SAINT-LAZARE – There were no plans to talk about Saint-Lazare’s new town hall at Tuesday’s council meeting, but several residents showed up – once again – to voice their concerns.
“Do the necessities. This project can wait. It is a big expense,” longtime resident Paola Irrera told Global News.
Last week, the Municipal Affairs Ministry approved Saint-Lazare’s $9.2 million loan bylaw that paves the way for a new town hall.
READ MORE: Saint-Lazare petition against $10M town hall project falls short
“It should never exceed $2-3 million, that’s a bit extravagant,” said Marc-André Esculier.
He has lived in Saint-Lazare for 37 years, moving in a few years after the old town hall was built in 1976.
Despite concerns for many in the town of 20,000, the issue is a done deal; a registry held in November got only 483 signatures.
Opponents needed 500 to kick start a referendum to block the project.
Mayor Robert Grimaudo insisted $9.2 million is the maximum amount to be spent, but he expects the new town hall to be a lot cheaper in the end.
“The reality is we don’t know the actual cost until we put the calls out to tender. The fire hall was a $5 million dollar loan bylaw, but in the end, ended up being $2.5 million.”
Saint-Lazare will issue a call to tenders in April and demolition of the old town hall is expected to start in July.