The Ride+Walk committee wants the city of Warsaw’s engineer and planner to apply for up to a $500,000 Safe Streets for All grant to fund a temporary demonstration project for a multimodal trail through downtown Warsaw.
First, however, the committee sought the Warsaw Traffic Commission’s recommendation Wednesday to take with it to the Common Council, who has to approve for the engineer and planner to apply for the federal grant.
Fred Helfrich, representing the committee, said, “Essentially, our objective ultimately is to get this before city council and secure an agreement on the council’s behalf to allow the city engineer and planner to apply for a Safe Streets for All grant. And that would fund a temporary demonstration project for a multimodal cycle trail through downtown Warsaw. Obviously, the objective here is safety. People are not comfortable riding their bikes with traffic in downtown Warsaw, and they’re not permitted to ride their bikes on the sidewalks, so it’s sort of a conundrum.”
He said there’s already significant infrastructure in place to the west of Columbia Street and to the east of Hickory Street.
“We think that we can take advantage of those opportunities to connect all the way through downtown,” Helfrich said.
Nate Callithen, Ride+Walk committee member, said without the Safe Streets for All grant they wouldn’t be before the commission Wednesday.
“As all of you know, a multimodal trail through downtown has been studied for the better part of three decades now. I think it’s older than I am at this point, but we know there’s a need. A need has been established pretty sufficiently through all the past studies and more,” he said.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All program was established as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act - also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill - to fund regional, local and tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries, according to information provided by the committee to the commission.
Callithen said the grant is an 80/20 match, but a local foundation already has pledged the 20% match so “regardless of the solution that we come up with, this will come at no cost to the city.”
All the committee wanted from the commission, he said, was for the commission to give their recommendation to the city council to allow the city to pursue the grant, knowing that all the details are still being figured out.
The grant opens up at the end of this month and could close at the end of August. Next year is the last year the grant will be available.
The expected $500,000 cost for the project would include all the engineering, the implementation, materials and tearing it down, Callithen said.
Commission member Jason Brown asked what the route would be. Callithen said they’re in discussions about that now to determine.
The commission discussed the project for 40-45 minutes, including engineering, the trail going down Market Street, a timeline, data, traffic, safety, alternative routes and the elimination of left-turn lanes. In the end, the commission voted to recommend the grant application to the city council with Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins opposed.
The matter will next go before the city council.
In another matter, Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon said he’s received a complaint from a North Union Street resident about people parking in front of trash cans, hindering the city’s refuse collection efforts. He encouraged residents to remember that trash trucks need space - about 4 to 5 feet - in order for the arm on the truck to pick up the cans. Parking right in front of trash cans does not help.
There is no April Traffic Commission meeting, so they will next meet at 1 p.m. May 7 in the city council chambers at City Hall.