[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6740650,"mediaKeyId","5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294","parentId",5530972,"title","HDR presents SS4A safety-action plan update identifying four priority corridors and a proposed target year","audioSeconds",596,"startMs",602000,"endMs",1198000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294&start=602&end=1198","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294/thumbnail_602000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6740650/Columbus-City/Platte-County/Nebraska/HDR-presents-SS4A-safety-action-plan-update-identifying-four-priority-corridors-and-a-proposed-target-year","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6740650-184227efff109188f2410d0d0e229973/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434835&Signature=n8KuLecyzVuB9Cp05ihECxw--hPFAnczRquH67MvCsE2Qyuq2QPL59OZfzd~tbxJzhiubn1OsxQjGd9ZJqaLnyf~0EWH8pDIyrAafZMESQUb1DJ8-3Bjked7r6MDpeaNIvPa8OdRsgeaSX7UzagPUsfEr55QicOgzgvRvAB~ISXuH3W2F8kByO7CHJX1ZKf6JR69IRifV5mUTichDC34Qh0v4i10hw9JqKvnMVRBxrYSF16U8X-zDCn1XLpbsuHTmAcuvFhpWuyuheTLDfEtv~mLtNaB8ybnJpqEnG1TqX2UjkPAX3cX0NquvSO6j9lvDgtW1a78zEqG9Ocn1jnoyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Columbus, Nebraska","date","2025-08-05T10:47:06Z","article","John Mart, an engineer with HDR working with Columbus City staff on the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) project, gave an in-progress update on a federally grant-funded safety-action plan that began earlier in 2025 and is expected to continue into early 2026. The study follows an eight-step grant requirement and combines community engagement with data-driven safety analysis.

HDR told the council the project identified an overrepresentation of fatalities and serious injuries among people walking and biking: \"From 2017 to 2023, there have been 63 people who have died or were seriously injured on roads in the Columbus area,\" Mart said. The presentation cited speeding, failure to comply with traffic-control devices, distracted driving and impaired driving as recurring contributing factors.

Mart said the project team has used crash data and public engagement to identify a high-priority network and four corridors for focused study and concept-level design: Howard Boulevard; Eighth Street; the downtown area including 13th and 14th Street one-way couplets; and the Lost Creek Parkway area including 30 Third Avenue near Columbus Public High School. Mart said sidewalk gaps, multi-lane crossings, driveway conflicts and mixed uses downtown were among the issues flagged through surveys and community workshops.

The presentation described core components of the safe system approach promoted in national roadway-safety guidance, stressing multidisciplinary work across engineering, planning, enforcement, education and emergency medical services to reduce collision forces and protect vulnerable road users. Mart said the team will recommend engineering projects for major corridors and lower-cost targeted countermeasures where risk-based analysis indicates high return on investment.

Mart also said SS4A grant rules require a community to adopt a target to eliminate or substantially reduce fatalities and serious injuries. In the presentation he stated a proposed target year as \"02/1950\"; the project team said they expect to bring a recommended target back to council for adoption as part of the plan. HDR staff advised that the plan will come back for public and stakeholder review at the draft stage and that a safety committee (one meeting held to date) will continue to shepherd implementation and annual reporting required by the grant.

During questions, council members asked whether Columbus data had been compared to national or sister‑city norms; Mart said the team had not performed that comparison and that the grant work is focused on what Columbus can do locally. A resident, Riley Scott, asked whether the effort could include lobbying for tougher laws or penalties; Mart said legislative changes would require partners beyond the city and recommended working with advocacy groups and the Nebraska Department of Transportation where appropriate.

HDR recommended continued community engagement, technical staff coordination and leadership adoption of the final plan to meet grant requirements and to position Columbus for future SS4A implementation rounds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Columbus Nebraska, Committee of the Whole 8/4/2025","oneSentenceSummary","John Mart of HDR told the Columbus City Council that a federally funded Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) safety-action plan will focus on four priority corridors after community engagement and crash-analysis work.","taxTitle","Columbus City, Platte County, Nebraska","taxId",44978,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6740644,"City staff proposes youth council and Columbus Cares Day; council discusses mentorship and volunteer leadership",599,3463000,4062000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294&start=3463&end=4062","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294/thumbnail_3463000.jpg","/articles/6740644/Columbus-City/Platte-County/Nebraska/City-staff-proposes-youth-council-and-Columbus-Cares-Day-council-discusses-mentorship-and-volunteer-leadership","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6740644-f94550caa5c6a47422e53cee58782be1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434835&Signature=UsQE0XzKVQrxBsubBC64sTL7DjE4w252JHDrhHdR0lPeyRVXlKHw3I52EpyeOmy5Vo-4dAo1PY4ut1hhw9qao3g0lbSSbnAEfT1lE7UxTMiMhEPj0JITofyIyyR8xoISzq3YlcqWt0Se0K037~u57Vrg3S~7efw9n3WO478j4nauXbL5UGupSL4n9BtI0FWERdhuRb-TWWQpgUcOxtCAVUs1jotkj1d31K1jFMT~872MZe4WXREORiUaEKBbPp~MNuMfeEkafKKxZk6gEQkag4Ol9TU9LbT53v5wMOOgE~HRw1xHr5E~8myi70647yMXCdBUjBfgn9lqlUkW1oe5aA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carly Gadecki presented two community-engagement proposals: a Columbus Youth Council and a one-day volunteer event called Columbus Cares Day.

For the Youth Council, staff proposed up to 22 student members selected by two sponsoring council members, meeting twice monthly from October through May with one-year terms, required participation in or observation of at least one city council meeting, 10 hours of community service, and a requirement that the youth council as a body present one recommendation to the city council during the year. Carly said applications would open in August for an initial start in October and that student officers would be elected at the council's second meeting. She said membership could be adjusted from the proposed 22 and that eligibility would include either Columbus residency or attendance at a Columbus school.

On Columbus Cares Day, staff proposed an organized one-day volunteer event with eight zones (each ward split into two), zone leaders (a council member and potentially a youth council member), age-14 minimum for volunteers, and an outreach plan including postcards, website information, press releases and social media. Carly said individual residents, nonprofits and businesses could apply to host work sites for light projects such as yard work, litter pickup or painting; staff would screen and approve project submissions for safety and feasibility.

During discussion several council members and attendees said both ideas have promise but emphasized the need for consistent champions and mentors to organize volunteers and sustain such programs. One council member recalled a prior youth council that waned after a key mentor left. Staff suggested potential partnerships (for example, Keep Columbus Beautiful) and said Carly would help with initial organization but that long-term mentorship and council sponsorship would be necessary.

No formal motion or vote was recorded on the youth council or Columbus Cares Day during the meeting; council members requested follow-up and further outreach to absent council members for buy-in before moving forward.","Staff proposed a Columbus Youth Council to involve students in government and a one-day citywide volunteer event, Columbus Cares Day. Council members raised concerns about mentorship and the administrative championing necessary to sustain volunteer programs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6740647,"Council approves creation of a micro TIF program for small-scale projects in designated blight areas",1045,2387000,3432000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294&start=2387&end=3432","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5530972-ab0201f6d0071ea7fa460bcedd756294/thumbnail_2387000.jpg","/articles/6740647/Columbus-City/Platte-County/Nebraska/Council-approves-creation-of-a-micro-TIF-program-for-small-scale-projects-in-designated-blight-areas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6740647-b005fd8324a661f27449123ab7771aa8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770434835&Signature=g~E4SwzOIiFBFY95arLI~khYI-ou2JmCmvJR~1aY~yKjOhfr7Z0IRLC88uyXYFhTWwoWAhSaTs4j8VnuZ0gWQoDyWizuFkTnU8Qer5f88JNcKeeVFWIA6xMM2R5Td2D8QoMeLRM2piiRjqBkEX5Gusi-fa7YBxzPmjcnJpmWDv~c0u0otsoNSEDX0VAHmUOJd5DyHWJZBU-30dBw1qf8xRt2NdiqXgDARwXOfe-0wGTZQ6KkZYVzXv0FkHXaHvzamhlRsOSuCuDR5eQy8243GNPc1aDwxJX2JOcwkfy2LZOGnGyY8FKp~WL2LyHi52ln6XIRT54NTfcnYfF4kfVC-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Carly Gadecki, presenting on behalf of city staff, proposed a micro TIF program intended to expedite small-scale tax-increment financing for projects in designated blight or substandard areas. Carly described micro TIF as similar to traditional tax-increment financing but designed for smaller projects with a streamlined application, lower fees, and a two-year completion requirement.

City staff clarified that micro TIF projects would not use general city funds; rather, property owners or their lenders would finance projects and the city would act as a pass-through for increment remittance. The draft resolution discussed by staff would limit the number of micro TIF projects the city accepts each year and may include targeted guidelines prioritizing downtown facades and other high-impact small projects.

Staff said eligibility requires the property to be within an area already designated as blight and substandard; while the city may update or expand blight-designated areas, an individual property in an otherwise non-blighted neighborhood would not qualify unless the area had been designated. Questions from council and the public addressed whether wage or contractor restrictions apply; staff said there is no federal funding requirement tied to Davis-Bacon prevailing-wage rules for micro TIF and that projects must meet local building and land‑use codes.

Council President Dzabolotski moved to create a micro TIF program for the city; a councilmember seconded. The motion passed; the transcript records the outcome as \"Recommendation passes\" but does not record a roll-call tally in the transcript. City staff said the program would begin with an ordinance, an initial administrative process and outreach to possible applicants.","After discussion of eligibility, financing mechanics and administrative limits, the council approved a motion to establish a micro TIF program — an expedited, lower-cost tax-increment financing tool intended for small-scale revitalization projects in designated blight or substandard areas.","actionData","errors"]

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HDR presents SS4A safety-action plan update identifying four priority corridors and a proposed target year

City staff proposes youth council and Columbus Cares Day; council discusses mentorship and volunteer leadership

Council approves creation of a micro TIF program for small-scale projects in designated blight areas