Sherburne applies for Safe Routes to School Grant

SHERBURNE – Hoping to encourage children and parents to make exercise a part of their daily lives, the Village of Sherburne is applying for a grant that would make walking to and from school a safer and more enjoyable activity.

The Village of Sherburne will be applying for $158,000 in funding as part of the federally funded Safe Routes to Schools grant program. The program, which has been in existence since 2005, provides money to improve the walking routes to schools.

Sherburne Mayor William Acee explained the village’s grant application will focus on the Classic Street area, which has become a busy pedestrian route for students and adults alike.

“Our proposal would eliminate two dangerous crossings from the route,” Acee explained. Currently, the sidewalk on Classic Street runs down the east side of the road and then ends, forcing pedestrians to cross to the west side of the street. At the intersection of School Street and Classic Street, students must cross the street again in order to make their way to the school. The proposal calls for the installation of approximately 1,340 linear feet of four foot wide sidewalk on the east side of the road.

Former School Board President Doug Shattuck, who owns SafAir on Classic Street, explained that due to the high volume of traffic on the street in the morning hours, it can be dangerous for walking students who have to cross the road multiple times. “This [the grant program] would significantly reduce the chance of a student getting hit by a car,” Shattuck said. “From here [SafAir] we see a fair number of students walk by and there is a ton of traffic. This could increase the sense of security on the half of some parents to let their students walk to school.”