SEMPO to hold safety plan open houses

The Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) will host two open houses this week to receive public input and compile a safety action plan.

Open houses are scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 24, and Thursday, Jan. 25, both from 4 to 6 p.m.

The Wednesday open house will be in the North Meeting Room of the Jackson Civic Center, 381 E. Deerwood Drive in Jackson.

Thursday's open house will be at the Shawnee Park Center, 835 S. West End Blvd. in Cape Girardeau.

"All the feedback we receive will help guide and inform the final plan and the recommendations within it," SEMPO executive director Alexander McElroy said.

He said the main goal of the safety action plan would be to reduce injuries and fatalities on roadways within SEMPO's planning area.

This comprises Cape Girardeau, Jackson, a portion of Cape Girardeau County surrounding the two cities and East Cape Girardeau, Illinois.

"Our open houses are kind of our first foray into engaging the public," McElroy said. "We'll also follow up our open houses with specific targeted stakeholder interviews."

Stakeholders include area schools, public safety personnel, bicyclists and pedestrians, and human services agencies.

SEMPO will create the comprehensive safety action plan with $160,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program, as well as a $40,000 local entity match.

As per SEMPO's agreement to receive the grant, the action plan must be completed by the end of 2024, adopted by the SEMPO board of directors by the end of January 2025 and submitted to the Department of Transportation for acceptance by the end of March 2025.

Participants in the open house will use an interactive map to locate safety concerns and provide their descriptions and locations. From a lack of crosswalks, poor visibility or unexpected congestion, they can let SEMPO know what problems they face and where.

The map, as well as a public safety concern survey, may be found online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEMPOSafetyActionPlanSurvey.