Kingsport Receives Safe Routes to School Grant
KINGSPORT – Jackson Elementary School will soon feature safer walking routes as a result of a $172,824 Safe Routes to School Grant awarded Tuesday by Gov. Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The Safe Routes to School award is the second for the City of Kingsport. This years grant will construct approximately 1,100 feet of improved pedestrian facilities, handicap accessible ramps, bridge security features and crosswalk improvements to allow for wellness activities in a safe environment. Some of the funding will also be used to provide a safety educational program and promote walking and biking among students and parents as a safe and healthy initiative.
This grant will go a long way in ensuring our children and grandchildren have a safe place to walk or bike to school, Mayor Dennis Phillips said. At the same time, this program can help us encourage children and adults alike to stay active and fit.
According to Federal Highway Administration data, about half of all students walked or bicycled to school in 1969. Forty years later, fewer than 15 percent of all school trips are made by walking or bicycling, 25 percent are made by school bus, and more than half of all children arrive at school in private automobiles.
In Kingsport, many parents are just looking for a safe way for their kids to get outdoors and exercise, said City Manager John Campbell. Through grant programs such as these, we can give our kids a safe environment to develop healthy habits they will carry with them for life.
Programs are 100% federally funded, which means local matching funds are not required. Kingsports first Safe Routes grant in 2008 provided $215,298 for sidewalk construction, crosswalk improvements, and signage in the vicinity of Kennedy Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary, as well as educational and promotional programs to encourage walking and biking as a health initiative.
We certainly want to thank the administration and our Sullivan County legislative delegation, including Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, Rep. Jason Mumpower, Rep. Jon Lundberg and Rep. Tony Shipley for their support in making both these grant awards possible, Campbell said.
