Port Angeles’ Our Community at Work partnership plans a face-lift of the downtown buildings to prepare for the summer tourist season.

Between May 1 and June 15 – the period during which the Hood Canal bridge will be closed – volunteers will paint buildings and facades, wash windows and awnings, clean sidewalks and give downtown a fresh, inviting look while having fun.

The group is looking for more hands

to whittle the big job into small pieces.

The project follows a three-day workshop funded by a grant from the American Institute of Architects. Its Sustainable Design Assessment Team was in Port Angeles in mid-March.

Seven experts facilitated an area plan and assessed the downtown area, focusing on beautification and revitalization in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability. A frequently heard comment was to find something with immediate impact that could be completed in a short time frame.

The core group of citizens, community stakeholders, businesses and downtown building owners has coalesced.

Architects are producing color palettes, building owners are participating, people are adopting buildings, equipment and materials are being donated or provided at cost, and lunches and snacks are being donated to feed the volunteers.