What does the future hold for the Régie Beau-Château?
Régie Beau-Château Executive Director Joëlle Ethier, Châteauguay City Councillor Marie-Louise Kerneïs, Châteauguay Mayor Eric Allard, Beauharnois Mayor Alain Dubuc and Beauharnois City Councillor Francis Laberge (Photo: Le Soleil - Valérie Lessard)
When the cities of Châteauguay and Beauharnois announced that Châteauguay would build its swimming pool project alone, they also announced their intention to dissolve the Régie Beau-Château.
Translation Amanda Bennett
At its special meeting, the city of Beauharnois indicated that it would be negotiating an agreement to dissolve the Régie “in the short term.” Asked about this by residents attending the Châteauguay meeting, Châteauguay Mayor Eric Allard confirmed that discussions will eventually take place with Beauharnois, but not before the pool has been built.
When the Régie was created, a dissolution protocol was drawn up, but this was done “based on the assumption that everything had been paid for,” which is not the case at present, added Mr. Allard.
Asked to comment on the decision by the two municipalities, the Executive Director said that she was first concentrating on the construction of the swimming pool. “It’s a real achievement for us because we’ve worked very hard. We’re very happy to be able to continue to the end of the construction. After that, one step at a time, we’ll see what happens, because it’s not a simple process,” said Joëlle Ethier.
The Régie in a Nutshell
The Régie Beau-Château was created in 2016 and unites the municipalities of Beauharnois and Châteauguay. The aim was to build four sports facilities: two in Châteauguay and two in Beauharnois, and to share the costs on a per capita basis, meaning that Châteauguay residents would foot 78% of the bill while Beauharnois residents would pay the remaining 22%.
To date, the Sportplex in Châteauguay and the outdoor aquatic complex in Beauharnois have been completed. The indoor pool project in Châteauguay was the next infrastructure on the Régie’s list. The Régie has been working on the project since 2018.
Beauharnois Mayor Alain Dubuc said that Beauharnois was using 9% of the Sportplex, even though they were paying 22%.
According to the 2023 annual report on the activities of the Beauharnois outdoor aquatic complex, 42% of general public visitors (excluding day camps) were from Châteauguay, 29% from Beauharnois and 29% from outside its two municipalities.