Vaudreuil-Dorion sports complex clears another hurdle

The decision followed a failed attempt to see a centre built under a land agreement with the French school board, the Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs.

Federal and provincial representatives joined local sporting and recreation groups last Wednesday as Mayor Guy Pilon announced during a press conference that the centre will be built on an undisclosed portion of municipal land.

Funding will be split between the town and close to $12 million in provincial and federal grants, or fifty percent of the project’s costs.

Organizers stress however that government funding must be in place before construction can begin.

“We need to get fifty percent for the project to be viable,” said Lucie Vachon, a Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac resident who spearheaded the project with fellow resident Claude Chagnon.

Both are confident that all funding will be approved.

Far from taking credit for the idea, Vachon and Chagnon say they are simply speaking for people in the region when asking for an affordable public facility that will be open to everyone.

“The community has told us that there is a huge need for a centre like this in the region. It’s a must,” Vachon said.

According to project demographics, 66 percent of Vaudreuil-Soulanges’ population is between 0 and 44 years-old.

“This is why we have no choice,” explained Vachon. “We have to put something up to give the kids and their families a place to come together under the same roof and take care of their health. We have to give older kids a good place to go so they don’t get into trouble.”

According to preliminary drawings the sports centre will have an indoor soccer turf and running track, volleyball and tennis courts, a gymnasium, a conditioning and weight room, and several all-purpose meeting rooms that can be used by community groups.

The region’s five high schools – three with the Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs, and two Lester B. Pearson schools – will have the opportunity to run sport étude programs at the centre if they wish, said Vachon.

In addition, user fees will be kept low at the not-for-profit complex.

The sports centre will be open to groups from across the region, though Vaudreuil-Dorion residents will enjoy lower rates than non-residents.

Constructing of the building and later its management will be overseen by a non-profit organization whose name has not yet been name released.

Vaudreuil-Dorion will be a major financial partner by committing to a certain number of recreational rental hours each year.

When Vachon and Chagnon first came up with the idea, they approached the Commission Scolaire des Trois-Lacs asking for use of land at the board’s École Secondaire de la Cité-des-Jeunes campus, on St. Charles in Vaudreuil-Dorion. The board officially declined earlier this month, leaving organizers scrambling to meet funding deadlines

“Time is a big issue,” stressed Vachon. The project is counting on a provincial sports and recreation grant that is nearly depleted.

“There is not a lot left and we have to make our request now. We are asking for an equal amount from the federal government,” she said.

Federal and provincial representatives are said to be “very supportive of the project,” noted Vachon, referring to Michael M Fortier, Meili Faille, Lucie Charlebois and Yvon Marcoux, all of whom were represented at last week’s meeting.