Rosemère offers subsidized rain barrels to residents

With its longstanding reputation as one of the province’s most environmentally-conscious municipalities, the Town of Rosemère chose Earth Day this past Thursday to extend an invitation to its citizens to take advantage of a subsidy it has decided to offer towards the purchase of rainwater recycling barrels.
Two years ago, Rosemère decided to offer a special deal on home composters. Now the town is offering a $50 subsidy towards the purchase of a 189-litre oak barrel with an after-subsidy price of $60, or a 208-litre plastic barrel with an after-subsidy price of $30.

Barrels popular
According to Mayor Hélène Daneault, the program has already generated so much attention from enthusiastic Rosemèrites that the town has had to order more barrels. They can be purchased at the reception area of the technical services and public works department at 190 Charbonneau Street. Payments must be made by cheque.
“Drinking water is something crucial that we must conserve,” Daneault said during a press conference at Rosemère town hall last week. During the summer, water use in Rosemère doubles with sprinkling for the lawn and gardens. The water that accumulates in the rain barrels and which gets used by residents is expected to significantly reduce dependency this summer on the water that flows from Rosemère’s water distribution network.

Rosemère Street repairs
During the same press conference, Daneault announced that the town has received a provincial subsidy of $1.9 million which will be used to rebuild the roadway and rehabilitate sewers and underground water pipes on Rosemère Street. The street is an important artery linking Roland-Durand Boulevard and Grande-Côte Road near the train station. The entire project is expected to cost $3.5 million. Rosemère’s portion of the bill will be $1.6 million. The work is expected to start at the end of this summer and will be done one section at a time. Resurfacing of the street is expected to be completed before winter.