Smithville's Safe Routes to School Plan Kick-Off Meeting Enthusiastic and Thoughtful The Texas Department of Transportation will soon be sending a call for proposals for their Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grant opportunity. Beginning in Denmark in 1970 when parents and school administrators, worried about the health of their school children who were no longer walking or biking as much as they had in the past, and concerned for their childrens' safety in an increasingly car-centric world, SRTS has gained international support. In 2005, federal transportation legislation established the National Safe Routes to School Program, and provided $612 million for community plans through 2009. This may be our last time to qualify for funding through this program! Pubilc involvement is the cornerstone of the Plan that the City of Smithville will submit, and we need to quickly develop that plan and write the grant. On Monday, August 24, we held our first Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Public Meeting. A great big THANK YOU to everyone who attended! This was the first of several public meetings that will be held in the next two months. All community members are encouraged to participate, particularly those with opinions about the transportation network related to our schools and the health of our children (so... that's about everyone in town, isn't it?). The group brainstormed about various issues, and prioritized several important ideas, including (not in any particular order): * Making 4th Street (Brown Primary) safer and encouraging students and adults to walk/bike on 4th rather than on MLK. * Adding crossing guards and an "official" cross walk at Short Street and 7th. * Creating a clearly marked path linking the Elementary and Jr. High on Bishop to the Library on Main Street. * Building bike/pedestrian lanes rather than sidewalks on the routes the community decides to enhance, which will save money on construction costs and provide space for more users (bikes are not supposed to go on sidewalks). * Establishing one-way streets all around the Elementary/Jr. High complex (Bishop is already a one-way street -- Wilks and 9th need to be also), which will help traffic flow, improve safety, and ease congestion around pick-up / drop-off areas (like at Brown, where these procedures are less chaotic). * Building a bridge on Taylor. Thanks again for these and the other great ideas discussed yesterday. I truly look forward to working with all of those who participated, all the friends they plan to bring to the next meeting, and everyone else interested in our school community willing to bring their concerns and ideas to the table. All are welcome! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or would like to get involved more substantially with this process, please contact Jill Strube. Be on the look out for an internet survey on this issue coming as soon as I can possibly get it on line. Your opinions and your concerns are extremely important in this process! Thanks for your interest and participation in helping us improve the safety and health of our children.
Posted:
FEMA has released more information about threats of wildfires in Texas. Please remember that Smithville is hosting a "firewise" workshop on Saturday, February 11 from 9AM-11AM at the Recreation Center to give you the information and tools you need to reduce the threat of wildfires near your home.
If you have a child in school in Smithville, please take our survey to let us know about how you feel about allowing students in your care to walk or bike to school. This is required through the grant we received for Safe Routes to School, and your answers will help us measure how well the program is working. Thank you for your participation in this important survey!
If you haven't seen it yet, watch the Day Tripper Episode 303 on Smithville. It features Zimmerhanzels, Tom Tierney, Main Street, Buescher State Park, and many other familiar places.
Please check out our local historian David Herrington's website about Smithville History. He and Carol Snyder literally wrote the book ("Images of America: Smithville") so he knows what he's talking about!
We always knew it, but Smithville is now officially a member of "Communities of Character" through the International Character First program. The character traits emphasized include: Loyalty, Justice, Self-Reliance, Self-Discipline, Integrity, Honor, Patriotism, Respect, Honesty, Responsibility, Compassion, and Perseverance. Smithville’s participation in this program is a natural extension of its strong tradition of service. Citizens take great pride in the many programs and projects that have been accomplished as a result of tenacious and committed volunteers.
You can subscribe to this blog via RSS feed and recieve regular updates easily in your RSS reader or browser.