At its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 17, the Saint-Zotique municipal council approved a number of expenditures for projects carried out by the Technical Services and Environmental Health Department.

The largest expenditure was without doubt the awarding of a contract to renovate the basement of the Town Hall. It should be remembered that major water damage occurred on this floor of the town hall during Quebec's ice storm last April.

"We didn't have a non-return valve and that's what caused the damage. We won't be doing it again, and we're definitely going to have one installed as part of the renovations. We've also decided to take advantage of the workmen's time on site to renovate the town hall to better meet our growing needs. At the moment, our employees are cramped", says Mayor Yvon Chiasson.

In particular, the reception area at City Hall will be redesigned to better accommodate citizens with reduced mobility. The contract was awarded at a cost of $2,067,000.

Elected officials also authorized the purchase of a trailer at a cost of $24,192.69, whose main function will be to transport seaweed. The expense will be financed and paid from the working capital, reimbursed within five years of the date of acquisition, and the unused surplus returned to the working capital. "We had two trailers, one of which was leased. The new one will replace it. It's bigger and more efficient than the one we were leasing, and Public Works will be able to use it when we don't need it to haul seaweed", says Chiasson.

The contract to demolish the Maison des Optimistes, located on Route 338 next to the Caisse Desjardins, was also awarded to Géniam, in the amount of $123,310.69. The building will make way for the future Maison de la famille de Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Over the past few weeks, the Town of Saint-Zotique has been emptying its aerated ponds located near the high school. The municipal council has earmarked $94,595.68 for this operation.

Several investments in parks

In recent weeks, Town of Saint-Zotique has been investing in its parks. At its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 17, the council approved an additional expenditure of $7,908.85. This sum will be paid to Jeux Tec of Coteau-du-Lac for various landscaping work required to replace plastic curbs with wooden ones, and to complete the emptying, dehydration and reclamation of a quantity of 75 metric tons.

Finally, a number of other expenditures have been authorized in the City's parks, and will be financed by the TECQ, the Quebec gas tax and contribution.

Here are the details:

- Atelier Go-Élan- Supply of certain park furniture - $48,617.14;

- Les Équipements Altasbarz - Supplies of certain park furniture - $15,304.63;

- Techsport Inc - Supplies of certain park furniture - $22,529.35;

- Tessier Récro-Parc Inc - Supplies of certain park furniture - $66,525.68;

- Mousse Architecture de paysage Inc - Professional services for the landscaping of various parks - $74,240.52;

- Les Pavages Théorêt Inc - Preparatory work for the landscaping of various parks - $2,816.89;

- Les Épandages Robert - Supply of shock-absorbing materials for the park development project - $17,849.17.

"The expenses may seem numerous, but it should be pointed out that those financed by the TECQ will be carried out, and that the others are conditional on the availability of funds in the budget. Planning for the 2024 budget will begin very soon, and it's quite possible that we'll decide to wait before carrying out certain projects if the money isn't available or if other priorities are determined", Mr. Chiasson concluded.