Photo: Martin C. Barry
Two Mountains councillor Mario Saint-Charles, who chairs the Community
Services Commission, and Mayor Marc Lauzon.

Officials with the Town of Two Mountains have been pondering their options lately to meet the needs of residents who are swimmers, including leasing time at the Town of St. Eustache�s soon-to-be-completed aquatic centre on Arthur Sauv� Boulevard, sharing an indoor pool with the Commission scolaire de la Seigneurie-des-Mille-�les, and refurbishing Two Mountains existing outdoor pool in Central Park.
Room for 65,000 users
During a briefing held with local journalists July 8 at the Restaurant Le Poulet Dor�, Mayor Marc Lauzon suggested that the first option may be the most logical, considering that St. Eustache is building an aquatic facility with a good deal more capacity (65,000 users) than befits its population. "It�s more than the population of St. Eustache can use, and St. Eustache seems happy to see that we�re open to looking at this possibility with them," he said.
The St. Eustache aquatic complex is slated to open in September or early October. "They want to have a good sharing arrangement between the citizens of St. Eustache and the citizens of Deux-Montagnes for the operation of that pool," said the mayor. "But for now for us the main thing is to know what exactly it�s going to cost our citizens. So we are going to wait until construction is finished and the operation is starting to make sure that the numbers they have given are the truth and good.
Two Mountains as partner
"And after that we are going to see if it�s good for our population to have access to that kind of facility. Right now we are happy to see that we have a possibillity that St. Eustache wants us as a partner, but we have to make sure that it�s good for our citizens. We are going to see in a few months when it is ready at the beginning of October, and after that we are going to see the operation, and if it�s good, of course, we are going to work with out citizens to see if it�s the right thing to do." The bill for St. Eustache�s aquatic complex is $14 million, something it will be financing as a long-term capital works project. While Two Mountains residents won�t have to shoulder any of that cost, the mayor and council are contemplating an arrangement by which Two Mountains would assume responsibility for an undetermined percentage of the St. Eustache aquatic complex�s operating costs, which would amount to more than $600,000 per year.
Existing pool still good
Lauzon, who toured the St. Eustache facility, described it as top quality. It includes a larger semi-olympic pool for more serious swimmers, and a somewhat smaller one for recreational users. Although Two Mountains�s outdoor pool is more than four decades old, it is still considered to be highly serviceable and the mayor said it is not about to be closed or even neglected. "Of course, there are renovations that have to be made on it, because like other facilities in Deux-Montagnes, a lot of money has not been invested over the years," he said. "Right now, we are changing all the electrical connections, costing tens of thousands of dollars. After that, all the filtration needs repairs. It�s not a question of shutting it down, but it�s over forty years. So of course we have to take care of that, just as we have to take care of all our infrastructure."
No to merger " Lauzon
Lauzon, who was recently elected as the new prefect of the MRC de Deux-Montagnes which represents seven North Shore municipalities, said the possibility of Two Mountains sharing even more services with other towns like St. Eustache doesn�t foreshadow outright merger eventually. "I�m not for that," he said, noting that he opposed the idea of a merger between St. Eustache and Two Mountains the last time it came up several years ago. "The population of Deux-Montagnes is proud and they like the way things are now," he said. "But I think we have to continue to make some partnerships because it�s to the way to remain in the best shape."