Full Text
Safe Routes to School Draft Minutes June 12, 2014 M I N U T E S Safe Routes to School Committee Meeting June 12, 2014 3:30 P.M. The Safe Routes to School Committee met during a regular meeting on June 12, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. at the MPO Office, 100 West Broadway, Farmington, New Mexico. Present: Coordinator: Anngela Wakan MPO & City of Farmington Staff Ofcr. Michele DeLese Gary Moore June Markle Duane Wakan Attendees Leslie Nord, McKinley Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. by Mrs. Wakan and the following proceedings were duly had and taken. Ofcr. DeLese moved to approve the minutes from the May 8, 2014 meetings. Ms. Nord seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. EDUCATION & ENCOURAGEMENT Mrs. Wakan reported that the resurfacing work on Hutton Avenue included wider bike lanes and freshly painted crosswalks. Mr. Wakan said that the MPO could assist if the City of Farmington decided to seek Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding for school sidewalks. He thought HSIP funding would definitely be appropriate to maintain or improve the sidewalks near schools. Mrs. Wakan stated that SRTS had a booth at the Super Hero KidFest held at McGee Park on Saturday, June 7. She reported that they saw 400-500 kids during the day-long event and that overall attendance was estimated at 22,000 people. When Mr. Wakan spoke to parents about SRTS, he recommended that, if they drove their children to school, they drop them off 2-3 blocks prior to reaching the school to provide their children with some exercise and perhaps encourage them to walk more often when possible. The grant from Blue Cross/Blue Shield that Mrs. Wakan had requested was denied. She believed it was due to the fact that SRTS was not a 501-3(c) and to its affiliation with the City of Farmington. This grant would have been used to purchase a trailer to house the bikes used for bike rodeos. The group discussed some other funding recommendations and possible sources for donations. ---PAGE BREAK--- Safe Routes to School Draft Minutes June 12, 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS Open Houses & Walking School Bus Training Mrs. Wakan said the open houses at the schools are expected to begin in August. The Mesa Verde open house is on August 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Mrs. Nord said she did not know the date for the McKinley open house. Mrs. Wakan plans to sign up parents during the open houses that might be willing to lead walking school buses during the school year. Road Apple Rally The Road Apple Rally is in October and SRTS plans to host a bike rodeo during the event. Volunteers from the Sycamore Center will help run the rodeo and Mr. Moore and Mrs. Wakan will get the course marked prior to the event. Walking Program for 2014-2015 School Year Mrs. Wakan asked Mrs. Nord if McKinley planned to participate in the walking program in the 2014-2015 school year. Mrs. Nord said they did plan to participate and that she still had prizes available for the program. Mrs. Wakan said she would check with the other schools to determine their interest in the program for the upcoming school year. ENFORCEMENT: Officer DeLese reported said she would be staying on as SRO Lead Coordinator. EVALUATION: Mr. Wakan reported that possible funding of the SRTS Coordinator through the MPO could not happen until FY2016. This position can be considered for funding under NMDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), but no new applications for funding will be accepted until next year. If approved, the funding would not be effective until FFY2016. It was noted that should any of the currently funded TAP projects be unable to meet the necessary project requirements, funding might be able to be diverted to SRTS. The group discussed some other suggestions for funding and considered applying for 501-3(c) consideration. Mr. Wakan also suggested looking into the possibility of partnering with the San Juan Safe Communities organization. ENGINEERING: With Mr. Krest’s upcoming retirement, Mr. Gary Moore will be the Engineering representative to the committee. Mr. Moore reported that the sidewalk project at McCormick Elementary was underway. All the other projects anticipated to be completed this summer are still in the design phase. There were no additional concerns or topics for discussion. There will be no meeting in July. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. at the MPO Office at 100 West Broadway (2nd Floor). The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.