Mayor Guy Pilon, accompanied by MNAs Peter Schiefke and Marie-Claude Nichols, along with members of the City Council, officially broke ground this morning for the construction of the first phase of the Municipal Hub that will include the library, City Hall and a public square.

The Municipal Hub project was designed by the multidisciplinary team of professionals led by Lapointe Magne et associés/L’OEuf following an architectural design competition. The contract for the construction was awarded to Groupe Geyser. This project represents an investment of $67 million, just for construction.

Project Description

The Municipal Hub aims to eventually bring together, in one single location, the library, City Hall, a public square and, in a second phase, an aquatic complex. The building will cover an area of 9580 m² and will be spaced over three levels. The structure of the building will mainly consist of wood with an exterior cladding composed of large windows and translucent panels.

The entrance hall will be used as an exhibition area with a small café and a staircase that can be transformed into bleacher seating. The space will therefore become a place for meeting and socializing. The building will make the most of energy efficiency, since it has been designed to promote the use of passive energy (sunshine, natural ventilation) and energy recovery.

Investing in culture

The key element of this project will undoubtedly be the library, located on two levels. Amenities will include larger spaces to meet the specific needs of youth, teen and adult clienteles, an adequately sized digital creation laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art technological, media and manufacturing tools in addition to a recording studio, six private rooms for teamwork, two large rooms available to citizens and able to accommodate more than 125 people, a collection of documents meeting the needs of users (paper and digital books, board games, video games, CDs, DVDs, magazines, etc.) and an object library (featuring musical instruments).

A grant of more than $4.9 million has already been announced by the governments of Quebec and Canada for the construction of the new library. This funding comes from the Building Canada Fund — Small Communities Fund.

"Vaudreuil-Dorion has chosen to invest in culture. For several years, we have distinguished ourselves by our boldness through a multitude of innovative projects. The municipal library is the busiest building in our City with an average of 475 users per day. It is a place where all clienteles are welcome free of charge, from babies to seniors. Today’s public libraries have become living environments. The Vaudreuil-Dorion municipal library will be a unique place, a symbol of togetherness," said Mayor Guy Pilon.

"The construction of the new library is part of this large-scale municipal project, which will once again promote culture in all its forms, as the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion has always done so well, for the benefit of its citizens," add Marie-Claude Nichols, MNA for Vaudreuil.

"I would like to thank both levels of government for this funding. Their support makes it possible for us to offer our citizens a new space for discovery and development," added Mayor Guy Pilon.

City Hall

It was the library project that sparked the idea of building a Municipal Hub that could accommodate City Hall and thus allow the City to finally become owner after having spent more than 40 years as a tenant in the building at 2555 rue Dutrisac.

The following departments will be located in the new building: Offices of the Mayor and Director General, Land Use Planning, Engineering and Environment, Registry and Legal Affairs, Finance and Treasury, Information Technology and Geomatics, Communications and Human Resources.

"Community infrastructure contributes to building strong, resilient communities in which to live. That is why I am pleased to mark the start of construction today on Vaudreuil-Dorion’s newest municipal hub, a project that will see the construction of a new building to house the municipal library and city hall. With the help of a $2.4 million investment from the federal government, this new infrastructure will provide residents with more options for developing their knowledge and sharing it with each other. By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is growing our economy, increasing the resilience of our communities, and improving the lives of Canadians,", said Peter Schiefke, MP for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

Landscaping

More than 30% of the outdoor area will be developed into green spaces (bioretention, plant beds and vegetated surfaces accessible to pedestrians) and will feature nearly 150 coniferous and deciduous trees.

Events and activities will take place in the lively public square. This meeting and entertainment space will be equipped with urban furniture (picnic tables, benches, bike racks, outdoor amphitheatre, etc.) .

Schedule

Work began at the end of October and will be ongoing for the next two years. The Municipal Hub should open officially to the public in early 2025.

Citizens will be able to keep track of the work progress on the Municipal Hub Web page. Citizens are also welcome to sign up to the Citizen’s Portal to receive notifications about the work. Various communication activities will also be set up to make sure citizens remain informed of the project’s progress.