Stampede funding, golf course leases, food waste diversion and road amendment on council plate tonight. (Chat News today file image)

By Brian Konrad

City says more info needed from Stampede

City council to consider MH Stampede request for interest free loan tonight

Nov 6, 2023 | 10:21 AM

MEDICINE HAT — Medicine Hat city council has a number of items to deal with on a lengthy agenda tonight.

Council will deal with a funding request from the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede to help renovate the current grandstands and construct a 500 seat multi-use event centre.

The Stampede company is asking the city for an interest free loan to cover 20 per cent of the cost of the 37 and a half million dollar project.

The administrative committee is recommending council take no action on the request until Stampede officials provide additional information, including income and expense projections for five years, a business plan outlining operations of the proposed facilities, a list of backlogged or required maintenance at all Stampede facilities and a detailed plan on how it would repay the $7.5 million dollar loan.

In background notes to council, it was noted that the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede has not done any market analysis to support the project.

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City council will also consider a recommendation calling for the city to ratify new lease agreements for the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club and the Connaught Golf Club.

The new lease agreements are for a period of ten years, with the golf clubs paying $1 per year, including GST.

The two golf clubs are also required to make annual investments of $37 thousand in capital improvements and be responsible for repairs.

The lease agreements are retroactive to January 1 of this year.

A proposed food waste composting pilot project is also on the agenda for tonight.

A Waste Management strategy has identified food waste composting as one of the biggest opportunities for waste diversion and the next logical step in the organic diversion project.

The pilot project comes with a million dollar funding request.

An amendment to the public roads bylaw is also up for consideration by council.

The amendment would give pedestrians, people riding on a bicycle, skateboard, scooters, or inline or roller skates the right of way where multi-use trails cross over a public road.

It would also allow children under the age of 14 to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.

Council gave first reading to the bylaw amendment on September 18.