[ back ]
More sidewalk projects coming to the Hilltop
(by Christina Anderson, staff writer - September 15, 2011)
An open house will be held at Hilltonia Middle School, 2345 W. Mound St., to discuss the construction of sidewalks around the school and surrounding area. The open house will be from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 20.
The community will get an opportunity to discuss how the streets around the schools can be made safer for pedestrians. There will also be discussion on how the project could be funded.
The sidewalks would follow Wayne Avenue, by West Mound Street.
“We want kids to be able to safely walk to school, or bike,” said Donna LeBeau, principal of Hilltonia Middle School. “There's no place for the children to walk, and the street curves, and it’s dangerous.”
LeBeau would like to see the sidewalks constructed for more than just addressing safety concerns.
“We want kids to be healthy, and we want them to be fit, so we want them to be able to walk to school, or bike,” LeBeau said.
A committee has been overseeing the process, and plans to apply for a grant that would fund the project. They will apply for the grant in January, and should learn in July 2012 if the funding has been approved.
Additionally, city of Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman will hold a press conference Sept. 16 to discuss another sidewalk project at the corners of South Westgate Avenue and West Mound Street.
The city broke ground in July on new sidewalks on both sides of South Hague Avenue, between West Mound Street and Briggs Road. That project is expected to be completed by mid-September.
“Mound Street is a pretty dangerous street,” said Justin Boggs, a Hilltop resident. “I've seen a lot of kids walking in the street, because that's the only place for them to walk.”
The South Hague Avenue sidewalks were one of several sidewalk projects being constructed throughout the city in 2011.
The sidewalks are part of $4 million in capital improvement funds that the city is investing in pedestrian safety projects.
The city considers several factors when identifying locations where sidewalks will be constructed, including: if there is a school or recreation center located on, or adjacent to, the street, if there are COTA bus stops on the street, if there is a concentration of senior citizen housing on the street, or if the street is an arterial street, which has larger traffic volumes than residential streets.
[ back ]
