Mayor Beaudoin believes that in choosing Chabanel as the new home for the borough's services, she made the best decision for Ahuntsic-Cartierville's residents. (Photo: Courtesy)
Moving: the why’s and the how’s
Back from summer vacation, Ahuntsic-Cartierville mayor Marie-Andrée Beaudoin is putting the final touches on arrangements to move municipal services to Chabanel Street, a project she has been defending despite harsh criticism since she made the announcement two months ago.
“The project was well thought out, and is the result of analysis and consultations,” said Beaudoin, who has been criticized as imposing the project antidemocratically. “My goal is to raise democracy in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.”
Renting versus building new
According to Beaudoin, the citizens were consulted before the town made a decision, especially regarding the question of renting a location versus building a new town hall. “Most people were against construction. Building new would cost more: the land would be expensive, and we would have had huge expenses, and maintenance to do… We would have had to wait longer to move in, too,” she said.
And the clock was ticking, Beaudoin said, because the building at 12 137 Bois-de-Boulogne needed serious renovations to its roof, and other changes to make the building more accessible. “It couldn’t wait. We needed to make a decision,” she said, adding that on top of that, the arrival of at least 10 new employees forced the municipality to think about relocating.
Another worry held by many citizens was that the municipality’s moving expenses would eclipse other issues. But Beaudoin wants to reassure citizens: “We’ve already started putting money into out infrastructure in the spring, with massive investments in our parks. Our next goal is to repair the roads. We are presently going through many studies and will be able to present a concrete plan this fall. The move will not take anything away from our other priorities.”
From one bid to the next
As for choosing the highest bidder for the project, Beaudoin said it is not only the price that counts. “When we evaluated all of the different bids that came in, we looked to fill various criteria, grading them with a points system. In this case, for example, the rent counted for 20% of the total points,” she explained. While the bid made by Dayan was very interesting, the property belonging to the winning entrepreneur, Marcarko, required the fewest renovations. This detail played the biggest role in the municipality’s final choice.
While the municipality considered other areas, location (at the municipality’s centre) and strategy issues (in a neighbourhood that is being revitalized) made Chabanel Street the best option, Beaudoin explained.
So when the borough went to tender, it was already decided that the new location would be on Chabanel Street before. “As most buildings on Chabanel are owned by Dayan or Marcarko, we were almost certain it would be one of the two,” Beaudoin said.
What Beaudoin dislikes most in this ordeal is the lack of communication. “A lot of erroneous information has been going around,” she said. She also reminded that the costs, spread out over 15 years, are not as big as the advantages, in terms of parking, accessibility and availability of the services. “I was elected to consult, but also to decide. I am confident that this decision was made for the greater interest of the citizens,” she concluded.
<@S2:Translated by Elyse Amend<@$p>
Steven Guilbeault - 
