STEPHEN RICCIO
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC Aug. 9, 2020
The Municipality of Pontiac (MoP) council held a short special meeting on Aug. 9, most significantly announcing a call to tender for the ongoing chemin de la Montagne repair project.
MoP Mayor Joanne Labadie said that the council had hoped to . . .
put out the provincial call to tender in time for the Aug. 25 monthly council meeting, and so submitting the call was a crucial step in continuing onto phase three of the repairs.
Phase three consists of paving the remaining middle portion of the compromised section as well as replacing the existing two major culverts.
“Phase three will start this fall with the paving and restoration, of course this is assuming that we get bids that conform to our calls to tender,” she explained to THE EQUITY after the meeting. “The changing of the culverts have to wait until next July because the Fisheries and Oceans requires that we wait [for] the spawning season to be over.”
Labadie said the experts the municipality consulted say the culverts will be safe through the winter season, and once those are replaced, she expects the road to be fully repaired by the end of 2021.
The repairs have been a major priority for the municipality since it began in 2015, especially given the road’s role as one of the most important inter-municipal routes.
Phase two began in 2017, but since its completion, work has been on hold due to COVID-19 as well as the initial over-budget engineering estimate.
CIMA+, the firm hired, brought forward a $3.4 million project estimate in July that well exceeded the $2 million budget that the council has put aside for further repairs.
The firm recently came back to council with a $2.1 million estimate that more closely accommodates the budget set out.
In addition to the chemin de la Montagne announcements, the meeting also notably touched on a climate action project commitment that will be presented in full during the Aug. 25 meeting by CREDDO, a Gatineau-area environmental think tank for the Outaouais.
The project is asking for a ‘small financial contribution’ from the municipality and it will work to create a plan for residents who live in areas that are vulnerable to increased climate change as well as other local climate issues that need solutions, according to Labadie.
