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HOLLAND
COLLEGE • March 5, 2002
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COLLEGE
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| Justice
Institute staying in park after government rejects land proposal Kyle Bent xkbent@hollandc.pe.ca The provincial government has rejected Holland College's bid for a land transfer that would have allowed the construction of a new Justice Institute and residence near Summerside Centre on Granville Street. The college asked for three acres of provincial government owned-land for the new residence, which college president Alex MacAulay said would have opened in September 2002. The proposal prompted several Summerside hotel and motel operators to protest the provincial government in November about possible competition from a new residence. MacAulay said the rejection is a setback, but the college is looking into building a residence in Slemon Park near the institute. He said it would be a month before he would know what the costs are. Renovation of the old facility is an option he doesn't want to consider. "That would be too expensive." He said the existing centre is too small for the police trainees, customs and corrections students and faculty now housed there. At least 200 full-time students use the Institute each year, as well as 500 to 750 people who attend short-term training sessions. "The one thing that's absolutely clear ... is that a new state-of-the-art facility is required." A spokesperson for the college could not be reached for the number of people using the institute. There's no doubt the existing hotel and motel proprietors were against construction of a residence, MacAulay said. A Nov. 8 letter signed by Jo Anne Schurman of the Loyalist Inn, Angus MacCormack of the Linkletter Inn and Convention Centre and Alfred Groom of Quality Inn, said there are already plenty of rooms available in the city students can use during the year. When days of the year are multiplied by the 345 available rooms they represent there is the equivalent of 126,270 available rooms a year in Summerside. Of these rooms, less than 60,000 are taken, leaving the rest for students. "(That's) more than enough to supply the Holland College needs," the letter said. "Although we, the Hotel Group of Summerside, support Holland College in the broadest sense, we oppose any guarantee or assistance Holland College may contribute in this area of student residences that would compete on the open market in any way with the lodging and hospitality industry." Slemon Park Corporation president Kenneth DesRoches said he's happy the institute will not be moving. "We think it's very good for the college and certainly very good for us." However, he said the institute does need some work. "We fixed the institute up 10 years ago ... it's starting to show some wear and tear now." He is hopeful the college will be happy with whatever changes are made. The 10-year lease the college has with Slemon Park is up in March 2003. MacAulay declined to comment on whether the college would renew it. Tom Harland, in charge of special projects for Development and Technology, including the proposed move from Slemon Park, couldn't be reached for comment. |
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