Seven construction projects, two contracts, the Library’s “Reading’s Worth It” project, a new Place Ross-Blackhurst in Riverside Park and a discussion about chips and IGA wine were among the key features at the LaSalle Borough Meeting last Monday, October 6.
Construction on Allard, Centrale, 39th, Léger, Bois des Caryers and LaSalle Heights
The borough accepted plans related to the construction of a new multi-family building on Allard Street. No address nor lot number was provided in the agenda and the resolution was not read out loud. Instead number 40.09, was passed in a single resolution within resolutions 40.04 to 40.16. Pierre Dupuis, the borough of LaSalle’s clerk has since provided more information. He says that the lot is 5 321 996, and the project is OPUS V, a 150 condo building, the fifth and last phase of the Opus condo development in Quartier Angrignon. He also says that in future lot numbers will be included in resolutions where no building yet exists on the site.*
The other resolutions in that section were related to architectural and integration plans. They included balcony replacements, sheathing replacements, signage approvals and two building expansions, one at 786, 39th Avenue and the other at 2225 rue Léger.
The 8-unit residential project at 8869-8885 Centrale Street was adopted and the right to build a 6.7 metre building at 786 39th Avenue was approved.
Residents asked about parking at the new building on Centrale and the decision of the borough to refrain from distributing written material during their consultation.
Twelve people attended the meeting to ask questions about the Bois des Caryers project.
Groupe Quorum’s LaSalle Heights project also got attention when borough councillors extended the company’s right to house its mobile unit in the Angrignon Mall parking lot until January 15, 2015.
Contracts
Two contracts were awarded.
Récupération Tersol, a company owned by Trois-Rivières resident Mario Guillemette, received a three-year contract worth more than two million dollars to collect recycling from January 2015 until the end of February 2018. Two options to renew the contract for additional years were included in the resolution.
Borough councillors also extended Gestion Normar’s contract for the hourly rental of six tow trucks to cover the 2014-2015 snow-clearing season at a cost of $76,902. The company is owned by Normand Martin of Mercier.
Reading’s Worth It
Finally, the Octogone Library was given permission to forgive late book return penalties for any child 13 years and younger as part of their “reading’s worth it” event during public library week from October 18 to 25.
Ross-Blackhurst Place
Borough councillors designated a new Ross-Blackhurst Place in the heart of Riverside Park.
Chips and IGA Wine
Near the end of the evening, Joseph Pugliese asked Councillor Monique Vallée for a list of the ten people she invited to LaSalle’s VIP section during Canada Day and the 100th Anniversary Celebrations. After she said that no lists of invitees exist in LaSalle, Pugliese followed up by asking Mayor Manon Barbe to confirm that VIP guests really get “chips and IGA wine,” as borough staff told him when he recently placed an access-to-information request for VIP costs. The mayor confirmed the comment.
Note: This article appeared on pages 10 and 11 of the City edition of The Suburban on October 8.
*This lot number did not appear in the previous version of this story.
Unfortunately, after repeated requests to the borough of LaSalle asking for full disclosure of all guests invited to these VIP wine and chip events, the borough has refused to give the names of who our elected officials invite to these events.
Consequently, this access to information request has since been brought to the Commission d’acces a l’information du Quebec for review.
We should be expecting results in the following weeks.
My biggest concern is not wine and chips but who our elected officials invite as VIP guests to these public events and why all the censorship ???
After all, these events are paid in full by the tax payers of LaSalle,
To be continued….