Poland to get sidewalks along SR 170 for school routes

POLAND

Township officials are hopeful a new sidewalk along state Route 170 will increase foot traffic to area schools.

Poland received $500,000 from a grant program called Safe Routes to School. The idea is to increase foot traffic to schools in communities for environmental and health reasons, with money through the federal Department of Transportation and being administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Trustee Bob Lidle said getting sidewalks to connect the schools was a campaign promise he made when he first ran 13 years ago. He said Poland has applied for the funding many times over the years, getting rejected twice, receiving partial funding a third time, and the fourth time finally getting fully funded.

Lidle said the township received the full funding about 13 months ago for construction and the sidewalk. Faust Construction is the contractor for the 1.2 miles of sidewalk to be installed. The sidewalk portion is expected to be finished by the first week of August and other aspects of the project should be finished by the first week of September.

The project runs from the elementary school, Dobbins Road, to Nesbitt Street, the first village of Poland street on 170, and where the project will tie into existing sidewalks in the downtown area and to the middle school.

Read more about the project in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.