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Refreshing Upgrades Coming to Downtown
Share Refreshing Upgrades Coming to Downtown on Facebook Share Refreshing Upgrades Coming to Downtown on Twitter Share Refreshing Upgrades Coming to Downtown on Linkedin Email Refreshing Upgrades Coming to Downtown linkResidents and businesses may notice work happening in the downtown over the course of the summer as enhancements are made to the public spaces. This project is part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and includes the installation of parklets (seasonal patio spaces) and replacement of street furniture, planters, banners as well as trees and grates. The objective of this project is to create vibrant, beautiful and accessible public spaces in the downtown while also improving overall functionality.
Starting today, trees are being removed from the brick planters on the corner of 4 Ave and 6 St S in preparation for the replacement of both the planters and trees. There will also be additional tree removal happening at 5 Ave and 6 Street S.
Planters are scheduled to be removed next week in several downtown locations. No road closures will be required for this work but parking stalls will be blocked off and fencing will be up in these area to ensure the safety of both worker and the public. The planter replacements are expected to be installed in June with new trees being added in a later phase of the project.
These improvements are being made as part of the Public Realm Enhancement project and are in alignment with the Heart of Our City Master Plan, Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan, and the City’s Public Realm and Transportation Study.
Initiatives in the project began in 2018 and are anticipated to be full completed in the summer/fall of 2021.
For more information, visit: https://www.lethbridge.ca/living-here/Projects-Initiatives/Current-Projects/Pages/4-Avenue-Enhancements.aspx
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Heart of Our City Committee Creates New Virtual Activity Grant
Share Heart of Our City Committee Creates New Virtual Activity Grant on Facebook Share Heart of Our City Committee Creates New Virtual Activity Grant on Twitter Share Heart of Our City Committee Creates New Virtual Activity Grant on Linkedin Email Heart of Our City Committee Creates New Virtual Activity Grant linkGiven the current restrictions in place to prevent public gatherings and promote physical distancing due to COVID-19, the Heart of Our City Committee (HOC) is opening up its pre-existing activity grant program with a new stream of grant funding to support virtual events. This new program will help support the events, artists and businesses who have found creative ways to continue promoting the vibrancy of Downtown Lethbridge during this unprecedented time.
Each year, the HOC awards activity grants to provide funding support to organization delivering events that attract people, enhance vibrancy and create excitement in the downtown core. These grants were awarded in January of 2020 but the current public health crisis has impacted many of these planned events.
“We’ve had grant recipients reach out to us saying they want to modify what they had planned given the situation as well as new inquiries around possibility of supporting new events or activities that will promote the downtown vibe,” says Dawn Leite, Chair of the Heart of Our City Committee. “We want to encourage this ingenuity and creativity and find ways we can still promote the downtown during these times. We also want to be flexible and accommodating with our partners who champion downtown and that’s what this new grant can do.”
The new program will use activity grant funding available due to the cancelation or postponement of 2020 events. The maximum amount awarded through the new grant funding is $2,000 per event and grants greater than $500 require matching funding. Applications will be reviewed on an on-going basis and as funding is limited, all applications meeting the eligibility may not be supported, or may not receive the full requested amount.
In January, the Heart of Our City Committee announced grant funding for 21 events to be held in downtown Lethbridge over the next year totaling $126,000. Any recipients of the original activity grants who have questions or concerns about the possible postponement or cancellation of their events or ideas for virtual events should contact Andrew Malcolm, Urban Revitalization Manager for the City of Lethbridge at andrew.malcolm@lethbridge.ca.
The Heart of Our City Committee is committed to the revitalization of Downtown Lethbridge and will continue to support this important work now and in the future when the downtown reopens to provide the vibrant activities, events, restaurants and shopping we know and love.
For more information on eligibility and available funding visit: www.lethbridge.ca/HOCActivityGrant
Media Contact:
Dawn Leite, Heart of Our City Committee Chair
Phone: 403-393-6859 -
Celebrate Downtown By Nominating A Deserving Champion
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The Heart of our City Committee (HOC) is excited to announce details for the Fifth Annual Celebrate Downtown Gala which recognizes the individuals, businesses, organizations and events who invest their time, ideas and capital into Lethbridge’s Downtown.
Nominations are now open for awards in the following seven categories:
Unsung Hero Award: committed to taking care of the downtown community, often without recognition or praise.
Transformation Award: leading the transformation of downtown spaces, business and activities.
Innovator Award: takes risks and is not scared to challenge the status quo as they work to create, maintain, support and promote an exciting downtown.
From the Heart Award: social change agent, working to make downtown a welcoming place for all.
Event of the Year: event committed to creating a vibrant and inclusive downtown.
Volunteer of the Year: someone who freely gives up their time and energy to benefit downtown.
People’s Choice Award: overall downtown champion.
Nominations open today and will remain open until April 3, 2020.The nomination date has been extended due to COVID-19 until Friday, May1 2020. The link to the nomination form can be found at Celebrate Downtown Nomination FormThis year’s awards recipients will be recognized on
Friday, May 1 at the Multicultural Centre (421 6 Avenue South)in a fun gala event that brings together downtown friends, neighbors, colleagues and community contributors to meet, mingle and network. THE CELEBRATE DOWNTOWN EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND A DATE LATER IN 2020 IS CURRENTLY BEING EXPLORED.For more information, visit the Celebrate Downtown Facebook Page at:
www.facebook.com/celebratedowntownlethbridge.
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Artists invited to think outside the (utility) box
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The City of Lethbridge Public Art Program and the Heart of Our City committee are adding a splash of colour to the city centre by inviting local artists to share their talents in an unconventional way. Utility boxes located in Galt Gardens and at Casa will soon be wrapped in creativity as a way to increase the vibrancy of downtown Lethbridge.
Artists will have the opportunity to design vinyl wraps that will cover six different utility boxes of a variety of sizes and shapes. This initial program will serve as a pilot project for a potential utility box wrapping/painting program throughout the city. The program will provide artists with an opportunity to create artworks which add interest to the streetscape of the downtown while creating a sense of place.
These artworks are temporary with a life span of 3-5 years. The wrapping of utility boxes will not only improve the aesthetic of downtown but also lengthen the lifespan of the boxes and act as a graffiti deterrent.
This competition is open to local artists of all ages, at all levels of their artistic practice. The City's Public Art Program and Heart of our City Committee of Council will fund the production of the artwork. Selected artists will receive $500 per utility box for their creations.
Proposal submissions will be accepted until March 23 with final designs required by June 1, 2020. For more information on the submission and evaluation process visit: https://www.publicartlethbridge.ca/current-calls
*image from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Contact:
Andrew Malcolm, Urban Revitalization Manager
City of Lethbridge
403-320-3926 | andrew.malcolm@lethbridge.ca -
Heart of Our City Activity Grants Awarded To Downtown Events for 2020
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The Heart of Our City Committee announced today that it has awarded $126,000 in Heart of Our City Activity Grants to 21 events to be held in the downtown in 2020.
These events include a variety of music, arts and cultural festivals that will attract audiences and participants to downtown Lethbridge. Receiving funding are 14 multi-day events and 7 single-day events which will occur over a total of 117 days and are expected to attract more than 60,000 attendees to the downtown core.
There are a number of popular events returning including: Arts Days, Lethbridge Electronic Music Festival, Downtown Farmers Market, Word on the Street, and Wide Skies, to name a few. There will also be two new events this year including: Lethbridge Living Film Festival and Lethbridge Community Art Hive. Grant amounts range from $1,000 to $10,000.
“We’re pleased and proud to provide financial assistance on behalf of the City of Lethbridge to a really great array of events that will help achieve City Council’s goal of enhancing the vibrancy of our downtown,” says Dawn Leite, chair of the Heart of Our City Committee.
The Heart of Our City Activity Grant provides funding support to help Lethbridge organizations host events that foster an exciting, vibrant downtown and attract audiences to the heart of our city.
Details on the events receiving Activity Grant funding in 2020 are available at: www.lethbridge.ca/hocactivitygrant
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Downtown Revitalization Bolstered With New Clean and Safe Initiatives & Funding
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Efforts to continue revitalizing the downtown have been given a boost in confidence from City Council today.
Voting in favour of funding the Downtown Clean and Safe Strategy (DCSS) until 2022, Councillor Jeff Carlson says this will continue to aid in creating a positive downtown experience for residents, businesses and visitors alike and is an important step in maintaining a vibrant city.
“The work that everyone involved in the strategy has done will now continue, and will help our community see that our downtown is still a great place to live, work and play,” says Carlson. “We want to build on this work and to continue providing services that benefit our businesses, residents and the city as a whole. I cannot express enough thanks to those members of our community who participated, and their dedication to the Heart of our City.”
Local business owner and Downtown BRZ board member Hunter Heggie, says bolstering the efforts in addressing the perceptions of downtown will go a long way with business owners and gives him confidence moving into the next few years of business.
“In making this decision today, City Council has shown they stand behind our businesses and they support what we do,” says Heggie. “The programs that address the safety of downtown do so much to boost the confidence of not just the businesses but those who visit and shop and take in all our downtown has to offer. The downtown business community are a resilient and hardy group and with this positive step forward it just goes to show that when we come together as a community, great things can happen and I thank City Council for showing their support in this way today.”
Building on the existing initiatives of the DCSS which included the implementation of the Clean Sweep Program and the Diversion Outreach Team, the updated strategy looks to add a number of new initiatives including exploring a different approach to security and outreach in Galt Gardens. .
“We know downtown is a wonderful place for our residents, businesses and visitors to experience the best our city has to offer,” said Spearman. “Continuing and expanding on the good work the clean and safe strategy has done to date shows we have confidence in our downtown and we support the businesses and people come to experience our city’s centre.”
City Council voted to fund the proposed strategy for a total of just over $1.6 million. The funding is spread across three years and is being applied to 20 initiatives that focus specifically on creating a safe, clean and welcoming environment in the downtown.
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Applications Now Being Accepted for 2020 HOC Actvity Grant
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Applications now being accepted for 2020 Heart of Our City Activity Grant
The Heart of Our City Committee has completed a review of the Activity Grant to ensure the program is meeting its intended purpose as well as the needs of the organizations who look to utilize the grant to bring exciting events to the Downtown every year. The committee is excited to announce that following consultation with past applicants and an in-depth review, there are few changes to the program proposed for 2020 and that applications are new being accepted.
The purpose of the Activity Grant is to provide funds to help Lethbridge organizations host festivals and events that create an exciting and vibrant downtown and attract audiences to the city centre.
Events and festivals located in the Downtown core or in the Civic Common are eligible for up to $10,000 annually provided they are not already receiving funding from other City of Lethbridge sources. Grants greater than $1,000 are conditional on the applicant organization providing 50-per-cent matching funds. Applicants must be a not-for-profit or apply under the auspices of an affiliate or sponsoring organization with not-for-profit status.
Heart of Our City Activity Grant applications will be accepted until November 29, 2019. Information and application forms are available at: www.lethbridge.ca/HOCactivitygrant.
Applications will be evaluated by a grant review committee based on how the event or festival contributes to an exciting, animated, and vibrant experience in Downtown. Successful applicants will be notified of a grant decision as soon as possible after December November 11, 2019.
Media Contacts:
Andrew Malcolm
Urban Revitalization Manager
403-320-3926
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Construction Begins on First Project Funded by Targetted Redevelopment Incentive Program
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The City of Lethbridge is excited to announce the start of construction on the first downtown redevelopment project accessing the Targeted Redevelopment Incentive Program (TRIP). Six08 Health (formerly East Meets West) will participate in the new municipal tax relief program as they embark on an estimated $4.8 million redevelopment project at 608 5 Ave. S.
"We are excited to welcome Six08 Health to the downtown and to be able to get shovels in the ground, and sledgehammers through walls on our first TRIP project," says Andrew Malcolm, City of Lethbridge, Urban Revitalization Manager. "This is a fantastic project that represents the biggest single private investment in the downtown in nearly 20 years. It will bring more people, more activity and more vitality to the downtown and we are optimistic it is the first of many large redevelopment projects coming to our city's core."
Construction has now started on the project which is expected to open to the public in February 2020. Six08 Health will bring together a multitude of health care professionals including massage, acupuncture, chiropractor, physiotherapy, psychology, dental, family & GI specialty medical, pharmacy, and supervised childcare. This unified team will have the common goal of providing optimal patient-centered care within a new state-of-the-art facility in downtown Lethbridge.
"Lethbridge is growing and we knew we needed to expand to keep up," says Dr. Sean Hantke, Six08 Health, Clinic Director. "When we were looking at where to create our new home, being part of the downtown just made sense. Our business is all about building positivity and being proactive. It was a perfect fit to work with the City and bring these attributes to the downtown, making Six08 Health a big part of the revitalization efforts. We're excited and proud to be a part of it."
To help encourage redevelopment in the downtown, Lethbridge City Council has approved this project for TRIP which will, for a period of time, cancel the municipal tax increase the business would have incurred after the renovations are complete. With a construction value of $4,850,000.00 the Six08 Health project qualified for a 7-year cancellation. The annual tax cancellation is +/- $88,000 for a total tax cancellation for the project of approximately $616,000.
The City benefits from this program in that, once the short-term cancellation period is over, a far greater amount of taxes are received due to the increased value of the property. For the Six08 Health project, the City will receive an estimated $88,000 more in annual taxes than what was being received prior to construction. This is income that will be received every year following the 7-year cancellation period.
TRIP is available for projects with a minimum construction value of $1 million. Encouraging redevelopment in the downtown will lead to greater property values and enhancements that will draw more activity to the downtown core. For more information on this and other downtown incentive programs visit www.lethbridge.ca/downtownincentives.
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Lethbridge Regional Park 'n' Ride Transit Terminal Now Open... includes 293 parking stalls for employees of Downtown
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The Lethbridge Regional Park 'n' Ride Transit Terminal is a multi-purpose facility that provides residents with a comfortable and safe location to access City transit services. The building is also home to regional transit partners Red Arrow and Highway 3 Connector and adds additional parking options to support growth and development in the downtown.
The facility which opened to the public on August 28, 2019 and is located at 705 - 5 Avenue South (behind the downtown Post Office).
The new Transit Terminal will provide residents with a comfortable and safe location to access regional and City transit service that is protected from the weather and offers amenities such as transit pass purchasing and washroom facilities.
To access real-time transit information visit http://myride.lethbridge.ca or download the Lethbridge Transit app. For more information on the Lethbridge Regional Park 'n' Ride Transit Terminal project visit www.lethbridge.ca/parknride.
Parking
This building includes a three level parking structure with 293 stalls.
- A parking staff member is located inside the facility to assist with any of the monthly parking inquires during business hours.
- A scrambled reserved monthly parking fob for within the Park 'n' Ride Transit Terminal can be purchased inside the facility at the parking information booth.
- Motorists with a valid monthly Park 'n' Ride fob can park in any stalls located on the covered decks of levels 4 and 5 or the level 6 roof deck.
- The cost for access to the scrambled reserved monthly parking area is $105 (GST INCLUDED) plus an initial fee for the creation of the 24 hr access fob.
- Those with a parking fob will have 24 hr access to the facility and the 4. 5 and 6 level parking decks.
- This is a secure facility with on-site security during transit hours and 24hr camera surveillance.
Here are some things to know about this new downtown facility.
Lethbridge Transit Hours of Operation
Mon-Fri | 5:45 a.m. to midnight
Sat | 7 a.m. to midnight
Sun & holidays | 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit myride.lethbridge.ca for real-time Lethbridge Transit information.Red Arrow Hours of Operation
Mon-Fri | 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sat | 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sun & holidays | 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Visit www.redarrow.ca for more information.Highway 3 Connector Hours of Operation
Mon-Friday | 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Visit www.highway3connector.ca for more information.Facility Elevator Hours of Operation
Mon-Fri | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sat-Sun | 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.Red Arrow Drop-off & Parking
Those dropping friends and family off for a Red Arrow trip can do so in front of the elevators on the third level of the parking structure. Riders can then take the elevator or stairs to the main floor waiting area.Parking is available for Red Arrow passengers on level 3. Registration is required at the Red Arrow office prior to departure.Site Security
Security guards are on-site during all operating hours. Video surveillance from 38 different cameras is operational 24/7, 365 days a year.Breeze Card Purchases
Lethbridge Transit breeze cards can purchased at the Red Arrow ticket office during Red Arrow operating hours.Lost and Found
Lots of belongings get left on buses and in the terminal. The lost and found for both local and regional transit can be found at the Red Arrow ticket office. Lost and found items will be collected at the Park 'n' Ride at the end of each day. For those missing an item, they can check at Red Arrow office the following day or call 311.Parking
Parking is available at the Park 'n' Ride facility for a monthly fee of $105. Secure parking is available on levels 4-6 of the parking facility. Those wishing to try the parking, can do so, free of charge, until the end of Oct. Parking fees are expected to take effect on Nov. 1. Those wishing to rent a parking space can talk with the on-site parking administrator or call 311.For more information visit www.lethbridge.ca/parknride.
For More Information head to www.lethbridge.ca/downtownparking
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Parklet Program Pilot Launches Downtown - Feedback wanted!
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If you’re looking for a nice place to enjoy some summer shade, look no further than downtown Lethbridge. The City of Lethbridge, in partnership with the Heart of our City committee, is piloting a new project to provide outdoor seating spaces for downtown businesses in the form of a Parklet.
A Parklet is a temporary seating area that replaces one or two parking spaces by extending from the sidewalk in front of the business into the street. Parklets were first introduced in 2005 in San Francisco and today are a mainstay in communities small and large, from Fernie, BC to New York, New York.
More people and more activity creates a more vibrant downtown. Parklets help foster a sense of community by creating places for people to sit, relax, visit and enjoy the city. By converting parking space to people space, Parklets make cities more welcoming and people-friendly. They support local businesses by create a sense of place, beautify the streets and make walkable destinations for residents.
The pilot program offers two forms of support for businesses interested in establishing a Parklet in front of their business. The first option is financial support for the design and construction of a Parklet including a matching grant up to $1,000. The second option is to borrow the City owned Parklet infrastructure at no cost to the business. With either option, the pilot program will also cover the $300 fee for a Parklet permit.
As a pilot, the Heart of Our City committee will be gathering community feedback from businesses, customers and clients to determine if this is something that could become a more permanent fixture in downtown Lethbridge in years to come.
For more information on this and other projects to enhance public spaces in the downtown visit www.lethbridge.ca/publicspaces.
Residents can give feedback on the Parklet pilot project here.
To inquire about piloting a Parklet at your downtown location contact Andrew Malcolm, Urban Revitalization Manager at 403-320-3926.
