San Antonio will start work this week to put in rainbow-themed sidewalk artwork alongside Major Avenue within the metropolis’s Satisfaction Cultural Heritage District — a step town beforehand outlined when it agreed to take away the district’s rainbow crosswalks after the Texas Division of Transportation denied an exemption request.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur mentioned in a press release posted Wednesday on Instagram that crews from town’s Public Works Division will start work this week. Minor sidewalk repairs will happen earlier than portray begins on the brand new artwork set up.
Kaur mentioned the design was developed with enter from town’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and is meant to take care of the district’s visibility and inclusivity following the state’s removing of the crosswalks.
“Although we’re unhappy to see the removing of the Rainbow Crosswalk, we’re excited to point out y’all what’s coming subsequent for Major Avenue,” Kaur wrote.
The deliberate paintings has drawn criticism from District 9 Council member Marc Whyte and District 10 Council member Misty Spears, who launched a joint assertion Wednesday objecting to the usage of Public Works funds for the venture.
The council members mentioned public cash ought to prioritize fundamental infrastructure wants and argued taxpayer {dollars} shouldn’t be used to fund particular person viewpoints.
In response to their assertion, the sidewalk venture is anticipated to value about $170,000.
“When taxpayer {dollars} are concerned, our focus must be on addressing these important infrastructure wants that instantly affect public security and our residents’ day-to-day high quality of life,” Whyte wrote. “As Individuals, we have now the precise to freely specific ourselves. If personal people or companies want to use their cash to make a press release, they’ve the precise to take action. However to make use of public {dollars} to color coloured sidewalks as a substitute of allocating that cash to core infrastructure wants shouldn’t be in the perfect curiosity of our residents.”
Metropolis officers have beforehand famous that the now-removed rainbow crosswalks have been a community-driven venture, with residents and close by companies elevating funds for the coloured striping and upkeep, “voluntarily eradicating the burden from metropolis taxpayers.”
Spears mentioned her opposition can be centered on the usage of public cash.
“I imagine the elimination of the rainbow crosswalks was an vital roadway security resolution made by the state of Texas and never supposed to focus on San Antonio or the LGBTQ neighborhood,” she wrote. “Protected free speech is what makes America the perfect nation on the planet. Nonetheless, tax {dollars} mustn’t fund particular person viewpoints.”
In response to the joint assertion, District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, whom Kaur credited with proposing the sidewalk artwork idea, criticized the objections and defended the venture.
“As a place to begin, I be part of the vast majority of San Antonians who don’t care what the D9 and D10 Council members must say in regards to the sidewalks,” McKee-Rodriguez mentioned. “From the start, this was by no means about visitors security. Knowledge reveals that this intersection was safer after the set up of the crosswalks. This has at all times been about bigotry and the state selecting time and time once more to assault the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. They hoped to make town complicit in it.”
McKee-Rodriguez echoed language beforehand utilized by Assistant Metropolis Supervisor John Peterek in a Nov. 25 letter responding to TxDOT’s denial of the exemption request.
“The Metropolis continues to imagine that the crosswalks in query are safer than earlier than the set up of the rainbow-colored paint, that the intersection is safer than comparable close by intersections, and that it demonstrated the significance of the crosswalks to the Satisfaction Cultural Heritage District,” Peterek wrote. “However, the Metropolis will respect TxDOT’s resolution.”
McKee-Rodriguez added that taxpayer {dollars} have been used to take away the privately maintained rainbow crosswalks and mentioned the sidewalk artwork complies with state rules whereas preserving visibility for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
“By putting in rainbows on the sidewalk, we’re abiding by all rules whereas demonstrating even better, extra everlasting seen assist to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood and I respect the vast majority of my colleagues’ assist on this effort,” he mentioned. “It’s hypocritical to hastily fake to care about frugality and taxpayer {dollars} after they didn’t thoughts the Metropolis losing tens of 1000’s of {dollars} changing an intersection that was completely secure as is, and being maintained privately.”
McKee-Rodriguez mentioned no further value would have been incurred had the state not required the crosswalks’ removing, and steered considerations about spending be directed to the governor’s workplace.
“Taxpayers wouldn’t be paying something if Greg Abbott didn’t drive us to tear up and change a wonderfully good intersection,” he wrote. “Misty and Marc can direct their frustrations to his workplace, in the event that they’re so involved.”
