Penticton breezeway swapping out older art

Penticton's Main Street breezeway is getting a makeover. 

The connecting walkway between Main Street and the alleyway and parking lot on the 200 block will be closed for a week while the City of Penticton cleans it up, redoing the walls and ceilings and getting rid of old artwork. 

"Its been vandalized pretty good over the course of time so we're going to be removing those, and then we are going to be giving the whole place a new coat of paint," said Len Robson, city public works manager. 

Downtown Penticton Association executive director Lynn Allin said they will be overseeing new artwork in the breezeway from local artists. 

"We're looking at different ideas, like what kind of experience can it be for you walking through," Allin said. "Some fun ideas like an aquarium, like you're walking through an aquarium. Or maybe it's going to be pieces of local scenery that we're used to seeing."

She says there will be public consultation coming up in the spring before any design is decided on. 

The artwork will be sealed with a special clear-seal paint that is "tag proof" to hopefully cut down on visible vandalism.

The revitalized breezeway is part of a DPA push to boost the attraction of coming downtown. 

"We hear frequently that there's not a lot of parking downtown, and the parking lots in the 200 block are frequently three-quarters empty," Allin said. "So what we thought we would do is create a walking breezeway that is going to be innovative and creative and beautiful."

The breezeway will be closed Feb. 27 to Mar. 5 for the initial cleanup by the city.