The former military barracks in the heart of Masset have been saved from the bulldozer for at least another year.
The Missing Link Society has confirmed it will renew its annual lease next month, following the group's annual general meeting June 13. The group has been leasing the barracks and lounges for the past several years.
Missing Link communications director Mike McLeod said three of the five barracks blocks are fully operational, and the group is coming up with plans for the other two. Renters include the Council of the Haida Nation Forest Guardians and the youth centre, he said. (NorthWest Community College had also been renting space from the Missing Link but closed its office last month.)
Missing Link also rents out barracks rooms with a shared bathroom for $200 to $250 per month or on a drop-in basis for $20 a night. The group runs an arcade and just opened an internet cafe beside the Massett Recreation Centre, with four high-speed net-connected terminals, top-quality coffee, and fresh baking.
The internet cafe is open seven days a week from 8 am to 7 pm, Mr. McLeod said. Internet access is free from 8 am to 11 am, and $5 an hour after that.
"It's super-duper high speed," he said. "There's awesome home baking. Everything is fresh and we use Sitka Studio coffee beans."
The internet cafe is run by Missing Link volunteers, Mr. McLeod said, especially Kim and Bernice Davidson who he described as the "backbone of the whole thing.... They deserve the credit for everything they've done." Mr. Davidson is also the president of the Missing Link Society.
The barracks blocks and lounges are owned by the Greater Massett Development Corp., which was considering tearing them down until the Missing Link offered to lease them. The buildings were constructed in the early 1970s, and Mr. McLeod admitted that they have some big maintenance issues.
"The buildings are pretty old and need a lot of work," he said. "I know some people want to bulldoze it."
The group's biggest challenge over the past year has been getting rid of a $20,000 municipal tax bill, which built up when paperwork was lost and taxes weren't paid. That bill is now down to $5,000, Mr. McLeod said, and should be completely paid off by the end of the summer.
Currently, "our finances are good," he said. "We're turning this into an economically viable thing, but it's not for profit. Right now it's holding its own."