Montrealers raise eyebrows at $3.4-million granite 'stumps' on Mount Royal

Spaceman Spiff

Spaceman Spiff

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On a recent visit to Mount Royal, the consensus among residents and visitors who spoke to the Montreal Gazette was that the money used for the granite benches could have been better spent elsewhere.

“They clearly have money to waste,” Joanne Dion, 62, said.

That was a common opinion voiced by hikers and cyclists alike.

“(The mountain is) like my second home essentially so whatever rock moves here, I’m aware of it,” said Jean-Benoît Rainville, a 50-year-old Montrealer who lives in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. “And whenever a rock gets built here for ($3.4) million, I’m hyper aware of it.”

These ‘rocks’ are actually granite benches meant to resemble tree stumps. They are part of a larger project called Escales découvertes, or Discovery Halts, that was announced in 2016 and is part of Montreal’s 375th anniversary. The city of Montreal said the project, which cost a total of $8.26 million, aims to promote the mountain’s three summits — Mount Royal, Outremont and Westmount— and highlight significant parts of the mountain’s landscape and heritage sites in an effort to get people to look at the mountain differently and to frequent lesser-known spots. It was unveiled this past June.

These ‘rocks’ are actually granite benches meant to resemble tree stumps. They are part of a larger project called Escales découvertes, or Discovery Halts, that was announced in 2016 and is part of Montreal’s 375th anniversary. The city of Montreal said the project, which cost a total of $8.26 million, aims to promote the mountain’s three summits — Mount Royal, Outremont and Westmount— and highlight significant parts of the mountain’s landscape and heritage sites in an effort to get people to look at the mountain differently and to frequent lesser-known spots. It was unveiled this past June.

The contract for the granite structures cost $3.4 million — 27 per cent more than the city expected. The price tag covers the supply and installation of 27 granite benches, three-dimensional bronze maps of the city placed at entrances to the mountain, and information posts displaying historical facts about the mountain, all of which are scattered over 740 hectares of land.

Rainville was sitting at a picnic table near Beaver Lake. He told the Montreal Gazette he had been thinking about the project that very morning and continues to be baffled by its cost.

While Rainville said he supports initiatives that aim to improve Mount Royal, these are not the types of changes he would like to see — especially not at this price.

“I would have spent at least a portion of it making sure the path where everybody is walking on everyday is in better condition,” he said. “(It’s) full of cracks.”

Juan Gonzalez and Adriana Vargas, both 20 years old, also felt the money could have been invested elsewhere.

“We should be investing in the future of Montrealers and our future generations instead of statues or flags or benches,” Vargas said, referring to the world flags that line Sherbrooke St. as part of the city’s 375th anniversary exhibition titled La Balade pour la Paix: An Open-Air Museum. “I think our priorities right now are really not set properly.”

Many of these structures, like the granite benches, were installed on grass. Last year, Projet Montréal spoke out against this, saying green spaces need to be preserved. Gonzalez agreed.

“If you want to put a sign or something, put it there,” he said, pointing to a stretch of cement. “Not on the grass. Not inside the natural part of the mountain.”

Nathalie Caron, who is originally from France but has lived in Montreal for the past 30 years, reiterated Gonzalez’s and Vargas’ concern over how the city is prioritizing its finances.

“I don’t see why they spend so much money for benches when there are other things that need better funding,” she said, citing medical expenses as an example.

Designer and contractor Abram Moore, 34, said he doesn’t think the cost of the contract is justified, adding that the location and design of the benches also fail to invite people to sit down on them. Sitting comfortably on a stretch of grass, Moore, who bikes and walks on the mountain two to three times a week, said if the benches were built closer to the path, residents and visitors would be more likely to sit on them.

“It’s not intuitive,” he said. “It’s kind of like what is that? By the time that you realized that you can sit on it, you’ve already kind of walked past it.”
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http://montrealgazette.com/news/loc...-at-3-4-million-granite-stumps-on-mount-royal
 
feedmecarrots said:
If Montrealers reelect this mayor I seriously would be lost for words. Does anyone actually care what this mayor is doing with our tax dollars?? My property taxes just keep going up and up and I keep reading about all the bill for this 375th birthday going up over 1 billion dollars? Is this real life??
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1033942/anniversaire-montreal-cout-festivite-fete-milliard
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never voted for a mayor ... I will this time... And to put him out
 
Somewhere someone in the granite business that knows the mayor is laughing all the way to the bank.
 
Just another thing that will put Montreal on the map, like how they claim the same thing about everything else they wasted money on so far. So I'm guessing Montreal is now all over on the map, the millions of tourists from all over the world are about to come. The Haitians are already interested so much that they are border hopping to be one of the first ones to see everything.
 
CRNKY said:
Just another thing that will put Montreal on the map, like how they claim the same thing about everything else they wasted money on so far. So I'm guessing Montreal is now all over on the map, the millions of tourists from all over the world are about to come. The Haitians are already interested so much that they are border hopping to be one of the first ones to see everything.
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well this year is expected to be the top year for tourism since we hosted expo67. So yes millions of tourists from all over the world are coming.
 
Sérieux on devrait faire un règlement sur mr. Ça prend 1 bonne nouvelle pour 10 mauvaises nouvelles. Parce que j'ai l'impression que toute va toujours mal. Je sais que tout va mal, mais quand même. Demain il annonce beau.
 
Le Patriote said:
Sérieux on devrait faire un règlement sur mr. Ça prend 1 bonne nouvelle pour 10 mauvaises nouvelles. Parce que j'ai l'impression que toute va toujours mal. Je sais que tout va mal, mais quand même. Demain il annonce beau.
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Non, finalement, il va peut-être pleuvoir.
 
He is a good Mayor. He does everything that he is told.
Remember, behind a Mayor there is a council, so they are all at fault. He is just the face of bad decisions.

Oh wait, that sounds like Trump only difference is our Mayor has limited Twitter access
 
feedmecarrots said:
If Montrealers reelect this mayor I seriously would be lost for words. Does anyone actually care what this mayor is doing with our tax dollars?? My property taxes just keep going up and up and I keep reading about all the bill for this 375th birthday going up over 1 billion dollars? Is this real life??
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1033942/anniversaire-montreal-cout-festivite-fete-milliard
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Never liked or supported Coderre. He will get re-elected because there is no opposition.
 
Spiter_01 said:
well this year is expected to be the top year for tourism since we hosted expo67. So yes millions of tourists from all over the world are coming.
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GREAT!! AMAZING! More people here spending more money, but please explain where this is helping us tax payers here in Montreal? Does Montrealers suffer from low self esteem that we need people coming here telling us how great out city is? I want something that will help me, my family and the local businessmen that suffer here with the street closures and construction. And don't tell me tourist dollars are helping these local businesses because all I see is empty storefronts.
 
feedmecarrots said:
GREAT!! AMAZING! More people here spending more money, but please explain where this is helping us tax payers here in Montreal? Does Montrealers suffer from low self esteem that we need people coming here telling us how great out city is? I want something that will help me, my family and the local businessmen that suffer here with the street closures and construction. And don't tell me tourist dollars are helping these local businesses because all I see is empty storefronts.
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I think people grossly overestimate what the role and power of a mayor is. He's as much a figure head as he is a politicians. Tell me what exactly can the mayor of a city do to help you and your family directly? Besides maybe building you a park and ensuring surface streets aren't absolute chambles?

A mayor can't offer massive subsidies to attract businesses, a mayor doesn't dictate public policies or direct public investment into specific sectors. It's even worst in the province of Quebec because mayors of big cities until recently had as much power a the local town mayor.

I laugh at people moaning that they can't stand all the traffic in bougy-plateau and draconian traffic speeds but they want to vote for Valerie Plante and Projet Montreal to get Coderre out. hahaha, you'll be biking everywhere if she has her way.

Everyone loves to complain about the attrocious state of our roads but then when we have billion dollar projects to update crucial infrastructures they moan about orange cones everywhere. Others will say we aren't doing enough construction and the city is still a shit hole while being the first to bitch about all the corruption and poor quality work because we don't have enough city inspector to manage all the sites. Hire more inspectors, sure let me stand here and wait for your to complain about how your tax bill went up again.

Whether people want to admit it or not Montreal is a 2nd tier city with limited pull that risk sliding down the scale, if you want your general quality of life in montreal to improve the city needs to grow in a meaningful way (Economically, culturally, etc). Barcelona was an unknown on the global stage before it hosted the olympics in 92, Copenhagen wasn't the poster child of nordic/scandinavian quality of life before it undertook serious reform in the early 21st century. A city needs to be able to enact change and build on it's success.

Frankly Montrealers are among some of the most negative, whinny and unappreciative citizens of any city I've lived in or visited and Richard Bergeron is right when he says this city needs a change in attitude.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city#Global_Economic_Power_Index
 
Spiter_01 said:
I think people grossly overestimate what the role and power of a mayor is. He's as much a figure head as he is a politicians. Tell me what exactly can the mayor of a city do to help you and your family directly? Besides maybe building you a park and ensuring surface streets aren't absolute chambles?

A mayor can't offer massive subsidies to attract businesses, a mayor doesn't dictate public policies or direct public investment into specific sectors. It's even worst in the province of Quebec because mayors of big cities until recently had as much power a the local town mayor.

I laugh at people moaning that they can't stand all the traffic in bougy-plateau and draconian traffic speeds but they want to vote for Valerie Plante and Projet Montreal to get Coderre out. hahaha, you'll be biking everywhere if she has her way.

Everyone loves to complain about the attrocious state of our roads but then when we have billion dollar projects to update crucial infrastructures they moan about orange cones everywhere. Others will say we aren't doing enough construction and the city is still a shit hole while being the first to bitch about all the corruption and poor quality work because we don't have enough city inspector to manage all the sites. Hire more inspectors, sure let me stand here and wait for your to complain about how your tax bill went up again.

Whether people want to admit it or not Montreal is a 2nd tier city with limited pull that risk sliding down the scale, if you want your general quality of life in montreal to improve the city needs to grow in a meaningful way (Economically, culturally, etc). Barcelona was an unknown on the global stage before it hosted the olympics in 92, Copenhagen wasn't the poster child of nordic/scandinavian quality of life before it undertook serious reform in the early 21st century. A city needs to be able to enact change and build on it's success.

Frankly Montrealers are among some of the most negative, whinny and unappreciative citizens of any city I've lived in or visited and Richard Bergeron is right when he says this city needs a change in attitude.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city#Global_Economic_Power_Index
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I don't like the attitude of our mayor his arrogance his stubbornness and the way he is taking my tax dollars and spending them on things I feel don't benefit me or my fellow Montrealers. Lights on a bridge, granite stumps a rodeo, 55 million dollar walk way to the Old Port and so on and so forth. There is plenty more to mention and I don't think I'm the only person who feels his spending is out of control. I'm happy to give my vote to Valerie Plante and Projet Montreal where I feel she actually cares about us Montrealers and not her ego.
 
S1FAP said:
ahahahahahahahahahah good one. Politicians never care about the population.
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*FIXED*
Valerie Plante and Projet Montreal where I feel she actually cares about us Montrealers more than our current mayor who seems to only care about his ego.
 
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