Temporary Public Art

The Kawartha Lakes’ That’s a Wrap Traffic Control Box (TCB) program is a temporary public art initiative to wrap select traffic control boxes along the Kawartha Lakes road network with artist created imagery. Since 2022, the City has worked with local artists to help beautify the landscape by wrapping its municipal traffic control boxes with themed artwork. In total, 35 municipally owned traffic control boxes across communities of Fenelon Falls, Bobcaygeon, Argyle, Omemee and Lindsay have been wrapped.

Wrapping municipal infrastructure like utility and traffic control boxes with vinyl artwork protects the physical asset by acting as a durable physical barrier against environmental and human made damage.  There are five key protective benefits:

• Anti-Graffiti Barrier: Wraps are finished with a specialized, non-stick clear laminate. This protective layer prevents spray paint and markers from bonding or seeping into the metal, allowing staff to wipe away tags and stickers without damaging the artwork or the box
• Vandalism Deterrence: Street artists often respect the artist’s work and do not tag over intricate public art, significantly reducing repeat defacement compared to plain metal boxes.
• Corrosion and Rust Prevention: The heavy-duty vinyl forms a continuous, weather-tight seal over the enclosure. This barrier keeps out moisture, rain, and road salt that normally would cause the original industrial paint to chip, peel, and rust.
• UV and Weather Protection: High-grade outdoor vinyl contains UV-inhibiting inks and laminates that block harsh sunlight, preventing the underlying metal cabinet from overheating, warping, or degrading under extreme temperature swings.
• Cost-Effective Maintenance: Instead of repeated sandblasting, priming, repainting; which requires labour and dry times, or replacement, a durable vinyl wrap protects the surface for 7 to 10 years and can be cleanly peeled off and replaced when worn.

That’s a Wrap themes have been Nature and the Outdoors, Arts and Entertainment, Agriculture and Rural Life. For 2026, the theme People of Kawartha Lakes was chosen to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the City of Kawartha Lakes.  Economic Development has also widened the program’s reach through a new partnership with the city’s Parks & Recreation Division to wrap two electrical boxes located in the Old Mill Park and Victoria Park downtown Lindsay.

To extend the reach of the program, the juried artwork is also included in the city’s yearly municipal waste calendar.  Watch for delivery early December across the city.

Thanks to our key partner, the Kawartha Arts Network, for their continued participation.