Library vs baseball diamond
In Villeray, there’s a project to build a new library to adjoin the Patro Villeray building on Christophe‑Colomb. But it’s going to pave over some green space that includes a baseball diamond, and that’s not universally popular.
The resident quoted as saying they could have both things in the same space is kidding herself. It can’t be done.
DavidH 16:00 on 2026-02-09 Permalink
Those games will either have to move across the street into the small diamond in de Normanville park or, if the players usually hit very far, one street corner north in the huge Villeray park. Neither option is unreasonable.
Joey 16:19 on 2026-02-09 Permalink
@DavidH except those fields are already at capacity – and the number of kids signing up for baseball (especially girls) in Villeray keeps growing. You could also say that the library on Rosemont adequately serves the neighbourhood, right?
Kate 16:35 on 2026-02-09 Permalink
I don’t know how overall library decisions are made, but in recent years I’ve seen St‑Laurent, Rosemont‑LaPP, NDG and Hochelaga‑Maisonneuve get sparkly new libraries, while in Villeray‑SMPE we have an old high school in Park Ex, a building that’s more of a community centre (the Patro) mid borough, and a building in the far eastern end, in the old city of St‑Michel. Respect for anyone working in or using those libraries, but the borough does need something more modern on this side of Papineau.
Nicholas 01:28 on 2026-02-10 Permalink
The Patro library already seems like a decent size. What I gather is the new (nicer) library will be built on top of the diamond at a similar size to the old one (though if it’s taking the baseball diamond and soccer field I guess it must be bigger), and then the space with the current library will be turned into something else TBD (more multipurpose rooms, more gyms, etc). In a sense it’s trading outdoor sports fields for, potentially, indoor gyms (which are also always busy). I can see arguments for indoor vs outdoor sports here.
It’s an interesting setup: there are a bunch of buildings like this that the city owns but they lease out long term to a non-profit who then runs the activities and rents out the spaces. So instead of signing up for swim classes or badminton at the city recreation site you sign up at the Patro site. But the city makes all decisions on capital expenditures and changes.
DavidH 11:20 on 2026-02-11 Permalink
@Joey, If those specific diamonds are used at capacity, there will be a domino effect that will push some games towards other fields further away. As a parent in the neighbourhood, I can say we are not short of baseball diamonds and the one at Patro is in the worst condition of them all. There are three on that stretch, but also a bunch at Jarry park, Pere-Marquette, Claude-Robillard, etc. The lady interviewed mentioned that what is at stake is playing baseball in the borough. I don’t see how playing three streets over in Rosemont or Ahuntsic is an issue worth sacrificing the project.
My qualms with the new Patro project are more about costs. They are budgeting a lot more to expand the existing library than what was needed to create the Marc-Favreau library. And that project included renovating and expanding patrimonial buildings (the brutalist Patro has no protection or status), creating a park with waterworks, a promenade with the LNI rink and link to the subway station and acquiring a complete book collection from scratch, plus all the computers and equipment needed. The Patro project amounts to an annex to the building and a new park layout but costs way more than any previous projects.
@Nicholas, I think the new building footprint is not that big but the reorganizing of the park won’t include team sports. I see it as you do as a partial trade between outdoor equipment for indoors. But also, I think we are trading sports equipment that is mostly used in the evenings/weekends for a strolling space that functions all day with more greenery to fight heat islands. It fits with the other park makeovers done in recent years.
Kate 11:41 on 2026-02-11 Permalink
DavidH, is the Marc-Favreau library really connected to the metro inside?
Joey 12:00 on 2026-02-11 Permalink
@DavidH Ahuntsic and Rosemont have their own baseball associations and I understand that demand is growing there as well. Patro is indeed the dumpiest of the Villeray fields but is kind of perfect for younger kids.
DavidH 19:41 on 2026-02-11 Permalink
@Kate, not connected indoors. I meant the pedestrian link they built between the library, the u-shaped back street and the station. It’s the type of planing and design the new project evokes as reasons for its bigger budget. But Marc-Favreau required a mix of architecture, conservation, city planning and landscaping expertise as well and they kept it much lower.