Members of the City of Laval’s executive-committee made several decisions during their Aug. 26 sitting, including awarding an almost $650,000 contract for the improvement of Firehall No. 3 in St-Vincent-de-Paul, awarding a contract for preliminary work on the Laval public library’s future central branch, and awarding a contract for sidewalk rehabilitation in various parts of the city.
The committee awarded a contract for $649,105.44 to Légaré Construction (including taxes) for the company to carry out expansion and enlargement work at Firehall No. 3 at 4411 de la Concorde Blvd. East. The work will involve creation of a new dressing room for firefighting apparel and gear.
Firehall improvements
According to the city, the work is being done following the publication in 2017 of guidelines by the provincial parity committee for health and security in the workplace, which highlighted illnesses endemic to certain professions. As such, Laval decided to take measures to ensure that firefighters’ suits and apparel would meet new standards for workplace well-being.
According to new procedures to be implemented once the dressing area is completed, after each fire the firefighters will immediately have to wash their suits, which will be contaminated with residues and contaminants from the fires. Following this, they will place the suits in special lockers equipped with a ventilation system to dry them thoroughly.
A healthier environment
Particles washed off or vacuumed from the suits by the system will be exhausted outdoors by ventilation fans. It is believed that this new way of doing things at the firehall will significantly help reduce risks by the firefighters of contracting various forms of cancer, which have long been considered an inherent risk in the firefighting profession.
During the same meeting, the executive-committee members also awarded a contract for $313,074 (including taxes) to the architectural firm Hébert Zurita Danis Smith to create a functional and technical program (PFT) for a major culture infrastructure program – the central library and the Centre de création artistique professionnelle.
Central library building
As part of the City of Laval’s wide-ranging strategic vision looking forward to the year 2035, the city wants to encourage access to culture by all residents. As well, in conjunction with the cultural development plan adopted in 2019, the central library building, to be located in the Montmorency downtown core sector, is expected to be a magnet for future creative endeavours and projects.
In a statement, the city says that the new central library branch “will reinforce the library network through the elevation of a central and modern library that, while complementing the development of local library branches, will also fill the needs of all Laval residents.
Committed to culture
“The construction of this new crossroads of culture and learning will bear witness to the commitment by the municipality towards culture, the arts and social development. The infrastructure will become one of the richest collective legacies that will contribute to reinforcing the identity of Laval, while spreading word about the city.”
In another decision made on Aug. 26 by the executive-committee, the members decided to award a $109,325 contract (including taxes) for sidewalk construction to the firm FNX-INNOV. As part of a master plan adopted by the city in July last year for pedestrian infrastructure development, nearly 55 kilometres of additional sidewalks and other comfortable and secure pedestrian infrastructure were planned for the next three years.
New sidewalks to be built
According to the city, work in the above-mentioned contract will be fulfilled before this year is over in the following places: Place Alton-Goldbloom, Romain St., Maisonneuve St., 52nd St., 49th Ave., Edgar St. and Cléroux Blvd.
Finally, the executive-committee awarded a $2,595,976 contract (including taxes) to Construction G-NESIS for rehabilitation work of small bridges in the district of Sainte-Dorothée, more specifically on des Jardins St. and under the cycling path located in Couvrette Park.
Bike path improvements
The city says the work is needed to replace equipment that is at the end of its useful life on the bicycle path network, in order to assure the safety of users. The money being allotted for the work comes from a City of Laval fund used for the rehabilitation of structures, including bridges and overpasses, in the triennial capital works budget.
The City of Laval’s executive-committee meets each week to make decisions on a variety of issues. The executive-committee includes the following people: Mayor Marc Demers, vice-president Stéphane Boyer (also councillor for Duvernay–Pont-Viau) councillors Sandra Desmeules (Concorde–Bois-de-Boulogne), Ray Khalil (Sainte-Dorothée), Virginie Dufour (Sainte-Rose) and associate members Nicholas Borne (Laval-les-Îles) and Yannick Langlois (L’Orée-des-Bois).
