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Council hears details on preliminary engineering for Phase 2 of school safety work; further expansion depends on funding
Summary
Staff told Council that a prior 2018–2019 study examined up to 20 schools. The city has no current funding to expand the program but will consider schools as grants or the city’s Streets for People plan prioritize projects.
Council members discussed Item 2, approval of preliminary engineering for Phase 2 of a school safety project. Councilmember Chris Dickinson asked about timing for a potential Phase 3 expansion to reach additional schools.
Jennifer Donlin William, division manager for Mobility and Sustainability, said the city did a single study in 2018–2019 using one‑time funds to look at up to 20 schools and that the city currently lacks additional funding to expand that study. "We do not have additional funding to expand that at this time," she said, adding that staff will pursue future grant opportunities and other funding streams as they arise.
Donlin William said the Streets for People plan—expected to come to the Council in the coming months—will inventory sidewalk gaps, intersection needs and bikeway projects citywide and produce recommendations that will be evaluated through a transportation priorities matrix. The matrix uses five values to rank investments and will make top projects more eligible for grant funding.
Engineering staff present for the discussion included Ophelia Avalos, engineering services division manager, and Luke Fussen, senior engineer, who deferred to the transportation planning group for scheduling and scope questions. Dickinson emphasized that selection criteria based on collisions within a quarter mile risks overlooking schools that lack sidewalks or safe walking routes. Staff said the Streets for People plan is intended to capture those kinds of sidewalk gaps and corridor projects that serve multiple schools.
No vote or final funding decision for a Phase 3 study was recorded in the transcript; the item under consideration was the preliminary engineering approval for Phase 2.
