By Gordon Lambie
The Department of National Defence (DND) announced on Wednesday that it will issue a call for tenders this month for work required to ensure the long-term use of the Colonel Gaëtan Côté Armoury at the corner of Belvédère South and Rue des Fusiliers in Sherbrooke.
The armoury was closed at the beginning of June and barricaded due to concerns over deterio-ration in its external brickwork and masonry. According to the DND press release, repairs in-tended to prevent further deterioration of the building’s structure are expected to start this fall.
The federal government made a commitment to repair the building in May of 2021, although the lack of distinct timeline for the work raised concerns from a local group of former reserve unit commanders and history-focused organizations.
The armoury is traditionally home to Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, one of Sherbrooke’s reserve units, which has begun a process of relocating to other temporary facilities with the city.
Although The Record asked DND about the future of the William Street Armoury, which also has known structural issues and serves as home to a number of other reserve units, including the Sherbrooke Hussars, no answer was provided by press time.
