Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
“My rainbow crosswalk is being painted today!” called OUT Jasper director Mychol Ormandy to passersby as the road got a fresh lick of paint.
It may have missed Pride by a couple of weeks, but the new crosswalk is already getting a lot of attention and Ormandy is delighted with the result.
“The day was long but look at the outcome. It’s beautiful,” he said.
The crosswalk took about five hours to paint last Wednesday (May 15), in between showers of rain.
Ormandy said: “It was a big relief to have it painted.
“It all came together and the place in particular is just great.
“It’s flawsome.”
Jasper’s first rainbow crosswalk was painted last year at the intersection of Connaught Drive and Miette Avenue.
OUT Jasper spent $5,000 on the paint job, but the vivid stripes began to peel away almost immediately due to constant vehicle crossing.
This year, OUT Jasper and the municipal council agreed to move the rainbow to Patricia Street, outside TD bank, where it will get less wear and tear from vehicles.
The project came in at $2,500, again funded by OUT Jasper.
Now Ormandy says his next goal is to have a trio of rainbow crosswalks downtown.
He said he wants one by Native Land and one by Evil Dave’s Grill.
“Whenever I have a goal I seem to be able to achieve it,” the director said.
Correction: A previous and printed version of this story said the municipal council funded the $2,500 crosswalk painted this year. It was OUT Jasper who raised the money for the rainbow crosswalk.
