Light-rail to library AND to Parc des cèdres:

Mayor reviews Aylmer issues with the Bulletin

Six months into the second term, Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin wants Aylmerites to know that his administration is focussed on infrastructure, political transparency and public transit for the city’s four sectors. The mayor visited the Bulletin for an interview specific to Aylmer’s issues, May 10.

Public transit

The future of the city’s traffic grid needs to include light rail, insists the mayor. Adding more buses is no longer an option, as this puts more vehicles on the city’s streets, already heavy with traffic.  With federal funding available for community infrastructure, and transport investments coming from the province, Mr Pedneaud-Jobin told the Bulletin that now is the time to put together a proposal with the city’s partners.  His aim is to get initial plans together for a project proposal before the end of this summer. “Really, the future of public transit is rail,” the mayor stressed to the Bulletin; “Eventually Aylmer will need more than a single line, and this is true for the rest of Gatineau, too. The sooner we start the better. Tabling a proposal now doesn’t mean we are locked into a plan, but means we are setting a course of action.”

 

Aylmer’s councillors

As for city council’s Aylmer caucus, the mayor told the Bulletin that Aylmer’s councillors present a strong mix of talents. “Each of the major council priorities impacts Aylmer,” pointed out the mayor; “it so happens that much of Gatineau’s investing is going in the west, a good thing for Aylmer.” With the sector’s councillors having such diverse backgrounds and responsibilities at committees, their contribution to council is strong.

Redevelopment the Marina:

While the area is being redeveloped in two phases, the Marina Pavilion is the portion slated for immediate re-construction. This past winter a preliminary plan for the entire park’s redevelopment was distributed to organizations, sparking an uproar, particularly in regards to the marina area for the transit of boating equipment and for the soft-ball park. “Aylmer’s councillors were right to put off the public consultation on the redevelopment,” the mayor told the Bulletin; “sometimes planners create a vision of a site without knowing it in person. What looks good on paper, such as the soft-ball diamond, might not be what users want. And I think this is the case with the Parc des cèdres. The plans were released to the public prematurely and are being re-worked right now.”

The future of Lucy-Faris Library

“There are options for the library being studied by city administrators that may pleasantly surprise residents,” said Mr Pedneaud-Jobin. “Working with key points from library users: that they want the library in Old Aylmer, and they want the library to be contemporary and multi-functional, administrators are preparing a plan that will be put to residents for consultation.” He confided that he believes library users, as well as local business people will be pleased with the proposal.

Gatineau council held its regular council meeting Tuesday, May 15, in Aylmer, at the old city hall (115 rue Principale) at 7 pm. City council meetings are public and open to all. For those who can not attend in person, the Gatineau City website has both live-stream options for all meetings, as well as an archive of the meetings which can be viewed at any time. Check Gatineau.ca for these meetings.