Sold! Goat Island in Grand Lake purchased for $90K

A small island located in Grand Lake has sold at tax auction and the new owners say they hope to keep it accessible to the public. 

Gary and Julie Armstrong beat out several other bidders to acquire Goat Island, which has served as an unofficial gathering place for boaters in the region for decades, for $90,000.

"We just wanted the island to keep it in the greater Grand Lake area to let friends and family use it and everybody in the area as long as they respect the property and don't garbage it up," Gary Armstrong said after the auction.

The sale of the island created a bit of a stir. About 400 people attended the public auction at the Fredericton Convention Centre on Friday, far more than organizers were expecting. 

In fact, so many showed up staff had to remove a temporary wall to expand the room and add additional seating. 

Bidding began at $3,840.97, but after just three bids had reached $20,000. 

Chris Spencer, originally from Chipman, has been visiting the island for decades. He and a few friends had hoped to buy the property for the same reason as the Armstrongs, but the quick escalation in the price stopped him from bidding.

"I didn't have as deep of pockets. I came here with a value in my mind, a price that I was prepared to pay," Spencer said. 

"I didn't even have an opportunity to put my card up. This thing got out of hand in a hurry."

Spencer says he's happy that the property ended up going to the Armstrongs. He said they've spent time on the island together in the past. 

"It couldn't have worked out any better — I've known the Armstrong family forever," he said.

"I have all the confidence in the world that people will be able to maintain access."

Armstrong said it's important the island continue to hold its place as a boating destination.

"I have no plans to do anything with it — it was just mainly to keep it for the area," he said.

"As long as people look after it and respect it, there won't be any changes."