Eligible participants will be located in the area indicated on the map. The boundary is the same as that used for the City Centre Vibrancy Program.--Photo City of Medicine Hat
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com
City staff are asking for a decision regarding support for a grant program that will aim to enhance crime prevention in the downtown area of Medicine Hat.
The Downtown Enhancement and Safety Grant is a 50 per cent matching grant aimed at supporting business owners and tenants affected by vandalism and mischief.
In February 2024, city council directed administration to consult with affected parties in the downtown area including business owners and tenants about safety and security challenges.
A survey subsequently conducted in June 2024 revealed that 73 per cent of affected parties polled had been affected by vandalism or mischief at least once, with 30 per cent responding that they had been affected more than once.
Eighty-seven per cent of respondents indicated they would support or strongly support a downtown enhancement matching grant to fund repairs caused by vandalism or mischief.
City staff have since developed a grant program aimed at supporting commercial property owners and tenants of the businesses with permanent property improvements to enhance security and crime prevention.
The program will provide grants ranging from $250 to $5,000 for pre-tax improvements, to be matched by the applicant for a total project value of between $500 and $10,000.
The funding for this program would come from the economic development one-time operating initiative, with $100,000 allocated for grants.
Grants would be provided on a first-come, first-served basis in 2026, with $70,000 of the total funding allocated to the grant program and the remaining $30,000 dedicated to downtown cleanliness.
Another initiative noted frequently in the 2024 survey was a fund for downtown cleanliness. The remaining $30,000 earmarked for the Downtown Enhancement Grant will be used to contract a third-party provider of cleanliness services.
Only one application will be accepted per business, and successful applicants will have one year after receiving their project approval to complete their project.
Applicants would also be required to include current “before” photos with their submission, and upon project completion they would provide “after” photos showing off the final result.
