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Logansport City Council OK’s grant application for 1.65 million sidewalk and trail project

Last Updated on December 7, 2020 by Office of Logansport Mayor Chris Martin

SOURCE: News release from the Office of Logansport Mayor Chris Martin

LOGANSPORT, IND. –The Logansport City Council Monday night approved submitting a federal grant application seeking $1,315,600 for ADA accessible pedestrian routes and accessibility improvements around four schools.

The council voted 4-3 to approve requesting FAST ACT Federal Funds for nearly a half mile of new trails and 3 miles of sidewalks.

The Transportation Alternative Project grant, if awarded, would cover 80 percent of the proposed $1,644,500 improvement project. The project is a high priority for the city’s ADA transition plan.

“We take pride in improving the infrastructure in our community and this a big step in the right direction,” said Chris Martin, Logansport’s mayor. “This project provides additional safety and encourages a healthy lifestyle for everyone who travels this area.”

The new sidewalks and trails will be a huge benefit for the Logansport Community School Corporation’s three existing elementary schools and the new junior high school under construction and set to open in 2022.

In addition to providing a safer route to schools, the project is expected to improve the quality of life by encouraging more walking to recreational areas and businesses.

Connecting neighborhoods to the schools, parks and commercial businesses greatly enhances the quality of life that is sought from current and prospective businesses,” said Bill Cuppy, president of the Logansport-Cass Chamber of Commerce and the school board.

“Attracting new businesses and residents is very important to our community and providing safer routes to school, recreational areas and businesses will encourage more walking along these routes to enhance their quality of life experience.”

Community leaders say the new sidewalks and ADA accessibility is a critical piece of the city’s infrastructure plans.

“As a community, we only have the financial ability to address a certain number of sidewalks per year,” Cuppy noted. “Getting this grant would help immensely our efforts to keeping our infrastructure as walkable as possible.”

“Infrastructure improvements throughout the community are just as importantas economic development,” Martin added. “If we are successful in getting this grant, we’ll see the importance in this soon enough,”

Construction on the new ADA sidewalk and trail improvements would begin in 2026. It will complement and expand upon the Safe Routes to School projects constructed in 2010 and 2017.

“Having safe walkable sidewalks and ADA accessibility encourages physical activity and provides safety for our school-aged children and the community as a whole,” Cuppy added.

“The safety of our students is our highest priority,” said Greg Korreckt, Logansport School’s business manager. “This improvement project is a big deal! Any time funding can be secured to improve access to our grounds and facilities, it ties properties together in this community and makes all the things around us better. We are hopeful that the city is awarded the grant.”

The city has committed to set aside CEDIT funds to pay for the 20 percent local match

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