Bellevue residents protest potential loss of park

By Al Beeber on June 26, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

A rally is being staged in Bellevue today protesting the conditional sale of a town green space to a Lethbridge developer.
The rally will run between 2 and 4 p.m. at the green space on 25 Avenue between 210th and 208th Streets.
Bellevue resident Kirsten Fleming said the 2.25-acre parcel of municipal land – which used to be a ball park – is used every day by children and their families as well as fly fishermen who use the space for dryland teaching.
“We’re out there every single day,” she said.
She said while a notice about the sale appeared in a Pass newspaper, adjacent residents weren’t notified directly about the plan which will see 24 townhomes built on the property if the sale goes ahead.
Fleming said residents aren’t opposed to development in the Pass – in fact, they know the tax base needs to increase – but she said Bellevue residents should have a say in this matter.
“I totally believe in progress in the Crowsnest Pass but it’s not been done properly,” she said.
One public hearing has already been held and a second is slated for July 13 at 7 p.m. in the MDM Community Centre.
“This is not something the town wants,” said Fleming, whose family like many live in the Pass part-time. But due to remote working thanks to COVID, hers now spends about 290 days a year at the home they’ve owned for 18 years.
The first public hearing attracted 30 concerned Bellevue residents and spurred a petition with 80 residents calling for the process to be paused,” said Fleming.
“People are pretty upset.”

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