Lethbridge Minute: Snow Routes, Mayoral Address, and Bottling Facility Closure

Lethbridge Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Lethbridge politics

This Week In Lethbridge:

• On Tuesday, at 10:00 am, there will be a City Council meeting. The meeting begins with a closed session, before opening up to the public at 1:30 pm. During the public portion of the meeting, Councillor Middleton-Hope will propose a Notice of Motion to address the drought conditions in Alberta. If approved, Administration will investigate programs to incentivize water conservation including economic incentives and potential changes to design standards for new developments. Later, Administration will make several submissions, including a request for ​​$1.2 million from the Subdivision Surplus for the Sherring Business and Industrial Park lift station upgrades and the completion of site servicing for the Holy Spirit school site. Administration will also respond to several Councillor inquiries, including one from Councillor Schmidt-Rempel about what the municipality is doing to conduct research into opening new primary care clinics in Lethbridge.
  
  
• On Thursday, at 7:30 am, the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force will meet. At this meeting, the Task Force will discuss the draft questions for their upcoming door to door survey as well as a look to engage a consultant to perform data analysis to aid in data-driven decision making.
  
  
• The outdoor skating rink at Festival Square in downtown Lethbridge is open for public use. Helmets and protective equipment are encouraged, while food, pets, sleds, pucks, blankets, strollers, wagons or toys are not allowed on the ice. For daily updates on the rink's status, residents can visit the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ website.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Several Lethbridge residents have expressed frustration over issues related to the activation of the new snow route system, leading to blocked driveways and difficulties accessing homes. Complaints included significant snow piled along curbs, hindering residents from leaving or entering their homes. People were concerned about ambulances being able to access homes, seniors having to shovel the piled up snow, and those with walkers and strollers. The City is taking feedback through 311 or the Get Involved Lethbridge website.
  
  
• Mayor Blaine Hyggen addressed over a hundred attendees at the annual State of the City event. The turnout at the event was the largest to date. Hyggen expressed satisfaction with the City's direction but noted there are still some issues - such as emergency funding for the Lethbridge and District Exhibition. He also emphasized the need for expanding wastewater capacity in collaboration with the Province to support growth and the importance of retaining graduates of the University of Lethbridge in the city.
  
  
• After more than 50 years in the Lethbridge business community, it was announced that the Black Velvet bottling facility is set to close its doors next month. Owned by American Heaven Hill Brands since 2019, the decision to shut down the bottling operations comes after a comprehensive financial analysis, deeming revitalization financially unfeasible due to declining efficiency and aging equipment. The bottling operation will be relocated to Bardstown, Kentucky, while the distilling operation will remain in Lethbridge.

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