Charlene Lee of the Smart Coast organization asked the city to consider applying for a grant to facilitate more children walking to local schools (to provide escorts and other logistics/monitoring). Lee said their monthly theme-based walk-to-school program had been successful; but once a month was not enough to "have a lasting effect on the health and fitness of the children."
Lee said said the goal is to "create a culture where children walk to school," but parents "still have enormous fear of their children walking."
Lee hoped to implement a walk-stop program -- where parents and buses could drop children off a few blocks from the school, allowing them to walk the rest of the way. She said she hoped Fairhope elementary, intermediate and middle schools would participate, initially.
DOCTORS TO MONITOR PROGRESS
Psychologist Harvey Joaning and another physician have volunteered to monitor the childrens' progress, a condition of the grant.
Joaning: "We'll do outcome monitoring for the grant ... the physiological and psychological effects. If you can get a child moving on the way to school ... they move intellectually all day."
BALDWIN COUNTY DECLINED
Lee said earlier this year the Baldwin County Commission had at first supported the effort -- but backed out later apparently over 2 commissioners' philosophical objections concerning the use of federal money. (see article)
MAYOR KANT SUPPORTS IT
Mayor Kant said the city had recently installed a lot of new sidewalks and now "we need to get more people walking on them."
Kant: "This will be a very positive thing and won't cost us anything."
The grant is to be 100% funded ($75,000) by the Federal government and could be implemented by March, according to Lee.
City Administrator Greg Mims was assigned to work with Lee on the project. Lee said she wanted Fairhope's to be a pilot program for similar efforts in other cities.
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