Quyon’s new community centre plans unveiled

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Plans for the new Quyon Community Centre were recently unveiled.

Allyson Beauregard



Plans for the new Quyon Community Centre were recently unveiled.

Allyson Beauregard

MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC – The municipal council and the Quyon Waterfront Revitalization Committee recently unveiled plans for the new Quyon Community Centre to replace the former Lions Hall. According to Dominic Labrie, municipal Communications Officer, the Lions Hall was very outdated and in need of major repairs. The entire project has an estimated cost of $1.5 million for the plans, demolition and reconstruction of the new centre.
The 7,000 square foot building was designed by Architect Pierre J. Tabet, who was awarded the $170,000 Project Manager contract during a council meeting on December 13. Tabet is also in charge of issuing the tenders and supervising the demolition of the former building and the construction of the new one. The tenders for the demolition and reconstruction are expected to be issued by early March. The municipality hopes the new building will be completed by the end of the year.
 “The important thing for us was to ensure the centre meets the needs of the whole community: the reception room will seat 300 people, the kitchen will be modern and spacious, there will be a meeting room for joint activities, and it will provide space in the event of an emergency,” said Kerry-Lynn O’Connell, a Quyon Waterfront Revitalization Committee representative.  The design also features large windows looking onto the Ottawa River.
Mayor Roger Larose is pleased to see progress: “After many years of work, we are on the verge of delivering this long-awaited community centre. We have proceeded methodically: a study of the budgetary needs and constraints was done, we ensured there was community support, we studied practices within the municipal world, we adopted a budget and a borrowing bylaw that respect the taxpayers’ ability to pay, and we chose a proven architect,” he said.
To date, the Quyon community has raised over $100,000 to put towards the project. Given that the municipality’s requests for government grants have been denied, the remaining balance for the project will be covered under borrowing bylaw 05-16,
up to a maximum of $1.5 million.