Medicine Hat Minute: Rezoning Application, Funding Requests, and Free Library Cards

Medicine Hat Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Medicine Hat politics

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• There are no meetings at City Hall today, as it is Remembrance Day. City Hall, administrative departments, the landfill, Crestwood Recreation Centre, and Co-op Place will be closed. The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre will also be closed, except for a ceremony starting at 9:30 am. The ceremony will be followed by a parade at 10:30 am that proceeds to the Cenotaph at Riverside Veteran's Memorial Park, where a service begins at 11:00 am.
  
  
• The Council Committee of the Whole will meet on Wednesday at 3:45 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. On Thursday, at 4:00 pm, there will be a meeting of the Corporate Services Committee. No agenda is available for this meeting yet either.
  
  
• Library cards continue to be free through generous contributions to the "Library Card for Every Hatter" initiative. The library began encouraging people to pay the $5 cost forward when registering or renewing cards, and a goal of $1,000 was quickly surpassed. As a result, the next 400 library cards will feature a sticker noting that they are sponsored by the local community.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• Councillors approved a rezoning application for a property on Second Street SW, despite resident opposition. The rezoning, which changes the property from low-density to medium-density, aligns with the City's strategic plan to encourage infill development and housing growth. The developer, Scottie Signature Homes, plans to build a multi-family duplex with mobility-friendly apartments and parking, addressing concerns raised by some neighbours about parking congestion and infrastructure. While some Councillors, like Robert Dumanowski, opposed the rezoning due to an existing Area Redevelopment Plan, others, including Alison Van Dyke, supported it as consistent with the City's long-term goals. With the rezoning approved, the developer can now apply for a development permit to proceed.
  
  
• Two community organizations presented their funding requests to Council. The Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society asked for $2.8 million in support of expanding and renovating the Phoenix Safe House Emergency Shelter, while the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede sought over $23 million for the construction of a new north grandstand and upgrades to existing facilities. Council members acknowledged the contrast between the two requests but emphasized the importance of balancing both human and entertainment needs in the community. Decisions on these funding requests will be made after further evaluations.
  
  
• The City encouraged motorists driving large vehicles, such as RVs and transit buses, to drive over the paved area of two mini roundabouts on Eighth Street SE instead of going around them. According to John Ashton, a transportation engineer, the design is safer for large vehicles, which is why the roundabouts are built this way, with the paved area in the middle.

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