Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue town councillor Ryan Young voted against destroying an almost 80-year-old hose tower sitting atop the town hall building. (Photo Kristina Edson)
Historic spire could be thing of the past
This week a majority of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue councillors voted for a second time in as many months to form a committee tasked with deciding whether or not to demolish an almost 80-year-old portion of the town hall. Council voted 4 to 3 in favour of forming a three person demolition committee that will, as its name implies, explore options for tearing down the Ste-Anne hose tower, a distinctive, white chimney-like structure topping the red brick town hall. The tower can’t be missed as it bears the town’s name in bold black letters. The aging spire is in need of costly repairs in order to ensure its structural integrity and safety. Councillor Francis Juneau, who voted to send the file to the demolition committee – on which he will sit with councillors Ryan Young and Michel Boudreau – is in favour of removing it. “There is no value for the tower. We don’t use it anymore and we’re at a point where we need to do something before winter because it’s not safe,” he explained. Juneau said it will cost approximately $40,000 more to restore the tower than remove it completely. “We have a fire station for our firefighters so we don’t need this anymore,” he said, adding he is in favour of somehow preserving a siren within the tower. And while Young, the only member of the committee opposed to demolishing the tower, feels it is “fait accompli” he is vowing to work to sway opinions. “If any of them want to get re-elected, I’m surprised they’re not considering what happens when you destroy a physical object on a skyline of a town you represent,” Young noted. Young says he, mayor Paola Hawa and councillor Dana Chevalier are often at odds with their colleagues when it comes to heritage issues. “The general sense from the four (councillors Daniel Boyer, Yvan Labelle, Francis Juneau and Michel Boudreault) is that heritage is not import if it costs a little more money,” he said.
Cooling off period
Mayor Hawa feels council is sending a double standard message. “We have a lot of demolition requests and very, very often we tell people you have to respect the historical aspect of a building… I find it hard from a moral standpoint to say do as I say, not as I do.” On Aug. 15 councillors first voted to move the issue to committee. Hawa, however, refused to sign the resolution initiating a right to reconsideration, a move within her power which gave council another 30 days to review the motion. The cooling off period didn’t work as Boyer, Labelle, Juneau and Boudreault voted on Sept. 12 to form the demolition committee. “The name says it all,” Young said. The hose tower was built in the 1930s and used by the town’s volunteer firefighters as a place to hang leather hoses to dry after a fire. A siren within the tower was used to sound the alarm when a fire broke out, as well as to remind youths when it was time to head home for a 9 p.m. curfew that was in place until the late ’60s. The demolition committee will study the issue and hold a public consultation meeting early next month. According to Juneau, a decision will be taken after the meeting. Hawa says there could be one more chance to send the vote back to council if a citizen or group makes a written request to the committee.
Lire la nouvelle Ste. Anne hose tower file going to demolition committee sur le site web VIVA média.