Lynne Lavery
MRC Pontiac – At the February 15 meeting of the Mayors’ Council, the annual report for the PPJ Cyclopark was tabled and accepted. The report covered the activities related to the trail during 2022: repairs, maintenance, other improvements and costs.
There were two MRC workers responsible for maintaining the trail during the April to November season as well as supervisory and engineering staff. Actions taken included: three more bike repair stations installed, in partnership with ESSC and a Carrefour Jeunesse program; a culvert, washed out in the spring thaw, repaired by Construction Soucie; graffiti removed and faded signs replaced; a new logo created; inspection
and cleaning of culverts and ditches; and a total 6 km of the trail, at specific locations, were upgraded with the installation of 100 mm of stone dust.
The total expenditure last year for the PPJ was $230,571 taken from several sources: $43,196 paid by the MRC and matched by the Route Verte program; as well as, a grant from le Programme d’aide financière aux infrastructures récréative et sportive (PAFIRS), for a total of $144,179, of which $91,118 was specifically available for maintenance (no salaries) and the balance paid by the MRC.
The report detailed the Route Verte portion of the budget ($86,393) showing $80,388 spent on several salaries and associated benefits, plus vehicle costs with just over $6,000 going towards maintenance material costs. The MRC had made the decision to use the PAFIRS grant to cover the majority of the maintenance costs, citing it a “better deal”.
In an interview with CHIP FM, General Director Kim Lesage, the MRC’s previous civil engineer responsible for the PPJ, stated the budget for 2023 will be around $200,000, with approximately $150,000 going towards maintenance and continued improvements to the trail. A new website is also planned for this year.