The Mayor for Tache says they are thrilled with last week's funding announcement for their new community centre.

Armand Poirier says the provincial budget included a $5.5 million commitment towards construction of the new Tache Community Centre in Lorette. 

"We're very grateful to the provincial government for that," says Poirier. "Very pleased."

Poirier says he anticipates that this funding will allow them to put shovel in the ground later this year. 

"It's a major step in the right direction towards moving the project forward and getting it to the finish line," he adds.

According to Poirier, plans for the new centre have not yet been finalized, but he says it will include one sheet of ice, a library and senior centre. There will also be a commercial kitchen and bistro. 

"The project team is committed to creating a modern community centre that's fiscally responsible and affordable for the residents and meets the needs of our growing community," adds Poirier.

Poirier says right now they are reviewing and refining the preliminary design for the project. He notes they are working closely with the project management team and architectural firm with hopes of finalizing the plan and design in the coming weeks. Poirier says he expects there will be some adjustments made to the design in order to incorporate any potential cost-saving opportunities.

Poirier notes they do not yet have a cost estimate for the project.  He says they will have a better idea once the review committee has finalized its plans. Poirier says so far, they have received a commitment for approximately $8.8 million from the provincial government and $4.6 million from the federal government. 

The new community centre will be built directly east of the existing arena in Lorette. Poirier says one of the decisions that still needs to be made is whether or not the existing arena will be torn down. He notes the plan was to demolish it but the project management team is now reconsidering the future of that building. 

Meanwhile, Poirier says last week's announcement is the icing on the cake that should take this project to completion. 

"It's very difficult to say exactly what the consequences would have been, had we not received this funding," says Poirier. "But it would have been a very, very difficult project to undertake without this additional $5.5 million."

He notes once complete, the new Tache Community Centre is going to benefit and provide programming for all residents of Lorette, Landmark, Ste. Genevieve, Ross, Dufresne and Linden for many years to come.