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Tuesday, 10 March 2009 |
 Amador County - Construction activity near Argonaut High School in Jackson signifies the first improvement project to be implemented as a result of the Safe Route to School Grant. Safe Routes to School is a concept aimed at increasing the number of children who walk or bicycle to school by funding projects that remove barriers that currently prevent them from doing so. The program has been adopted by the California Legislature and is available to qualifying cities and counties. A local match of 10 percent is required. Approximately one year ago, the City of Jackson qualified for a chunk of the $780,000 allocated for countywide improvements under the stimulus package. The first project on the list includes curb, gutter and sidewalk installation from Hoffman to Mariposa Street beginning Tuesday March 10 through March 20. Area residents and those travelling to and from the High School can expect delays from 5 to 10 minutes. Pacific Gas and Electric company will also be relocating some power poles. This may result in some interruptions of power service during this time. “It’s a great project in general and a great addition to the area near the high school,” said Jackson City Manager Mike Daly, adding: “The pavement there is in real bad shape.” He said the next project will be a reconfiguration of the intersection at Court Street and Highway 88, currently in the preliminary engineering phase. Many Jackson officials have stated their support for funding received through the grant and the cause it supports. According to CALTRANS, the legislation came partly as the result of a worrisome rise in obesity amongst children and teenagers. Thirty years ago, 60 percent of children living within a 2-mile radius of a school walked or bicycled to school. Today, that number has dropped to less than 15 percent. And back then, 5 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 were considered to be overweight or obese. Today, that number has climbed to 20 percent. Jackson is the first city to receive and implement funding through this grant in Amador County. Story by Alex Lane
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