It's public comment time!!!

Below is the little write up we sent to the News Leader this morning. Feel free to add comments or suggestions for the grant application in the comment section of this blog.

Partnership to apply for Safe Routes to School grant


In an effort to encourage and enable Guthrie’s children to walk and bike to school, the City of Guthrie, Guthrie Public Schools, the Logan County Health Department, and other community partners are applying for a Safe Routes to School grant from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

If awarded, the partnership would use the funds for education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation projects that would help make the campus and surrounding area of Fogarty Elementary School a safer place for children to walk and ride their bikes to and from school.

Childhood obesity rates have more than tripled in the past 30 years, while the number of children walking and biking to school has declined. According to the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, less than 16 percent of students between the ages of 5 and 15 walked or biked to or from school, compared to 42 percent in 1969.

The initial assessment portion of the grant application is due May 26, and public comments from Guthrie residents are encouraged. Those interested in making comments or suggestions can go to guthriesaferoutes.blogspot.com or can e-mail Justin Fortney at justinf@health.ok.gov or Heather Ward at heatherw@health.ok.gov.

Meeting at 9 a.m. today ...

The next Guthrie Safe Routes meeting is this morning at 9 a.m. at Guthrie City Hall.