By Charles Lefebvre

Council votes against building $95,000 community garden at Veiner Centre

Mar 20, 2018 | 11:27 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Medicine Hat city council has voted down a plan to build a $95,000 community garden at the Veiner Centre.

The motion was defeated 5-3 during Monday night’s council meeting.

Councillors Kris Samraj, Jim Turner, Brian Varga, Darren Hirsch and Jamie McIntosh voted against the motion to build the new garden.

Mayor Ted Clugston, along with councillors Julie Friesen and Robert Dumanowski voted in favour of the garden. Councillor Phil Turnbull was not in attendance for the meeting.

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The community garden was brought forward to council at its meeting on March 5, but was sent back to the Public Service Committee due to concerns over the cost.

Those who voted against the motion said during the meeting they believed the plan involved spending money just to spend money,

Turner told CHAT News following the meeting that he believed the project did not fit the city’s Financially Fit model.

“This is a project that is maybe nice to have, but when you’re looking for dollars, you can’t fund these nice to have projects,” he said. “We need to save our funds for projects we need to do. For me, it just wasn’t the right time for it.”

Turner adds the cost was another concern, believing plots for community gardens could be found and built for less money. The Medicine Hat and District Food Bank’s community garden was brought up as an example during the meeting, noting it was built at a cost of approximately $30,000.