Repair and restoration of the building and site - Maison Robert-Bélanger Enters Its Final Phase Before Opening To The Public

SAINT-LAURENT, QC, June 30, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - On June 29, the Council of Saint-Laurent awarded three contracts, marking the official start of the repair and restoration of Maison Robert-Bélanger and its site with a view to making this historical building dating back to 1803 an architectural gem accessible to the public.

Quote

"After announcing several major administrative steps accomplished in the management of this cherished building that attests to Saint-Laurent's agricultural history, Saint-Laurent's administration is thrilled to launch the restoration project. Shortly, residents will be able to see what is slated to be one of the pearls of the biodiversity corridor. We are looking forward to welcome them to the renovated site!"

Alan DeSousa, the Mayor of Saint-Laurent

Highlights

Following a public call for tenders, a contract with a maximum value of $5,083,000 including taxes and contingencies, was awarded to Maçonnerie Rainville et Frères inc. for repair and restoration work. Striving for LEED certification, they will be particularly attentive to the stonework, doors, roof, kitchen, washrooms, foundations, and all electromechanical systems. With respect to the site, the project involves the creation of three vegetable gardens, an orchard and a path, trees, a gathering area, and the addition of furniture and lighting. The other two contracts awarded pertain to organizing the site logistics. Valued at $73,023.15, the first is with Groupe ABS inc., which will ensure environmental oversight including the management and quality of contaminated soils and the quality control of materials related to the site's former agricultural vocation. The second, totalling $88,271.21 with Ethnoscop, will involve archeology professionals entrusted with ensuring the preservation of any relics found at the site.

The work will begin in summer 2021. With program details still to come, Saint-Laurent already intends to focus these on the site's heritage vocation and agricultural past while being committed to sustainable development. Cultural and recreational activities are also expected to take place.

About Maison Robert-Bélanger

Designated as a historical monument in 2009 by Ville de Montréal's Conseil du patrimoine under the Loi sur les biens culturels, Maison Robert-Bélanger is located at 3900-3902, chemin du Bois-Franc. Owned by Ville de Montréal since November 2010, the structure is a stone farmhouse representative of the buildings of this type erected on the island of Montréal in the early XIX^th Century. It represents one of the rare original homes still existing on the territory, and the last on the former Côte Saint-Louis-du-Bois-Franc.

Its restoration began in 2009. It has, among other things, benefitted from numerous sources of financial support, including $1.5 M from the Ville de Montréal's Programme triennal d'immobilisations, and $1.3 M from the Fonds du patrimoine culturel québécois, a program spearheaded by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec. To this, we add financial assistance of $0.6 M from the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) as part of the project contributing to the implementation of the biodiversity corridor on the metropolitan territory. We remember that in November 2020, the restoration of Maison Robert-Bélanger was the topic of an information session for residents.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent