Shiloh Safe Routes to School trails finished in the nick of time
Parents and school staff need not fret about the safety of some students walking or riding his or her bicycle to Shiloh Elementary School because there are Shiloh Safe Routes to School (SRTS) pedestrian-bicycle trails in the village.
One starts at the corner of Seibert Road and Lebanon Avenue, and runs parallel with Lebanon Avenue to the Shiloh Elementary School, and the other connects Sierra Park, off Sierra Drive, to Whiteside Elementary.
“The trail we are finishing up right now along Sierra Drive gets used a lot we’ve observed,” Samantha Soto, project manager from Kaskaskia Engineering Group LLC, said.
While the orange construction netting preventing people from entering the trail by Seibert Road and Lebanon Avenue was removed Tuesday morning for access, Soto said it is still “technically not complete until after the pavement striping is done Wednesday, Aug. 17.”
“We also have to complete the pavement markings on the Sierra Drive trail as well, but it’s already being utilized by kids and adults alike, and school at Whiteside doesn’t start until Aug. 22, so it’ll will be finished by then,” Soto said.
As a part of the national SRTS initiative that the Village of Shiloh has been implementing, the trails were conceptualized for the safety factor of the village’s youth traveling on foot or by bike to and from school, as well as to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity (within two miles) of both public and private primary and middle schools (grades K-8).
“It’s great, and there’s another project to start soon to put in sidewalks along Lebanon Avenue, which can get really busy at times, so that will be safer for the kids,” Brenda Kern, village clerk, said.
Shiloh Elementary School principal Lori Murphy said she is excited for the students to begin using the trail.
“Hopefully kids begin using it. That was the goal when having discussions with the village last spring,” Murphy said.
She went on to say that although her and the crossing guard didn’t notice students or parents using the trail on the first day of school Tuesday, Aug. 16, she postulated the reasons why.
“It was the first day of school, so a lot of parents drop their kids off, or have them ride the bus, plus it was raining today and it is new to parents,” Murphy said.
“It may take a few days or a note home to point it out for kids and parents to use the trail near Seibert Road,” Kern said.
Kern said she is unsure when the next project will begin, but it should be soon because the Village Board of Trustees will soon be reviewing the plans and cost during a near future meeting.
“It’s already gone before the board before after a public hearing was held,” John Marquart, village administrator, said.
Marquart brought a resolution before the board to review the next portion of the project, which will be a sidewalk installation of a 950-foot section from Sierra Drive to the west portion between the Circle K gas station and Towerview Church.
The project has been under consideration by the board for two years, and the initial resolution called for village contribution of $38,964, which is now going up to $60,000 due to Illinois Department of Transportation cost specifications increasing.
Originally, the sidewalk was to end on the east side of the gas station but now is going to extend to the west side, next to the church entrance.
IDOT is concerned about the possibility of running into hazardous materials when excavating to install the sidewalk. Now the state portion will cover 80 percent of the $300,000 total project cost, Marquart said.
All easements have been acquired, he said.
Soto explained that the Lebanon sidewalk implementation project is not part of the SRTS (grant-supported) program because the sidewalks will not meet up with an existing pedestrian or bicycle trails, which is a requirement.
“So it’s actually part of the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP), which has a different type of funding,” Soto said.
This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Shiloh Safe Routes to School trails finished in the nick of time."