Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
OUT Jasper made the colours of the rainbow shine bright again on Patricia Street with the repainting of the rainbow crosswalk on June 24.
This is the fourth year that the rainbow crosswalk has been painted in Jasper.
“This is the first time that we’ve been able to do it ourselves,” said Mychol Ormandy, executive director of OUT Jasper.
“I just love the fact that the volunteers have come, and it just tickles me to no end that the kids are involved in it. It’s amazing and I’m so glad that it’s happening.”
In the past, the crosswalk was spray painted, but this year, volunteers used sponge brushes and rollers to get in every crevice of the concrete.
Ormandy noted how this made the crosswalk all the more personal and thanked the volunteers and the Municipality of Jasper, as well as Ross Derksen, owner of the local Home Hardware, who donated supplies, including paint and tools.
Another new change is the custom crosswalk sign, which was donated a few years back, which Ormandy said he had never encountered before in any city with a rainbow crosswalk.
The weather proved to be a boon with temperatures over 20 C and plenty of sunshine to help the paint dry.
“I was worried that it was going to rain and it did last night, but look at the day we got,” Ormandy said.
The first rainbow crosswalk was located across Connaught Drive, but the vivid stripes began to peel away almost immediately due to constant vehicular traffic.
In 2019, OUT Jasper and municipal council agreed to move the rainbow to Patricia Street, outside TD Bank, where it will get less wear and tear from vehicles.
Ormandy’s dream is to have rainbow crosswalks throughout Patricia Street and potentially even renaming the corridor “Rainbow Alley.”
“It’s a beautiful day to paint the crosswalk,” Ormandy added.
“I love this, and I’m just overwhelmed with the love and everyone putting into this today. It gives me shivers.”
