Graffiti strategy on council agenda
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 13, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com After a summer break Lethbridge city council will be back in chambers on Tuesday.Council meets at 12:30 p.m. in City Hall.
No official business is on the agenda but council does have several bylaws for readings to address.
And it has three committee reports to accept or reject. One of those is a recommendation from the Safety and Social Standing Policy Committee regarding the graffiti abatement strategy.
That recommendation from July 18 calls for one-time funding of $51,562 to extend the abatement strategy zone beyond the boundaries of the Downtown BRZ.
According to a report on graffiti abatement in Lethbridge from the BRZ graffiti tagging is appearing “at an increasing rate” throughout the city.
“While the appearance of such tags is detrimental to the buildings and commercial enterprises, they are further problematic when associated with gang related activity and the establishment of ‘territory’. Graffiti often serves as a rebellious act against societal norms and authority. Some artists use it as a form of protest, challenging the system and making their voices heard. By defying rules and boundaries, they reclaim spaces for their own narratives,” says the report.
Graffiti removal is done outside of the regular cleaning activities that take up most of the Clean Sweep Program funded person hours. It’s also limited by weather conditions and if it’s to be done on a year-round basis, the BRZ says a significant investment needs to be made in equipment.
“The faster a dedicated team removes all tags in Lethbridge, the more artists will realize the futility of tagging for lasting effect,” says the BRZ.
There are several hotspot zones for graffiti the city and they include:
• Zone 1 (Northside No Frills and area)
• Zone 2 (Across from shelter)
• Zone 3 (Small parks – London Road Park and Kiwanis Park)
• Zone 4 (Big parks- Kinsman Park and area)
• Zone 5 (Galt Gardens)
• Zone 6 (Crabbe Street Parking, Park’n Ride and Bowman)
The goal of the Clean Sweep Program is to undermine taggers as well as to maintain an orderly area.
Council will also consider a request by senior community planner Ross Kilgour to give first readings to a pair of bylaws to remove the Municipal Historic Resource designations of the now demolished Bow On Tong Building and neighbouring Manie Opera Society Building on 2 Ave. S.
On Feb. 3, 2014 council passed two bylaws which designated the Bow On Tong Building and the Manie Opera Society Building as MHRs. That same month, the province designated them as Provincial Historic Resources.
But on Jan. 31 of last year, a fire at the Bow On Tong caused severe damage which required its immediate demolition. On April 19 of 2023, a structural engineer’s report was provided to the City by a representative of the Bow On Tong parcel and Manie Opera Society building that detailed damage to the latter because of the Jan. 31 fire.
The structural engineer recommended that due to the prohibitive cost to stabilize the building, the opera house be demolished. That took place in May of this year.
Because neither building exists anymore, the City administration has developed Bylaws 6451 and 6452 to repeal the MHR designations.
Council will also be asked to give three readings to Bylaw 6453: A bylaw to amend Traffic Bylaw 5834.
A report to council says that with the change of name to Lethbridge Polytechnic from Lethbridge College, to continue parking enforcement there the verbage in the bylaw should be edited to reflect that.
Council will also hear an encampment strategy update from Community Social Development general manager Andrew Malcolm and an update on the Lethbridge & District Exhibition Memorandum of Understanding. And Acting CEO of the Exhibition, Kim Gallucci will provide his monthly financial reporting and operating forecast. 3
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