Let's all extend some thanks and appreciation to the officers from Neighbourhood Police Station 9, located in the heart of Côte Saint-Luc`s District 2 at the corner of  Cavendish and Kildare,

Their Coffee with a Cop Program has become a monthly occurrence, first at the McDonald`s Restaurant on Côte Saint-Luc Road and now at the Quartier Cavendish. It is next scheduled to occur at the Quartier (still referred to as  "the Mall" by many)on Thursday, May 28 (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.) in the food court.

Coffee with a Cop is an informal event which allows police officers and citizens to meet in a neutral environment to facilitate the dialogue. The aim of this activity is to let anyone discuss freely and exchange on various public security topics and concerns that affect the Côte Saint-Luc community and others within the Station 9 territory, which also includes Hampstead and Montreal West.

In addition, this is an opportunity to strengthen police relations with its citizens, who normally meet in emergency circumstances that are very emotional.  Coffee with a Cop does indeed enable citizens get to know PDQ 9 police officers in a friendly atmosphere

I was 14 years old when I first met Jean-Claude Raby, who at the time worked at the Samuel Moskovitch Arena. This was an exciting time for kids like me. Growing up there was no arena in the city, so we had to play our games at the Montreal West Rink. When Moskovitch opened, under the leadership of the late Wally Freestone, it was Jean-Claude and a fellow by the name of Dave Sevigny who drove the zamboni and attended to other important matters. I played in the system, but only two years later I crushed two vertebrae on the spine and my active career was over. I turned to writing about minor sports for the local papers and certainly became a "rink rat" by getting jobs as a scorekeeper, equipment manager and ultimately a referee.

Jean-Claude stayed at the arena for 10 years and then moved next door to Public Works where he remained for 28 more years. On Friday, May 8 friends and colleagues gathered in front of the Public Works headquarters on Mackle Road to give him a nice sendoff. For the last many years he fulfilled the important role of foreman for parks and roads.

"Jean-Claude started working for the City in 1977, the same year that he married his wife, Celine," recounted Beatrice Newman, our newly appointed Director of Public Works. "He started as an arena attendant and continued on to become the Zamboni operator. He moved on to a position at Public Works, as a light vehicle operator. During the merger and until the de-merger, J-C became the Team Leader for the Roads division. In 2006 he became a Public Works foreman, handling all things operations at different times for roads, signs, parks, waste and snow removal. Jean-Claude has been an invaluable employee, always willing to do his best for the residents and the city. He leaves with many memories from growing together with the city over the past few decades and we wish him the best for a wonderful retirement that he`ll share with Celine. After 38 years of service to a city that he respected and cared for, we wish him  many years ahead filled with great joy and relaxation."

You could see the warmth in which Jean-Claude was treated at his farewell. I am proud to know him and privileged to have spent the past decade as a city councillor where I have been able to see up close and personally what a value he added to our community.

"I am looking forward to my retirement," he said. "We have two kids and seven grandchildren so that will keep me busy."

 

 

The island of Montreal is in the middle of its coldest winter in the last 20 years. The ground has frozen much deeper than usual. This has caused many household pipes to freeze across the island, including in Côte Saint-Luc.

The city's Public Affairs and Communications Department has supplied us with some valuable information.

If you turn on one or more faucets and there’s no water, the cause is likely a frozen pipe in the water supply line that runs from the edge of your property, under your lawn, and into your home. You’ll need an experienced plumber to thaw the pipe. But it could take several days to book an appointment as they are very busy this winter.

In more than 90 percent of cases, the frozen blockage is on the pipe leading to the home. Very rarely it may be on the city’s side. This is much less likely because city pipes are wider and deeper than the ones leading to your home. However, if after thawing your water supply line you still have no water, then the city will attempt to thaw its side.

The best solution, however, is prevention. You can minimize the chance of frozen pipes by following these tips.

1. If your water supply lines are in the garage, keep garage doors closed.
2. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
3. Leave a cold water tap running at a steady stream of about 6 mm or ¼ inch (approximate thickness of a drinking straw).
4. Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night.
5. Leave the heat on in the home, even while out of town. Set to a temperature no lower than 13 C or 55 F.

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The annual Côte Saint-Luc Public Works Week Carnival took place on May 22 and hundreds turned out to this event which combines education and a whole lot of fun. Congratulations to Beatrice Newman, Oriana Familiar, Councillor Steven Erdelyi and the rest of their  team for a job well done, Councillor Glenn J. Nashen and I even pitched in by shovelling some composting material into one of the many yellow bags being given  out to the public. See the picture below.

This event was originally scheduled to occur a week earlier, but Mother Nature rained on  that parade and we had to postpone. Weather conditions were perfect o n this day. A donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation gave  kids access to real vehicles, inflatable games, face painting/tattoos, flower planting, arts and crafts, fun and games and more.

There were tours of the Public Works Yard on a buggy, a barbecue, balloons TCBY, cotton candy and snow-cones, face painting and tattoos, fllower planting, arts and crafts, demonstrations  and Eco-Action Day. Everyone on hand got to learn more about recycling and organic waste collection and received free garden compost.  For the kids  there was a zero-waste lunch , an environmental trivia games and an  inflatable enchanted forest . Used bikes were baccepted on behalf of SOS Vélo. 

The City of Côte Saint-Luc is investing $426,000 to replace the underground aqueduct on Kildare Road. between Rembrandt Ave. and Merrimac Road and to repave that stretch of  the street. The work has begun and will  last until approximately August 15, 2010.   A formal letter will be sent to all affected residents shortly.

Pipe replacement and road reconstruction

Normally, Côte Saint-Luc would reline the pipes to prevent leaks, which is a less invasive procedure. However, the state of the pipes under Kildare Rd. requires them to be replaced, which is why we need to open up the road surface. While this will cause traffic on this stretch of road to be disrupted, the work is necessary. Once the work is complete, the pipes should not need to be repaired or replaced for approximately 50 years.  At the same time we will also be reconstructing the road once the pipes have been replaced. The road surface has been damaged due to prior water breaks and while it has been patched the time has come for proper resurfacing.

Water

A temporary above-ground water network has been nstalled to provide water as well as to offer fire protection to buildings and townhouses along Kildare Rd. A specialized firm, Canbec, has been hired to carry out the repairs, and our own Engineering Department will supervise and confirm the quality of the work. Please note that that an employee from Canbec and/or its sub-contractor Colmatec, duly authorized by the city, may have to visit your building or townhouse to check your water connection. Canbec will also distribute additional information directly to  your home.

If you have questions or comments about these repairs, you may call the following numbers:

• Weekdays between 7am and 4pm: Côte Saint-Luc Engineering Department, 514-485-6800 ext. 1501, or [email protected], for general inquiries.
• After hours (emergencies): Côte Saint-Luc Public Security Department: 514-485-6960.
• At any time (day or night): Colmatec, 450-973-3366 or 514-712-1640.
• Côte Saint-Luc information line regarding water work: 514-485-6800 ext. 5500.

Today, June 28, there were two water breaks on Kildare Rd. which forced  water to be shut off. Fortunately the damage was repaired quickly. Those affected are recommended to boil their drinking water for 48 hours. Stay tuned to www.cotesaintluc.org for more details.

The third annual Côte Saint-Luc Spring Fair  took place on Sunday, May 16 at and around Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park on Mackle Rd. And the weather could not have been nicer.

The Spring Fair included the Mega Garage Sale, Public Safety Day, the Public Works Carnival, and Eco-Action Day.

The Mega Garage Sale took  place at the covered Confederation Annex building at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park and featured  people selling items at 60 tables. To  the right UI share a moment with Police Station 9 Commander Sylvain Bissonnette, Public safety Director Jordy Reichson and Public Security Manager Michel Martel.

Public Safety Day took place at the parking lot of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park and featured emergency vehicles for kids to climb into. Kids and adults were also  able to speak to police officers, fire fighters, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) lifesavers, and other members of the safety services. The Montreal police  verified car seat installations and bicycle helmets. Also, the blood service agency Héma Quebec had a a booth for people to check their blood type. There were even some old street signs for sale.  Below I am trying to coax former Sir Walter Scott Avenue resident Arlene Smilovitch to buy this one.

The Public Works Carnival took place next to the Public Works Building  and featured barbecue food, inflatable games for kids, arts and crafts, and more. Donations were accepted for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

EcoAction Day took place next to the Public Works Building. Visitors  learned about recycling and curb-side compost collection, and receive free garden compost. Kids  learned about composting and how to make a zero-waste lunch.

Below, Councillor Glenn J. Nashen and family.

Since January 15, 2009 there has been four breaks of the aqueduct on Kildare Road, between Rembrandt and Merrimac. In conversations with the mayor and our department of Public Works, I insisted that something be done to rectify the situation. At the February 9, 2009 council meeting I moved a resolution which modifies the work schedule as per our infrastructure program for this year and now includes the replacement of 200 meters of eight inch pipe at a cost of $240,000. In order to get this on the "urgency list" we had to postpone planned work on Merton Road, between Borden and Pinedale. I would like to thank the mayor and council for supporting this initiative. Residents of Rembrandt and Ilan Ramon in particular have been greatly inconvenienced by these breaks, not to mention all motorists travelling down Kildare Road. This work will likely be done in the spring when the weather is more appropriate.