Veteran’s crosswalk to be installed before Remembrance Day

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

If everything goes according to plan, Broadway will have a veteran’s crosswalk in place prior to Remembrance Day.

Planned for the crosswalk across Broadway in front of the Tillsonburg Town Centre, the design will feature alternating red and white stripes along with an image of a soldier as a way of promoting year-round remembrance. Council initially received a report on the proposal at its July 14 meeting and directed staff to look into it further. A report back at the Oct. 14 meeting recommended proceeding with the change.

During discussion, Coun. Chris Rosehart asked if there would be confusion at this intersection with it being a busy area, but was told it shouldn’t cause a problem.

Deputy Mayor Dave Beres had concerns for the longevity of the paint.

“What do they feel with the quality of this paint, how long will it be before it has to be replaced,” he asked, and was told there are no statistics for this yet.

Coun. Pete Luciani raised concerns about potential vandalism to the crosswalk. Carlos Reyes, Director of Operations and Development, said the roads department will be patrolling the area. Beres said he has had several positive comments on the banners on Quarter Town Line and didn’t believe it will be a problem.

Coun. Bob Parsons raised concerns about the town paying for the repainting, and pointed out other groups have had to cover costs for similar projects.

“I would have felt more comfortable if there was a public-private partnership,” he said, adding he is strongly for it and if there was a public-private partnership he would personally financially support it. “We’re going to hear about this from others who paid their own way.”

With the momentum towards passing this, it was expressed the hope was it would be completed before Remembrance Day, which Reyes said should be possible.

The push to get this done was welcomed by Legion Branch 153.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the finished product,” said Legion Poppy Chair Don Burton. “We’re glad they stepped forward to have it done in time for Remembrance Day.”