Neat to Know: June 25, 2024
City of Medicine Hat
Consider a career move to Medicine Hat - where bright ideas shine.
Please enjoy this week's edition of Neat to Know,?a roundup of City news, updates, and other important information.?You can expect to see the week's most interesting content and even some that may have not been delivered through our regular channels.
Canada Day hours
Hours and services at various City of Medicine Hat facilities will be affected by the observance of Canada Day on Monday, July 1.
The following facilities will be closed for Canada Day, and will re-open on Tuesday, July 2:
The Big Marble Go Centre gym and fitness centre will remain open.
There will also be no residential waste collection on Canada Day. Residential waste collection will resume on Tuesday, July 2 in Zone 4. Download the Recycle Coach App, visit medicinehat.ca/collectionschedule or contact Environmental Utilities at 403-529-8176 for more information.
The public washroom at the Inland Skate Park will remain open on Canada Day. However, the public washrooms in Kin Coulee will be closed on June 30 and July 1 to protect against any unforeseen septic failures. We will have portable washrooms and hand wash stations brought in to ensure an adequate service level for those in attendance.
Happy Canada Day!
Application deadline for Energy Innovation Challenge extended to July 3
Decentralised Energy Canada has extended the first intake application deadline for the Energy Innovation Challenge to July 3, 2024! This extension gives more innovators the opportunity to participate and showcase their decentralised energy solutions in Medicine Hat.
Are you, or do you know of, a growth-stage entrepreneur with an innovation to mitigate decongestion on electricity distribution networks? We're looking for innovative technologies to improve distribution network reliability, resiliency, energy affordability, and sustainability.
Key Highlights:
All applicants will be connected with municipalities, investors, and a diverse range of project opportunities regardless of funding decisions.
Land Use Bylaw refresh?
The City of Medicine Hat continues work on refreshing our Land Use Bylaw, and now is your chance to submit feedback through a community survey.
What is a Land Use Bylaw?
A Land Use Bylaw helps to ensure development aligns with the City’s overall vision. It governs what land use may occur on every piece of property and establishes a system for issuing development permits. The bylaw controls development by categorizing all properties in a city into various land use districts.
Why are we refreshing it?
A Land Use Bylaw refresh was needed to better align with the policies of the Municipal Development Plan, passed by City Council in 2020. The current version of the Land Use Bylaw was passed in 2013.
Please complete the survey by Wednesday, July 31 to ensure feedback can be implemented into the ongoing draft document before its submission to City Council for approval. There will be more public engagement opportunities after the draft document has been completed.
New heritage exhibit open today! Have Spatula - Will Travel
June 25, 2024 to March 1, 2025 in the Heritage Gallery at the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre
Cooking our food is one thing that makes humans unique among all creatures on earth. Explore the history of cooking and how cooking, eating, and sharing food brings us together.?
Celebrating Childhood at the next Towne Square Block Party
Saturday, June 29, noon - 4 p.m. in Towne Square
Don't miss out on the ultimate community celebration at Towne Square this summer! This Saturday, we're celebrating childhood!
领英推荐
Ensuring our voice is heard at other levels of government?
Q: What is the benefit of lobbying the government?
A: Often the provincial and federal governments make recommendations without consulting municipalities or with minimal feedback. Having our voice heard is crucial and there is nothing as important as a face-to-face meeting with Ministers and our local representatives. These meetings allow them to gain a greater understanding of our strengths and challenges.
Next week, we’ll talk about how the City maximizes effective lobbying efforts.
Division Avenue South: from 10,000 vehicle/day arterial to ‘complete street’
Complete Streets are designed to build a safer, healthier, and more sustainable community. By equally accommodating all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, Complete Streets ensure safer travel for everyone and encourage healthier lifestyles through increased walking and cycling. Here are some of the features that will be built into the Division Avenue South upgrades:
Safer Intersections: We're changing the design of intersections to reduce crossing distance and slow down traffic, making it safer for people of all ages and abilities to cross the street.
Traffic Signals: We are upgrading the traffic signal operations to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety at the two signalized intersections.
Elephant Feet Crossings: Elephant's feet markings are dotted white road markings using lines of white squares. The dotted white lines signal to bikers they can remain on their bike while crossing the road, as opposed to getting off and walking the bike as required in a standard crosswalk.
Continuous Pathways at Crossings: We are creating uninterrupted walkways at intersections, making it safer for everyone who uses the multi-use pathway (MUP).
Pathway Construction: A new 3.0m wide pathway will be constructed along Division Ave from 3 Street intersection to College Ave / Kipling Street intersection.
When in drought: upgrade to save!
Make eligible upgrades to your home and yard that reduce water consumption and save, not only water, but money too! The HAT Smart Residential Water Conservation Incentive rebates homeowners for water-saving items like xeriscape materials, sprinkler and irrigation modifications, drought-tolerant ground cover, and low-flow toilets.
Council approved $150,000 in 2024 for this initiative. To date, a total of 86 projects with a combined cost of $17,814 are approved. So, there’s still time to make that water-conscious upgrade!
Reducing water utilization in parks
We're happy to report that our Parks and Recreation department has been able to achieve a 15% reduction in water use from this time last year. That exceeds the 10% required under Phase 1 of our?Water Shortage Management Plan.
We've been leaving our grass a little longer in all manicured park spaces aside from sports fields, which helps withstand heat and wind, and holds moisture longer. And we're?purposely not watering any of our parks during the daytime to prevent evaporation and waste (with the exception of Muir Crescent NW Park which has new sod that needs to take root). So, if you notice sprinklers going in our parks during the day, it likely means something is wrong and we'd really appreciate if you let us know.??
A lot more than meets the eye with the East Ring Enhancement Project
The City of Medicine Hat is working towards upgrading a 40-year-old electricity transmission line in Medicine Hat known to City crews as the 'East Ring'. Sounds easy enough, right?
What if I told you that the current 'East Ring' is 24 km long and consists of nearly 400 power poles??
The East Ring Enhancement Project ensures Medicine Hat remains wired for what's next and can support projected growth in commercial and residential electricity use.
We've been working hard to identify the best possible route for the transmission line considering environmental interests, engineering design, costs, and community feedback. The project, if approved, is slated for completion in 2029.
If you'd like to know more, our project leaders are holding drop-in information sessions for three days from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Sage Boardroom at the Big Marble Go Centre:
Hear new growth initiatives proposed for 2025-2026 budget
Today! At today’s Council Committee of the Whole meeting at 3:45 p.m., administration will present new growth initiatives to be considered for the 2025-2026 budget.
We are making a concerted effort to make the budget development process as open to our community as possible. This is the second in a series of seven public meetings where Council can learn, understand and ask questions about the 2025-2026 budget development before they begin the approval process late this year. (Watch the first meeting on our YouTube page.)
We strongly encourage you to attend if you also want to follow along and understand how we determine the City’s budget, the resulting tax implications, and identify which new opportunities to explore for the benefit of our residents. You’ll also find helpful updates on our Budget 2025-2026 project page on Shape Your City.