Railings along White Rock’s waterfront are getting a facelift.
Work to paint the blue guardrails black got underway last month, and is expected to be complete by the end of August, city manager Dan Bottrill said Tuesday.
Approximately 3.9 kilometres of railing are getting the fresh coat – along with some lamp standards and possibly some bollards. Cost of the work is estimated at between $60,000 and $70,000.
Bottrill said the maintenance effort is “badly needed”, and was undertaken to ensure the waterfront continues to look its best.
“Those railings really needed painting,” Bottrill said. “It’s not a big cost thing, but it’s something we need to make sure we’re on top of.
“Promenade and the beach area is an amazing space for White Rock and we want to make sure we’re doing a good job at keeping it well-maintained.”
Bottrill said the switch to black from blue “just made sense to me,” explaining that the darker colour matches that already used on railings along the Hump, and doesn’t distract from the picturesque waterfront itself.
Council was not involved in the decision, and only one person has expressed concern with the colour change, Bottrill said.
“I appreciate the fact that people are very passionate about their community,” he said. “At the end of the day, the city is going to do what we think to make the city look as good as it can be.”