Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Verdun on the Ville de Montreal site

The waterfront looks like a busy place these days,with many different places to go & events to see ,plus the restaurants too.........................

Parks and gardens

St. Lawrence River Waterfront

St. Lawrence River Waterfront

Verdun’s excellent geographic location includes 15 km of banks along the Wellington–de l’Église and Desmarchais–Crawford neighbourhoods and on Nun’s Island (L’Île-des-Soeurs neighbourhood). Bikes and footpaths that run along the St. Lawrence River allow visitors to carry on with their favourite activities in full view of the river. The borough’s many parks also often excellent opportunities for relaxation and picnics.

Visiting the waterfront

Verdun’s attractions include the banks along the St. Lawrence and their splendid view of the river, plus the borough’s many parks and green spaces. But that’s not all. Here are some other sites to discover.

Verdun Auditorium

The Verdun Auditorium
Centre of sports and cultural activity, the Verdun Auditorium and its Denis-Savard arena are located adjacent to the river and to Arthur-Therrien Park.


Family enjoying the outdoors Citizens' Garden

Lookout and Residents’ garden
This garden is laid out around the historic Nivard de Saint-Dizier house, where a lookout provides a view over the Lachine Rapids. The Honorable-George-O’Reilly Park is also situated in the vicinity.
The garden is situated at the western tip of Boulevard de LaSalle.

Circus school of Verdun

École de cirque de Verdun
The École de cirque de Verdun is one of Canada’s leading circus schools, in terms of the size of its student body, the dimension of its facilities ( 3,200 m²) and its range of equipment. Located at the intersection of Desmarchais and LaSalle in the former Guy-Gagnon Arena, by the St. Lawrence River, La Passerelle de la marinathe school is surrounded by water and greenery. It is also surrounded by a panoramic bike path which meanders through a to a variety of parks ( Beatty, Woodland, Archie-Wilcox, Desmarchais and Monseigneur-J.-A.-Richard ).



Natatorium

Natatorium
The Art Deco structure in which Québec’s first and largest outdoor pool was built.
6500, boul. LaSalle
Information: 514 765-7230


Outdoor dance floor

Outdoor dance floor
Located near the municipal greenhouses, this venue is the site of a variety of outdoor activities, particularly during the summer.
LaSalle
Information: 514 765-7150

Marina

Crescendo Restaurant
This restaurant offers an exceptional view of the St. Lawrence River. Its full restaurant service is gaining high regard.
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Information: 514 766-2171



Municipal Greenhouse

Municipal Greenhouse
This location historically serves as Verdun’s greenhouse and has now become a place for family outings and relaxation. It hosts a day camp, special events by the Comité d'embellissement and a variety of evening activities for teens and for adults.
Only open in the summer.
Information: 514 765-7220


The Borough's Piers
In 2006, the Verdun Borough inaugurated the installation of two floating piers, to give residents the opportunity to make the most of the water in their surrounding area. The first pier is located behind the Natatorium, at 6500 boulevard LaSalleVerdun Borough's Pier . This pier, over 40 metres long, has steps to make the water more accessible, and a platform for light watercraft. A second pier, somewhat smaller in size, is located on rue Brault, at the site formerly called "Quai de La Tortue". These piers are light structures on floats that are placed in the water in the spring and removed in the fall.

 

Lawn Bowling game

Verdun Lawn Bowling (boulingrin)
An age-old game for those 14 and over.
6000 boulevard LaSalle
Information: 514 768-4059


Marina

Verdun's Marina
Marina open from May 1st through October 31st
Public slip and dock rentals.
5150 boulevard LaSalle

               Looks like a lot of events are planned along this once familiar place,......Imagine we were happy to walk along the boardwalk, & go to the Nat or whatever,........Seems like there's far less people there ,yet more things (organised things ) to do................................HF&RV

6 comments:

john allison said...

Very nice. Thanks for the update. Did not know there were some of those sites....

Brian Gearey said...

It is amazing what has become of the Verdun I once knew. Thanks for the update

Diane Roberts said...

Les...some great locations to see on our next visit to Montreal and Verdun. Do you know where Crescendo's Restaurant is located...Thanks...Diane

Les F said...

Diane it's roughly located at the river & woodland (roughly) I have never been in it,but it sounded interesting & I think one of our members has photo's from inside there ,when she had a reunion of sorts with some old friends,(in one of the photo albums,here on this site)
you can read the rest of the story ,that I've pasted here, http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=fcb0658b-424a-4e3b-8da6-2ddbf3825e73&k=42251



The city of Montreal has served a notice of seizure on a Verdun restaurant for unpaid taxes. The trouble is, the city owns the place.

The building that houses Restaurant Crescendo, constructed by the former city of Verdun and boasting a spectacular view of the St. Lawrence River, is leased to a company that operates the mid-priced eatery for what is now the city of Montreal.

The municipal tax man is waving a bill of $65,499.27 at the company, 3994007 Canada Inc., claiming it's for property taxes owed since 2004
The Crescendo provides diners with a view of the St. Lawrence River and is promoted as one of the main attractions of the Verdun marina.




The company's owners dispute that bill, claiming they had a deal with the former city of Verdun not to pay property taxes on the building.

Like tenants of other municipal buildings, however, the company's lease with the city of Montreal calls for the firm to pay all taxes related to the space it occupies.

The city put a "notice of intention to seize" on the property at 5150 LaSalle Blvd. in September, land registry records show.

The kerfuffle over the tax bill throws a spotlight on one of the city's most unprofitable leases to the food industry.

Crescendo pays the city $73,275 a year in rent under a 22-year, eight-month lease that expires on Dec. 31, 2024. The deal has no provisions for rent increases.

As it turns out, the company's unpaid taxes have been based on an under-assessment of the municipal property. The city acknowledged yesterday the valuation was botched because it did not get proper documentation from the Verdun borough.

Martin Bernier, one of three partners who own the company, said the rent was calculated to enable the Verdun borough to recoup over the life of the lease the amount it spent to construct and renovate the building.

"At the end of the lease, we leave with nothing and the city has the restaurant," Bernier said Thursday as dinner customers began trickling in for a menu offering everything from pasta to sirloin steak and a table d'hôte between $18 and $30.

The 120-seat dining room features wood trim, a glass-enclosed fireplace and selections from the wine list nestled behind glass partitions. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the water.

The restaurant is touted on the borough's website as among the attractions of the Verdun marina. The borough council recently announced plans to install a ferry service next to the restaurant to carry people between Nuns' Island and the marina.

The political parties of Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay and ex-mayor Pierre Bourque have staged events at the restaurant.

"It makes Verdun look good," Bernier said of the restaurant, adding about 80 per cent of diners come from outside the traditionally working-class district.

"People don't even know it's Verdun." By contrast, in 1994 the city leased the municipally owned Hélène de Champlain restaurant on Île Ste. Hélène to a company for 10 years and seven months. Rent was set at 4.5 per cent of the business's gross revenue.

That company paid $143,783.08 plus tax in rent in 2007, said Ève Cardinal, a spokesperson for the Société du Parc Jean Drapeau, the paramunicipal agency that manages Île Ste. Hélène and Île Notre Dame. The city transferred control of the lease to the Société in 1995.

Les F said...

I placed the girls reunion photo album from Crescendo's Rest,.in the first position in the albums section,.....it doesn't really have a lot of interior shots,to be seen,.but I guess the girls had fun & that's all that matters,.Cookie created this photo album on the old MSN site, and it was migrated over to here,.although I don't think Cookie has joine up yet,.but I think she may still be in Mexico....on vacation
perhaps she will join up when she gets back ??

Les F said...

I just looked at thos pics again & one is titled girls dinner in dorval,.so that's not the Crescendo Rest,..but I think she did say they were going there ???? In ancase Diane you can easily find teh Restaurant as it's on the riiverside near Woodland Avenue...or thereabouts.Good Luck ,Take Pics if you go,we'd like to see them...................