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The town of Hudson, Quebec, its places, people and businesses online.
Seniors' Residences, Nick to Run Again, Cycle Path Update
Seniors' Residence Plans Ruffling Feathers
The Hudson Gazette says the Town Council is favouring the Cote St. Charles proposal citing the fact that two of the principals of the project sit on council committees and that drainage is being put in at town expense. The mayor says there is no such drainage project and that she doesn't favour any of the proposals. The land will have to have drainage though and it can only go into the Viviry along Charleswood or down to the lake, perhaps via Crescent. Residents will be looking out for this project to make sure they won't be stuck with the costs.
Shedding some light on the matter, the mayor says that one proposal was refused because there was not enough land on the proposed site across from Village Theatre. The Cote St. Charles proposal seems to be the most promising but council would also like to see proposals for the two sites already zoned for seniors' residences, including the site on Hudson Sandy Beach. The latter was dismissed by the Cote group as too expensive but their land will have cost close to one million dollars once it is drained and re-zoned with proper access. The Sandy Beach location can't cost that much more.
The mayor also dismisses the other proposed site, across from Thompson Park, mainly because of the lack of public water and the uncertainty regarding sufficient water from a private well. Surely the town knows that the whole area around Thompson Park sits on an artesian aquifer which contains water under such pressure that the water from 200 foot deep wells rises to ground level by itself. Pump tests on existing wells (four inch stream for two hours) have been unable to determine an upper limit to well capacities because there is so much water.
Some residents feels that, with increased public sensitivity to favouritism in government caused by the Gomery Commission, the town might be well-advised to better inform the public regarding these proposals and the pros and cons of each and do a better job researching the basis for their decisions.
Nick Discepola is Back
Nick Discepola wants to win back the riding he lost to Meilli Faille of the Bloc Québecois during the last election. He doesn't believe the riding's voters are separatist and thinks that, by running on his past record, he will be elected once more.
Vaudreuil-Soulanges often delivered 20,000 vote majorities to the liberals in the past and it was considered a safe seat for the liberals before the last election. Many felt that, during the last election, Nick Discepola did not run a strong campaign and he may have underestimated his opponents. It was the sponsorship scandal which turned people in the riding off the Liberal Party and resulted in the election of the Bloc candidate. Both the conservative and NDP candidates increased their share of the vote drawing off traditional liberal support.
With Paul Martin's promise to call an election next spring, it is just a question of whether the conservatives will be able to force an election before that time. Meilli Faille has probably lost some support by not sending out her newsletters in English and French and, if Nick Discepola puts up a strong fight, the riding could get away from the Bloc.
Cote St. Charles to be Re-surfaced as Part of the Bike Path Project
The town has decided to put the new Cote St. Charles bicycle path down the Whitlock Golf Club side of the road. When St. Lazare built a bike path along its part of the Cote, many residents opposed the project because the path took away a chunk of their front lawn and crossed their driveways. By putting the path on the west side of the road, Hudson will be able to avoid interfering with many private residential lots. As part of the project, Cote St. Charles will be widened and re-paved.