Coalhurst – Year in Review: Still a place to call “mine”

By Nerissa McNaughton
Southern Alberta Newspapers

The mining roots of Coalhurst are always reflected in the town’s spirit, then and now. Mayor Lyndsay Montina is thankful for the past, present, and future as she considers the year gone by.

“As we reflect on the year that has passed, we have much to be proud of and grateful for in our community,” says Mayor Montina. “This is a great time to celebrate the progress, resilience, and sense of community that have defined Coalhurst in 2024. This year, our town has seen the approval and completion of new community amenities, the compassion and generosity of our emergency responders, and the coming together of residents to make annual traditions happen even when we weren’t sure it was possible.”

Looking at Town infrastructure, Council was proud to see construction completed on the new wetlands storm pond.

“This multi-million-dollar infrastructure project is a key development piece for Coalhurst and is now being developed as another significant park space for the community,” she adds. “We have a committee of Council members and resident volunteers working on recommendations for Council’s consideration about how this park space can be developed over the next several years to add much needed recreation amenities that have been requested by residents.”

North of the wetlands, Council has also approved the development of a new off-leash dog park, which is expected to be constructed in 2025 and will include areas for both large and small dogs. 

Mayor Montina says, “This particular amenity has been requested for some time, so we’re excited to see it come to life soon.”

She continues, “Over in the Miners Memorial Park area, we also opened the new community garden, which was generously funded by the Local Food Infrastructure Fund by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. A dozen raised garden plots are now available for use by residents each year to grow fresh produce and learn from one another about how to best grow food in our local climate. We’re looking forward to having this garden space become a hub of activity, learning, and growth next summer.

“In July, Council participated in a Push-In Ceremony with the Coalhurst Volunteer Fire Department to put our new wildland fire truck into service. Just weeks later, the truck and half a dozen of our firefighters were deployed to the Municipality of Jasper to assist with wildfire fighting efforts in and around that community. We’re incredibly proud of the work our firefighters did up there and we know even more were willing to go if they could. Those emergency response efforts were an inspiring display of collaboration and hard work that made a significant difference for our provincial neighbours.”

While Coalhurst was actively locally and across the province, challenges also were a part of 2024.

“Closer to home, we also navigated an unsure summer season with severe drought conditions, which led to our entire community coming together and making the adjustments necessary to reduce water use, protect water supply, and ensure enough water was available for crops and other critical needs. We appreciated the efforts of every resident during that time, and the understanding they had as we, as a municipality, also made adjustments to protect the environment and our town assets.”

The Mayor is rightly proud of the year’s community programs that helped bring everyone together.

“We had a spectacular summer that was built on a foundation of strong partnerships and collaboration. A big thanks goes out to the BEW Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and Family Ties Lethbridge teams for the work they did to host various youth summer camps. 

“We also deeply appreciated the work of the Coalhurst Parks and Recreation Society, Coalhurst 55 Plus Society, Coalhurst Legion, Coalhurst Cruisers, South Country Co-Op, Coalhurst Volunteer Firefighters, Town staff, and various individual volunteers who helped us host Canada Day, Miners Days and National Volunteer Week. These events could not happen without community support and folks showed up in a big way.

“Additionally, we were blown away by the way residents came together to put on other major community events including movie nights at the Hall, the annual Coulee Kickers Soccer Tournament, seniors gatherings, Breakfast with Santa, and the much-loved Santa’s Gone Loonie. As many residents know, it didn’t look like Santa’s Gone Loonie would happen this year, but within just a few short weeks and a whole lot of hustle and true Coalhurst spirit, the event did happen and was a great success, as it is every year. That, in particular, was a moment of great pride and a shining example of what it means to live in Coalhurst and the collaboration and community support that is found here, all year round.”

Looking ahead, Mayor Montina and Council are very excited about what will come in 2025 and beyond. 

She says, “This fall, Council endorsed a 1930s community aesthetic for Coalhurst, which will be the cornerstone for decision-making around future community development, public art, economic development planning, and the enhancement of public spaces. The aesthetic is also going to ground the new identity and branding project that tis now underway and the redesign of the municipality’s website. Both those projects will be completed in 2025 and we’re thrilled to see how they set the stage to give Coalhurst its own unique identity that we’ll use to strategically drive future investment attraction, commercial development, and tourism in Coalhurst.”

The Town is also very close to having a new Recreation Master Plan in place, and for a later date, Council endorsed the new GreenTree Area Structure Plan, which will help guide the residential, commercial, and park space development of a quarter section of land in the southeast corner of Coalhurst.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention we’re looking forward to a number of celebrations throughout 2025, as we mark 30 years since being re-designated as a Town in Alberta,” adds Mayor Montina. “The official anniversary date is June 1st, but our staff are planning a number of activities and celebrations that will help us mark this milestone over the course of the entire year.  And of course, this is the final year of our current Council’s term, which means we’ll be looking again at our Strategic Plan and determining where we need to most focus our efforts for the final few months.”

She concludes, “Looking back over the last few years, we can confidently say we’ve taken great strides in moving Coalhurst forward with a very bright and inspirational future on the horizon.”