The city of Lachute is close to having the grant funding to complete the long-delayed effort to make the former United Church building on Rue Principale into the new home of the Bibliothèque Jean-Marc-Belzile public library. However, taxpayers will still be paying for more than half of the $15.9 million project.
Lachute council held a special meeting on Monday, March 18 and approved changes to an existing grant agreement with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and also approved a grant application to the Ministère de la Culture et des communications du Québec.
Although the grant application to the provincial department of culture has not been officially approved, Mayor Bernard Bigras-Denis said there is a strong possibility the minister will approve it and the city was instructed to proceed with its application. He emphasized proceeding with the project remains conditional on receiving the provincial grant.
In 2022, the city received $750,000 in federal funding for the library project. In 2021, $4 million in provincial and federal funding had already been contributed to the project.
The effort to change the former church building into a library began in 2009. Bigras-Denis said a lack of consistent political will made it a challenge to get the project completed. He referred to how during the 2021 municipal election campaign, he promised to develop a plan to see the job completed. After being elected mayor, Bigras-Denis had work suspended on the new library while an evaluation was done of the project’s priorities.
Councillor Hugo Lajoie, who was first elected in 2013, noted the library project was being discussed then.
With the changes approved on March 18, grant funding for the library project will total $7.7 million. So far, $4 million, including grants already received in past years, has been spent on the project. The additional cost to Lachute taxpayers will be $8,250,000. Bigras-Denis said that amount is being financed over 20 years at a low interest rate. The city estimates it will add an extra $60 over four years to the tax bill for a residential property of average value.
At the March 18 council meeting, a resident in the audience questioned the cost of the project and surmised that citizens could petition for a referendum on the issue, which is permitted under Québec law. Bigras-Denis said 1,000 valid signatures would be required to instigate a vote.
The former Lachute United Church building was constructed in 1899. The renovation of the building to accommodate the library includes preserving its heritage elements. Those include stained glass windows, a Casavant pipe organ, cabinetry and exterior doors, masonry, radiators, and lighting.
Bigras Denis conveyed the city’s message promoting the church building as a new location for the library. He said it will serve as a space for the community, youth, and offer a café for clients. The current Bibliothèque Jean-Marc-Belzile is in a smaller addition on the Lachute city hall.
If all of the grants and financing are finalized, the city of Lachute will call for offers on construction contracts for the new library in the summer of 2024. Construction could begin in autumn 2024 with completion in autumn, 2026.
The complete financial details of the proposed new library are available at www.lachute.ca/nouvellebiblio .
