Council fast-tracks Safe Routes to School sidewalk application for 7th Street

The North Canton City Council on the floor of a regular meeting approved Ordinance 07206, authorizing the mayor to prepare and submit an application to the Ohio Department of Transportation for Safe Routes to School funding to construct sidewalks on the north side of 7th Street from Brier Avenue to Woodside Avenue.

Clerk Liam read the ordinance title and council discussed timing. A staff member explained the city's ability to apply hinged on the completion of a Safe Routes to School travel plan prepared by North Canton City Schools and a consultant. The staff member stated that the deadline to apply to ODOT is March 6 and described program coverage: "They'll cover 100% of the costs ' engineering, right-of-way, acquisition and construction," the staff member said, and added that ODOT typically favors projects near the half-million-dollar mark though the program can fund up to about $1 million.

Council members said the selected segment ' the north side of 7th Street ' was chosen because it serves a nearby school and fits the travel-plan recommendations. Resident commenters and council members discussed sidewalk placement and impacts to adjacent yards; council members said detailed design and right-of-way negotiations would follow if the grant application is successful.

Council moved for first reading of the ordinance, then voted to suspend the council rules requiring three readings and adopted the ordinance under suspension as an emergency to meet the application timeline. The transcript records the motions and that the motions carried; no roll-call vote tally for the ordinance adoption was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Administration said that if the city is not funded, it can seek feedback and reapply in future cycles. The mayor and several council members welcomed the prospect of addressing pedestrian connectivity near the school and noted this fits goals in the city's 2023 master plan.