Nature upsets Vaudreuil-Dorion plan
Flooding near waterfront property prompts search for alternate city hall site
A literal perfect storm has pushed back plans by Vaudreuil-Dorion’s municipal council to build a new city hall. Council had made arrangements to purchase a sprawling waterfront property, but plans hit a snag when it was partly flooded last month.
In April, city council green-lit the purchase of 405 St.-Charles Ave. for $1.1 million. The 187,740-square-foot property was selected as the best site for a new city hall, a deal fully endorsed by Mayor Guy Pilon. The administration for the city of 38,000 residents currently leases office space, which isn’t the norm, in part of a two-storey structure on Dutrisac Street that also houses a poolroom bar.
In May, floodwaters ravaged sections of Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the West Island.
While the existing building at 405 St.-Charles, which dates back to 1955, wasn’t flooded itself, a good portion of the adjacent vacant land nearest the cresting waterline in Vaudreuil’s Bay sector was soaked for several days.
Pilon has since announced that no further moves for a new city hall project will be made until Vaudreuil-Dorion officials hear back from Quebec’s Environment Ministry, which is currently assessing the floodplain situation.
The city’s proposal to build a new city hall at the St-Charles site has been blasted, in part based on flood concerns, by Pilon’s mayoral rival heading into the Nov. 5 election.
Pierre Séguin, who leads the Team We Are Party, demanded residents be consulted and that the city hall project be shelved until after the election.
As for the 405 St.-Charles property, Séguin said that site should be transformed into a park.
Séguin has suggested some alternative sites. A former Catholic church and rectory at 143-145 Harwood Blvd. could be razed to make way for a new city hall.
The old St-Jean Baptiste church property, which is owned by the city and currently houses the Optimist Club’s Opti-Centre, is his first option.
Pilon, who heads the Parti de l’action de Vaudreuil-Dorion, dismissed tearing down the old church, saying it is a heritage site used by a community group.
Whether or not the former church site on Harwood is a viable option, Vaudreuil-Dorion officials should have options in place to better respond to any action by the province regarding floodplains.
Provincial authorities could set stricter construction guidelines for properties at risk of flooding, or they could drag out revising floodplain maps for many years, leaving the St-Charles Avenue option in limbo. Vaudreuil-Dorion officials must be ready to act no matter what the province does.
Vaudreuil-Dorion is a booming municipality. Its residents deserve a new multi-purpose city hall that is municipally owned and could be shared by the administration and community groups.
The city’s proposal to build a new city hall at the St-Charles site has been blasted, in part based on flood concerns, by Pilon’s mayoral rival heading into the Nov. 5 election.