The new Galt Gardens play space will be located near the existing spray park. (Photo: LNN)

By Mario Cabradilla

City of Lethbridge supports location and security of play space in Galt Gardens

Jun 14, 2022 | 1:13 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City of Lethbridge is not planning to increase security at the proposed play space in Galt Gardens.

“We already have two security guards who are in the park 12 hours a day,” said Andrew Malcolm, Lethbridge Urban Revitalization Manager, “and we do believe that is adequate, when they partner with other city provisions or services like the Watch Program and LPS.”

Malcolm said the city believes the proposed play space in Galt Gardens is a good location, which will be next to the Rotary Fountain, in addition to being near Casa and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

“We feel like this is a really good location, and then when we look at the city as a whole, while we do have many parks in the community, there is a noticeable gap around and in our downtown,” said Malcolm, explaining there are families who live in and around the downtown without access to a playground within a 10-minute walk. “So, we do feel this is really addressing a need in our community,” he said.

The $375,000 grant awarded to the City of Lethbridge for the project was limited to downtown projects, which comes from the federal government’s Canada’s Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF), according to Malcolm.

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CCRF is a two-year, $500 million national infrastructure program aimed to “revitalize downtown cores and main streets, reinvent outdoor spaces, create green infrastructure, increase the accessibility of community spaces,” according to the Government of Canada.

“So, the parameters of use for our application were very, very specific, and really, this is the only project that fit the parameters of the grant,” said Malcolm. “Simply put, the $375,000 from the federal government was limited to projects that were in downtowns and that focused on outdoor spaces, green infrastructure and accessibility.”

Malcolm also responded to safety concerns such as needles lying around the park as a potential hazard to visitors, and Galt Gardens being frequented by some of the city’s vulnerable residents.

“There are vulnerable populations that do hang out here, but it is a public space and it is open to everybody,” said Malcolm. “I mean, at the end of the day, we don’t want to turn a blind eye, or turn our backs to negative behaviour. We want to help encourage and revitalize downtown and bring back positive behaviour.”

by Mario Cabradilla