Goon News for Safe Routes to School

ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION RENEWS FUNDING FOR
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP
Project Will Help Create Thousands of Miles of Sidewalks and Bike Paths
 

Boulder, CO (January 5, 2012)– The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has provided a three-year renewal grant of $2,999,725 to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, a diverse, nationwide coalition of more than 550 organizations. The grant will support the National Partnership’s efforts to advance Safe Routes to School, a federal program that creates safe, convenient and fun opportunities for U.S. children to walk and bicycle to and from school.

“This program will help a generation of children to become more active and healthy through the construction of lasting street-scale improvements that will result in more walking and bicycling,” said Deb Hubsmith, director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. “We are grateful for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s generous support, and look forward to working with many partners to help reverse the childhood obesity epidemic in the next three years.”

The grant will build on policy wins from recent years, and advance built environment improvements in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This project will result in thousands of more miles of sidewalks and bike paths, traffic-calming projects and safer street crossings, and will enable many more students to benefit from Safe Routes to School. The project will focus on supporting communities with high rates of childhood obesity.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is leading national efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015. This grant contributes toward that goal, and has four main elements:

1) Helping all states to increase the award and obligation of federal Safe Routes to School and Transportation Enhancements funds, resulting in the construction of bicycle and pedestrian facilities nationwide, particularly in lower-income communities;

2) Developing a national learning network to share best practices among advocates for advancing street-scale improvements, such as sidewalks and pathways and joint-use agreements that develop opportunities for cities and schools to collaborate on creating safe places for kids to play and engage in healthy physical activity;

3) Advancing state-level policy reform in seven states (Calif., Fla., Miss., N.C., N.J., Ohio, and Tenn.) which will result in the award and obligation of federal transportation funds, street-scale improvements and joint-use agreements. The seven states were selected based on need and their capacity to succeed with the program goals; and

4) Publication of two policy reports highlighting the importance of the built environment in relation to improving health.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was founded in 2005 and is leading a national movement designed to make it safe, fun and convenient to walk and bicycle to and from school and in daily life. In 1969, approximately half of all school-age children walked or bicycled to school. Today, only about 13 percent of children in America walk or bicycle to school. Since 2005, Congress has dedicated funding for state departments of transportation to provide grants to schools and communities to build pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and run educational programs to support more walking and bicycling. A growing body of evidence confirms that community and street-scale improvements to the built environment play an important role in increasing physical activity for children and adults.

About the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a fast growing network of more than 550 organizations and professional groups working to set goals, share best practices, leverage infrastructure and program funding and advance policy change to help agencies that implement Safe Routes to School programs across the nation. The National Partnership’s mission is to advocate for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities. The National Partnership is a major program of the Bikes Belong Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which is a sister organization to Bikes Belong Coalition. For more information, visit www.saferoutespartnership.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable and timely change. In 2007, RWJF committed $500 million toward its goal of reversing the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015. For nearly 40 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

Safe Routes to School

Here is the Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2011 CONTACT: Jeff Cranson, MDOT Director of Communications, 517-335-3084 MDOT announces Safe Routes to School grants to 10 schools in four counties December 13, 2011 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) today announced that 10 Michigan schools in four counties will receive federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grants averaging approximately $155,500. The grants will pay for safety improvements and education programs aimed at encouraging students to travel safety between home and school.                                                                                                                                     "These grants will fund sidewalks and infrastructure improvements that encourage children to safely walk and bike to school and enable schools to offer educational programs and safety campaigns," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "MDOT is proud to work with schools and communities on these initiatives."             "The grant will help Rogers City provide safe access for all families, not just to school but throughout our community," said Katy Xenakis-Makowski, superintendant/elementary principal/director of special education for Rogers City Area Schools. "The construction of new sidewalks to help protect children from traffic will help ease the minds of parents whose children walk to and from school, sometimes in the dark."             "We are thrilled to be part of the Safe Routes program at Washington Elementary and our whole team is excited about improvements to the outdated infrastructure in the neighborhood surrounding the school," said Crim Fitness Foundation Active Living Director Lauren Holaly. "These improvements, in combination with education and encouragement, will help create a vibrant neighborhood where healthy kids are using active transportation to get to school."             Federal SRTS funding enables schools to make infrastructure improvements and offer educational activities and safety campaigns that encourage students to walk and bicycle safely between home and school. MDOT and the Michigan Fitness Foundation partner to work with -more- MDOT announces Safe Routes to School grants to 10 schools in four counties December 13, 2011 Page Two schools, neighborhoods, students, teachers, parents, school transportation directors and local law enforcement agencies.                                                                                               The following projects were awarded funding. They are listed alphabetically by county: Genesee County             Washington Elementary School, in partnership with MDOT and the city of Flint, will install sidewalks and crosswalks on Ohio, Missouri, Arlington, Franklin, and Vernon avenues, along with pedestrian countdown signals at the intersection of Vernon Avenue and Davison Road. It also will implement pedestrian and bicycle safety education, walking school bus, and parent patrol programs. The project budget is $331,022. Muskegon County             Central Elementary School, in partnership with Laketon Township and the Muskegon County Road Commission, will install sidewalks and crosswalks on Giles and Horton roads and solar flashing beacons on Giles Road. It also will implement a walk-to-school club. The project budget is $265,664. Newaygo County (two school systems)             Fremont Middle School, Daisy Brook Elementary School, and Pathfinder Elementary School, in partnership with the city of Fremont, will install sidewalks and crosswalks on Woodrow, Cherry, and Pine streets and Gerber and Mechanic avenues, multi-use nonmotorized paths on Oak Street and Lake Drive, a bicycle lane on Locust Street, and bicycle racks at all three schools. The project budget is $338,754.             Grant Primary Center, Grant Elementary School, and Grant Middle School, in partnership with the city of Grant, will install sidewalks and crosswalks on Commerce, Lake and Brink streets and Elder Avenue. The project budget is $246,878. Presque Isle County             Rogers City Elementary School and Rogers City Middle/High School, in partnership with the city of Rogers City, will install sidewalks and crosswalks on Wenonah Drive, Huron Avenue, and West Erie and State streets, and implement pedestrian and bicycle safety education and encouragement programs. The project budget is $372,736.            MDOT's role is to administer the federally legislated SRTS program that creates opportunities for collaboration with agencies and partners not traditionally involved with transportation funding. The SRTS program provides educational programs, infrastructure -more- MDOT announces Safe Routes to School grants to 10 schools in four counties December 13, 2011 Page Three improvements and encouragement activities to help children safely walk and bike to school and increase their physical activity. Funding was established by Congress under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005 (SAFETEA-LU). SRTS funding is 100 percent federal, with no local match required. More information is available at online at: www.saferoutesmichigan.org. ### MDOT reminds drivers: Snowplows need room to groom.

International Walk to School Day--October 5, 2011

Everyone is welcome to celebrate International Walk to School Day on October 5, 2011.  The Rogers City "Walking" School buses will be in operation with various community leaders and parents walking with the students to school.  Walking does a body good!  Come out and set an example on October 5, 2011.

Rogers City has participated in the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program for over four years.  If you believe in walking as an important part of a healthy life you are welcome to get involved.  Please contact me and we will find a role for you to help with this great SR2S program

Safe Routes To School (SR2S)

Don't miss the SR2S presentation today at 4:00 pm at the Rogers City High School Library/Media Room.

A team from Michigan State University will make the presentation.  refreshments will be served.

"Walking to School is Good for All"

Below is an article from The Detroit Free Press, 10/27/2010, Page D01


"Walking to School is Good for All"

Dear Leanna: My 12-year old niece proudly e-mailed me her photos of Walk to School Day. I never heard of it. We live a mile from our own school and a bus picks up our boys, ages 9 and 10.

We think they’re old enough to walk, but riding is ingrained in this community’s culture. Where can I get info on this event?

Answer: October is International Walk to School Month, with nearly 4,000 schools in the United States participating. The goals:

1. To promote physical activity by teaching kids the benefits of walking and the skills to walk safely

2. To identify safe routes to school

3. To raise awareness of how walkable a community is and where it can be improved

4. To save energy, reduce crime and take back neighborhoods

5. To reduce traffic congestion, pollution and speed near schools

6. To encourage kids and parents to share healthy activity

The event is taking hold thanks to a confluence of factors — childhood obesity has increased; tight school schedules and budgets have cut down on recess and physical education, and there’s a growing feeling that walking to school is a nifty way to get the digital generation to put down the Xbox and breathe some fresh air.

Psychologist John Grohol says promoting independence is another reason to encourage kids to walk to school:  “Even though families live in perfectly safe neighborhoods, parents feel the need to chauffeur their children,” he notes. “Children learn by doing. If we take informal learning opportunities away from our children, we hurt their ability to learn the way they were intrinsically built to learn — through natural experiences, interactive experiences with their peers and unscripted, unstructured playtime.”

Some parents worry that walking to school may compromise safety. But Grohol believes those fears must be put in perspective. “Kids 15 years or younger are five to seven times more likely to die in your car than they are to be abducted by a stranger.

And both are highly unlikely occurrences to begin with.”

Lenore Skenazy, author of “Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry” (Jossey-Bass, $14.95), thinks today’s children should benefit from the same independence the boomer generation had — to ride bikes to school, walk to the store, take buses and subways by themselves.
Skenazy says: “We believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets, car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school-age children go outside, they need a security detail.”

LEANNA LANDSMANN A+ ADVICE

This article by Leanna Landsmann expresses many of the reasons people in Rogers City encourage their children to walk or bike to school and participate in "Walk to School Day"--besides just plain fun!
Thanks to the Detroit Free Press for the use of this article.

International Walk to School Day--SR2S

Wednesday, October 6, 2011is International Walk-to-School Day.  Please come join us for a  "Walking School Bus."  The idea of a walking school bus is to have fun, save fuel, and be safe.  The entire SR2S program is to encourage a healthy and active life style for yound people. 

At least one adult representative of the Rogers City's SR2S program will be at each of the three pick up points.  The "bus" leaves the pick up point at 7:30 am from the locations listed below:

State and Larke

Huron and Third

Fourth and Erie

After the "bus" gets to school, there will be a presentation about the SR2S program and refreshments for the children.

Learn more about SR2S at http://saferoutesmichigan.org/

Safe Routes To School (SR2S)

Rogers City's September 15, 2010 Walk-to-School Day was well-attended with about 90 participants. 

Caden Fenstermaker is the winner of the "Walk-to-School" $50 Savings Bond prize.  Caden is the son of Jesse and Jennifer Fenstermaker.  Good work Caden!

This is perfect walking/biking weather!  Remember, all people who walk or bike to school are winners!

Safe Routes To School (SR2S)

Below is an updated version of the Rogers City's SR2S "Action Plan."  This is a "living" document and your comments and suggestion are welcome.
EDUCATION

1. Bicycle safety: Preparation, classroom instruction, review results--Matt Bission

2. Implement "Make Trax" Curriculum: Distribute to Teachers, use, assess--K. Makowski
3. Incorporate SR2S in Physical Education Curriculum at Middle School and Focus on

Fitness Activities: Plan, Use, Assess--Student Council and School Nurse

ENCOURAGEMENT

1.Community Leaders Set Example and Bike or walk to work and/or to school with school children/walking School bus--Each leader
2.Walking School Bus: Set up Routes, Designate "Bus" Drivers, Conduct walk--Chief Quaine, Art Ross, Jim Hopp

3. International Walk to School Day Celebration Event: Plan Event, Conduct Event, Award Savings Bond 1-- entire SR2S Committee

ENFORCEMENT

1. Patrol Routes—during walk to/from school times am and pm Assign & Supervise Officers on Patrol Chief Quaine Continuous

2.  Spot check bicycles for safety reflectors conduct random spot checks of bikes at school and other locations--All Officers 

3. Special Patrols—for special school events such as sports, assemblies, concerts, etc. Conduct Before and After School Patrol--Chief Quaine

ENGINEERING

1.Yearly Sidewalk Repair Program: Conduct annual inventory sidewalks and publish request for repairs, obtain funding from City Council, contract for repairs--Toby Kuznicki

2. Build Sidewalk for segments on Erie and Wenonah Street (top priority from audit and analysis): Design sidewalk, seek funding, implement as funding becomes--C2AE and Mark Slown

3. Continue Route Planning and Assessment 1: Annual Review & Update, request and obtain engineering design, implement as funds available--SR2S Committee

End of Plan

For more information about SR2S go to http://www.saferoutesmichigan.org/

If you are interested in helping with the Rogers City SR2S program, please contact me.  Thank you.

SR2S

Safe Routes 2 School is an international movement to encourage walking and biking as a healthy, safe, and community-minded alternative to going to school by privately owned vehicles (POVs).  POV's are great, especially for longer trips or in very bad weather.  However, the health benefits from walking or biking to and from school are substantial.  There are many other benefits as well. 

In Rogers City, all three schools, city government, and several dynamic citizens are work steadily to encourage our your people to walk or bike to school.  We want to envourage parents, teacher, and students to join us!

We are planning a "walk-to-school" day for September 15, 2010.  Starting at designated points, responsible adults will lead a "walking school bus" to get everyone to school--and make it fun too! 

If you care about our kids and about our community, let one of our champions (Jim Hopp, Art Ross, Melissa Stieger), your school officials (Jamie Huber, Linda Schalk, or Amy Rabeau), or city staff (myself, Matt Quaine, or Toby Kuznicki) know that you are interested and want to join us to create a more walkable and bikeable community for our children anf for everyone!

You will be glad you became part of Safe Routes 2 School (SR2S).  Thank you. 

Safe Routes 2 School

Yesterday, I attended the annual meeting for the Michigan Safe Routes 2 School Program, also called SR2S.  The meeting was at the Michigan State Police Academy, which was a treat to visit.  At the Academy, they have many displays showing the history and success of our the State Police and the Academy.  Hats off to our State Police!

The SR2S annual meeting provided a series of presentations from various officials to help communities successful participate in the SR2S program.  The purpose of this program is to "assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school." 

Rogers City has participated in this program since July 2007; unfortunately, our progress has been slow due to many factors beyond our control.  We have had good local support and participation from the Rogers City Area School District (RCASD), city staff, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), our community champions (Melissa Stieger, James Hopp, and Art Ross), parents, and our many wonderful school students.

We have gathered a great deal of information from parents and students, and our SR2S Team has done some good action planning.  We have held several "Walk to School Days."  We have held many meetings. Our SR2S Team is focasing on two primary ideas: encouragement to walk/bike and building physical route connections. The encouragement is needed because, frankly, it is easier to go via car or bus than it is to walk or ride a bicycle. The route connections are needed because there are major gaps in the routes, making the commonly used paths unsafe.  There are three key links that need to be built: from Hilltop Manor to the apartments on Wenonah, Huron Avenue near the school parking lot entrance, and State Street to Huron Avenue.

Our community has a long way to go to accomplish all these and other worthy SR2S goals.  We need your help to accomplish the goal of encouraging youth to lead a healthy, physically active life.  Please, contact me to get involved.

International Walk to School Day

Tomorrow is International Walk to School Day. The City of Rogers City, Rogers City Public Schools, St. John and St. Ignatius are partnering to sponsor the walk to school Day. An anonymous donar has provided a special $100 Savings Bond prize for the lucky winner student who walks or bikes to school tomorrow and wins the drawing.

There are four designated pick up points where "walking school buses" lead by designated adults will head for school beginning at 7:30 am. The locations are

The corner of State and Friedrich Streets
The corner of 4th and Erie Streets
The corner of Orchard and 5th Streets
The corner of Oak and Larke Streets

Become a regular walker or a biker to school and win even better prizes--improved health, more energy, and a super outlook on life!

Rogers city is Great in 2008!