Approved last fall, a crosswalk painted in a rainbow motif was completed earlier this week. The project was done in order to express the City of Castlegar’s support of varied lifestyles and preferences... a policy of inclusion, it’s located on 3rd St.
Given the go ahead in October, 2013, weather was not suitable at the time to do the painting.
Originally planned for a busier, more visible location – the intersection of 3rd and Columbia – the plan was altered due to Columbia Ave. actually being classed as a highway, and therefore under provincial jurisdiction according to City Councillor Kevin Chernoff.
“We can’t just do what we want (on other streets)” said Chernoff on May 9. “On the side streets we have much more control. Highways in essence regulates what we can do on that main thoroughfare. They wouldn’t have agreed to this. Safety (concerns) would have been their fall-back answer.”
Councillor Deb McIntosh had been influential in moving the project ahead, and told the Castlegar News on May 9, “I’m very happy it’s installed, before Sculpturewalk and Sunfest. It’s an absolutely wonderful addition to downtown. I couldn’t be more proud of my community for supporting an initiative like this.”