Safe walking route coming for Fuqua Elementary

Apr. 18—A state grant will help a Terre Haute nonprofit improve a crosswalk and create a designated safe walking route to Fuqua Elementary School.

Wabash Valley riverSCAPE has been awarded an $8,339 grant from the Indiana Department of Health to "implement a tactical urbanism project," said board member Jane Santucci. The grant will be matched by $5,700 in materials and labor.

The project is slated to start in August, at the startup of the 2021-2022 school year.

"This will focus on the crosswalk behind the school on Margaret Avenue and improve the stop bar there," Santucci said. "When they put the stop bar there, it is too close to the crosswalk, so if that is what signals drivers to stop, that puts them inches away from pedestrians. Part of the project is to move the stop bar back and we plan to put a brightly colored Fuqua Falcon on the stop bar.

"And we will use this grant opportunity to have the first pilot safe routes to school, a national initiative to encourage students to walk to school," she said. "We will work on the project this summer to ramp up for it."

Additionally, donated stencils that focus on health and wellness are planned to decorate the school lawn. The stencils would be sprayed on the lawn and would be removed when the grass is cut. The stencils can be used over and over again on the grass leading to Margaret Avenue.

Another idea is to repurpose political signs to give empowering, positive messages to students to read to and from school, Santucci said.

Currently 69 students are "registered walkers" that can walk up to 1-mile to the school, however, many of those students get rides and are dropped off at the school.

The project will work with the city's police department to monitor traffic speeds before, during and after the project. The idea, Santucci said, is to gain insight into what prevents students from walking and then work to overcome those barriers.

A longer-term focus would be bring attention to an abandoned railroad line that connects Fuqua Elementary to Rea Park that could potentially become a walking trail for students.

Volunteers interested in helping with the project should contact riverSCAPE via email at riverscape@ecrodgers.com. The project is supported by the city of Terre Haute, Vigo County School Corp., Vigo County Purdue Extension, Swope Art Museum, Union Health and the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce.

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.