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Committee signs up volunteers for Safe Routes to School project after discussing budget and outreach assumptions
Summary
The committee agreed to provide volunteers for a Safe Routes to School advisory committee. Members raised questions about project budget, translation/engagement assumptions and the program's equity language; staff said the consultant has been selected and the effort will work with the school district.
City staff told the Traffic and Public Safety Committee that a Safe Routes to School proposal had been accepted by the Thriving Communities program and that the city will work with the school district to form a project advisory committee. The committee met on Sept. 16 and agreed to nominate volunteers from their membership to serve on the advisory committee.
Melanie presented the proposal packet and told the committee the consultant had already been selected. She outlined the advisory committee's role and the plan for community engagement, which will include walk audits, dismissal observations and parent focus groups. “SRP will train the local task force and champions to conduct walk audits,” Melanie said, referring to training noted in the proposal.
Several committee members raised budget and scope questions. One member (Matt) asked whether the stated project budget — approximately $38,000 — was current and whether the project assumptions about increasing walking and bicycling might raise safety concerns for children walking in dark or inclement weather. He also questioned language in the proposal about highlighting “priority populations using demographic indicators” and the repeated use of terms such as “equity,” asking whether the outreach and translation work named in the proposal (for example, Spanish translations and virtual toolkits) had been scoped and justified.
Staff responded that the project would coordinate with the school district, that the Safe Routes Partnership (SRP) will train local volunteers, and that Spanish was likely the most commonly requested translation at the schools; staff said other translations could be included if needed. Melanie said the city would keep the committee informed about meeting times and that the advisory committee would be selected to include neighbors, parents, bus drivers, educators and others who are directly impacted.
Committee members volunteered to serve: Jim and two other committee members signed on as volunteers at the meeting. Staff said more precise scheduling and the consultant's timeline would be shared with volunteers when available. No formal vote or city expenditure was approved at the meeting; the item is moving to a community advisory process coordinated by the selected consultant.
