Niagara Falls city council has approved a rainbow crosswalk at Queen Street and Erie Avenue.

The city and downtown business improvement association will split the cost of a $3,000 ladder-style crosswalk on the south side of the intersection.

The BIA has committed to fund 50 per cent of the installation cost to show support for the LGBTQ community. The remaining $1,500 will come from the city's transportation services operations budget.

The south approach is the shortest crosswalk at the intersection, which connects city hall property to Rosberg Family Park/Olympic Torch Trail.

Niagara Falls resident Falynn Shaw asked the city to endorse a downtown rainbow crosswalk last July 31. The city also received a letter of support from Ron Charbonneau, chairman of the Downtown Board of Management.

During a Jan. 14 meeting, City staff recommended council approve the crosswalk on the west side of the intersection, but some councillors voiced concerns about its then-estimated $14,000 cost — and that the city was to be on the hook for the entire project. Moving it to the south side and a change to the style of crosswalk drops the cost significantly.

Prior to council's decision Tuesday night, Shaw recited a poem she wrote, addressing the need for the crosswalk.

"Fifty years later and it is still a fight, what is happening in my community just isn't right," she said.

"If you've never felt the depression that is caused by oppression, I'm happy for you. But can you remember that this planet is full of other people, too. We all have different stories about from where we came, that's what makes this world wonderful, none of us are the same. The rainbow is a symbol of unity, not just for the community, but for all. This crosswalk is a means to build a bridge, it was never meant to build a wall."

She said the LGBTQ community does not ask for much from the city, and that council supporting $1,500 for a rainbow crosswalk would show solidarity and unity and show that leaders in one of the most recognizable cities in the world stand for inclusivity.

Karl Dren, the city's director of transportation, said the city was made aware of a person who may have been interested in painting the crosswalk versus the treatment recommended by staff.

He said staff attempted to contact the person "several times," but never received a response.

Coun. Chris Dabrowski brought forward a motion Tuesday evening to support the rainbow crosswalk, noting staff were able to find a "cost-effective solution" to make the project a reality.

The motion also called for the crosswalk to be finished by June — in time for Pride Month and to coincide with the rainbow flag raising at city hall.

After the meeting, Mayor Jim Diodati said getting the cost of the crosswalk down was a "fair compromise" between supporters of the idea and those concerned with the initial $14,000 cost.

He also said Shaw's poem was "very appropriate."

"I think she nailed it. We want to build bridges, not walls and we want to have an inclusive, accepting community and that's what Niagara Falls is. I think that was council's way, in a much less expensive way, of showing their support for inclusivity."

Raymond.Spiteri@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1645 | @RaySpiteri

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

- Rainbow crosswalk planned for St. Paul Street

- Editorial: Rainbow crosswalk a sign of bridges being built

- Crosswalk defacing shows we have a long way to go