Municipal Hub

Take part in a historic project!

As part of the official opening of Vaudreuil-Dorion's new municipal hub, the city is setting up a time capsule that will not be reopened until 2075.

This initiative aims to capture the spirit of 2025 by gathering testimonials from citizens of all ages, municipal employees, elected officials and members of the community. The goal? To leave a trace of who we are today, for those who will be living in Vaudreuil-Dorion in 50 years' time.

A collective memory under construction

A collective memory in the makingThese testimonials will be collected over the coming months, during activities organized in the municipal hub and elsewhere on the territory: schools, seniors' residences, community organizations, businesses, park events, etc.

Participants will be asked to answer a few simple questions.

• What do you love most about your city?
• What makes you proud to be a citizen of Vaudreuil-Dorion?
• What activity are you involved in today?
• Why did you choose to live or work in Vaudreuil-Dorion?

A symbolic capsule

The capsule will take the form of a sealed disc, stored in a box installed high up inside the new library. It will also contain :

• A message from elected municipal officials to the elected officials of 2075;
• Testimonials from municipal employees describing their daily professional lives in 2025.

A gesture towards the future

A gesture towards the futureBy depositing these fragments of our present, we are offering a precious legacy to future generations. And what better place to preserve this collective memory than the new municipal hub - a place of knowledge, services and encounters?

A rendezvous with the future

This project is designed to bring the whole community together. A unique opportunity to tell tomorrow's citizens:

"This is who we are. This is 2025, in all its beauty, simplicity and, above all, humanity."

TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS SUMMER

A feather-shaped visual will accompany certain activities throughout the summer. When it appears, it means that a testimonial is being recorded for the time capsule. Don't hesitate to get close and participate!

Winter 2024-2025

• Relocation of municipal employees
• Planning the library move

Fall 2024

• Tree planting

Summer 2024

• Exterior landscaping.
• Layout of public square and street furniture
• Interior finishing work.

Spring 2024

• Work begins on the outdoor public square.
• Civil engineering, lighting, street furniture, flooring and planting
• Interior finishing work

Winter 2024

• Exterior shell
• Interior work

Fall 2023

• Roofing, fenestration and siding work

Spring 2023

• Step staircase installation

Having been renting the facilities at 2555 Rue Dutrisac since 1977, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion has long been planning the construction of a new City Hall building. Before tackling this, however, the City wished to complete some major projects including the fire stations, arena, water filtration and purification plants as well as the overpass on Saint-Charles Avenue.

In August 2018, the City acquired Lot 4 559 873 on Émile-Bouchard Street for the purpose of building its municipal hub—a largescale project that will combine City Hall, the library, a public square and the aquatic complex. This site is located near the Vaudreuil train station, in proximity to Centre multisports André-Chagnon, the major highways and the future hospital. The municipal hub is a way for the City to offer centralized services in a high-density sector. Note that 51% of housing in Vaudreuil-Dorion is located less than 2 km from the site and 95% is located at a distance of less than 4 km.

The first invitation to tender had been cancelled on June 21^st, 2021 due to market conditions and the fact that only one bid had been received in the amount of $49.9 million before taxes.

During the municipal council meeting on May 2^nd, 2022, Notice of Motion was given by the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion’s Municipal Council for the authorization to increase the expenditure and loan related to Loan by-law No. 1755-01 for the construction of the Municipal Hub, which will encompass the library, City Hall, and a public space.

During the municipal council meeting of September 19, 2022, the Vaudreuil-Dorion Municipal Council has awarded the construction contract for Phase 1 of the Municipal Hub – which will accommodate the library, City Hall and a public square - to the lowest bidder, Groupe Geyser, from Laval. The contract amount is $67.2M including taxes, which is consistent with the estimates made in 2022. It should be noted that a portion of the taxes (100% GST and 50% QST), approximately $6M, is reimbursed by the government. Moreover, the loan by-law revised in the spring 2022 is already approved and is sufficient to cover the expense. 

A grant of more than $4.8 million has been announced by the governments of Quebec and Canada for the construction of the new library. This funding comes from the New Building Canada Fund-Quebec, Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component — Small Communities Fund.

Mayor Guy Pilon, accompanied by MNAs Peter Schiefke and Marie-Claude Nichols, along with members of the City Council, officially broke ground on November 9, 2022 for the construction of the first phase of the Municipal Hub that will include the library, City Hall and a public space. The aquatic complex will be built in a subsequent phase of the project according to the government grant programs that will be in place.

The construction of the building combining City Hall and the library, along with the development of the public square, began in the fall of 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2025.

The architectural expression will focus on luminosity and material simplicity, serving as a showcase for civic activities in the public space. The municipal hub will become a meeting place that will be engraved in individual and collective memories.

At the end of the architectural competition, launched on April 8, 2019, it was the multidisciplinary team led by Lapointe Magne et associés / L’ŒUF who drew the attention of the jury, which met on September 2019, 9 and 10. Both a Technical Committee and a Citizen’s Committee had previously submitted their observations to the jury.

The multidisciplinary team features architectural firms Lapointe Magne et associés and L’OEUF, by Dupras-Ledoux - a consulting engineering firm specializing in electrical and mechanical engineering for the construction industry, Équipe Laurence – a firm specializing in civil engineering, L2C, structural consultants, and landscape architecture firm NIP Paysage Inc.

Marie-Chantal Croft, Architect and Jury Chairperson, describes the project in these words: "The winning project, a showcase for the cultural and civic values of the City, is distinguished by its openness to the community. Through the expert integration of the city hall’s services with those of the library, and by taking the future Aquatics Complex into account ahead of time, the project is a true representation of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion’s desire to create a Municipal Hub. A public space and a green park will serve to bring both services together into a structured whole. The project is both sensible and generous at the same time. Sensible in terms of the methods used, which promote sustainable development, and because of its structure made from wood. Generous because of its varied landscaping and architectural offerings designed on a human scale. It will be an inviting and welcoming place where citizens can foster a sense of belonging and feel at home. It will be an ideal place to get together.”

"The architectural expression focuses on brightness and simple elements to serve as an ideal platform for the citizen activities that will take place in the public space. An impressive, luminous indoor capacity awaits inside, built away from the ground, and architecturally enhanced by huge, exposed beams made from engineered wood. The space is a true reflection of the City, a gathering place that will always remain in our individual and collective memories”, commented Frédéric Dubé, Architect - Lapointe Magne et associés.

Consult the winner's project.

Watch the press conference unveiling all the aspects of the future Municipal hub. 

The finalists

Of the 20 applications received, 4 finalists were selected on June 12, 2019. The team led by architects Lapointe Magne et associés / L’OEUF was the one that stood out among the other finalists:

• Architecture EVOQ inc.
• Provencher Roy
• Zaraté Lavigne + White

Given the growing population and increasing library patronage, the building on   Jeannotte Street no longer meets the needs of the City’s residents nor established standards for public libraries.

The new library building will have a surface area of 3,000 m². The facilities will include a space for socializing, a reception and service area, study rooms, a section dedicated exclusively for young library members, a creative laboratory as well as administrative areas. Featuring modern technological equipment, the library is intended to be an innovative space. However, the facilities will also be focused on offering a communal space that provides services to meet the needs of all generations.

A grant of more than $4.8 million has already been announced by the governments of Quebec and Canada for the construction of the new library. This funding comes from the New Building Canada Fund-Quebec, Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component — Small Communities Fund.

The aquatic complex project is in the preliminary design phase. Meetings have been held with aquatic-related associations, and the City's team has visited a number of recent facilities. The functional and technical program has been drawn up in consultation with professionals specializing in the design of this type of infrastructure. Conceptual plans were also drawn up. It will be built on the Pôle Municipal site, just behind the Centre multisports André-Chagnon and adjacent to the Vaudreuil train station.

An initial application for financial assistance was submitted in 2019, but was unfortunately not selected given the very high number of projects submitted under this call for projects. 

The request for financial support for the construction of an aquatic complex submitted in December 2023 as part of the call for projects under the Programme d'aide financière aux infrastructures récréatives, sportives et de plein air - volet 1 (PAFIRSPA) was not accepted by the Quebec government. The request was for financial assistance of $20 million, the maximum available. This is the second refusal for this project.

Estimated at $39 million in 2019, the project budget has now been updated to $59 million.

A series of podcasts has been created to preserve the memory of the municipal hub construction project!

It reveals little-known aspects of this vast construction site, as well as the vision of some of the people who play a key role in it. The conversations, led by digital content creator Patrick Richard, are sometimes funny and touching, but always relevant and revealing of the passion and pride that drive the artisans of this magnificent project.

Listen to the podcasts

DÉDALES, by Élisabeth Picard

The work blends into the geometric ambience of the library's architecture like a flourishing vine. It creates an analogy between nature as it develops and the journey of each human being, who takes different routes to progress, adapt and blossom.

Encounters, commitments and unexpected events punctuate every life trajectory. Like nature, individuals draw their adaptability and vitality from the diversity of their environment, which is conducive to the cross-fertilization that fosters growth, evolution and maturity.

Collaboration : Ghislain Brodeur

To find out more about Dédales, visit the Réseau Mozaïk art circuit.