Nelson Residence Slated to Re-Open Doors

Nov 20, 2009 by Selkirk College Students' Union

On November 9, government officials, Nelson Mayor John Dooley, representatives from the Columbia Basin Trust, as well as from Selkirk College’s Board of Governors and College President Marilyn Luscombe, invited a select few, including the Selkirk College Students’ Union, to a great announcement concerning College students.

After a few years of being out of service, the residence at the Tenth Street Campus of the College in Nelson has finally turned its lights on again. The occasion for this was the announcement of a Federal grant given to Selkirk College for revamping and re-opening the residence. The grant is for a total of $3.54 million dollars and will need to be spent within the next two years.

“It has taken some time, but we are very excited to see the residence open its doors to students within the next couple of years,” Zachary Crispin, External Director for the SCSU said.

This announcement is a happy one for all members of the Nelson campuses. The Students’ Union has been very aware of the housing issue and has continually lobbied government and the College to reopen the residence. Last year, the SCSU gathered 300 signatures in a period of 24 hours and hand delivered them to the College’s President. The SCSU also held two seats on the College’s Housing Steering Committee that had been investigating solutions for the housing issues in Nelson and Castlegar.

The residence will be renovated in accordance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, which means it will be a “green” building and a model for future buildings of this type, to follow. Doors to the building are expected to open as early as the fall of 2011.

The re-opening of the residence will also mean more housing will be available throughout the general population of Nelson, and the SCSU hopes to see the cost of housing in Nelson become more affordable for students once the residence is fully active.