The Québec government is contributing an additional $3,342,000 to turn the former Lachute United Church into the new location of the Jean-Marc-Belzile Library.
The funding was announced on Friday, December 13 by Argenteuil Member of the National Assembly Agnès Grondin.
“The Jean-Marc-Belzile library, which will occupy this historic site, will enter the modern era by offering a space dedicated, of course, to culture, knowledge and information, but equally, and this is the beauty of the project, to education, creativity and enriching encounters,” Grondin said.
When the renovation project is completed, the library will have 17,330 square feet of space in the former church, located at 407 rue Principale.
Lachute Mayor Bernard Bigras-Denis presented the complete financial plan as well as project sketches. He also emphasized the social and economic benefits of a larger library space for residents. Combined, the Québec and federal governments, and the MRC d’Argenteuil are contributing 51.3 per cent of the estimated project cost of $15,950,000. The city of Lachute will cover the remaining $7,881,384.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Ms. Agnès Grondin for her unwavering support for this project since the beginning of our conversations. Her collaboration was essential in obtaining this additional grant and I thank her warmly for her hard work and partnership,” Bigras-Denis said.
Efforts began to convert the former United Church into a new library in 2009. After years of periodic work, Lachute council decided in March 2024 to proceed with completing the project more aggressively by securing grant funding. The city is hoping to have the new library space ready by the end of 2026.
