The City of Heath has been awarded more than $1 million over four years for trails and other improvements to make it safer for children to walk or bike to school. The federal funding is awarded through the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) for Safe Routes to School projects.
“Over 280 project applications were received by the Texas Department of Transportation, and our community was extremely fortunate to receive 100 percent approval for the requested projects,” said Mayor John Ratcliffe.
A total of $1,034,383 was awarded to the City for four projects around Cain Middle School and Amy Parks-Heath Elementary and Dorothy Pullen Elementary Schools. About $13,000, will be used to educate students, parents and drivers about safe travel.
County Commissioner Lorie Grinnan helped to bring the City of Heath, RISD and community members together to plan and evaluate projects. The trail projects in Heath will require right of way acquisition, engineering and utility relocation. An start date will be determined after the city receives specific funding notice from TTC.
“We want to thank the many people in our community who supported the City’s efforts to apply for this grant, and we congratulate City staff in our Public Works Department including Lisa Palomba, who worked hard to prepare a very detailed and successful application,” said Mayor Ratcliffe.
–Richard Abshire/Reporter