Work on the project to transform the former United Church building on Rue Principale in Lachute into the new location for the town’s public library is to resume this spring and summer.
According to Mayor Carl Péloquin, council has approved contracts for a new roof and new windows to proceed this spring and summer. The roof work, which Péloquin said will cost approximately $600,000, will be done first, followed by the window installations.
Péloquin said no exact date has been set for the completion of the new library because council has chosen to enter into separate contracts for each aspect of the project rather than have one contract to cover the entire renovation of the former church building. Work on the library has been on hold since November 2020 due to challenges associated with construction costs.
Péloquin estimated that approximately $3 million has been spent on the new library project so far. The total cost of the project was originally estimated at $9.5 million.
Funding for digital improvements
On April 13, Argenteuil member of the Québec National Assembly Agnès Grondin announced financial assistance of $ 42,810 to the existing Bibliothèque Jean-Marc-Belzile library in Lachute for the development of its Biblio-numérique project which involves developing tutorials for the use of digital library resources; achieving digital storytelling hours, and the loan of “ready-to-read” kits including an e-reader and digital books already downloaded.
