Pontiac council report - work to start on bicycle trail?
Mo Laidlaw
Forty members of the public attended the regular council meeting on 13 September 2005. Many came from Cedarvale road: Robert Lussier, Ken Martash, Jacques Duval, Stéphane Poirier Defoy, and Léo Chaput asked for ditching work and for Cedarvale to be paved. Housing construction uphill from Cedarvale has increased run-off and the need for good ditches. Mayor Bruce Campbell explained that a lot of preparation has to be done before the road is paved. Councillor Bill Twolan proposed that $3000 of ditching be started immediately at the junction with Terry-Fox. Council opposed this, reminding Mr Twolan that the procedure is for the road inspector to make an estimate first, which will only delay work for a few days. A new stop sign will be installed at this junction to improve safety.
Steven Belley asked for a traffic study for the Terry-Fox and McCaffrey junctions with highway 148, and for the yellow lines to be repainted.
Danny Webster wants to make sure that there is money for Lavigne Park in next year’s budget, and brought a petition and quotes for equipment. He’d like help moving the brush and trees that have been cut but not removed.
More drainage problems
Linda Brand has municipal ditches draining onto her land on Pères Dominicains, where she had hoped to keep a “nice hot stallion” if it wasn’t flooded. Mr Campbell said he would be there the next day with the road inspector to see what could be done.
Hilliard Fahey demanded that a culvert be reinstalled on Mountain Road. Mr Campbell explained that a survey has shown that the watercourse is on municipal property (the road allowance), not on Mr Fahey’s land.
Alain Carle and Bernard Leboeuf were granted minor derogations because they have built their houses too close to highway 148, taking their measurements from the edge of the paving, which is not the road allowance.
Bicycle trail
Work may soon start on the bicycle trail between Wyman and Aylmer, “le sentier de Pontiac,” as a regional project. Sixteen men will sit on the working group:
Bruce Campbell, mayor, Roger Larose, councillor, and Sylvain Bertrand, directeur général, municipality of Pontiac; Ghislain Poulin, directeur général and Michel Bélanger, planning, MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais; Hugues Dupuy, directeur général and Marc Fortin, development agent, CLD des Collines-de-l’Outaouais; Gérald Desjardins, l’Association des Voisins du CP Rail; Pierre-Yvon Alary, UPA Gatineau Sud francophone; Ivan Hale, UPA Gatineau Sud anglophone; Richard Maheu, UPA Outaouais-Laurentides; Nick Matechuk, representing Quyon businesses; Jean Hébert, directeur général, CRÉO; Jean-Marc Purenne (URLSO); Michel Plouffe, directeur général, CLD Développement économique Gatineau; and Jean-Pierre Ledoux, directeur général, CLD Pontiac.
According to the resolution, the local UPA has said, “Farmers are not opposed as long as the trail does not follow the former rail-line between Smith-Léonard (ie Rivière) and Kennedy.”
Bills to pay
A majority of council decided to buy a Konica-Minolta colour photocopier for $23,088 so that community groups will be able to print colour publicity at low cost. Councillor Jim Coyle voted against, saying that the municipality “is not in the printing business.”
Bills for $122,404 and fixed expenses of $287,849 for August were approved as well as a bill for $2,189 from Bell Canada for cutting its cable on Wilson.
The cracks in the new sewage treatment plant were fixed in August. Quyon is no longer discharging untreated sewage into the Ottawa river.
The next regular council meeting on 11 October at 8 pm, will be the last before the municipal elections on November 6, and the last for Mayor Bruce Campbell, who has decided not to run again.
Special meetings 17, 24, 31 August
The municipality is inviting tenders for garbage and recycling pickup. The new large wheelie-bins need special equipment to empty them into the truck, so the municipality has to buy this equipment or use a contractor with the equipment to do it.
Fondex were asked to do the plans and specifications for paving roads previously approved (see report of 14 June meeting).
A contract for a total of $26,385 was approved to construct sidewalks in Quyon, and repair the asphalt.
A joint committee has been set up with Gatineau and Chelsea to work on making Terry-Fox and Townline a through road.
$10,000 is budgeted to repair the well and install water treatment equipment at the Luskville municipal complex.
The municipality will contribute up to 10% of the costs to create Balharrie Park and campsite along the Quyon River, estimated to cost $45,000, as this project will help to revitalize Quyon.