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NILES -- One project aimed at improving the quality of life for students actively commuting to school wrapped up earlier this year, but another one is in the works thanks to state funding, according to Mayor Steven Mientkiewicz.
Niles was one of two Trumbull County communities among the 17 that received about $8.8 million from this year's Ohio Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program, which was announced in mid-August.
The Safe Routes to School program is designed to help communities build and improve infrastructure near schools, encompassing sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes.
Mientkiewicz said the city's project, for which it received $500,000, is directed toward pedestrian enhancements for the middle school area.
It will include sidewalks, Americans with Disabilities Act curb ramps, crosswalks and signalization, as well as pedestrian equipment on parts of Main, Second, Brown and Third streets, he added.
Mientkiewicz said the city began its active transportation plan in 2021, which it needed to be eligible for Safe Routes to School funding. Officials identified projects near schools that would allow for updated infrastructure for students going back and forth to school.
"A couple of years ago, the John Street sidewalk replacement project, geared toward Niles Intermediate School, we had gotten funded through Safe Routes to School -- the city's first-ever Safe Routes to School Grant," Mientkiewicz said.
That project, which was an estimated $399,200 and chosen because of its proximity to both Niles Intermediate and McKinley High School and the poor condition of the sidewalks, was completed in spring, according to Mientkiewicz.
"We had a safe streets demonstration in that area of the middle school; we actually worked with our students at Niles Middle School and administrators and teachers at Niles Middle School to host the safe street demonstration," Mientkiewicz said.
Mientkiewicz said having the students involved in the planning of a project that benefits them and their future peers was a "very neat" experience.
Regarding the funds the city was just awarded, Mientkiewicz said the project's total estimate is $700,000, meaning the city will match with $200,000 for the entire project.
Mientkiewicz said the project is still in planning, and it'll go to the Ohio Department of Transportation for its final design.
Mientkiewicz said Safe Routes projects are programmed approximately two years out, meaning the funding will be available for construction in 2028 or 2029.
He said the project will likely be bid out in late 2028, with construction kicking off in 2029.
In terms of the need for the improvements, Mientkiewicz noted the community's older infrastructure.
"City ordinance puts the onus of maintenance, upkeep and construction or replacement sidewalks on the homeowner, on the property owner," Mientkiewicz said. "It's always in our best interest to seek grants to help improve that infrastructure."
Mientkiewicz said it's a "win-win" when improving infrastructure for the city's students and geared toward areas around its school zones.