Rainbows, seashells and a welcoming message weren’t just a fanciful list of favorite things, but rather official business at city hall.
Senior city staff met Tuesday with leaders of the Key West Business Guild to consider colorful replacements for the recently removed rainbow crosswalks at Duval and Petronia streets.
Following last month’s state-mandated removal of the pride-striped crosswalks, city officials have been working with the business guild, which promotes Key West to LGBTQ travelers, to replace those rainbows with permanent symbols of pride and inclusion.
City manager Brian L. Barroso assured the guild’s representatives — board president Cori Convertito, executive director Rob Dougherty and deputy director Fritzie Estimond — that the project is a priority for him and his staff.
After seeking input and ideas from more than a dozen community members, Convertito on Tuesday presented very preliminary renderings of a new arch that will declare, “All are welcome here — Key West,” while spanning Petronia Street alongside the 801 Bourbon Bar. It will be directly opposite the Bahama Village arch that spans Petronia on the other side of Duval.
“We are open to any changes and adjustments that need to be made in terms of materials, installation and other features to ensure the arch complies with the city’s historic preservation requirements,” Convertito assured Daniela Salume, director of the city’s Historic Architectural Review Commission (HARC).
For example, she said, while the preliminary rendering shows a white frame for the new arch, “we understand it may have to be wrought iron or another material, so we can tweak whatever we need to.”
Barroso asked assistant city managers Mike Turner and Rod Delostrinos, as well as growth management director Patrick Wright, to ensure the project is added to this month’s meeting agendas for the Art in Public Places and HARC boards. The goal is to have the project in front of the city commission for approval in November, so the arch can be manufactured and installed early next year.
“We’re not circumventing any protocols or approvals with this, but we’re not going to drag our feet,” he said. “This needs to happen and we’re going to help the business guild get it through the process.”
The arch isn’t the only addition planned. Another colorful concept is taking shape in three other places between the 700 and 900 blocks of Duval Street, an area now affectionately known as Key West’s “historic gayborhood.”
Three rainbow-colored bike racks will brighten the three-block area, and can be completed in a day or two, assistant city manager Mike Turner said.
“We’re of the opinion that we don’t need FDOT approval for the bike racks, but in an absolute abundance of caution we have sent them the idea,” Barroso said, in case FDOT decides bike racks are traffic control devices, which gave the state the authority to order the rainbow crosswalk removal.
“We’ve already gotten the right paint colors, and are ready to go with the bike racks,” Barroso said.
“We’d be elated with the bike racks,” Convertito said.
“We’ll get the city commission’s buy-in on the arch at their November meeting,” Barroso said, acknowledging the typically slow speed of government. “But the goal is to get this to land before the end of the year. Our goal is to keep this moving forward.”
Dougherty thanked the city managers, saying, “We want the community to see that we’re all on the same page here.”
