LANSING - State Representative Lee Gonzales (D-Flint Township) was in attendance today when Williams Elementary School in Flint was awarded federal "Safe Routes to School" funding by Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry, Jr. The Safe Routes to School program encourages parents, teachers, neighborhoods and schools to work together to improve safety for children who walk and bike to school.
"The residence of the Flint area should be proud of Williams Elementary School for playing such an important role in their children's safety and health," said Gonzales. "By promoting and encouraging "Safe Routes to School," this program seeks to keep kids safe as they bike and walk to school. This is an important first step towards teaching kids how to incorporate physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle into their lives and introduces them to environmentally-friendly transportation alternatives."
Schools receiving funding will implement education and encouragement programs during the 2008-09 school year and complete infrastructure work, such as sidewalks and crosswalks, in 2009. Overall Safe Routes to School funding in this round of grants amounts to $8.7 million, to 41 Michigan schools.
Williams Elementary School, located in the city of Flint, will improve sidewalks and crosswalks on Iowa, Olive, Leith, Minnesota, Wyoming, Utah, Franklin, Vernon and Cook; install a bicycle rack at the school; and introduce school-based education and encouragement activities, including "Walk to School" days and a "Walking School Bus" program. The project budget is $359,125.
More information about Michigan's Safe Routes to School Program, the handbook planning process, the action plan, and funding, is available on the Web at: http://www.saferoutesmichigan.org.