“Milieu humide” (wetland) project to be abandoned

During the September 1 Council meeting, Mayor Trudel said that Borough officials were running out of patience. In the last few months the entrepreneur had repeatedly postponed the work citing equipment breakdown, missing parts, etc as reasons. Tests carried out in the summer produced catastrophic results in terms of security and the transparent cloud obstructed the view of motorists. It was obvious that workers could not obtain the desired effect of a “decorative mist” the designers had in mind.

In a brief interview with Le Magazine on Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Trudel confirmed that the project will not be completed. Reports requested from the chiefs of Borough departments contained recommendations to abandon the project. It can therefore be confirmed now that the green stalks will disappear from the island’s landscape.

The City of Montreal provided the funding of $450,000.00 for this piece of decorative work after a competition that brought together a hundred firms specialising in this type of project. Among the four finalists, Atelier in situ was chosen. It partnered with Vlan Paysages to create and implement the design. The work started in summer 2008 and it should have been completed in spring this year but numerous problems delayed it. In the meantime, several residents had expressed their disapproval which seemed to have been shared by Borough officials in the last few months.