Towne Square awarded $750,000 grant

She says the provincial government provided $2 million to kickstart Towne Square in 2020 through its Municipal Stimulus Program. The addition of the $750,000 from the federal grant means the city has very little cost to bear.

“The Towne Square project is sitting right around that $2.8 million mark right now and we got covered $2.75 (million),” Ireland says.

She wants to see the project and area up and running.

“We’re in talks with community partners and the business community downtown to really drive traffic to support their businesses,” Ireland says. “We want to see events. We’re going to be partnering with different groups and really driving people to come and explore the great things that the downtown core has to offer.”

Ireland says the space should be ready to go in the late spring or early summer and the city is offering free parking at the site until May 1.

Towne Square, is at 603 First St. SE across from Riverside Veterans’ Memorial Park, and city officials hope it will be a catalyst to attract residents and tourists to the core and support local shopping within the area. They say the flexible community space will offer a rotating slate of sights, sounds, and smells that create new experiences for guests to return.

Eric Van Enk, Invest Medicine Hat managing director, says it is thrilled the federal government is investing in community projects like Towne Square.

“The Towne Square project has generated a lot of conversation in our community. We look forward to collaborating with our stakeholders to build on their existing successes and bring this new space to life,” adds Mayor Linnsie Clark.

Randy Boissonnault, minister of tourism and associate minister of finance, says accessible and modern outdoor venues and gathering spaces are at the heart of communities across Alberta.

For more on the Towne Square project, visit investmedicinehat.ca.

by Chris Brown

Towne Square awarded $750,000 grant

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