties required water all year, which was supplied from the well, since the main water system from the pump house was winterized annually. Land The site consists of approximately 16 +/- acres including lands leased from Parks Canada. Parks Canada Leases There were 4 leases in place, but 2 of the leases (695 and 795) dealing with the waterfront have merged into lease 695 leaving 3 leases. All of the leases are included as schedule C to the agreement of purchase and sale, including sketches of each leased parcel and the amount of each lease in 2014 and notes from Parks Canada. Parks Canada states the leases/licences are not assignable and new owners would be required to make new applications to Parks Canada. Applications for new leases/licences would be reviewed in accordance with current legislation and Parks Canada policies.
Parks Canada has prepared a fact sheet for bidders to review prior to submitting a bid on the property. All of the leases and Parks Canada information are included as Schedule C to the agreement of purchase and sale. Bouscaren Property Access Agreement A neighbouring property owner has a long standing property access license agreement (not a right of way) to access his property through the Opinicon Resort. A copy of that property access license agreement and a drawing is attached as Schedule D to the agreement of purchase and sale. Further information may be provided upon request. Waterfront A large portion of the waterfront is leased from Parks Canada (lease # 695/735 attached to the agreement of purchase and sale as Schedule C). Parks Canada offered these lands for sale to the owner of the Opinicon Resort in 2014. The letter offering the lands for sale is attached to the land leases. In total there is about 1,360 feet of shoreline if you follow the course of shoreline. From lot line to lot line in a straight line there is about 850 +/- feet of waterfront. Of the 850 +/- feet of waterfront about 630 +/- feet (0.916 acres) is leased from Parks Canada at $3,072 per year. This waterfront land was available for sale as shown on Plan 28R-772 Parts 1, 2 and 3 for $1.11 per sq. ft. / 11.91 per sq. metre. Part 1 is 0.335 acres (14,593 +/- sq. ft.) and Part 2 is 0.565 acres (24,612 +/- sq. ft.) and Part 3 is 0.016 acres (697 +/- sq. ft.). If the waterfront land was purchased (at the 2014 offered price), the purchase price would be $44,291.22 +/-. The current owner of the property continues to lease the land. Gas Tank at the shoreline The 2 gas tanks at the shoreline were professionally removed by MA BARR and replaced in 2012 with a new above ground 500 gallon TSSA approved tank. Attached is the environmental assessment report detailing the work completed to the Ministry standards of the day. Due to the closure of the resort following the 2012 season, no gas has been pumped from the tanks since 2012. Docking There is seasonal docking for 12 +/- boats 25 to 30 plus transient guest docking for 7 boats of similar size and finger docks for fishing and rental boats. There is 20 amp electrical service on the boardwalk for seasonal boats, 15 amp service at the finger docks and at the boat launch and docking on the south side of the boat launch. Total dock space for cruisers is 400, plus finger docks for fishing and rental boats. There is an additional 100 of docking on the south side of the launching ramp, but it will require some repair.
Environmental Assessment The Seller has just completed a full environmental assessment of the property in the fall of 2014. A complete copy of the environmental assessment report is available for review online. Electrical The property is serviced by a number of electrical panels. An electrical sketch is attached. Power System In total, there are 13 +/- Hydro meters. General Store 3 phase main electrical panel provides power to the Lodge, store, Annex, Beech, Spruce, Pines, Cedar and Juniper Alford House has its own power and provides power to the snack bar and the efficiency units on the 2 nd floor of the snack bar building. The snack bar building has a separate meter. Spruce cottage provides power to Pines Ponderosa cottage - provides power panel to Pinyon and tennis court lights Oak cottage provides power to Birch and Hemlock Maple cottage provides power to Elm and Balsam Cypress cottage provides power to Tamarac Dock House is on its own power system and provides power to all of the docks (NOTE there was a new power line installed for dock power in 2012). Pump House independent power system Owner s house independent power system Jarrett house independent power system Heating The main lodge has 2 oil furnaces. One of these furnace is red tagged (requires repair) and is not being used. The furnaces serve the main floor and second floor. Additional heat on the second floor is supplied by baseboard heaters. The furnace inspection is attached. The balance of the lodge/hotel is heated by electric baseboard heat. All other buildings on the resort are heated by electric baseboard heat. There is an oil tank at the Beech cottage. The fuel oil tank runs the pool heater located in the basement of the Beech cottage. Also in the basement is the pool pump, filter, etc. for the pool. The Phillips Room and Garden Room conference areas are heated by heat pumps. The store is heated by forced air electric. Rental Items There is one hot water tank in the basement of the main hotel that is rented from Reliance. There is a propane tank outside the bakeshop that is not owned and a rental fee may or may not be charged. There is currently no rental fee for the propane tank. There may or may not be other items rented on the resort, but those listed herein are the only ones the Executor / Seller is aware of.
Phone Lines There are phone lines to the hotel, the general store, the office, the owners residence, the Jarrett/Grove house and there is a buried line to the Pines cottage from the main system. There is a phone jack in the Garden Room. None of the other cottages or buildings have telephone lines connected to them. Currently the only operational phone line is in the private office. Management The Opinicon Resort has not operated since 2012. There has been no management or operations of any kind since 2012. Internet Was most recently provided by Bell Canada. Internet service was through the phone line. Bell Canada has confirmed the address is qualified for Fibre Internet 10 plan, Satellite TV and Home Phone services. Pool Outdoor pool - see pool information attached. The oil fired pool heater, pump, filter, etc. for the pool is located in the basement of the Beech cottage. Liquor License Details There has never been a permanent liquor licence at the Opinicon Resort. Once in a while a special occasion permit was applied for. No alcohol was allowed in the dining room without a special occasion permit. There is no transferable liquor licence to a new owner. The previous owners of Alford house operated a bed and breakfast, bar and snack bar. They had a liquor license which was not renewed when The Opinicon purchased the property in 1999. Dining Room The dining room seats 100 +/-. There were 2 sittings for dinner each evening at 6 pm and 7:30 pm. Accommodations There are 18 hotel rooms in the lodge and 15 quaint cottages, 3 houses ancillary accommodations. There is an accommodation list detailing the number of beds and bedrooms in each room and floor plans of all of the spaces on the resort. and Fire Suppression There is a fire suppression system in the commercial kitchen and a fire alarm system in the main hotel. The fire alarm system is connected to the store, Annex and owner's house. There is a fire inspection report from 2013 available in the online package of information.
Staffing Since the Opinicon was closed after the 2012 season there are no transferable staff to a new owner. There is a property manager that has been on site for many years that understands the property infrastructure in detail and he still works at the property today. Name / Trademarks / etc. The Buyer shall have the right to use and own the name Opinicon Resort and any branding / trademarks associated with the name Opinicon Resort. The transfer of any trademarks (if any) shall be at the initiation of the buyer and the sole effort and expense of the buyer with the cooperation of the Seller. The Seller owns the Limited Company The Opinicon Limited and will continue ownership of the The Opinicon Limited for the purposes of managing other assets and liabilities owned inside of the limited company. Within 30 days following closing, the Seller agrees to transfer to the buyer the existing website and domain name www.theopiniconresorthotel.com and any customer lists that can be located by the Estate Trustee and the existing phone and fax number and email address serving the Opinicon Resort. The transfer of any of these items shall be by initiation of the Buyer and at sole effort and expense of the buyer with the cooperation of the Seller. ALL MEASUREMENTS, PROPERTY DETAILS AND PROPERTY SIZE ARE APPROXIMATE AND SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY THE BUYER. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION PROVIDED IS THE RESULT OF A CONTRACT BETWEEN GORDON S ESTATE SERVICES LTD. AND THE SELLER. BUYERS ARE ADVISED TO DRAW THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ABOUT THE PROPERTY. GORDON S ESTATE SERVICES DOES NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OF ANY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ABOUT THE PROPERTY AND/OR ANY THIRD PARTY DOCUMENTS OR INFORMATION PROVIDED FROM THIRD PARTY SOURCES. (Rev. Nov 26)