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Chesapeake Exempted Village School District Village of Chesapeake Chesapeake Safe Routes Travel

Plan

Chesapeake, Ohio Providing opportunities to better the welfare of our children.

Travel Plan Prepared by:

Village of Chesapeake, Ohio Fred R. Gilpin, Mayor

211 Third Avenue Chesapeake, Ohio 45619

July 10, 2009

Chesapeake Exempted Village School District and Village of Chesapeake Chesapeake Safe Routes Travel Plan

July 2009

Table of Contents

Section 1 – Team Members

Section 2 – Introduction

Section 3 – Public Input Process

Section 4 – Scope of Project

Section 5 – School Demographics

Section 6 – Current School Travel Environment

Section 7 – Barriers to Active Transportation

Section 8 – Creating Solutions

Section 9 – Improvement Mapping

Section 10 – Action Plan

Section 10 – Action Plan Goals/Phase Description – Grades K‐4

Section 11 – Plan Endorsements

Section 12 – Supporting Documents: Engineering Study; Sections 7 ‐ 9

Appendix:

Chesapeake Elementary School Survey Results from Parent/Caregiver Surveys

Distance Child Lives from School

Number Males and Females Turned in Parent Survey

Mode of Transportation

Travel Time

Child has asked Parent to Walk/Ride to School

Issues Affecting Decision to Allow or Not Allow Walking/Biking to School

Issues Affecting Decisions with Opportunity to Influence

Grade Parent Would Allow Child to Walk to School Without an Adult

School Encourages/Discourages Walking and Biking to School

Level of Fun for Child Walking and Biking to School

Level of Healthy for Child Walking and Biking to School

Parent/Caregiver Survey


July 2009

Section 1 - Team Members

The Village of Chesapeake and the Chesapeake Exempted Village School District compiled a list

of team members to discuss concerns and recommendation to make the Safe Routes to School plan a

success. The team members chosen for the development of the plan were local government officials

from the Village of Chesapeake, Chesapeake Exempted Village School officials, and local community

leaders.

Local Government

Village of Chesapeake, Mayor Fred R. Gilpin

Transportation Engineer for Village Doug Cade

Village of Chesapeake, Law Enforcement Chief Russell Bennett

School

Chesapeake Exempted Village School, Superintendent Scott Howard

Chesapeake Exempted Village School, Transportation Director Alan Boggs

Chesapeake Elementary, Principal Kim Wells

Chesapeake Elementary, Physical Education Teacher Carl Pemberton

Chesapeake Elementary, School Nurse Lesa Slack

PTO / PTA Representative Jill Taylor

Community

Community Member Billie Smith Andy Hunt Local Business Person David Bennett Drew Griffin Local Pedestrian, Bicycle or Safety Advocate Kathy Gue Health Department, Sanitarian Paul O’Banion Primary Contact: Village of Chesapeake, Ohio

Fred R. Gilpin, Mayor 211 Third Avenue Chesapeake, Ohio 45619


July 2009

Section 2 – Introduction

The organizational goal is to provide opportunities to better the welfare of our children by

making available a safe environment for a healthy means of transportation to and from Chesapeake

Elementary School. The Village of Chesapeake and Chesapeake Exempted Village School District are the

organizations developing and executing the Chesapeake Safe Routes Travel Plan.

We have gathered information through parental/caregiver surveys, student in‐class travel tally

sheets and the participation of various stakeholders through meetings and phone conversations with

the purpose of putting together a quality plan. All of the information was compiled to produce

numerical and graphical results to be used to further the travel plan.

The number of students using healthy means of travel to school is just over 1%. We plan an

increase in the number of children walking/biking to Chesapeake Elementary School, from just over 5%

to a higher percent of those living within 2 miles of the school. In order to accomplish the desired

increase, the stakeholders need to gather all the problems and concerns, and define and analyze data

for safer and healthier children.


July 2009

Section 3 – Public Input Process

On May 21, 2008, Chesapeake Elementary School hosted a meeting with the participation of

stakeholders to discuss current safety and health concerns of where children will be using active means

of transportation to include in the plan.

The stakeholders discussed the Safe Routes to School program, the Chesapeake Safe Routes

Travel Plan, and the 5 E’s. The discussion included the data from the school surveys, as well as

stakeholder concerns and issues that hinder the healthy lifestyles of children. The school nurse

provided the student wellness policy and spoke of concerns as well.

On January 26, 2009, The Village of Chesapeake conducted a Public Involvement meeting at the

Village Hall in Chesapeake, Ohio. Eight people were in attendance and participated in a presentation

that discussed the components of the Plan and the steps that remain to complete the Plan. General

Discussion was conducted to obtain information regarding Barriers to Active Transportation and

Potential Solutions to promote healthy travel habits. Each participant was presented with a

Questionnaire to write down their thoughts regarding the Barriers and Solutions. To date no response

from those questionnaires have been received.

Additional Stakeholders meetings were conducted on March 9, 2009 and May 19, 2009. These

meetings identified Barriers to Active Transportation and potential solutions to address these barriers.

The suggestions and solutions can be viewed in Section 8, 9 and 10 of this plan.

A final Public Input Meeting was held at the Village of Chesapeake on May 13, 2009 to review

the final details of the plan and gather additional public input. Only one person from the general public

was in attendance and he expressed the need for sidewalks along Rockwood Avenue..


July 2009

As on ongoing effort to improve the School Travel Plan, the stakeholders will continue to

consider and evaluate more issues that lead to obesity.

Additional public input will be gathered through the notification to the general public through

the local newspaper and the Village’s website that the Plan is available for review and comment. Any

comments that are received will be addressed in future updates of the Plan.

Section 4 – Scope of Project

The Chesapeake safe routes travel plan is based on the 576 students (Kindergarten‐4th)

attending Chesapeake Elementary only. The travel plan will encourage students using healthy means of

travel (ex. walk/bike), address parental/caregiver and stakeholder concerns, and how these needs may

be addressed to increase the number of students using healthy travel methods.

The Chesapeake procedure for busing of children include, bus pick‐up and drop‐off in the front

of the school, and parental pick‐up and drop‐off in the staff/visitor parking lot area along the side of the

school. The pedestrian traffic is confined to two sides of the building, the front for school busing and

the side for parental vehicles.

Section 5 – School Demographics

The Village of Chesapeake is located along the Ohio River in Lawrence County, Ohio.

Chesapeake is directly across the Ohio River from Huntington, West Virginia. Lawrence County is

located in the Appalachian Region of the State. The demographics for Chesapeake Elementary and

information of the Village of Chesapeake and Lawrence County are located below.


July 2009

Chesapeake Elementary1

Number of Students

Percent of Students

Total Students, grades K‐4 576 100%Caucasian 561 97%African American 3 1%Hispanic 2 0%Multiracial 10 2%Native American 0 0%

Low Income Students 245 43%Students with Limited English Proficiency 0 0%Special Education Students 56 10%

Students

Government Entities2

Number of Residents

Percent of Residents

Village of ChesapeakePopulation 842 100%

Lawrence County Poverty Rate 11,778 18.9%Unemployment Rate 2,200 7.9%Population 62,319 100%

Entity

Section 6: Current School Travel Environment

TRANSPORTATION

The information provided in this section is based on the travel habits realized for the elementary facility.

It is anticipated that similar travel habits will continue to be experienced at this facility and this data is

used to assist in the development of this Plan

1 Source: Chesapeake Exempted Village School data.

2 Source: Population and Poverty Rate based on 2000 US Census data. Unemployment Rate based on Labor Market Information, Ohio Bureau of Employment, July 2000.


July 2009

Busing and Drop‐off:

o Based off the parent/caregiver surveys 44% of the students are bused to school, while those riding in family car or carpooling represent 51%. Many of these children live within walking or biking distance.

Children Walking or Biking

o Of the total number of students from the parent/caregiver survey, just over 1% are walking or biking to school.

o Students within walking distance (1 mile) represent 19%.

o Those students living within biking distance (2 miles) represent 37%.

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL TO SCHOOL

Procedures

o School classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.

o The buses come to the bus zone in front of the building where students riding

the bus arrive/depart. Students that are picked up by the family car walk to the

side of the building where the cars are lined up and protected from the bus

traffic. Students that walk or bike to school are held in the cafeteria until after

the buses have left the school.

o Currently, there are no bicycle racks for students to put their bikes.

CHESAPEAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRENT PROGRAMS

ADA Regulations

o The school currently meets all American Disabilities Acts regulations. This

includes outside entrances, sidewalks and restrooms. As standards change in

the ADA, the school will make the necessary improvements to meet those

requirements for their facility.


July 2009

Wellness Program

o The Wellness Program consists of encouraging nutritious foods, discouraging

foods of less nutritional value, and providing an encouraging environment.

Parent/Caregiver Survey Comments

The parents and caregivers have given multiple comments about walking and biking to school

from the parent/caregiver surveys about the environment. These comments assisted in defining the

environment and are located below.

1 There is no way we can do this with no sidewalks through the city & 45 mph speed on main streets

2I think if children are close enough and are responsible enough, in a safe environment sure it's ok for children to walk

3 I think this would be a very good ideal the kids would like this.

4 I would love for my child to walk to school, but it is to long to walk.

5I think walking or biking is a good idea as kids aren't allowed much outside time at Chesapeake Schools.

6 We live off of Old 52 No Sidewalks, safety patrols, too much crime.

Comments

Section 7: Barriers to Active Transportation

This project has been developed to address barriers to students walking or biking to school. Meetings have been held with school officials, local government agencies, consulting engineers, and the Ohio Department of Transportation. These topics are a summary of the conversations.

1. Students that are not bused to school will use missing or insufficient walkways which are in close proximity to school‐generated traffic volumes.

2. Safety Patrol is needed to promote safety and provide enforcement of traffic laws.

3. Lack of education of parents regarding the need to encourage children to bike or walk to school.

4. Bike racks at the school are needed so that bike can be secured while at school.


July 2009

5. The area has limited street lighting to permit safe travel from residential areas to the school during early morning or after school hours.

6. The speed limit is 20 MPH but vehicles travel faster than the posted speed limit.

7. Age of children in elementary school are too young to walk or bike to school without parental supervision until after 8th grade.

The following are detailed engineering barriers that were observed while ODOT’s Engineering Consultant visited the site in February 2009.


July 2009


July 2009

Section 8: Creating Solutions

The following solutions have been discussed, developed, and deemed appropriate for this project by the team members and agencies involved. As projects are funded, the team will assess the effectiveness of the project and make updates and new recommendations to this plan.

Engineering – Perform physical solutions that develop and improve walking and bicycling infrastructure. The engineering section comprises of a multiple phases to be performed in sequential order as seen on the Engineering Report.

Education – Begin educational activities to increase the awareness of solutions to safety and health issues.

Enforcement – Work with Village Police to identify and implement ways to reduce speeding traffic which affects safety near the school.

Encouragement – Provide ways for the community and school organizations to promote walking and bicycling to school through encouragement.

Evaluation – The project will be re‐evaluated after each phase has been implemented. Any changes from the re‐evaluation will be updated in the plan. The stakeholder team meetings and public meetings will be continued as the projects progress.

The following are detailed engineering improvements that were recommended by ODOT’s Engineering Consultant visited the site in February 2009.


July 2009


July 2009

In addition to these improvements, the Stake Holders felt that it was imperative to address areas outside the immediate perimeter of the school in order to address actually where students lived in the Village in order to encourage a safe environment and without walking on busy residential and arterial streets. These areas are as follows: 1. Brown Street 2. Wildwood Drive 3. Powhatan Avenue 4. Henson Lane 5. Rosslyn Street 6. Second Avenue


July 2009

7. Third Avenue 8. Fourth Street 9. Fifth Street 10. Sixth Street 11. Rockwood Avenue 12. Pemberton Avenue 13. County Road 1 from Library to Middle School Section 9: Improvement Mapping


July 2009


July 2009

Section 10: Action Plan / Action Plan Goals / Phase Description

Strategy Type (5E's)

Strategy Name Strategy Detail Time Frame

Responsible Party Status

Estimated Cost

Possible Funding Source

Percent of Affected Students

Engineering Bike Racks

Locate 2 Racks in front of

schoolFY 2011

4th Quarter School DistrictFinal

Review $ 2,500 Federal Funding 17%

Engineering

County Road 1 Zone

Improvements

School Zone and Warning

Signage/ Pavement Markings

FY 2011 4th Quarter

School District and Lawrence

CountyFinal


Engineering

School Vicinity Sidewalk Additions

County Road 1 Sidewalks

FY 2011 4th Quarter


CountyFinal


Engineering

School Frontage Intersection Upgrades

County Road 1 Crosswalk Signage and Pavement Markings

FY 2012 4th Quarter


CountyFinal


Engineering

Sidewalk / and Intersection Improvements Phase 1

Streets within 0.5 miles

FY 2013 4th Quarter

Village, County and School

DistrictFinal


Engineering



FY 2014 4th Quarter


DistrictFinal


Engineering



FY 2015 4th Quarter


DistrictFinal



July 2009

Strategy Type (5E's) Strategy Name Strategy Detail Time FrameResponsible

Party StatusEstimated

Cost



Education Health Class Educate Students on the benefits of walking and biking

School Year 2011/12

Village and School District

To be implemented when initial project is built.

$1,500 Federal Funding

100%

Education Bicycle Training

Educate students on bicycle safety

School Year 2011/12




100%

Encouragement Health Walk Using current Bike path, one week each year logs miles walked and promote good health

School Year 2011/12



$500 Federal Funding

17%

Encouragement Walk to School Day

Using current bike path, all students and staff participate

School Year 2011/12




17%


July 2009

Strategy Type (5E's)Strategy

NameStrategy

Detail Time FrameResponsible

Party StatusEstimated

Cost



Encouragement Walking School Bus

Adults and High School students walk to school with children

School Year 2011/12




17%

Encouragement Awards Reward students that walk/bike to school.

School Year 2011/12




17%

Enforcement Safety Patrol Provide Security and safety to students that walk/bike to school

School Year 2011/12


To be implemented during encouragement.


17%

Enforcement Ironton City Police

Control student and parent traffic

School Year 2011/12


To be implemented during encouragement.


39%


July 2009

Strategy Type (5E's)

Strategy Name Strategy Detail Time Frame

Responsible Party Status

Estimated Cost



Evaluation Number Students walking biking

Log the Number of Miles Students walk/bike

Annually Village and School District

Ongoing $500 Federal Funding

17%

Evaluation Accident Rates Log the Number of Accidents



17%

Evaluation Online Data Evaluation

Acquire data results from online evaluation



17%


July 2009


July 2009

Section 12: Supporting Documents –Engineering Study


July 2009


July 2009

Appendix


July 2009

Map of Student Residences in Proximity to School


July 2009