Visalia asking for community input as they apply for funding to make school routes safer

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The city of Visalia is applying for funding to make the trip to school safer for the students, staff and families.

But they need community input in order to be successful.

Whether you walk, get a ride or skateboard to school, the city of Visalia is working to make sure people stay out of harms way.

"The road is for everybody - walkers, bikers or cars, and we're trying to make sure that everyone has access to roads and that our roads are safer for all these individuals," Visalia Mayor Brian Poochigian said.

Poochigian says the city is applying for funding through the state's Active Transportation Program.

Applications will be submitted for two projects, which would benefit the communities around Highland Elementary and Washington Elementary Schools.

"We're constantly monitoring our roadways and ways that we can make things safer for individuals, and these were two areas that were high on our list which were priorities for us to fix," Poochigian said.

If chosen for funding, the city plans to use it for changes such as filling in gaps in the sidewalks, adding bulb-out curbs intersections, and protected bike lanes.

"We know a lot of kids are using these roads to get to school, so we want to make sure that they have a safe path to get to school and they feel safe going to school as well," Poochigian said.

The city says as part of their application, they need community input.

People can submit a survey online or attend a community meeting.

On February 20, a meeting will be held at Washington Elementary School.

On February 21, a meeting will be held at Highland Elementary School.

Both are from 6-7 p.m.

"I highly encourage everybody to come out, give some input. It really helps with our grant application to make sure that we get this funding," Poochigian said.

The city is also applying for two other projects the 'Goshen Visalia Corridor' and 'Beyond Bike Lanes'.

Community members can give their input on all of the projects by visiting the city of Visalia's website through March 1.

The city has to file their application by June 17.

Projects are usually awarded in September.

If Visalia receives the grant, the projects can take three to four years to complete.

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