Pontiac Council makes repairing roads is a priority

Sophie Demers

Pontiac council held its monthly meeting on April 11, 2023. Eleven members of the public were present. 

Residents of two private roads continue to have questions about maintenance. Braun road is also a concern. Mayor Roger Larose reiterated that the road and ditches must be repaired first.

Sandy St George asked about the lack of a sound system, which makes it hard to hear the proceedings. Larose said the previous equipment no longer works and “we will have to spend money. There are a lot of demands on municipal funds.”

Administration
Council gives responsibility for access to information requests and protection of personal information to the new Assistant DG, Louis-Alexandre Monast. 

The municipality received one tender for external auditor, from Mazars SENCRL (Société en nom collective à responsabilité limitée), which was awarded the contract for $67,000 for two years, 2022-2023.

The municipality is acquiring ch de la Butte from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests, which resolves the problem of who is responsible for maintenance.

Public Works
Council tabled a draft umbrella borrowing bylaw for a loan of $1.5 million for repair work by Public Works on Clarendon, Murray, Bronson-Bryant and other roads.

Entreprise MK was the only bidder on grass maintenance for 2023 which allowed the municipality to negotiate for a lower price, $47,954 plus tax. The municipality will buy a rear grader from Delta Power Equipment for $7,900, the best of four offers, to improve maintenance of gravel roads.

The snow plough contract for sector G omitted chemins Destrier, de la Butte and des Laurentides, so the operator will be paid $3,840 for the extra ¾ km. 

Planning
Charette gave a presentation on phase 2 of Domaine des Chutes in fall 2022. Council is favourable provided a servitude (access road) is established, and authorized a subdivision permit for 22 lots.

Two requests to the CPTAQ were approved by council. One is a change of ownership. The other is to renew authorization for a sand and gravel pit, and to start recycling concrete, asphalt and bricks, at the junction of chemins Alexander and Lac-des Loups.

Corcoran road is proposed as the name for a private road off ch Sumac where building permits have been issued for several empty lots.

Recreation
The fee for the day camp is set at $150 per child per week for residents and $200 for non-residents.
$250 is given to the Pontiac Agricultural Society for Shawville Fair.