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By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Guardians of beige continue to hold sway at City Hall

Jul 10, 2019 | 12:19 AM

KAMLOOPS — TIME TO BEAT THE DRUM AGAIN for colour in our buildings. I do it about once every five years in hopes someone will listen.

What brings it up now is that at yesterday’s Kamloops City council meeting, Arjun Singh noted that rooflines on new buildings seem to have become less interesting and that maybe it’s time City Hall rethinks what it wants its skyline to look like.

While it’s at it, how about if it rethinks earth tones?

Kamloops is a beige city, because City Hall wants it that way. Colour is discouraged on houses and commercial buildings.

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Take a look at the new apartment buildings that are going up. Beige and boring, every one of them. If not beige, then grey.

Kamloops is better than that. Kamloops is an exciting place, isn’t it? At least, it could be.

But it’s s a city of beige boxes because of City Hall’s obsession with “earth tones.” It’s as though the City was trying to emulate the surrounding hills of sand and sagebrush in every aspect of life.

Beige is safe. It presents no risks. Every beige box blends in with all the rest. Nine years ago, I celebrated a guy on Westsyde Road who had the courage to paint his house orange. It was a pleasant blast of energy on an otherwise dull streetscape.

But it’s not easy being green, or yellow, or orange. Today, that house is beige.

Whoever has the franchise for beige paint in Kamloops must be a millionaire many times over.

Take a cue from the wonderful new mural on the Lansdowne parkade. How on earth, if you’ll excuse my language, did it ever get past the guardians of beige at City Hall?

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.