Sidewalk makes walking to school safer

Sidewalk makes walking to school safer.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SCOTTVILLE — A new sidewalk along Maple Street between Reinberg Avenue and Gay Street is making the walk to school safer for many Mason County Central students. The lack of sidewalk, just west of Scottville Elementary, was identified in 2018 by the Scottville Planning Commission as a top priority in developing a safe school walking zone.

The $12,000 project is nearly completed. Some curb work and landscaping is still scheduled but pedestrians are now able to walk safely on the sidewalk instead of walking on Maple Street, which is a busy street during school drop-off and pick-up times. It is also common for the entire student population of Scottville Elementary to walk to one of the other MCC school buildings for special programs and assemblies.

City officials then began discussions with Mason County Central officials about partnering. The school had been a recipient of a $2,000 Safe and Healthy Schools grant, which it used to contribute to the project. The school also contributed an additional $2,000 with the city paying the balance.

Larsens Landscaping & Lawncare was hired for the majority of the project while Mac’s Tree Service cut down several trees that were in the path of the sidewalk. Scottville Department of Public Works employees also assisted.

One of the goals of the city’s master plan is to review all the city’s sidewalks and establish safe walking zones.

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