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19 <br /> Chair Bedford said that the county cannot fund all of these projects and there will be a <br /> process for selection. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENTS: <br /> Ben Tengelsen said he has children at Grady Brown Elementary and at AL Stanback <br /> Middle Schools. He said that a lack of sidewalks is notable around the community and that he <br /> has seen a lot of children walking around schools on the roads. He is an enthusiastic supporter <br /> of sidewalks. <br /> Terren Green said she is a Cedar Ridge High School parent. She noted that there are <br /> children walking to the high school as well as young drivers and she supports safer routes to <br /> schools. She asked the Board to pass the Safe Routes to School Plan. <br /> Carrie Winkler said that providing routes will be great for students as well as the <br /> community. She said she is excited to see this moving forward. She said there should be <br /> consideration for future tweaks to walking routes on the east side of Hillsborough. <br /> Barry Weston said he lives near Grady Brown Elementary School. He said the number of <br /> students walking along the road can be scary. He said that the area could also use better lighting. <br /> Rudy Free said he is a parent of two children at Cedar Ridge. He said that Oakdale Drive <br /> is also a treacherous road with drivers going too fast. He said his kids want to walk but it is an <br /> unsafe situation. <br /> Karen Clissold said she is a parent of a school aged child and that he would like to walk <br /> to school but she is terrified due to safety concerns. She said she looks forward to safety <br /> improvements. <br /> Richard von Furstenberg said he has two school aged children. He said that the burden <br /> of needing safe routes to school is not shared equally. He said that often the children walking are <br /> students of color and students who come from low-income families. <br /> Alissa Martucci said she bikes with her child to River Park Elementary daily and there is <br /> no particularly safe way to do that. She said that a crosswalk would be helpful. She said that the <br /> schools are part of the community and the pathways that get the students there safely will <br /> positively impact the community. <br /> Amy Gross said she is a teacher at Cedar Ridge High School. She said that sidewalks <br /> would allow more students to participate in activities before school and after school. She said the <br /> buses are a one-time shot and the students that rely on walking are a majority low-income <br /> students and this would be beneficial to allow them to participate in more activities. <br /> Chloe Pankratz said that there are students who walk to and from Cedar Ridge who were <br /> not included in the count. She said they seem low especially because some students have early <br /> release or late arrival. She said those would not have been included in the count. She said they <br /> walk at all times of the day. <br /> Christi Lewis said she is an employee of Orange Middle School. She described situations <br /> where she saw students walking back to school for events in the dark. She said that it is very <br /> dangerous, and more sidewalks would be a huge benefit for the community. <br /> Chair Bedford asked about lighting and if it is included in the projects. <br /> Nishith Trivedi said it is an administrative cost and considered a utility so he will look at <br /> this information and get back to the Board. <br /> Commissioner Fowler thanked everyone who made comments and participated in the <br /> report. <br /> Vice-Chair Greene also thanked everyone for their participation. She also expressed <br /> frustration with the rules in place that prevent funding for Bike/Ped projects that do not have a <br /> road included. <br />