The Interact Club of Golden has colourful plans to install a rainbow crosswalk on 9th Street S., crossing the arena parking lot.
The club has been working with the Town of Golden to find a suitable area for the crosswalk, and determine the conditions for approval. Council agreed that the crosswalk could be installed at its location on 9th Street S., because it is not near any major road ways, and is fun and creative near the recreational and educational areas down there.
“It’s not a place that required a mandated crosswalk legally, which I think is a good thing. It’s sort of like an entrance into a place,” said Town of Golden CAO Jon Wilsgard, adding that the location of the crosswalk would prevent too much confusion, since it doesn’t adhere to typical crosswalk aesthetics.
When the Interact Club approached town council on June 19, there was unanimous support for the crosswalk itself, but the Town felt that the club needed to guarantee that it would be able to fund the $1,500 paint maintenance it would require annually. For that, council asked the club to find another organization to sponsor the project, in the event that Interact was unable to find the funds or dissolves.
“At the moment, it’s like a conditional yes for the project, so that’s really good,” said Interact’s Madeline Archibald.
Then, the Interact Club was tasked with finding another organization to support their project. They approached the Rotary Club of Golden for support, made a presentation, and it will go to the board of directors for a final decision. Before the Interact Club approached Rotary, they brainstormed a number of organizations that might take on the project at their most recent meeting.
“What we need to make clear to them is that this isn’t for them to completely fund the project,” Archibald said at the meeting.
Painting the crosswalk will cost the Interact Club $1,500 annually, and the club plans on obtaining the funds for painting through grants and fundraisers throughout the year. Upkeep of the crosswalk is important to both the Interact Club and the Town of Golden, because neither group wants it to become run down and create an eye sore.
“If the crosswalk gets run down at all, it almost becomes a bad symbol,” Archibald said.
Town council was very supportive of the crosswalk, but their major concerns laid in upkeep and the possibility that if the Interact Club couldn’t continue to maintain it, that the Town would have to pay for it. But, with the condition of finding a guarantor, it means that the Town will have assurance that an organization will continue to maintain the crosswalk.
“Essentially, we had unanimous support for the crosswalk itself, that was not in question,” Wilsgard said.
With approval, the Interact Club will be able to move forward with organizing and fundraising for the crosswalk to be installed in the popular area for summer and winter activities.
