Only development Oak Island buyers plan is search for pirate gold ‑ lawyer
By BEVERLEY WARE – South Shore Bureau
Halifax Chronicle Herald April 27, 2006
OAK ISLAND ‑ The four Americans who have just bought half of Oak Island have no interest in building condominiums or developing the island for any commercial venture, their local lawyer says.
Wayne Marryatt of the McInnes Cooper law firm in Halifax brokered the deal between the four men from Michigan and David Tobias, the Montreal businessman who has poured more, than $1 million into the island in his quest to uncover its treasures. As they explained it to me, they have known about Oak Island for a long time,” Mr. Marryatt said. “They have
visited it, they have met with (treasure hunter) Dan Blankenship and they have a fascination with this whole mystery.
“What they want to do with it is to continue the exploration under Dan Blankenship’s leadership, for Dan to be the lead.”
Mr. Marryatt said they would like to begin their treasure hunt this summer, which means they will soon be applying to the provincial registrar of mineral and petroleum titles for treasure licences.
Mr. Blankenship worked with Mr. Tobias for years to solve the mystery of what secrets, if any Oak Island holds.
But the two became embroiled in a bit or and lasting dispute that stalled exploration efforts. They decided last
Year to liquidate their island property at couldn’t reach an agreement.
Then, last summer, Mr. Tobias sold a two‑hectare lot to Alan Kostrzew one of the four men involved in this deal. That not did not include the money pit , where some adventurers and explorers believe there could be buried treasure‑, but it did include right‑of‑way access to the causeway that had been denied to other island landowners.
Mr. Kostrzewa set up a company called Centre Road Ventures, which is described through the Registry of Joint Stock Companies as a land development and investment company with a registered office in Mr. Kostrzewa’s home city of Traverse City Mich. Mr. Marryatt was also the agent for the deal.
Mr. Marryatt would not disclose the terms of this latest sale, concluded just last week, or how much the four men paid for the half‑ownership Mr. Tobias held in Oak Island Tours. They now own 23 lots, this time including the site of the money pit. Mr. Blankenship owns the other half of the company.
The other three Michigan men are brothers Richard and Martin Lagir, and Craig Taster. Martin Lagina is a mechanical engineer.
“They really would like to solve the mystery” Mr. Marryatt said. “Their motive is not to build condos or a development, they want to pursue this thing and see what’s there.”
And if it turns out there is no treasure, then so be it, Mr. Marryatt said. “I think they just want to be able to solve the mystery If there is no treasure, there’s no treasure. If there is, then great. Something obviously went into the ground.”
