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Ribbon Cutting for Safe Routes to School Program!
Groundbreaking for the new Safe Routes to School Program Bike/Sidewalk Project on Coursey Lake Road at Chapel Hill Elementary School was held Friday morning, September 2nd, with the following participants;
Front Row:
Ms. Jennifer Petty’s Kindergarten Class, Chapel Hill Elementary School
Second Row: Left to Right
Keary Lord, Assistant Director, Douglas County Department of Transportation
Robert Blevins, Principal, Chapel Hill Elementary School
Randy Hulsey, Director, Douglas County Department of Transportation
Gary Westmoreland, Preconstruction/Construction Manager, Douglas County Department of Transportation
Eric Linton, County Administrator, Douglas County
Mike Mulcare, District 3 Commissioner, Douglas County Board of Commissioners
Tom Worthan, Chairman, Douglas County Board of Commissioners
Dudley Spruill, Chief Operating Officer, Douglas County School System
Dr. Gordon Pritz, Superintendent, Douglas County School System
Kali Boatright, CEO, Douglas County Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Kelli Spencer, Assistant Principal, Chapel Hill Elementary School
Meaghan Tilton, Director, SafeKids Douglas
Sean Roach, Assistant Principal, Chapel Hill Elementary School
Douglas County held the groundbreaking for the beginning of its second Safe Routes to School (SRTS) project for 9 a.m., Friday, September 2nd, 2011, in front of Chapel Hill Elementary School at 4433 Coursey Lake Road, Douglasville, Georgia 30135.
The SRTS project will include the installation of one-half mile of a multi-use path/sidewalk along Coursey Lake Road to connect neighboring subdivisions directly to the front door of Chapel Hill Elementary School. A survey has shown that approximately 127 students who attend Chapel Hill Elementary live within one mile of the of the school, and 369 live within two miles. The SRTS project will include:
- a 6- to 8-foot concrete path/sidewalk on the east side of Coursey Lake Road;
- safety guardrail, where appropriate, to give separation between the concrete path/sidewalk and the vehicular lanes;
- a crosswalk across Coursey Lake Road in front of Chapel Hill Elementary School;
- a 8-foot wide concrete path from the crosswalk to the school building without crossing any vehicular paths;
- overhead lighting along the path to provide for safety and visibility; and
- flashing beacons with school speed limit sign assemblies to reduce travel speeds.
The project will tie into existing sidewalks internal to The Plantation at Dorsett Shoals and Knollview at Coursey Lake subdivisions, providing a continuous path system for students to walk or bike to school.
JJE Constructors, Inc., was the low bidder on the construction project that was awarded by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). GDOT will manage the project, and Douglas County is providing the overhead lighting and local project coordination. Douglas County prepared the application for the project and its grant funding. The project contract amount is $395,055.61 and is 100 percent Federally funded through the GDOT SRTS program.
The GDOT Board selected the highest scoring projects for each of the State’s 13 Congressional Districts, and the Chapel Hill Elementary School SRTS project was selected and awarded for the 13th Congressional District. Ms. Dana Lemon represents the 13th District on the GDOT Board, and supported the project’s application.
The project application was also strongly supported by the Douglas County Board of Education and Chapel Hill Elementary School staff, its Parent Teacher Association, SafeKids Douglas, and the homeowners associations of the two involved subdivisions.
The projected construction/installation completion date is November 30th, 2011.
Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Worthan stated “the safety of our citizens is a government’s Number One priority, and we look for innovative ways to keep everyone safe. The Chapel Hill Elementary School Safe Routes to School project not only encourages students to walk or bicycle to school so that they have a healthier lifestyle, but the project also puts in place significant safety measures to protect both students and motorists. This project is a win-win situation for everyone, and we are pleased that the GDOT recognized the worthiness of our application and funded it. We especially appreciate GDOT Board Member Dana Lemon’s support of this project and the wonderful cooperation and support from the Douglas County School System.”
The purpose of the SRTS program is to encourage students to walk and bike to school and to improve safety in the vicinity of schools. These programs improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution. Students walking or biking to schools are more physically active, have fewer chronic health problems, improved mood, and are more able to concentrate in school.
This is the second Safe Routes to School project in Douglas County, but the first one, on Junior High Drive in Lithia Springs, was funded by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. That sidewalk project connected Skyview Drive to Lithia Springs Elementary School, with future expansion designed to also interconnect with Turner Middle School and the Betty Hagler Lithia Springs Public Library.
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