Île Saint-Bernard :the city acquires a property to create a parking lot

The City of Châteauguay has acquired the property at 101 chemin Vinet Ouest in Châteauguay, located right next to Île Saint-Bernard. The aim is to convert the land into additional parking for the island and to discontinue the summer shuttle service in order to save costs.

Translation Amanda Bennett

The town acquired the property for $325,000, said Mayor Eric Allard in an interview. The house will be demolished and the land used to add parking spaces.  By combining the land where there are currently park benches, just opposite the small car park in Parc de la Commune, at the foot of the bridge leading to the island, and the land at 101 chemin Vinet Ouest, the city estimates that it will be able to add some forty additional parking spaces for cars. This is the equivalent of what was available at the RL Marine et sports satellite car park, rented by the town during the summer and accessible via the shuttle bus," explains the mayor.

"The shuttle was costing us around $100,000 a year with the extra staff (to ensure security at the entrance to the island), the shuttle itself and the facilities that had to be put in place. We think that the land will pay for itself very quickly," commented Mr. Allard.

If the new car park is completed by the summer, the city will not need to use a shuttle bus. The Mayor pointed out that Héritage Saint-Bernard had already announced that the Écomarché event would not be held this year. This event generated a lot of traffic on the island.

The new car park won't just be "patches of asphalt", he assures us. "We're going to try to make it a little more environmentally friendly; we won't be adding heat islands."

Considerations regarding parking

In addition to adding a car park, the City of Châteauguay will be initiating "a review of all the parking spaces in the area", explained the Mayor.

At the February municipal council meeting, local councillor François Le Borgne said that thought should be given to the possibility of charging for vehicles coming from outside Châteauguay. "If we buy this (101 Vinet), it's because there are too many people coming from outside Châteauguay," he said.

Councillor Marie-Louise Kerneïs voted against the purchase of the property, stating that she did not have "sufficient information concerning the consequences of this purchase".