With one more vote to go, a rainbow crosswalk could soon appear in Collingwood’s unofficial creative district.
The corporate and community services committee approved a proposal from staff for a rainbow crosswalk at St. Marie and Simcoe Street, which came as a request from Collingwood’s Rainbow (LGBTQ2S+) Club.
Last night (March 29), the committee voted unanimously in favour of the $7,500 proposal.
Councillor Mariane McLeod asked why the crosswalk would cost thousands of dollars, observing she has painted houses for less money.
“It’s a very specific paint designed for high wear,” explained the acting executive director of corporate and customer service, Dean Collver. “It has to withstand snowplows. This cost is for the materials used plus labour to install it.”
The paint treatment is called methyl methacrylate (MMA), and will include some grit for anti-slip properties.
Staff compared MMA paint to thermal plastic, but opted for the paint because of durability. It will need to be reapplied every two to three years, and will be added to the town’s regular road paint maintenance budget.
The Rainbow Club has already started fundraising $3,000 toward the cost of the rainbow crosswalk with a Go Fund Me page.
Council will still have to vote one more time to approve the crosswalk. Following the final decision, Collver said it would take about two days to paint the crosswalk and let it dry and cure.
