Construction is starting on a new municipal office and public works building for the Rural Municipality of Tache.

(Tache office building in Lorette)Mayor Robert Rivard says the building is going up at the corner of Provincial Road 206 and the Trans Canada Highway. PCL Constructors is building the facility at a cost of about $3.7 million.

"All the planning is finalized and now they are doing some testing in the sub surface to see what kind of foundation that they have to put in," notes Rivard. "But they figure we will be in the building early next spring."

Rivard acknowledges this project has a hefty price tag but he admits they are building the public works shop bigger than what they currently need in order to prepare for the future.

"We figured it's not much use to just build it to exactly what we need now and then be looking at expanding it within a few years," he says.

He says building it a little bigger now costs less than expanding again in a few years.

Once complete, the existing public works building will be turned over to the Local Urban District of Lorette. Rivard says Lorette's shop is way too small and is also in poor condition. In fact, he says it will soon be torn down.

As for the existing office building, Rivard says a decision has not been made, though there are some groups interested in the space. He notes the long term plan is for that entire property to be turned into seniors housing, but he says that is the twenty year plan. Phase one of that could begin next year in the form of 55 Plus housing.

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