Selectman Paints Town Crosswalks Green, Annoys Billerica

Billerica sidewalk. Photo by Ed Tierney

Billerica Selectman George Simolaris was tired of hearing  complaints from constituents about some of the town’s faded and chipped crosswalks so the professional painter took matters into his own hands.

Literally.

Beginning on Friday, Simolaris took buckets of green paint and a brush and went to work. It was California Premium Allflor green paint, if you’re looking into painting your own street.

By Monday all his hard work was gone. Why? The town requires all crosswalks to be yellow or white not green so the local DPW powerwashed all the paint off the pavement.

Billerica Town Manager John Curran told WBZ that they were going to work on the town’s crosswalks in the next few weeks. Simolaris will have to pay the town $4,200 for the costs related to the powerwashing.

“I care about our town. I wanted to do something for the safety,” Simolaris told WCVB.

Simolaris could face criminal charges for his handiwork but a formal complaint could be filed as early as Tuesday.