— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary
After 124 years of operation, the small college that is Eastern Nazarene is going the way of other small colleges: it will soon be closing.
This sad announcement has already been covered by both the local tabloid and the South Shore broadsheet.
At the same time, Quincy Quarry News’ ever-growing legions of loyal readers always turn to the Quarry for its slant on this latest loss to Quincy.
For example, what is up for city-owned and thus also taxpayer-underwritten Quincy College?
After all, Quincy College would be running a couple million or so negative were local taxpayers not subsidizing the healthcare benefits if the employees of the college that is overwhelming attended by students from elsewhere other than Quincy.
Plus, the millions in federal COVID relief aid provided to Quincy College are surely at least approaching all but expended and so posing even more financial stress for the long-struggling college.
Returning to Eastern Nazarene, what will happened to its twenty-acre campus in the bucolic residential Wollaston flats neighborhood?
Already, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch has targeted the college for redevelopment into senior housing last year in a fit of pique in the wake of the college’s opting to rent an unused dorm to the state for transitional migrant family housing.
No word as yet, however, as to what favored developer(s) Mayor Koch would likely endeavor to see score the redevelopment deal.
Conversely, what might Eastern Nazarene do with its property.
After all, given the nature of the college’s incorporation, it cannot just sell the property to highest bidder. Rather, it will take a while to unwind germane things legal.
Plus, a quick sale would likely be at a fire sale price.
As such, out of town critics notwithstanding, finding even more short term tenants would all but assuredly prove to be a more viable course of action so as to provide sufficient revenue to keep the property in good order as well as also put the campus to good use until college officials can arrange for a propitious sale of the property.
And as for ready rental options, renting out even more space to the state for migrant and other homeless housing will surely be considered.
Additionally, perhaps the City of Boston might be interested in renting at least some space at the closing college.
After all, perhaps the campus could be viable for use as transitional drug treatment and homeless housing until such time as both Eastern Nazarene can unwind its legal requirements to be able to sell the college’s property and Boston can rebuild the Long Island Bridge so that it can resume drug abuse recovery programming and related public healthcare services on the island.
QuincyQuarry.com
Quincy News, news about Quincy, MA - Breaking News - Opinion
No more posts