New units added to old Temperance Street School

NEW GLASGOW, N.S. — Need an apartment in New Glasgow, but have a dog, cat or bird you can’t live without?
No problem.
“We’re pet friendly, which is a bit unusual around town,” says Tim Tanner, director of Jacob Tanner Developments, which has torn up the gym at the old Temperance Street School, to install 21 new apartment units in a building that already has 44, most of them occupied.
“We allow small dogs and cats – occasionally the larger dog. A lot of buildings don’t allow that, but I’m very pet-friendly – pets are a very part of most people’s lives.
The units were designed by Marlin Plett, owner of TruLine Design, which is based in New Glasgow.
 “It’s an amazing space up there. There’s 21 units in this gym alone. We’ve got three floors and there’s seven units on each floor,” said Plett, who doesn’t foresee a problem having them filled once they’re ready for occupancy.
“We’re seeing a housing increase in town here and there’s a lot of units going up, so I don’t think he’ll have any problem filling them.”
The most recent project is expected to be complete by early May. On Feb. 15, workers were installing some underground plumbing, racing against time for what would be a late-afternoon delivery of concrete.
Literally tens of thousands of students traipsed through the halls of the school over the course of its 100-plus years.
“It’s a fantastic use of a building that everybody has ties to,” Plett said of the former school, which opened in 1893.
Most of the new units are two bedrooms, but there are a number of single-bedroom apartments as well.
Tanner said he wasn’t surprised at the response from the community when the apartments first opened in 2017, with gleaming new units in what is an historic building in New Glasgow.
“The new construction in Pictou County seems to be very popular,” he said.
“I’m a firm believer in creating a community that (has an) inclusive type of feel in a building. We don’t do seniors only, or families only, or singles only.