More room for students
Holland College purchases property on Euston Street with plans to convert into new residence
In an attempt to drive up its international student population, Holland College has purchased a property to house these students.
An executive council order from the provincial government indicates that the college has borrowed $611,625 from the province for the land acquisition.
The college has purchased a building located at 291 Euston St., near Birchwood school.
“We’re going to renovate that building so we can accommodate nine students,’’ said Sandy MacDonald, president of the college.
This purchase comes on the heels of the new 80-bed residence on Grafton Street and the two properties that were purchased over the past two years at 271 and 277 Kent St.
The building on Euston Street currently has four apartments in it now — two one-bedroom units, one twobedroom unit and one threebedroom unit.
The two-and three-bedroom apartments are vacant now, and the two one-bedroom apartments are full. MacDonald said those tenants will be allowed to stay as long as they want.
“No one will be evicted.’’ The two- and three-bedroom units are going to be renovated and will be converted into a nine-bedroom apartment.
“We’re also going to put in one bedroom for somebody to act as a supervisor, a mature live-in monitor,’’ he said. “It will be someone who may be semi-retired who will be able to supervise some of our students because these may be international students living there so we want to have someone on site who can help them with their challenges, (but) it will be a Holland College dormitory.’’
Of the $611,625 the college is borrowing from the province, it will cost the post-secondary institution $450,000 to purchase the building and another $80,000 to renovate it. The college also plans on spending about $23,000 on things like furniture. The remainder of the sum goes to HST.
MacDonald said the building should be ready for students in time for the 2019-20 school year.