PEI

Holland College grads working on Province House conservation project

Six recent graduates of Holland College’s Heritage Retrofit Carpentry program have landed quite the summer job — helping prepare Province House National Historic Site in Charlottetown for major conservation work.

6 Heritage Retrofit Carpentry grads working on the project

Jake Cormier, left, and Noah Savary, wrap up an historic window to prepare for transportation and storage at Province House. (Tom Steepe/CBC)

Six recent graduates of Holland College's Heritage Retrofit Carpentry program have landed quite the summer job — helping prepare Province House National Historic Site in Charlottetown for major conservation work.

"It's a lot of wrapping up the old doors, protecting that kind of stuff so that nothing that is staying gets damaged. And then, a lot of tearing out windows," said Noah Savary, one of the summer workers.

Parks Canada's website says the cost of conservation work at Province House is $47 million. (Tom Steepe/CBC)

Savary said he has a keen interest in history. And, one aspect of the work is that when you take down a wall "you don't what you're going to find," he said.

"So, a lot less structure, but it's really cool."

Besides Savary, the other graduates working on the project are David Redmond, Jenna MacNeill, Steffen MacEwen, Zackery Bernard and Jake Cormier.

The graduates are working for Quinan Construction Ltd. of Orillia, Ont., according to a press release. The company was awarded an $8.7-million contract to work on stabilizing the building to ensure its structural integrity.

With files from Tom Steepe