The people who run St. Gabriel’s Hall in Marystown have lost tens of thousands of dollars in revenue while they sit in limbo, uncertain of the future of the building, listed as an asset by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Association.

John Baker is the Chair of St. Gabriel’s Hall Incorporated, which has a 25-year lease out on the building.

They made a pitch to purchase the building, but have not yet received a formal response. That said, Baker says they’re more concerned about the lease than their efforts to buy the building.

Their argument, says Baker, is that they have a legitimate right to use St. Gabriel’s Hall until their lease expires in 2035, regardless of who purchases it.

Be that as it may, the situation has created a great deal of uncertainty.

He says they had to turn away eight weddings this summer and fall, representing a loss in revenue of about $60,000 dollars, simply because they couldn’t guarantee the building could still be used if it was sold.

In the meantime, a real estate assessment is being conducted on St. Gabriel’s Hall in the next week or so, and Baker says the lawyers for the two sides are talking about the leasing arrangement.