NEW GLASGOW – A property in downtown New Glasgow will be turned into a modern, polished building, contrasting with the majority of brick buildings that surround it.
Jamie MacGillivray is the man behind the updates at 142 Provost St. He said he plans on turning the building into an environmental and economically sound property with commercial and possibly residential tenants.
He said the updates are coming along “slowly, but surely,” and the building is at the beginning of phase one of its updates.
“The idea is to modernize it,” he said.
Phase one includes installation of geo-thermal heat and air conditioning, new windows, and an updated, modern exterior with aluminum panels on the building.
“It’s a fairly large building, so it could change the character of downtown a bit, making it more modern,” he said.
In the empty lot next to the building, wells are being drilled for the installation of a geo-thermal heating system and MacGillivray plans on adding a second-storey entrance from that lot.
“When we finish that, we’ll make a decision about whether to put apartments upstairs or to use it commercially,” he said. “We have to install an elevator too in one corner of the building, but there are still a lot of decisions to be made.”
He also said once the wells are drilled, he plans to turn the empty lot next to the building into an area for tenants to park.
MacGillivray said he has hired a project manager and said they project the geo-thermal heat and new windows will be completed this spring.
“The idea is to try to get a modern, commercial building that’s environmentally and economically sound for future decades,” he said. “It’s a long road, but I’m optimistic.”
