By Anne Naumann
If you haven’t been near our community hall lately, you should drop by and see the amazing artwork we painted on September 30 and October 1, with the permission of the City of Calgary, on the intersection at 36 Ave and 1 St NW. It’s beautiful and makes me happy when I see it.
This Paint the Pavement Project came into being when we learned there were ActivateYYC grants of up to $5,000 available from the Federation of Calgary Communities to install and “activate” curb bump outs at problem intersections within a community. We had already identified the intersection of 36 Ave & 1 St NW as a problem, as we’ve observed many vehicles failing to stop for the stop signs on 36 Ave and driving over the 30 kph speed limit through this playground zone. One such incident was in the summer of 2022 when two vehicles crashed at this intersection with enough force to cause one vehicle to roll over and the other to crash into a tree on the HPCA grounds.
Happily, we were accepted for the grant, and we began to plan the project. The City of Calgary dropped off the cement curb bump outs and moved the stop signs for 36 Ave NW onto them from the adjacent landowner’s grass. Our survey of community residents indicated this moving of the stop signs had already made a difference in calming down traffic at this intersection. Our task was then to “activate” the area, which we planned to do with a large mural on the intersection.
After contracting with a Highland Park artist, Christian Olguif, who had previously created the mural mounted on the east wall of the community hall, we decided on a brightly coloured, geometric design for the pavement. We think it looks like a quilt, which is emblematic of the fabric of our community, with many connecting points, and different colours, that together creates beauty.
We were also able to paint the curb bump outs themselves, using stencils and small brushes to create designs and small pictures of flowers, butterflies, and fairies. We’ve been advised that while the painted pavement will fade over time, it should last about two years, and we should be able to touch it up as needed.
Thanks to all the volunteers who helped create this community art. Together we can do some pretty amazing things. We’d love to hear your feedback on this project. To provide feedback, or if you want to join the HPCA group of volunteers, contact me at Volunteer@HPCA.ca
