Council gathers information on LDE assets

A detailed assessment of Lethbridge & District Exhibition (LDE) facilities was provided at today’s Economic & Finance Standing Policy Committee (SPC) meeting. The Asset Management Plan is another tool Council can use to support future decision making related to LDE operations and funding.

Along with the new trade and convention centre, the report looks at the physical condition and lifecycle requirements of the old pavilions, parking lot, safety city building, Rocky Mountain Turf Club and Grandstand as well as other assets.

“This plan helps us understand the areas of higher priority,” says Mayor Blaine Hyggen. “Knowing when and where we will need to make further investments helps us make good strategic decisions as we work our way through this complex situation.”

The Asset Management Plan provides a strong understanding of the current infrastructure gaps, while identifying the needs to ensure sustainability and manage risk during the next 20 years.

As discussed in past LDE presentations, the Asset Management Plan identifies the parking lot as a high priority which comes at a significant cost of $25.5 million.

“We’ve been identifying the needs and costs of both the parking lot and the deconstruction of the old pavilions for some time now,” says Darrell Mathews, City Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. “This report helps confirm some of those assumptions and provides further details while also looking at assets that haven’t yet been explored like the Rocky Mountain Turf Club and Grandstand.”

The condition of the Turf Club and Grandstand are assessed as poor to very poor with a cost of $5.5 million in overdue maintenance. This is in addition to the deconstruction costs of the old pavilions which is estimated at $5.9 million.

Considering both the Asset Management Plan, as well as a previous administrative report exploring options for repurposing the old pavilions, it is evident that it’s unsustainable to keep the buildings. City Council provided direction to purse the option of deconstructing all the pavilions except for the West Pavilion, which will be maintained for storage. The deconstruction costs are to be included for consideration in 2026 for the next Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

Governance changes progressing

The SPC also heard an update on the progress being made to break LDE into two distinct entities -– one to focus on agriculture promotion and one to operate the trade centre facility and provide event management services.

The legal transfer is underway to the new organizations. This will reestablish the Lethbridge & District Agricultural Society with a community board and shareholders, taking them back to the original intent of promoting agriculture in the region. Work is also underway to create a municipally controlled non-profit to run the trade centre.

The City has also been in contact with the Government of Alberta to ensure compliance with Ag Society regulations and manage a smooth transition. The majority of this work is expected to be complete by the end of the summer.