Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Japanese Gardens to make case for continuing funding for expansion

Mar 10, 2020 | 11:20 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge City Council was set to vote on potentially discontinuing funding for an expansion to the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden Programming and Community Facility, but is now asking the group to come back later this month and make their case.

Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden Society Director Colin Hirano explains that they want to build a new, larger, 465 square metre community facility.

“This would expand the capacity that the Garden would have, allow for a unique area for us to have curated displays that would show off some of the history and symbolism at the Garden as well as to allow us to expand the range of services we could provide to both the community and to visitors as well.”

The project was originally approved in the 2018-2027 Capital Improvement Program for a total of $2.92-million. The bulk of the money would come from the Federal Gas Tax Fund.

City council, however, is reviewing some of its community capital projects in an attempt to prioritize funds, especially as the provincial government has signaled that further budget restraint may be necessary.

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The part council is struggling to understand is why the ongoing operating costs have been rising in recent years and would continue to rise in the short term if they decide to carry on with this initiative.

In 2018, the fee for service from the city to the Japanese Garden was $133,700. That rose to $333,290 in 2020.

If construction on the new community facility goes ahead, that would increase to $432,290 in 2022.

Hirano says they went several years without any significant increases to their operational funds, so the rise from 2018 to 2020 was “a much-needed adjustment just to reflect the changing realities of the cost of employees and the cost of actually operating the Garden.”

He goes on to elaborate that the proposed increase to $432,290 is “nominal”, and once the facility is completed, they would be able to bring in more revenue and lower the amount of funding needed from the municipality in the long run.

The Japanese Gardens are already one of Lethbridge’s biggest tourist destinations and Hirano says the expansion would bolster that.

“I think that it has the ability to help, even people in the city, enjoy the Japanese Gardens and provide an anchor for the city, especially around Henderson Lake where there’s been a lot of development with the pool. We think that this can be an attraction where people can go on a variety of occasions.”

While this year’s annual Winter Light Festival had a significant jump in attendance to nearly 17,000 guests, there are occasionally moments where they have had to shut it down due to the cold. The expanded facility would give them more opportunities to host programming indoors and offer a full cafe.

Members of the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden are expected to present to Lethbridge City Council on their Monday, March 23 meeting.

More details on the Programming & Community Facility project can be found starting on page 128 of the 2018-2027 Capital Improvement Program.