October 5, 1989: Last spikes removed on future site of City Centre Campus

The last rail was removed from the future site of Grant MacEwan Community College’s new City Centre Campus last week. Dignitaries removed the last spikes in a ceremony hosted by CN on Oct. 5 marking the provincial government’s purchase of the 26-acre site from CN for $16.7 million. Transfer of the land is expected to take place in December. The large number of students and staff attending the new campus will help to revitalize the city’s downtown, said Mayor Terry Cavanagh. Cavanagh and other dignitaries from CN, the provincial government, and GMCC shared a ceremonial makeshift stage west of the 105th Street overpass to officially announce the land transfer agreement. To commemorate the historic occasion, a three-foot section of rail was presented to Peter Kossowan, chairman of GMCC’s Board of Governors. The rail which dates back to 1905 will be showcased in the new campus.
(Source: MacEwan Today, October 17, 1989)

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