You may recall that in May 2011, Katie Traverse (WCC Trustee and new Wedgwood Elementary PTA President) submitted an application for designing sidewalk improvements around Wedgwood Elementary. Two months later, the WE CAN Safety Project was preliminarily awarded $20,000 after being ranked as the #1 project by the Northeast District Council. Building on this good news, Bernie Matsuno (Director of the City’s Department of Neighborhoods) wrote in a letter that the WE CAN Safety Project was 1 of 20 projects being recommended to City Council for funding. Furthermore, the City is recommending the project be awarded $95,000 to develop 60% plans for the new network of sidewalks.
Should the Council award these projects in November as recommended, it would reflect a significant investment by the City commensurate with the significant safety problem that currently exists for those children, parents, and teachers who walking to and from school. Keep your fingers crossed that the Council approves the project at the recommended funding level. It is budget season after all.