The mayor of Lachute is hopeful work can eventually resume to convert a former church building into a new home for the city’s public library.
Work to transform the former Lachute United Church building on rue Principale into the Bibliothèque Jean-Marc-Belzile public library remains suspended.
Mayor Bernard Bigras-Denis said he is actively working on securing additional funding so the project may restart. He emphasized the city does not want to be responsible for more than 50 per cent of the cost, and that the city has already spent $4 million on the work already completed. Bigras-Denis is optimistic funding may be secured from an upper level of government.
In June 2022, the federal government provided $750,000 for the project from a post-pandemic community revitalization fund.
The plan to use the former church as the new location for the library was announced in 2012. It was originally to cost $6 million but had reached $9.5 million by 2021. The cost has climbed further since.
“It’s above $10 million,” Bigras-Denis said.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, work was suspended on the old church indefinitely. However, in October 2021, the council headed by former Mayor Carl Péloquin approved spending $20,300 to complete roof repairs on the building. In March 2022, the new council under Bigras-Denis approved spending $13,527 to have the historic church windows restored and preserved.
