The Recreation, Community Life and Culture Department keeps you informed

The Recreation, Community Life and Culture Department is currently working on several key projects that will benefit the whole community. We would like to update you on their progress. These projects are in addition to those completed this year, such as the new basketball court, which was inaugurated on October 20, and the bollards on the bike path, which were installed in September.

Gagné Park

• A budget of $100,000 to improve the Gagné Park was voted by the council when the 2024 ITP was adopted, after the park’s redevelopment emerged very clearly in citizen requests;
• The Quality of Life Advisory Committee was tasked with the public consultation process for the redevelopment of Parc Gagné: its report was submitted to Council in July;
• 165 people took part in the consultation process, with youth strongly represented among the participants.
• The redevelopment project has been entrusted to a landscape architect, and her proposal will be submitted to the municipal council in the coming months. Project costs will have to be adopted as part of the 2025 budget.
• The redevelopment work will begin in 2025 and will be carried out in several phases.

Sutton Museum of Communications and History (MCHS)

• Since 2022, the Town of Sutton has been supporting the MCHS in its professionalization process to become a museum institution accredited by the Quebec government;
• Since September 2023, Michel Harnois was hired as full-time museum coordinator thanks to a grant obtained by the Museum in collaboration with the Town;
• In April 2024, the Town donated its artifact collection to the Museum;
• The MCHS subsequently obtained further funding to expand its team, demonstrating its progress towards professionalization: employees work on cataloguing the collection, as well as on research and preparing the next temporary exhibition;
• The Town has commissioned a study of the building housing the Museum at 32 Rue Principale Sud, as it requires renovation to bring it up to the required museum standards;
• An external structural and mechanical building analysis was carried out in September by an engineering firm;
• A report on their inspections will be provided in the coming weeks. It will be used to define the work required to bring the plant up to standard. and possible development projects in the building.
• An air quality analysis was also carried out by experts at the end of September, and their report will be provided in the coming weeks.
• As part of its mandate, MCHS was asked to identify possible sources of funding for the work identified in the reports;
• In the coming months, the Town of Sutton will commission an external architect to submit development concepts that take into account the needs of the community, the needs of the MCHS organization and funding opportunities.

Calvary Church

• Last spring, the Town acquired Calvary Church, which had been used as an art gallery, and will be redeveloped to house the community daycare service currently located in the John-Sleeth Community and Cultural Centre;
• An air quality analysis was carried out by experts at the end of September, and their report will be provided in the coming weeks;
• A mandate was given to a local architect to design layout plans that would take into account the needs of the community, the requirements for the layout of the premises for a community daycare service, fire safety standards and the Régie du bâtiment construction code;
• Development proposals and budget estimates will be submitted to the Town council in the next few weeks.

The Cultural Policy

• The revision of the Cultural Policy, which dates back to 2007, and its action plan was initiated in 2023 by a monitoring committee, with the collaboration and participation of citizens, organizations, elected officials and members of the administration;
• The consultations ended this spring, and a report on the results was presented to the monitoring committee;
• Nearly 400 people took part in the various consultations; once again, young people were heavily involved, with consultations at the elementary school and municipal day camp, among others;
• The drafting of the new Policy and its 2024-2029 action plan is underway. They should be submitted to the Board for adoption by the end of the year.

_________FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Many people are also waiting for news of the DOG PARK, which is the responsibility of the General Direction and the Public Works and Fixed Assets Department. The project to initially establish it on Rue du Puits had to be cancelled due to new environmental constraints, so the Town had to revise its plans, which took some time. An update will be provided shortly.