Kuressaare paints Kaarma-patterned carpet on central road

Kuressaare town centre will receive a more than 14-metre-long and 3.6-metre-wide road painting featuring the striped patterns of Kaarma parish from Wednesday, ERR reported.

A small square in front of the town hall was painted blue on Monday, while the striped pattern was added on Tuesday. Work was delayed because the surface remained too damp for tape to be applied for the next layer of paint, Saaremaa municipal architect Kadi Berens said.

The project follows the removal of loose paving stones from the roadway in spring. Heritage protection officials allowed temporary asphalt in front of the town hall on the condition that it would be decorated with a painting, Berens said.

The carpet has already prompted suggestions that similar striped designs could be painted in the centres of all 13 parishes in Saaremaa.

In Kuressaare, the painting will remain until the deteriorating town centre is renovated. Design and planning decisions are expected to begin in autumn and winter, with the municipality aiming to schedule construction so that roads are not closed during the summer.

The colours and final result were not yet complete on Tuesday.