Three visits by ministers in three weeks. This month of September is exceptional for Saint-Dizier with the arrival, this Wednesday, of Caroline Cayeux, Minister Delegate in charge of Local Authorities, and this Thursday of Amélie Oudéa-Castera, the Minister of Sports. The city, lost in the triangle between Reims (north), Nancy (east) and Dijon (south) is rarely in the spotlight. Symbol of a department, Haute-Marne, used to losing around 1,000 inhabitants per year. This sub-prefecture is no exception. Here, the past is displayed mostly in ruins. Deindustrialization got the better of its rich steel and metallurgical history, or even the huge tractor factory. In 1975, a vehicle came out of it every seven minutes.
There remains the Miko tower, emblem of this glorious period when the city had nearly 40,000 souls. Almost double the current total (24,000). “Yes, but for the first time in ten years, we have not had a loss of school staff at the start of the school year”, positive Quentin Brière. The young 33-year-old mayor, elected in 2020 without a clear label, has since wanted to be at the head of a vast program of transformation of the city.
“It is imperative to invest in cities like this”
“Because Saint-Dizier is the archetype of medium-sized towns which has suffered but now wants to be reborn, he justifies. Here, we are far from the TGV, far from the metropolises, the vote is mainly National Rally and this is where the rate of “yellow vests” per m2 in France was the highest. We are therefore at a real tipping point. It is imperative to invest in cities like this, especially since many French people now want to live there. »
So this lawyer by training is active to “bring in the major national players who did not look at us before”. For example, he claims a direct link with the CEO of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou. “I challenged him to somehow open us up. They are trying to reduce the travel time from 2h20 to 2h08 to Paris. Another result, there, already visible, the opening at the beginning of September of the cultural place Muse, with the assistance of the national museums-Grand Palais. Either a place of exhibitions, immersive or not, rare in the department.
Above all, Quentin Brière is trying to find “big players by telling them to invest here”. His argument? Almost endless space. Even in the heart of the city because of the many ruins and demolitions. “I have 40,000 m² of land available and 15 heritage sites,” he claims, without wanting a transfer at any price.
It will have to meet the criteria of today and tomorrow: as ecological as possible, sustainable, pleasant to live in… “We recruited a person who worked at the High Council for the Climate. In total, five very solid groups are interested in our city to transform it, ”says the native of Annecy, who arrived in the region of his in-laws in 2017 to become director of cabinet for Elisabeth Robert-Dehault, then mayor. . He has therefore since replaced him, just like the historic councilor François Cornut-Gentil (1995-2017) and wishes to register for the long term. By warning, moreover: “The road will be long, it will take at least ten years. »
“Above all, we have a lot of communication”
Les Bragards, the name of the inhabitants of the city, will they have this patience? “You don’t have to throw everything into your ideas”, reacts Pascale Krebs, elected by majority for a long time but since 2020 in the opposition. “Openness to culture is good, but Muse remains very elitist. We are also told of a city center in mutation but for the moment, it is empty since three signs are still going to close. As for employment, it’s not as rosy as the mayor says. For the past few months, we have especially had a lot of communication and good projects can only come out of one head…”
“There are a lot of projects and yes, our project is constantly changing. That means it works, ”reacts François Cornut-Gentil, now a simple municipal councilor. Not without claiming a certain paternity for the current transformation… “I laid the foundations and now Quentin is continuing this dynamic of change in a much more favorable context. There is a real thrill in Saint-Dizier. »
That confirms precisely the president of the Union of the tradesmen bragards. “Yes, we feel a craze. Many things are being put in place to energize the city and the covered market will soon be open. It will be a great tool,” judge Cyril Marchand, who says he is attracting more and more people to his restaurant. Thanks, too, to the soldiers of Air Base 113, at the gates of the city and from where the majority of fighter planes depart.
The rest of the job, sinews of war to convince residents to stay or even seduce others? Quentin Brière announces in particular the upcoming relocation of a piano producer, the development of a company specializing in vending machines and even that of a designer of street furniture. “Companies will come here because there is an industrial past and they will be listened to and supported by local authorities. In the meantime, ministers are already stopping over, even 2h20 from Paris.