The contractor has been selected, and work has started on major renovations at Arèna Gilles-Lupien in Brownsburg.
On Monday, March 25, Brownsburg-Chatham council members and staff were joined by Argenteuil-La-Petite Nation Member of Parliament Stéphane Lauzon and Argenteuil member of the Québec National Assembly Agnès Grondin for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the arena on Rue MacVicar. In the background, it was evident that the work had already begun.
At a special meeting of Brownsburg-Chatham council held on Tuesday, March 19, council granted the contract for the project to Maylan Construction of Hawkesbury for $2.4 million, which is below the $2.6 million projected cost of the project.
“They know what they’re doing,” Mayor Kévin Maurice said at the meeting.
He recalled how in 2023, Maylan completed the extensive renovations done at the Vankleek Hill Community Centre.
“The arena is the heart of our town and the village of Brownsburg,” Maurice said on March 25.
The work being done at the arena in Brownsburg includes adding insulation to the ceiling, replacing exterior cladding, installing a fire alarm system, improvements to the foundation and drainage, and modernization work on the heating, ventilation, and lighting systems.
The arena was built in the 1950’s. For 20 years, until 2023, was owned and operated by the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil. The town of Brownsburg-Chatham and the MRC reached an agreement to return the arena to town responsibility.
The federal and Québec governments are contributing a combined $1.4 million to the arena renovations in Brownsburg. Each of the governments is providing 50 per cent of grant funding, which is $700,000 each. Lauzon said renovating the building is an economic use of an existing facility. Grondin said arena projects require a lot of political courage because there are similar needs with municipal arena facilities across Québec.
The renovations at Arèna Gilles-Lupien are to be completed by August, 2024 so the building will be ready for the next ice season.
Maurice referred to how the arena is named after late Montréal Canadiens defenceman Gilles Lupien, whose hometown was Brownsburg. His name was added to the arena in 1985. Lupien played for the Canadiens from 1978 to 1980 and ended his professional hockey career in 1982 with the Hartford Whalers. Lupien died on May 18, 2021 at age 67.
