By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

The McTavish Reservoir and Pumping Station is in need of an upgrade. The good news is it’s getting that upgrade, starting this week. The bad news is that it could take eight years.

Some might joke that the reservoir surface – Parc Rutherford – looks like something out of Harry Potter book, a Quiddich field, perhaps. That’s because the reservoir, which holds 37 million gallons of water, is served by pump-houses that were built in a Châteauesque style, non unlike the Château Frontenac hotel in Quebec City, or the Château Laurier in Ottawa.

The pumping station was, according to the Ville de Montreal, built between 1928 and 1932. “Its aging equipment must be replaced to ensure the efficient distribution of drinking water.”

According to the city’s website, the work will include making the structure more earthquake resistant, and pumping equipment and water distribution pipes will be upgraded, along with the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. There will be some landscaping, architectural renovation – while preserving the station’s heritage character, and other work.

The work will require road closures in the area. In fact, the Ville-Marie borough announced last Friday that Docteur-Penfield Avenue is going to be closed from McTavish Street to Pine Avenue through to 2033. That is not a misprint. That’s eight years from now. There are signs, though.

One section of Pine Avenue West will have to accommodate two-way traffic between Docteur-Penfield and Peel. And there will be no parking on either street in the construction zone.

Pedestrians will still be able to access the McGill University campus, and McGill parking lots on McTavish will be accessible.

Work is scheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, with some work to be done in the evenings and on weekends if necessary. n