There's been a change of plans fo the city-owned parking lot located at 603 First St., downtown after its conditional sale to a local hotel developer fell through last month. Officials now hope to access provincial stimulus grants to repave the lot and add other improvements that would make it usable as festival space.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
A plethora of proposed city construction projects to spur the economy aren’t in pocket yet, city administrators are stressing days after council approved a project list to forward to federal and provincial programs for funding requests.
Alberta’s Municipal Stimulus Fund is part of a provincial-federal program worth $606 million, while Ottawa has also altered the Investing in Canada Infrastructure program.
Combined, Medicine Hat’s shore would total about $18 million from the programs meant to spur construction activity and bolster local economies in a pandemic malaise.
But tight timelines and requirements mean local administrators resurrected some projects from a capital projects list, moved some ahead and found several others, seemingly out of the blue.
“I’m a bit stunned by the parameters,” said Coun. Darren Hirsch while thanking staff on Monday night when the lists were approved.
Provincial projects can’t add to operating costs of the city, and while there is no immediate timeline on grant funding decisions, the money must be spent by the end of next year.
Mayor Ted Clugston told the News he felt the projects, which theme around quality of life and tourism opportunity, plus capital upkeep and technological change, “tick a lot of boxes.”
Headlining the proposals is $2 million for redevelopment of the lot at the 603 First St., where council previously paused suggested improvements in hopes of finding a private buyer.
Now, if grant applications are approved, the newly paved lot would be able to double as festival space, include a solar panel canopy, and other streetscape improvements to tie it to Riverside Veterans Memorial Park Across the street.
Coun. Jamie McIntosh says he previously questioned the need for paving, but “wholeheartedly” endorses the new plan. It would improve the lot, he says, and be a starting point for the newly approved “River District” concept – and not at the expense of city taxpayers.
Coun. Kris Samraj, who voted against the provincial list and said focus should have gone toward the River District, felt the federal list, which focused on maintenance and other rec projects, was worth supporting,
“In public services it’s hard enough to simply maintain the status quo,” said the member of the division’s council committee.
Headlining the federal grant applications is a $3-million remake of Athletic Park and $2 million for a centralized, 20-court pickleball facility.
According to background information presented with the list, the pickleball community would be approached to run the 20-court facility under a similar agreement the city has now with the Medicine Hat Tennis Club.
There, the club manages the facility in Crestwood that sits on city owned land, and is responsible for capital improvements through its own fundraising.
As for location of the pickleball facility, documents note “several viable locations” are now being evaluated by staff.
Improvements would also be made at Gas City Campground, which was left out of the city’s current four-year budget. A capital wish list ranks projects in terms of need, and when it was approved in 2018, about 60 made the cut.
An expansion at Gas City Campground, potentially worth $3 million, was ranked at No. 107 and was tentatively scheduled for 2027.
Also high on the unfunded list was $600,000 toward a pickleball court development, potentially in 2023, but likely smaller versions.
Specific trail expansion doesn’t appear on the list, but municipal works included trail work in the recent makeover of S. Railway Street from Scholten Hill to Kingsway Avenue.
New funds, if approved, would link that to the downtown core, as well as upgrades trail between the Gas City Campground and Echo Dale Regional Park.
Not mentioned in the recent capital outlook is a new application for $2.2 million to add a second storey to city-owned property at 533 First St. That building was formerly rented to Canada Post, but now houses the city’s health and safety offices.
Part of the federal grant application would see $6.1 million put in place of city borrowing.
Another portion asks for $1.4 million for general trail rehabilitation, $3.3 million for work on seven roadway bridges, and an additional $1 million for sidewalk replacements.
In building maintenance, there would be rood replacement or substantial repairs ($750,000 in total) at the Medicine Hat Regional Airport, fleet garages, tennis club and parks building, and ventilation work for Family Leisure Centre and police headquarters ($530,000 combined).
