Walkability
Community committees across the Panhandle are striving to help their community become more accessible and safe for walking, biking, and rolling.
To join a committee in your community please reach out to Janelle Visser at jvisser@pphd.ne.gov
Kimball
Creating access to exercise opportunities through trail access, safer streets and sidewalk conditions, and deterring speeding in residential areas are key steps to making Kimball more walkable and bikeable.
"We'd like to see our citizens improve their health, fitness, and quality of life through daily physical activity," said Kerry Ferguson, KHS Director of Community Relations. "Active living is a key strategy Kimball Health Services has been committed to through their hospital Community Health Improvement Plan."
This work aligns with the Kimball Area Foundation Fund's vision, "The Trail to a Better Community." A community trail was added in 2018 providing a beautiful, traffic-free area for walking, running, and biking. The committee looks forward to trail upgrades in 2019.
Top priorities from a recent assessment of the ability to walk and bike around the community show the need to add sidewalks, trails, and bikes lanes. The Kimball Active Living Advisory Committee will put strategies in place for the community to benefit for years to come.
Tri-Cities Scottsbluff-Gering-Terrytown
Living an active life is a personal choice, but it’s a choice that is highly influenced by such things as community infrastructure. In recent surveys, both the Baby Boomer and Millennial generations showed a preference for living in communities that are comfortable for walking and biking.
The Scottsbluff, Gering, and Terrytown city councils have each committed through resolution the formation of the Tri-City Active Living Advisory Committee. The committee was designed to create and improve communication links and resource sharing between, and within, citizens and government.
“We are excited to have a diverse committee meeting on a regular basis to provide continuous feedback on projects that will ultimately impact the public’s ability to safely walk or bike around the community,” said Annie Folck, City Planner with the City of Gering.
Tri-Cities (Scottsbluff, Gering, Terrytown) The Tri-Cities conducted walk audits at Scottsbluff and Gering Schools and completed a goal of the Trail Treks guide (more details at right). Is your community interested in working on active living? Contact Janelle Visser today at jvisser@pphd.ne.gov or 308-487-3600!
Alliance
Activate Alliance, a community group working to make Alliance a safer place to walk, bike, and roll, is excited to offer a bike repair station for community use. The bike repair station was sponsored by Healthy Blue.
At left, Alliance Chamber Director Owen Burnett demonstrates how to use the station. It is conveniently located at 18th and Box Butte on the south side of Laing Lake and is available for anyone needing spur-of-the-moment maintenance and repair. The station offers bike mounting, nine common bicycle tools tethered to the station, an air pump, an ADA-compliant design, and a QR code for maintenance instructions for viewing from a smartphone.
Additionally, they added cart carriers to the bikes they offer for the bike share program to carry groceries and more!
Alliance continues to support and grow its Community Bike Share Program, providing bikes for free community use at locations around town. They plan to do more creative crosswalks at the high school and active play sidewalks on their trail and around town. They purchased blinking signs for a highly used crosswalk and conducted a walk audit at an intersection of concern.
Bridgeport
Bridgeport continues active living action planning with a diverse community committee to undertake their vision. Inspired to build ownership in their community, the committee name is, B Active Paths to Wellness, complete with a uniquely designed logo of Courthouse and Jail Rocks in the background.
Gordon
The Gordon and Rushville communities continue to use 5th graders for traffic crossing guards. Guards are trained by principals and law enforcement. Gordon continues assessing ways to reduce the speed limit on Main Street. Committee members including representatives from the hospital, school, and city continue to collaborate to increase safe and accessible walking biking and rolling.