Former Dorchester Jail Reopens For Tours And Gym Use

The former Dorchester Jail has been closed for over a week, after a visit from the Provincial fire Marshal and local fire department.

A spokesperson says the order was issued for several reasons, including a need for a fire plan.

Owner of the Jail Bill Steele says he met with the Fire Marshall and the local Fire Prevention officer yesterday.

He says he now has permission to reopen for tours and also the gym, “Just need some security lights put up, and a couple of other little minor things. The Bed and Breakfast is going to take a little bit more. I have to disable some locks as well.”

Steele says a lot of tourism dollars have been lost this season, but he remains optimistic they’ll be busy again once the AirBNB reopens.

“As for as the BnB, I have to wait until everything is clear. We suspended our listing on AirBnB, and we are not accepting anymore booking. We have bookings in place and we are cancelling them as we come up to them until we are back open.”

Steele says the Fire Marshal will need to return to do another inspection, but there is no set date for that yet.

“It’s is tough making money in the Maritimes sometimes, but we have a lot of people interested in the place and it is always increasing. We hope we can survive this, but we will. I’m confident we absolutely well,” Steele says.