As a new year begins, new projects are taking shape in the RM of Ritchot. The municipality and its Community Development Committee (CDC) have determined that its communities are deserving of improvements to infrastructure and programming.
“The projects were started due to the support from the Ritchot CDC,” says Lesley Gaudry, Ritchot’s community economic development officer.
The CDC has four subcommittees, one each from St. Adolphe, Île-des-Chênes, Grande Pointe, and Ste. Agathe. Each subcommittee applied to the CDC for funding to help with, according to Gaudry, “a community-based project that would make a difference and improve the quality of life for its residents.”
In Île-des-Chênes, improvements are being made to D’Auteil Park. The peaceful green space is receiving much-needed upgrades that include additional lighting for pathways, more benches, a natural playground, and a pergola. The project is set to be completed in the spring of 2017.
The Ste. Agathe committee has completed installing a stone fire pit patio at Cartier Park. With a serviced campground, welcome centre with washrooms, baseball fields, large outdoor green space, and event areas available for rent, Cartier Park is a lovely feature. The fire pit patio will be used at the Festival d’Ete Cheyenne Summer Fest.
Main Street in St. Adolphe received a facelift in the fall of 2016 with beautification items that include 33 Victorian brackets and hanging flower baskets, a wooden pergola, and a sitting area at the Esso station. The St. Adolphe subcommittee is nearly finished with their projects. The last item is a large community heritage mural that will be completed and erected in the spring. According to Gaudry, the mural will feature natural and built heritage icons and be surrounded in a timber-frame structure.
The Grande Pointe Homeowners Association used their allotted funding to support the construction of a garage and warm-up shelter at the outdoor skating rink at Grande Pointe Park. The garage will house all of the park’s maintenance equipment and the warm-up shelter will include public washrooms. The building’s frame has been finished and the project will be completed in spring.
