She was absent, but at the heart of all conversations. The president Sandrine Dauchellenot invited according to our information (invited last year she was absent, not excused), must have felt her ears ringing on Friday January 17 in the evening. The mayor of Guiscard and departmental advisor (SE) Thibault Delavennegave his vows ceremony in a Jean-Luis Coqset room that was even fuller than usual.
The list of presents already gave a foretaste of the tone of these wishes: almost everything that the community of communes of the Noyonnais Country (CCPN) has rebellious vice-presidents, numerous mayors, opposition municipal councilors from Noyon, numerous officials… But also two former directors of Pays Noyonnais dismissed with losses and clashes in 2024: Arnaud de Belenet, former director of economic development, and Henri Lamur, former director of technical services and deputy general director.
A year of political brawl
After having of course taken stock of 2024 and outlined the prospects for 2025 (see below), Thibault Delavenne obviously could not ignore what was one of his battles of the past year, and without a doubt, one of those to come: the challenge to the presidency of the Pays Noyonnais of Sandrine Dauchelle.
“I would like to take advantage of these wishes to provide some details on the news of our intercommunity,” began Thibault Delavenne by opening this chapter, sparking laughter in the audience. “Many are wondering: why is Mr. Delavenne opposed to Ms. Dauchelle?” Recalling the origins of a fight which resulted in the withdrawal of delegations from Sandrine Dauchelle, Thibault Delavenne obviously cites “the project to expand the Guiscard medical center”, on land “that the commune was forced to acquire although the CCPN initially committed to doing so. “This file, which should have been a priority for the CCPN, was neglected due to the serious financial difficulties of the intercommunity,” he summarized, then evoking the imbalance according to him between the Noyon medical center project, carried by its mayor-president, and that of Guiscard for which “no action has been taken”. This original anger resulted in a rebellion by two thirds of the elected officials of the Pays Noyonnais who followed the departmental councilor and mayor of Guiscard in his fight.
“Harassment situations”, “employee suffering”
Thibault Delavenne at the very least wanted to set the record straight, then evoking “the 1.7 million euros in personnel costs” of the Pays Noyonnais, the “numerous changes of its department directors”, the “situations of harassment”, the “suffering of employees”, as well as the obvious disinterest in local projects.
In return, Thibaut Delavenne received, he explained, “a campaign of slander”. “I was called a ‘liar’, accused of being ‘driven by hatred’, claimed that ‘I didn’t like women’ or even ‘that I threatened mayors’”, he listed . “It was extremely difficult to accept,” assured the elected official, wishing to make it known that he “does not criticize the person of Ms. Dauchelle, but rather her management and her attitude towards elected officials and employees.”
Invited to speak after the departmental councilor and mayor, senator (various right) Sylvie Valente-Le Hir to express her full support: “I would like to underline the work that you carry out for the common good,” she said. to the mayor of Guiscard. You put yourself on the front line to defend the interests of everyone in the Pays Noyonnais. I know that you have no anger towards a single person, I emphasize that and I congratulate you for it.
Sandrine Dauchelle had no friends in Guiscard on Friday evening.
Another year marked by the overflows of the Verse
When he’s not busy fighting on the political front, the mayor fights against… the waters. The years of the mayor of Guiscard, and his January ceremonies, are thus quite cruelly similar. With a “year 2024, record for precipitation”, which caused “five major floods”, the subject was once again inevitable. The hamlets of Buchoire and Rue Marcel Viseur as well as Square Jean Moulin were the main victims. Particularly during “two particularly serious episodes, in March and May”, which “affected around ten houses”. Two episodes which were classified as natural disasters.
All this, despite the work carried out, as the mayor recalled: 7 million for the opening of La Verse in Guiscard (“including 900,000 euros of borrowing”), or the creation of a discharge arm on rue Helene Versepuy (350,000 euros) in order to “mitigate the impacts” of river overflows. However: “Give up? No, I say it loud and clear,” proclaimed Thibault Delavenne who mentioned several projects to come: replacement of rainwater networks in the hamlet of Buchoire (40,000 euros), cleaning of the river between Guiscard and Buchoire which “fallen very late” for administrative reasons, the possibility of creating a rainwater network on rue du Cul-de-Sac in Buchoire (18,000 euros). And cleaning sites still waiting.
End of problems at the end of 2025?
But the real end of the major problems will only come, recalled the mayor, with the dismantling of the hydraulic brake installed on the Verse in Guiscard. It is intended to spare the municipalities located downstream, including Noyon, during the duration of the work on the retention basins of Berlancourt and Beaugies-sous-Bois. Everything should be completed, logically by the end of the year (October) 2025.
The mayor of Guiscard finally recalled the other, more positive, 2024 events: renovations to the facades of the town hall and the church (the restoration of the stained glass windows is not finished), the construction of sidewalks in Buchoire or rue de la Reconnaissance ( to be completed). As well as the numerous festivals and ceremonies including some new ones such as the O’Parc Festival in July.
For next year, Guiscard hopes to finally carry out a project originally announced for 2024: the installation of surveillance cameras at city entrances (postponed due to not being able to obtain the hoped-for state subsidy). Also hoped for are the installation of LED public lighting in part of the town and “in order to ensure optimal coverage of the town”, the installation of two outdoor defibrillators: at the mayor’s office and at the pharmacy. “In total, six defibrillators will be installed to compensate for the departure of the SMUR from Noyon.”
Between political conflicts, and worries about each heavy rain, it is true that you have to have your heart firmly attached to Noyon.
