L-B students' sidewalk work recognized

FINDLAY — It all started two years ago when a class of Liberty-Benton seventh graders was assigned to read a book called "Seedfolks." The young adult work by Paul Fleischman is about people making a change in their community — in this case, coming together through a community garden. After finishing the book, reading teacher Lindsay Taylor asked what changes the students could make in their community. Several said they would put in sidewalks so more kids could walk to school. The idea grew from there, and the students became known as the Sidewalk Crew. This year, there were 14 members. "I think that it's really cool that these guys have stuck with it since seventh grade," said Taylor who has served as their advisor since the start. "It stemmed from a class project so it wasn't even any sort of extra group or anything like that. It was just a project we did in class, and they've decided to see it through all the way into their sophomore year which is so cool." A dedication ceremony was held Saturday, and a sign was placed to commemorate the students' achievements. A Wheels & Heels bicycle rodeo also took place. Crew member Mady Jenkins lives nearby the school and said it's one of the places she likes to go for walks. "I used to walk to school so I wanted walking to be more available to everybody," she said. "It was a fun project, and I love my class with it so it was good to see us all work together. I think sticking with it really helped us bond as a team and work on those leadership skills. But it's been a fun project, and I will miss it." Vivian McCartney said she stayed involved because she wanted to see the project come to fruition. "I wanted us to get the grant and put the sidewalks in and still be involved when we got to the pay-off of the hard work we put in," she said. "I think it's bittersweet because I've had such fun being involved in the project, but I'm happy we accomplished our goal and will get to see the end of it. Our hard work has paid off, and we get to enjoy it now." The first step involved drafting letters to Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn, members of the school board and Superintendent Bruce Otley. "Sometimes we get little things from it. This by far has been the biggest thing that's come from that project," said Taylor. "And this is so cool, this group, they all wrote their individual letters, but they said, you know what, we all want to write a letter together," she added. "They actually wrote to the mayor first. She said it was out of her jurisdiction, and they wouldn't stop. They said, whose jurisdiction it is?" That's when Doug Cade, the Hancock County engineer, met with the class and talked about the planning process for this kind of project. He also told them about some funding opportunities. Cade introduced the students to the Safe Routes to School program. Funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the grant provides up to $500,000 a year in infrastructure projects built within a two-mile radius of a school. The students wrote an 89-page grant proposal in their own words and were awarded a Safe Routes to School grant for nearly $1 million, Taylor said. The first part of the grant involved installing approximately 2,800 feet of a 10-foot wide concrete sidewalk starting on County Road 9 and extending to Ohio 12. The project also included a pedestrian crossing at County Road 9 on Early Drive. They were awarded $462,945.00 for phase I of the project. Door decorating and coloring contests were hosted by the Sidewalk Crew to introduce students, teachers and staff to the idea. A walk-a-thon was also held where students in the elementary/middle school walked around the track for 30 minutes — reaching 534 miles. Additionally, the student-led project involved community forums, data collection, analysis and writing, said Taylor. Last June, she was notified that they would receive funding for phase II — construction of 3,630 feet of a 5-foot wide sidewalk along County Road 88 from Dold Drive to Palm Drive, including a pedestrian crossing at Nebraska Avenue and West Sandusky Street. The students decided to repeat the activities from before with a walk-a-thon on Friday, then the dedication ceremony and a bike rodeo on Saturday. Sidewalk construction on phase II is expected to begin next summer. This represents a $544,074.02 value to the community. Zero tax payer dollars were spent for the new sidewalk and crosswalks. Taylor said she's lucky to have been able to work with the students even after they moved onto the high school where they recently completed their sophomore year. "I've stuck with them all the way through because they're kind of awesome," she said. Vivian said it's been a fun project and she'll miss it. "It's the first leadership role I've had and big project. I've never done anything like this," she said. "But it's kind of sad that it's ending because it was such a cool experience, and I learned so much from it.