After a fire destroyed a men's residence at a local college, alternate housing plans had to fall quickly into place.

Providence University College says in a release that it is looking forward to "welcoming approximately 200 resident students to the Otterburne campus," with their Welcome Week just two weeks away. 

Renovation work has been completed in several facilities, and temporary housing units are currently being installed near the Student Life Centre. The additional spaces were required following the June fire that destroyed Bergen Hall.

Marlin Reimer, Associate Vice-President for Student Life at Providence, says the Cundy, Sweet and Pierce residences have received new paint, flooring and furniture, while the temporary structures come equipped with comforts. Each of the 28, air-conditioned rooms in the “executive” style units has a bathroom, fridge and oversized bed. There are also televisions and laundry services in the common areas.

“We have done a lot of work to ensure that our students have a great experience in residence this year, and we are excited to welcome more resident students this year than we did last,” says Reimer.

He also points out that plans to build a new residence facility are underway. “We are currently in the research phase of our planning, which involves consulting with various experts and visiting other successful universities that have excellent buildings and residence life programs,” he says. “Critical to us in this process is ensuring that the mission of Providence and the resulting, educational mission of the residence life program is the driver behind the design and architecture of our buildings.”

He also points out that plans to build a new residence facility are underway. “We are currently in the research phase of our planning, which involves consulting with various experts and visiting other successful universities that have excellent buildings and residence life programs,” he says. “Critical to us in this process is ensuring that the mission of Providence and the resulting, educational mission of the residence life program is the driver behind the design and architecture of our buildings.”

Read more:

Prov hopes for new men's dorm by 2019

Bergen Hall "a complete loss"