Image Credit: City of Kamloops

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Rainbow crosswalk is for the rest of us, too

Aug 14, 2019 | 4:51 AM

KAMLOOPS — SINCE I WAS LESS than complimentary about City council’s dithering on the rainbow crosswalk, it’s only fitting that I comment on the solution arrived at by staff.

In short, administration offered council two options yesterday that really came down to one option, and it’s not a bad one.

Instead of the $10,000 originally estimated, the cost has come in at $6,000, including high-end, long-lasting paint. Two potential locations were identified — 2^nd Avenue and Seymour, and 5^th Avenue and Victoria Street.

Fifth and Victoria would have been ideal, crossing between the downtown library-civic building and the former Paramount Theatre. However, scheduled improvements at that intersection mean there would be a considerable delay in getting the crosswalk installed.

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The other option can be done in four to six weeks and, as the report points out, is a high-traffic-volume intersection close to the Farmers’ Market and on the usual route of the annual Pride Parade.

It’s worthy of note that if council had turned the job over to staff in the first place instead of insisting on another report, the crosswalk could have been ready in time for the parade a couple of weeks from now.

But, never mind, the city will get its rainbow crosswalk. And taxpayers will actually be on the hook for only $4,500, since Kamloops Pride will chip in $1,500 towards the cost.

Just one more point for those — including a couple of City councillors — who worry about spending tax dollars on a crosswalk for one particular group: this isn’t just for the LGBTQ2S+. It’s for the rest of us, too, to remind ourselves how far we’ve come in just a few years, and while there’s more to be done, Kamloops can take pride in being an inclusive community.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

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.