Municipality hires another director-general, approves pending offer on property

Council members in Brownsburg-Chatham welcomed the municipality's third director-general in less than a year, after it was announced at the Monday, December 6 meeting that the previous one had tendered his resignation.

Effective this month, Pierre Charron will take on the role of director-general from René Lachance, who in November advised the municipality of his resignation. Lachance, who had just completed his six-month probation period, was hired this past spring to replace then-outgoing director-general Jean Vachon.

Mayor Georges Dinel said the reason for Lachance's departure was to pursue a higher-paying position in Boisbriand; however, Councillor Paule Blain Clotteau later alleged in an interview that his departure was not solely motivated by financial reasons.

At the December meeting, council members also accepted a letter of intent from the Maison de la famille to purchase the municipally-owned property at the corner of Rue Principale and Rue des Erables in downtown Brownsburg.

The sale of the property at 228-232A Rue Principale will be suspended, according to the approved resolution, to allow the Maison de la famille's administration to submit a proposal for the building's purchase and revitalization. The proposal must be received by June 1, 2011.

If the proposal is later accepted, the municipality would then sell the building to the Maison de la famille for one dollar, provided certain conditions - such as financing, an engineer's report, and insurance - are met.

Municipal clerk Marie-Josée Larocque explained the municipality had not received any purchase offers on the building, adding it would cost about $54,000 simply to demolish it.

Rumoured plans for the building's revitalization include the possibility of making it a community centre for multiple community organizations within Brownsburg-Chatham.