The fire of 1905 was to have consequences both for the school and for the Village of Pickering itself. A debate over the future of the school ensued, with many alumni, the Village of Pickering itself (fearing a loss of business and tax revenue) and others wishing to rebuild the College on its original site. A period of time passed where the College committee reviewed its options. For a time, Pickering remained the favourite; the local newspaper reported plans to rebuild the school on the same site, even larger than before, with a near doubling of capacity for boarding students. However, this was not to be. A number of towns expressed interest in hosting the College and were perhaps more vocal than the Village of Pickering had been. A new option would eventually come to the fore: the tiny town of Newmarket.