Ste. Anne drops millions on sidewalk project

Dust, traffic jams and noise might make a few dog days of August disagreeable on a section of Ste. Anne Street as the city plans to install a $4 million sidewalk extending 1.5 metres into the road on the water side, but some negotiation will have to be done with private property owners of the area in question.

"That's why we've given (our project manager) the mandate to negotiate with these citizens," explained Mayor Bill Tierney.

The section of St. Anne to be worked on, which extends from Lalonde to Maple, happens to cross both a few stores at the end of its commercial sector and some residences.

Whereas merchants seem to be pleased with the idea, reaction among residents was a more mixed affair.

"I think it's good for the city," said Libario Pipia, who owns a barbershop in the area. "We need a sidewalk to walk," he added.

His wife, Madeleine Griffin, also agreed, advising patience for any who would be inconvenienced by construction. "In the end it's only going to be good for everybody I'm sure," she said.

Meanwhile, Kerry Gillings, who runs the Marine Ste. Anne boat store nearby, said the project was worth the effort, but would have to be done carefully. "This is really a once in a lifetime decision," he advised the city. "Get it done right."

As a member of a committee representing the merchants involved in the deal, Gillings said he had to point out to the city that starting the work at the end of the summer would be better. "We don't want it cutting into our high season," he said.

Home owners who live closer to Maple on Ste. Anne Street were a little more concerned.

"I'd have to say I'd be against it," said Alain Carpentier, who has newly moved into his home. He said he recently asked the city whether he could widen his driveway to be able to park two cars side-by-side, but he was refused. "Parking is very restricted," he said, adding he may only park two cars back-to-back currently in his driveway.

He fears that cutting into his property would shrink his parking space even further. "If the city wants to let me have a double driveway, then maybe we can (work together)," he said.

Makiko Awazu, who lives in the last home before Maple, was of a different opinion. Standing at the front porch, she pointed at the stop sign on the intersection of Maple and Ste. Anne. "The drivers drive very fast here," she said. "They don't stop." Adding she has two young children whose safety she worries about as they walk out of the house and on to the street, she said she was happy with the city's decision. "For me, it's a very good improvement, she said.

A neighbour nearby disagreed. "It's going to bring more people, more traffic here, and for what?" Questioned Mariana Lamothe, who has already told the city of her discontent for the plan. "We're going to lose some of our front lawn," she said. "There is no need for a sidewalk here," she added. "There already is a sidewalk on the other side."

But Tierney said the city wants to encourage peoples' perception of Ste. Anne to change. "We want to send the message that Ste. Anne is a pedestrian street," he said.

Though the tab for the project is large, it will not be completely paid by the city. Montreal's agglomeration council will be pitching in $1.2 million to clean up renew sewer and infrastructure work on the lot in question, and Ste. Anne plans to borrow roughly $2 million, leaving only the remaining $800,000 on its immediate tab.

A register on the bylaw allowing city hall to move ahead with the project will be held May 13. If 407 signatures are deposited, a referendum could be held to decide whether to go through with the project in its current form or not.

In October 2007, Ste. Anne de Bellevue announced a large part of revenues generated by its then-newly installed parking metres would finance the sidewalk construction and renovation project on Ste. Anne Street. Back then, the city had estimated an annual revenue of $342, 000 from parking metres, combining infractions with money paid at the cash.

At last Monday's council meeting, however, Tierney said the city did not have exact numbers on how much of the project would be financed by parking metres in response to resident Gaétan Provost's question. "How much money from the metres will be going toward the work on Ste. Anne?" Provost asked.

In response, the mayor said those numbers are not yet available. He later told The Chronicle the amount from the parking metres would be folded in with a larger budget that Ste. Anne would be paying, not listed individually.