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Blue and orange paint now adorns the crosswalks near the Wesley Grove condominiums on Cookman Avenue on a trial basis, as a plan the council approved in August has come to fruition.

The crosswalks at Heck Street and Monroe and Cookman avenues were implemented last week by waterfront redeveloper iStar Financial. The redeveloper brought the plan to brighten crosswalks in the waterfront area to city planning and redevelopment director Don Sammet over the summer. Sammet presented the idea to the city council, and they unanimously approved the test period in early August.

“We want to see how it works,” Sammet said. “We want to see how it looks, how people use them, if they understand these are crosswalks.”

The inaugural design was developed by iStar, Sammet said, but the city and the redeveloper will likely implement a more formal process whereby artists can present designs for installation throughout the waterfront.

“We’re an arts destination, so I always try to encourage public art,” Sammet said. “When it comes to these crosswalk designs, basically the sky is the limit. Other municipalities do them and they tend to reflect the history and character of the community.”

The crosswalks can also make the city more attractive, Sammet said. They dovetail with iStar’s ongoing efforts to improve the streetscape that connects the city’s central business district with the waterfront, beach and boardwalk.

For an album of photos of the crosswalks as well as other recent changes to the stretch of Cookman Avenue connecting the downtown and the waterfront, click here.

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