Medicine Hat Minute: Theatre Revitalization, Campground Upgrades, and Interim Electricity Rates

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• There will be a City Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The meeting will begin with a closed session at 3:45 pm. During this session, Council will discuss the process for Council Member appointments, as well as organizational meeting logistics. Once the meeting opens up to the public at 6:30 pm, Council will receive a presentation from the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede as well as look to develop a Skills and Competencies Framework for City Advisory Boards, Committees, and Commissions.
  
  
• Council has another important item on its agenda too. In order to address residents’ concerns about utility rates, Council will discuss a new interim electricity rate. This new rate will aim to be the best in the market, align with market changes, and offer stability. The proposed interim rate will be calculated based on a twelve-month forecast of electricity prices from a wholesale market. This rate will be in effect for three months and then recalculated based on the same method for the next three months. By using this approach, the City hopes to provide a stable rate that beats other retailers' one-year contract prices while remaining connected to the market's changes.
  
  
• Removal of the seasonal water bottle fill stations will begin today. There were 10 stations installed this year, built onto fire hydrants, and they delivered the equivalent of 118,000 one-litre bottles of water to users.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• Medicine Hat Transit announced modifications to its on-demand service, MHTnow. Riders moving between the north and central zones will have to book separate trips and transfer at the downtown terminal. This change is intended to optimize capacity and to familiarize commuters with pre-COVID travel patterns, ensuring a smooth transition as ridership continues to rise. MHTnow operates on weekday evenings from 6:45 pm to 10:45 pm in the north and central neighbourhoods and offers Sunday service from 8:15 am to 7:15 pm, bookable via a mobile app.
  
  
• The new owners of the Monarch Theatre said they plan to revitalize the historic landmark. While the timeline for reopening remains uncertain, the owners said they are taking a thoughtful approach to ensure long-term success, emphasizing the importance of doing it right rather than rushing the process. The vision for the Monarch includes maintaining its identity as a movie theatre while introducing diverse programming, live performances, and venue rentals to cater to the community's needs and interests. Council recently approved the $100,000 sale of the theatre to the Monarch 1911 Society, a not-for-profit group directed by members of the city’s Rotary Clubs.
  
  
• The City has begun two projects as camping season winds down. The Gas City Campground’s water service is being upgraded and erosion remediation work is taking place on the Northwest Riverside Trail. During campground work, water, sewer, and electrical services to each individual campsite will remain fully operational, but there won’t be any access to the bulk sewer dump station or the bulk water fill station. As for the remediation work, the trail will be closed between the Trans-Canada Highway trail connection and the Fifth Avenue NW entrance, with no access to the trail from Third Street NW. Trail work should be completed by mid-October.

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