Library, Parc des Cèdres, 3-1-1
Aylmer’s three councillors face-to-face with residents
Aylmer’s three city councillors, Audrey Bureau, Gilles Chagnon and Mike Duggan, met with citizens, October 18, at the Lucy-Faris library. The turnout was impressive; dozens of residents brought interests from their respective wards.
The meeting started with big concerns, Parc des Cèdres, the 3-1-1 non-urgent call centre, the city’s waste management plan, the future of the Lucy-Faris library and the possibility of an eco-centre in Aylmer.
Citizens complained of the delays after filing a complaint through 3-1-1. The councillors want citizens to call 3-1-1, which opens a city file, but they suggested citizens can call their offices if the 3-1-1 delay is too long. Each councillor will then follow-up directly with administrators.
The waste management plan has all street-facing residences receiving a 120L grey bin for their garbage within the next few weeks. The city recommends keeping the old garbage containers for green residues -- leaves and tree branches. Residents can call 3-1-1 to schedule an individual pick-up of furniture and/or electrical appliances.
Parc des Cèdres: a preliminary copy of the park’s master plan is on the city’s website. Some residents remain unsatisfied with the future Marina Pavilion. But, mentioned Ms Bureau, not a single resident came to the meeting of the Comité consultative d’urbanisme when the plan for the pavilion was unveiled. Another resident cited summer water quality at the Parc des Cèdres; the beach was closed many times last season.
The future Lucy-Faris library
As for the library, many options are on the table and the costs are preliminary, said the councillors. The City proposes the demolition of the present library, followed by its reconstruction. The new building could have two or four storeys. According to estimates, two storeys would cost $40M, and four storeys would cost approximately $55M. The option of building the library at the Parc Paul-Pelletier (pool) would save 10 million dollars in relocation costs. Several residents were concerned with the high costs of the project. Others insisted that architects must follow the building regulations of Old-Aylmer. Council will re-study the library file in January.
After discussing the big files, citizens were invited to join their respective councillors with issues specific to their wards. Participants were asked to leave their comments after the meeting. (Trans: CB)
