Loyalist Sustainable skills centre could be getting major makeover

By Sean Macey

Loyalist’s Sustainable Skills, Technology and Life Sciences Centre could be getting some major upgrades if Belleville council approves a $1-million funding request by college president Maureen Piercy.

The idea was presented to council Tuesday during the city-council operating budget meeting.

“In terms of equipping it fully with all of the high tech capital that’s needed, we needed some help so we decided to develop a campaign and we’re going out to our college family and municipal partners and business partners and everybody that’s a colleague and friend and partner of the college to help us with resources,” said Piercy.

The centre opened in June of last year.

“It’s our newest, largest project. It’s the largest infrastructure campus renewal project since the 1970’s,” said Piercy. “What we did was secured money from our senior government partners, so the federal government and the province. And we built as much space as we possibly could because those things only come along once every 50 years.”

One of the major changes coming to the centre would be in the welding program. Right now it’s a one-year program, but due to industry demand, it is set to become a two-year program. Piercy says it will cost $400,000 for two pieces of equipment needed to expand the length of the program.

This is the most significant support the college has asked the municipality for. The money will be spread out over five years.