Merchants propel Bay St. makeover

"A proposal created, propelled, and collaborated on by downtown merchants, the Bay Street Association and the City of Port Orchard will change the face of downtown Port Orchard - literally.The proposal is described as a refurbishing project to make the downtown sector of Port Orchard unified in decoration, as well as other ways to add a consistent style to the area.This will be accomplished with the overall theme of Let's Go Nautical in Historic Port Orchard, an idea that has been in the works of downtown improvement-minded locals like Mallory Jackson, a member of the Downtown Arts Association, and Phil McCormick, president of the Bay Street Association, for some time now.Because we are a port town, the nautical theme works, said Jackson, who also owns Custom Picture Framing on Bay Street. It doesn't have to be just boats. It's got an unlimited supply of themes.Suggestions for decoration ideas within the nautical theme are seashells, watersports, mermaids, fishing nets, starfish, anchors, octopus, pirates, and many more, most stemming from related facets associated with the sea.The merchants, who selected the theme, also selected the colors (as suggested by Jackson) parade blue and teal for the marquee and complimentary colors of red and white to be used for signs and promotional materials.New paint (and pressure washing) for the buildings and repair to the marquee are not the only plans for downtown improvements. Flower pots and hanging baskets of flowers will be redone and/or replanted around the area, and colorful banners will be hung throughout downtown.The Bay Street Association, a group that promotes and organizes events for downtown (as well as improvement projects), is coordinating most of the makeover activities.McCormick (owner of Rewind Coffee) said the Bay Street Association is working closely with the City of Port Orchard to promote the downtown area. He also said that the city had some of the maintenance work for the project already in their budget, but the funds for paint would need approval.You're probably talking about $7,000 (total cost for project), said McCormick. And that's at a minimum.The refurbishing of the length of the downtown corridor has a tentative date of finish for Memorial Day, and is expected to take about two or three weeks.We want to get it done as soon as possible, said McCormick.He also said that the project will most likely have no hassling effects on Port Orchard residents, or on their daily downtown activities.We'll block off a few spaces when we paint, but that's it, said McCormick. It shouldn't really inconvenience anybody.It'll be much brighter and more inviting - a more appealing and homey-type feeling, said McCormick. We're hoping to make this a go.It should be exciting down here pretty soon, said Jackson. "

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