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Pincourt to revitalize waterfront park area

Marla Newhook
The Gazette
Thursday, November 20, 2008

Plans for a $500,000 improvement project at Bellevue Park in Pincourt are slated to go ahead in 2009 despite protests from citizens.
Some residents are upset after the city announced plans in September to close off a portion of Duhamel St., a waterfront access road on the west side of Île Perrot, to improve public access to the beach. The project also calls for updated playground equipment, a pedestrian path circumventing the park which would be used as a skating oval in the winter, a 900-metre cycling path and added green space.  
“This is a project that has always been in our plans,” said Simon Grenier, director of recreation and community services for the city of Pincourt. “The park has always been overused for sports with the tennis courts and soccer fields and now we’d like to just give some back to nature.”
Pincourt was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal to start Phase 1 of the project at Bellevue Park and Duhamel St., which runs along the beachfront property currently being used primarily as a boat launch.  The project would also involve the restructuring of existing parking spaces around the soccer fields and tennis courts to alleviate parking congestion.
Some residents, however, have raised concerns about the plan to eliminate traffic on Duhamel St. They claim it will increased traffic along adjacent streets.
 A traffic study was carried out to measure the volume of traffic in the area, including Duhamel St., and the streets surrounding Bellevue Park;  including 9th Ave., Bellevue St. and Monsignor Langlois Blvd.
“We measured 11,000 vehicles (on Duhamel) for the week, split 50-50 in both directions, so one thing’s for sure, there will be a reduction of at least 5,000 vehicles in that sector,” said Pincourt town manager Michel Perrier.
 City officials have met with the residents of the only home on Duhamel St. directly affected by the road closure.  The city is interested in purchasing the century-old home, which could then be converted into a public centre.
 The city hopes to have the project completed by summer of 2009.