Consent 1.I.
Regular City Council Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 12/21/2009
- TITLE
- Safe Routes to School Program Grant Application for Elementary School Traffic Plan
- PRESENTED BY:
- Candi Beaudry
- Department:
- Planning & Community Services
Presentation:
PROBLEM/ISSUE STATEMENT
The City of Billings is seeking Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grant monies to provide a traffic assessment of the existing conditions in the vicinity of 11 public elementary schools in Billings. The City is currently in the process of administering an SRTS grant to evaluate 11 elementary schools but needs an additional grant to complete analysis of the total 22 elementary schools in Billings. This information can be utilized so traffic engineering principles and non-motorized planning practices can be applied to develop short, medium and long term solutions to create a safe and efficient school related traffic plan for pedestrian, vehicle and bus traffic. The deadline for the grant application is December 31, 2009.
Safe Routes to School grants are made available through the Montana Department of Transportation to ultimately help encourage walking and biking to and from school. Applying for this grant would give the community an opportunity to assess the traffic conditions around 11 public elementary school sites and offer solutions to create a safer and more efficient environment for pedestrian, vehicle and bus traffic. This second grant would compliment, and complete, the first one the City is in the process of administering now to assess 11 of 22 elementary school sites in Billings. If the City does not submit a grant application to the Safe Routes to School Program, the City will not be able to do the school traffic assessment plan unless other funding is sought from another source.
Safe Routes to School grants are made available through the Montana Department of Transportation to ultimately help encourage walking and biking to and from school. Applying for this grant would give the community an opportunity to assess the traffic conditions around 11 public elementary school sites and offer solutions to create a safer and more efficient environment for pedestrian, vehicle and bus traffic. This second grant would compliment, and complete, the first one the City is in the process of administering now to assess 11 of 22 elementary school sites in Billings. If the City does not submit a grant application to the Safe Routes to School Program, the City will not be able to do the school traffic assessment plan unless other funding is sought from another source.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED
The Council may:
- Approve the grant application submittal; or
- Not approve the grant application submittal.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Safe Routes to School grant requires no local match. It is a reimbursable funding program. The grant application is for $50,000. As with the previous SRTS application, an additional $10,000 has been pledged from School District #2 to have enough funds to complete the study for the remaining 11 elementary schools.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the grant application submittal to the Safe Routes to School program to complete elementary school traffic plans for all 22 elementary schools in Billings.