‘Completely blown away.’ Permanent Pride crosswalk hits fundraising goal in three days
The project is now fully funded, and it only took a few days.
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Plans for a permanent rainbow crosswalk in downtown Westport just took another step forward. The project is now fully funded, and it only took a few days.
“I was just completely blown away. Honestly, I thought it was going to take a couple weeks to hit the number,” said Westport Pride founder Brian McGunagle.
In June, members of Westport Pride and the community installed a temporary rainbow crosswalk near Jessup Green to celebrate Pride Month. Traffic took a toll on it quickly. At the end of the month, the town approved making the addition permanent with financing from private donations.
McGunagle told News 12 fundraising began Friday, and by the end of the weekend, they'd surpassed the goal of $32,500 needed for labor and material. He said commitments to donate, and actual donations totaled over $36,000. Westport Pride plans to work with the community to decide how to use the extra funds on the crosswalk or future projects.
“Just to see how the community of Westport was able to rally around this project so quickly and the fact that we even have people waiting to donate if someone falls through, it's just a real testament to the commitment to the LGBTQ community that’s here in Westport,” McGunagle said.
McGunagle explained the crosswalk will be made of a thermoplastic material called DecoMark that's heat bonded to the pavement and has a life expectancy of about 10 years. The town's agreed to handle maintenance.
“My hope for this project is that it will show that Westport is welcoming and that no matter who you are or where you are in your journey as somebody who's part of the LGBTQ community, you’ll know in a visible and tangible way, this community is with you and behind you and supports you,” McGunagle said.
The goal is to have the permanent crosswalk installed by Oct. 11, which is National Coming Out Day. McGunagle said Westport Pride also plans to partner with the Triangle Community Center for programming then. He also told News 12 the group is working on a campaign called “All Are Welcome Here” in partnership with local businesses in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing a Colorado web designer to refuse service to a same-sex couple.
