By Katie Strachan
The Oshawa Express

It appears the restoration of the Genosha Hotel is coming along just as expected.“We’re basically bringing everything back to the masonry walls,” says David Moffatt of Southern Ontario Specialty Services (SOS), the company completing the abatement of the historic hotel. Most of the general demolition and removal of asbestos has been completed on floors six through two, says Moffatt. The main hallway didn’t require much demo or abatement. The building is being transformed into affordable student housing and will house a restaurant and a coffee shop on the main floor Rick Summers, building’s owner, told The Oshawa Express in a previous interview.

An SOS crew of between 12 and 22 workers have been in the historic building for five
weeks. Moffatt says it will only require another week or two until the demolition stage is complete.“We might end up being there another week of two dealing with other stuff though,”
he explains.“With an old building, every time you open a wall you find something you weren’t expecting to.” Summers plans on putting in geothermal heating and cooling, which is more hightech, says Moffatt.“They want me to get out of there quickly so they can move onto the other trades, like plumbing and all that,” explains the company owner. As for being a part of the revitalization of a fraction of Oshawa’s history, Moffatt says it’s great.

“Everybody seems really excited,” says Moffatt of the feedback he has heard from surrounding businesses.“I guess they’re glad to see something’s being done with it.” The Genosha should be finished by the start of the school year in 2010 if all goes as planned.
Once completed it will have the capacity to house more than 103 students and offer up
more than 12,000 square feet of commercial space for lease.