Townships interested in grants

The program doesn't require matching funds.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- A new program aimed at improving safety of children walking to school has piqued the interest of officials in at least two Mahoning County communities.
Safe Routes to Schools is a federal aid program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration.
It calls for federal funds through fiscal year 2009 for projects that improve primary and middle school pupils' ability to walk and bicycle to school safely, according to a Federal Highway Administration Web site about the program.
It was authorized in August 2005 federal transportation reauthorization legislation. The money comes from gas tax revenue.
Robert Lidle Jr., a Poland trustee, and Kathy Miller, Boardman trustee, both said their communities are interested in pursuing the funds.
For years, Poland has talked about a one-mile sidewalk along state Route 170 from the village corporation limits to Poland Seminary High School, in the township.
Lidle thinks the new program may be a way to finally make the project a reality.
"The program requires sidewalks to be within two miles of a school, so using Dobbins Elementary as our epicenter, if you will, it would allow us to connect the village to the township along with connecting the high school," Lidle said.
Interest in the project came up again this month at a Town One Streetscapes meeting, he said.
Rejected earlier grant
Earlier this year, Poland trustees turned down a 163,989 grant from Eastgate Regional Council of Governments because officials were concerned about the cost.
That grant involved a match from the township, but it was unclear if the 100,000 the township had earmarked for the project would cover the required amount.
The 100,000 came from Browning Ferris Industries of Ohio, which operates a landfill in the township. The money was in exchange for an increase in the long haul trash amounts allowed to be brought into the landfill.
Safe Routes to Schools doesn't require local matching funds.
Each state administers its own program.
The Ohio Department of Transportation will allocate about 19 million over the next four years for infrastructure projects and education programs. Ohio expects to request the first round of grant applications early next year.
Miller said Boardman would be interested in the program for sidewalks along Glenwood Avenue.
Boardman project
When Poland turned down the Eastgate grant, it freed up money for Boardman to receive 156,160 through Eastgate for a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the west side of Glenwood from U.S. Route 224 to the township branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
Sidewalks already exist along portions of the east side of Glenwood.
Library and school officials in that community wrote letters in support of the project to obtain the grant.
Miller said the township may pursue funding through the Safe Routes to School program to install sidewalks along the west side of Glenwood from the library to Western Reserve Road.
denise_dick@vindy.com