SEQUIM –– New benches and trash receptacles will be installed downtown today and Thursday.
The improvements are part of a $50,000 project, funded with lodging taxes, to improve the streetscaping of the city’s core.
Bicycle racks were installed July 8, and new signage to mark the entrances to downtown and a new wayfinding system will be installed later this summer, said Barbara Hanna, city spokeswoman.
The benches and garbage cans are the same eggplant color as the bike racks, with the city logo incorporated into the design.
Ten trash receptacles will be replaced, and three will be added.
Five benches will be put into place, two at the city-owned property at Sequim Avenue and Washington Street — at the site of the former Gull service station — and three at Seal Street Park.
“One of the objectives of the project was to create ‘hospitality’ areas in the downtown core to make visitors feel more comfortable and invite them to stay longer,” Hanna said.
Trees and flowers will be added to the Sequim and Washington corner lot and at Seal Street Park, Hanna said.
An advisory committee from the Downtown Merchants Group, an offshoot of the Chamber of Commerce, met with the city to determine priorities for the project.
The project is part of the implementation of the Sequim Downtown Plan, adopted by the City Council on July 25, 2011.
To view the complete downtown streetscaping presentation, visit tinyurl.com/sequimstreetscaping.