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Support a Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Grant Application to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
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Staff:
Department:
Mary Jane Nirdlinger, Deputy Town Manager, Interim Planning Director
Manager's Office
Bergen Watterson, Transportation Planning Manager
Planning
Overview: The Town has an opportunity to apply for a grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) that would fund Safe Routes to School programming; the application is due by February 6th. Municipalities, school districts, and eligible nonprofits can apply for the grant in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 that will cover activities over the next three years. The grant may be used for non-infrastructure programming, which focuses on encouragement, education, and evaluation. A local match is not required, though grant guidance states that providing a local match may improve the chances of receiving the grant.
The stated goals of the grant are to:
* Enable and encourage K-12 children and teens, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school
* Make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age
* Facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.
Town staff have met with colleagues in Carrboro and at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District and plan to submit a joint application. The grant criteria prioritize collaborations and partnerships, providing an opportunity to work together for a cross-community effort to reach schools across the district.
Staff plan to use the grant to fund a full-time position that would work within elementary and middle schools to support walking and biking. This position would build relationships across schools, establish programs to encour...
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