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Finishing touches to Phase 1 of downtown revitalization set for this week

The city is adding a little red va voom to downtown Trail this week by erecting gateway features along Victoria Street intersections.

The city is adding a little red  va voom to downtown Trail this week by erecting gateway features along Victoria Street intersections.

The three minor gateway features will be installed at the entrance of Pine, Cedar and Bay avenues as a finishing touch to infrastructure upgrades recently completed along the Victoria Street corridor.

The 16-foot gateways will be mounted on four foot granite bases, weather permitting, and will highlight the street names and include some lighting features.

Installation is expected to begin Wednesday,

The next phase of the downtown revitalization plan is projected to start in 2014, and includes two major gateway features that will span east and west at each end of Victoria Street.

Street-scape greening and landscaped medians along Victoria Street are part of the Phase 2 leg of downtown improvements, although the funding and scope of the project has yet to be approved by council.

Another “gate” project the city is undertaking, is the re-design and installation of new fence wraps along Victoria Street at the old gas station lots.

The non-operating surplus properties were retail sites of Imperial Oil (Esso) until it closed in late 2009 and a Petro Canada station that shut down operations in 2008.

“The current gate wraps have undergone a lot of wear and tear over the last few years,” said Andrea Jolly, Trail communication and events coordinator.

“With the enhancements on Victoria Street, it is the perfect time to re-create the wraps with consistent artwork we have been using for all our Victoria Street communication pieces.”

The gate wraps will cost approximately $11,000, with artwork design by Frank Communications in Salmo, and production and installation by Speedpro in Trail.

“The consistency with the artwork helps create a fresh and vibrant identity for the project,” explained Jolly. “The colours are eye-catching and create a welcoming environment with the artwork representing our mountainous area.”

The vinyl wraps first went up in 2011 to cover the former gas station lots at the behest of the Downtown Opportunities and Action Committee.

In addition five trees 15-feet high were planted in each lot to add colour and dimension to the space that appeared dusty and deserted.



Sheri Regnier

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