Fruita plans "Make Your Mark" asphalt-art project at Peach and Aspen to boost safety and placemaking

City staff presented a pilot asphalt-art program Monday to add color, placemaking and traffic-calming at the intersection of Peach and Aspen Avenue, and invited the public to help paint the design on Sept. 20 during the farmers market. Evan, the project lead from city staff, described the program, called "Make Your Mark," as intended to improve traffic safety, create walkable gathering spaces and allow residents to help shape public places. Evan said the pilot design is a simple five-color pattern with stenciled leaves and that the paint day will be a community block-party style event with music and concessions. Evan told council staff are preparing a traffic-control plan, producing large plywood stencils (about 8 feet across) for leaf motifs, buying durable paint and coordinating with Public Works and event staff. He said David Gray in Public Works has been "super helpful at, like, finding paint that's gonna be durable," and that the plan calls for multiple coats to ensure longevity under vehicle traffic. The pilot will take place Sept. 20 during the farmers market to maximize visibility and volunteer participation; the project team said they will use the event to collect feedback and measure outcomes such as speeds, rolling stops and whether more people linger downtown. Staff said other intersections (including Mulberry and Aspen) are on a longer list for future projects pending lessons from the pilot. Why it matters: staff framed the project as a low-cost experiment to test whether visual placemaking can calm traffic, increase pedestrian activity and support downtown businesses without adding fixed infrastructure such as speed bumps. No formal council vote was required; staff sought council feedback and signaled they will proceed to finalize the traffic plan, coordinate with event staff and hold the paint day as scheduled. Clarifying details: pilot location is the Peach and Aspen intersection; scheduled paint day is Sept. 20 during the farmers market; design uses five colors and stenciled leaves with an approximately 8-foot plywood stencil; Public Works staff are advising on paint types and durability; the team plans multiple coats and a traffic-control plan to allow public participation. The project is a staff-led pilot, not a permanent ordinance change. No funding appropriation or formal approval was required at the meeting; staff said they will return with lessons learned if the pilot proceeds to additional intersections.