Montreal Gazette

New Rigaud town hall opens, consultati­on on sustainabi­lity begins

- BRIANA TOMKINSON

The official inaugurati­on of Rigaud’s new town hall last Thursday drew local business people, curious citizens, journalist­s and politician­s from neighbouri­ng towns to toast the opening and enjoy a peek inside. The modest building, located in the heart of Rigaud’s downtown at 106 Saint-Viateur St., is Rigaud’s first purpose-built town hall. It is a sleek and modern rectangle, with a row of white columns supporting the section of the building where council meetings are held. According to architect Gavin Affleck, the white pillars are a nod to classic Greek architectu­re, elevating the room where democracy happens while creating a covered breezeway to shelter citizens below from sun, rain and snow. Three sides of the council chamber feature floor-to-ceiling windows, included not only to let in abundant natural light, said Affleck, but also to encourage politician­s to look out over the town they serve and allow citizens on the street to look in and literally see democracy at work. The new town hall is the second of three new civic buildings to be constructe­d during Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr.’s term as mayor, and it’s clear the new building is only the beginning of the big plans for his small town. Rigaud also completed constructi­on on a new fire station this fall, which Gruenwald says is the biggest — “and cheapest” — in the region. In 2018, Rigaud plans to build a new public works building as well. Gruenwald estimates the cost of all three buildings at $7.4 million. Gruenwald said the town is projected to almost double in size over the next decade, growing from a population of 7,800 to more than 12,000. Both significan­t residentia­l and industrial developmen­t are planned, which the town hopes to temper with a new focus on environmen­tal responsibi­lity and sustainabl­e developmen­t. In 2018, the town plans to create a forest management committee, including forestry experts, biologists, citizens and elected people, to help shape policies designed to preserve the natural environmen­t on Rigaud Mountain. Gruenwald said the intention isn’t to block access to the mountain, but rather to come up with solutions to minimize negative impacts. “We want the people who use the mountain to become protectors of the mountain,” he said. Last week, the town launched the first of several public consultati­ons to gather input for the developmen­t of a sustainabl­e developmen­t plan for 2018 to 2033, which will build on the vision laid out in the town’s existing strategic developmen­t plan. One of the pillars of Rigaud’s plan for growth is the creation of a third industrial park, which will be designed to attract and support companies interested in environmen­tally responsibl­e manufactur­ing. The new industrial park, named after Dr. Oscar Gendron, is on land owned by the town, which gives Rigaud additional power to control the developmen­t of the land in a way that Gruenwald hopes will be more sustainabl­e. The industrial park will open next year and will include green space, said Gruenwald, as well as bike paths connected with residentia­l areas, to make it easier for local people to cycle to work. Gruenwald said the town is also working on new initiative­s to help local citizens access job training to serve local employers, who have reported difficulty recruiting qualified staff. “We want people to work here, play here, live here and sleep here,” he said.

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