Safe routes: Grant to pay for new sidewalks near four Cape Girardeau schools

For years, Cape Girardeau City Council member Deb Tracy has recognized the need for sidewalks near her home -- especially because it was close to an elementary school.

"My house is within a mile of Franklin," she said. "All those years my kids were in school, I couldn't get it done. I think children who walk to school should be able to have a sidewalk to walk on."

So Tracy said she "absolutely" would be voting yes at tonight's council meeting for an ordinance that authorizes a $176,449 grant that will pay for 4,777 linear feet of new sidewalks near four Cape Girardeau schools. The grant, which was initially denied, will put sidewalks on streets near St. Vincent de Paul Elementary School, Central Middle School, Central Junior High and Franklin Elementary.

"I think we should do everything we can to encourage kids to walk," Tracy said. "If parents are afraid to send their children out on their own, then they can walk with them. Everybody needs to exercise."

The grant, which requires no local matching funds, comes from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission's Safe Routes to School Program. The state program is part of the national program that provides federal dollars to improve safety and encourage more children, including those with disabilities, to safely walk and bicycle to school.

Jim Welker, superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District, said he can see students from his office walking along streets that don't have sidewalks.

"To give them a safe place to walk is very important," Welker said. "The streets that we're talking about are heavily trafficked areas that many students use to walk to school. This should help to keep them safe."

The city initially applied for the grant in 2008, one of 116 applicants asking for a total of $24.7 million, city engineer Kelly Green said. The problem was that there was only $4.5 million available for that application cycle. So the city initially was denied.

Then in January, the city was notified it had been selected for the program.

"Either one of the communities didn't complete the project or the state had money left over," Green said. "Whatever reason, the money was available."

Green's goal is to have all of the new sidewalks built by the end of the year, she said. After the bidding process, it would be up to the contractor as to what order the sidewalks would be constructed, she said.

The city has come a long way as it relates to sidewalks, Green said. New sidewalk regulations adopted a few years back require subdivision developers to put in new sidewalks, a first for the city, she said. The popular Transportation Trust Fund has also paid for some new sidewalks, too, she said.

The Safe Routes to Schools program has been used in Cape Girardeau in years past, including paying for flashing beacons near schools that show how fast a driver is going and a so-called walking school bus, which is a group of children walking to school with an adult.

The city is also applying for another $233,000 from the program for the 2011 application period, Green said. That money would be used to pay for sidewalks along Kingsway Drive near Alma Schrader Elementary School, she said.

The money all comes from the federal transportation bill, said John Schaefer, the state's Safe Routes to Schools coordinator. An advisory committee evaluates each proposal and rates each project with a score, he said, to determine which projects are funded.

"Not every child has the opportunity to ride a school bus," Schaefer said. "It's a health benefit. It gives the child a physical activity every day to walk to and from school."

Statewide, $3.3 million was spent in 2009 and the state has received $1.6 million for 2011, he said. Grant applications were due by Friday, and Schaefer said Cape Girardeau's application has already been received. Infrastructure projects must be within a two-mile radius of the schools and could include sidewalk projects, traffic calming devices, speed reduction improvements, pedestrian and bicycle crossings, bicycle parking areas and traffic diversion.

"It's not just about building sidewalks," he said. "The program is geared toward building a healthy lifestyle, especially for those of a younger age."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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