Laval park paved over with no warning for nearby residents

Residents in the Laval neighbourhod of Sainte-Dorothée woke up last Monday to an unwelcome sight — construction trailers and fresh pavement covering Jolibourg Park.

The trailers are there to store equipment as the City of Laval begins work to repair two bridges connecting to Île Bigras. They're expected to be there for at least two years, possibly three.

"These two trucks were just, you know, driving around on the grassy area right behind the houses," resident Mike Sforza said.

His house overlooks what was once greenspace. He says the paved section is about 92 square metres.

"I come back in the evening and there's this huge, huge swath of grass that has been bulldozed. They really just bulldozed everything all the way to the end of the park."

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Sforza said there were no public consultations on the storage of the equipment, nor was there any advance warning.

Laval-les-Îles municipal councillor Nicholas Borne wasn't even aware of the trailers until concerned residents contacted him.

Other neighbourhoods consulted, but not Sainte-Dorothée

Philippe Guilbeault, director of engineering at the City of Laval, said other neighbourhoods in the Laval area, including on Île Bigras and near Chemin du Bord-de-l'Eau, are also housing construction equipment and citizens there had been consulted.

"We've been meeting with citizens on the island many times in the last year," Guilbeault said.

"We've tried as much as possible to modify our projects to fit their needs."

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However, he confirmed that Sainte-Dorothée residents weren't given any notice prior to the paving taking place.

The trailers that are now in place will store administrative materials and tools, not construction machinery.

Guilbeault said the city is working with the construction firm, Eurovia Québec, to move them further away from the homes.

"We're waiting for a new proposal from the entrepreneur and we're going to move them a bit away from the houses closer to the trees," he said.

"We know that we're disturbing many people."

'So arbitrary'

But Sforza and his neighbours feel their neighbourhood's beauty and aesthetic appeal have been compromised thanks to the trailers.

Their backyard views that were once of a public park are now of construction trailers.

"We're all shaking our heads, myself, and people who are directly influenced by this course of action, as well as people across the street who have kids and families," Sforza said.

"We're just shaking our heads, and the way it was done was so arbitrary."

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