Pierrefonds marina slated for makeover
$3.1M plan to be completed by Montreal’s 375th anniversary
The Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough is launching a family-friendly overhaul of its marina sector along Rivière des Prairies with the help of some funds destined to promote Montreal’s 375th anniversary.
Work on the $3.1 million revitalization of a 34,000-square foot section at the corner of Rose St. and Lalande Blvd. should be completed by the end of next year, in time for Montreal’s celebrations in 2017. Montreal is contributing $1 million to the project, with the borough covering the remainder.
“We are talking about access to our waterfronts,” borough mayor Jim Beis said. “What it includes is activities such as beach volleyball, some exercise equipment like we have in some other parks, or where people can go and have a picnic.”
Some of the new attractions are to include sprinkler games, beach volleyball, trails, outdoor exercise stations, picnic areas and a fishing pier. There will also be a chalet housing a meeting room, washrooms and a small eatery.
However, the project doesn’t include opening a beach or swimming area, nor does it affect Promenade-Lalande, a narrow riverfront park with some benches that stretches west from the marina area.
Beis said the possibility of redoing the marina sector had been discussed by borough officials for years, and it was decided to finetune the idea and present it as a project linked to Montreal’s upcoming 375th anniversary.
“It was approved as a project and we’re really excited about it,” he added.
While the old marina, which is now closed, had been used to moor motor boats, the redevelopment of the waterfront park will focus on non-motorized boats, though it will continue to have a boat ramp and a few parking spaces for boat trailers.
“We are eliminating the docks for motorized boats,” Beis said. “We want to make it environmentally friendly. We want to have it where people rent canoes and kayaks and allow them to use the area, I think, in a more responsible manner and encourage physical activity.
“It’s already a green space with plenty of trees but we are looking at improving it so that we can encourage people to come and use that site to its full potential.
It’s a jewel of a location, in terms of what view it has and the access.”
Most recently, about 30 people had signed seasonal rental fees to dock their boats at the marina, with only a quarter of them being Pierrefonds-Roxboro residents, Beis noted.
“The docks are limited on the island of Montreal. So we had a small one there that had close to 30 boats and a small percentage of them were our residents,” he said, adding the borough plans to advise them on finding possible alternative docks for this summer.
While the dock at the Pierrefonds marina is now closed and the main green area will be fenced offlimits, the existing launching ramp will be available this summer.
Meanwhile, the borough still has to call for a tender to finalize plans for the marina project in the coming weeks, Beis said, adding a general concept has so far been developed and approved.
We are eliminating the docks for motorized boats. We want to make it environmentally friendly.