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Downtown Flint Magazine Technology is Driving Change August / September 2010 Presort - Std. U.S. Postage Paid Flint, MI Permit No. 239

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RevivalDowntown Flint

Magazine

Technology is Driving ChangeAugust / September 2010

Presort - Std.U.S. Postage Paid

Flint, MIPermit No. 239

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601 S. Saginaw St. Suite 304

Flint, MI 48502Voice/Fax: 810-768-7109

Downtown Flint Revival Magazine is published by Integrated Marketing and Publishing, LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without expressed written

consent of the publisher.

Staff

Integrated

Marketing &

Publishing

Revivalistdowntownflintrevival.com 3

RevivalDowntown Flint

Magazine

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RevivalDowntown Flint

Magazine

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Fitness & Public Transportation

Crim SAGELooks to Improve

AlternativeTransportion

By Dave Crabill

What good does it do to tell people to lead active lives if there aren’t sidewalks to walk on, safe bicycle facilities, or outdoor places to play? The Crim Fitness Foundation recognizes this and in the past few years has taken its more than 30 years of experience with health and fitness to the next level through work with the Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone (SAGE) collaborative to create public places where all people can be physically active.

The SAGE collaborative, facilitated by the Crim and funded by the Ruth Mott Foundation includes nonprofits, local government, businesses, and residents that are striving to improve community design and policies that support active living. Imagine your hometown as an active community where a connected transportation network allows people to walk, bike, or use public transportation to get to work, school, or to run errands and in the process enhance neighborhood safety and build a stronger sense of community. That is what SAGE helps communities throughout Genesee County accomplish.

Some of SAGE’s notable successes include implementation of county wide trail signage, events to educate the community on bike safety, and advocacy for Complete Streets. The Complete Streets concept includes designs and policies to ensure pedestrians, bicyclists, seniors, and people with disabilities are considered during transportation project planning, with the end result of having safe places for all people to be active.

In September 2009, SAGE partnered with the City of Flint Transportation Department to introduce a Complete Streets resolution; the city council passed it unanimously, which illustrates political support for creating streets that accommodate not only cars, but all users. Complete Streets is not “one size fits all,” it looks different depending on whether the community is rural, suburban, or part of urban downtown district.

Recently, streets in downtown Flint have undergone some major changes to make them more “complete.” South Saginaw Street was put on a “road diet” where the number of travel lanes for cars was reduced to make room for bike lanes and a left turn lane. The

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city of Flint also changed many one way streets to two way streets and added on-street parking, as well as pavement markings such as bike lanes and “Share the Road” (sharrow) symbols. Through these changes, Flint is signaling that it is moving toward being a 21st Century community that offers residents and visitor’s transportation choices and opportunities to be active.

Research shows that that when there are safe places to walk and bike, people will use them .One study found that 43% of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of their home met recommended activity levels; among those without safe places to walk only 27% met the recommendation. Also, residents are 65% more likely to walk in a neighborhood with sidewalks. And nearly one third of transit users meet the Surgeon General’s recommendations for minimum daily exercise through their daily travels.

So why do we care whether communities are designed so that people can be active? Beyond the obvious health benefits, these so-called active communities are what young talent look for when choosing a place to live. It’s location first, job second. To position Genesee County for growth and prosperity, it must be a priority to create great places where people want to live. These “great places” are walkable, bikeable and have public spaces that are safe and inviting. Be part of creating great places in Genesee County by learning more about complete streets, active transportation, and advocating for active living.

For more information about SAGE, visit www.activegenesee.org or contact Lauren Holaly, Crim Active Living Coordinator at [email protected] or (810) 235-7801.

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By Dave Crabill

The Best of Friends

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Fitness & Public Transportation

The year was 1989. A group of civic-minded leaders came together to promote the importance of public transportation in Genesee County. Today, the Friends of Public Transportation continues to play a vital role in promoting public transportation to meet the ever-changing transit needs of our community.

Operating as a non-profit organization, the group’s primary goal is to raise funds for use in promoting safe, convenient, reliable public transit services that are affordable for residents in Flint and Genesee County. Since its inception, the Friends of Public Transportation have provided financial support in promoting public transit millage proposals aimed at improving the quality of life of all residents in our county.

The group’s current President, Michael Zelley, also president of The Disability Network, recognizes the importance of quality public transit services, especially for the elderly, the economically disadvantaged and persons with disabilities.

“There’s no question that our community benefits from the many public transit options available to us. Without these services, thousands of residents in Genesee County would be unable to get to and from work, to medical appointments or to educational facilities,” Zelley stated.

“Public transportation is not something you can take for granted,” says a current Friends

board member. “Safe, affordable, reliable transit services help to strengthen our area’s economy by creating and supporting jobs and saving people money. Well-planned transit systems like ours also help to attract new businesses as employers want reliable, convenient transportation options for their employees,” he stated.

The group also points out that convenient public transit options result in fewer vehicles on the road, decreasing carbon emissions and improving the environment by reducing air pollution. That’s a benefit we can all breathe easier about.

Membership in theFriends of Public Transportation

is open to individuals, organizationsand associations interested in

furthering the group’s purposes.

For more information, contactMichael Zelley at (810) 742-1800.

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Fitness & Public Transportation

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By Victor J. Lukasavitz, PS/CZA

StimulusMoney at Work

New trail along Sunset Boulevard running through a wooded area approaching Ballenger Highway

New trail placement between Sunset Boulevard and Mott Park Golf Course looking west toward Ballenger Highway.

Look for a ribbon cutting Late Summer - Early Fall, 2010.

Many other pathway projects are under design, construction, or funding consideration throughout the county.

According to Lukasavitz, this pathway which will run from downtown Flint near the State Building next to the University of Michigan - Flint west across Saginaw Street and through Carriage Town Historic District then continue west behind Atwood Stadium and continues along the Flint River and Bluff Street to Kettering University, where it will run along Chevrolet Avenue and University Drive to Sunset Boulevard it will then cross University Drive to the north side of Sunset and run between Sunset and Mott Park Golf Course to Ballenger Highway where it will turn north along Ballenger at McLaren Hospital. This section is Phase One of two (2) phases. The preliminary engineering is complete for the second phase which will follow the Flint River along its north bank to Linden Road through Flint Township. The Flint River Kettering Trail is about 2.5 miles long and will be officially open around Labor Day, 2010.

This new trail will provide connections for many users to neighborhoods along the route, bus stops, stores and shops, community facilities, and other existing and proposed trail systems. When this trail is open, users will be able to walk, ride, roller blade, or bicycle from McLaren Hospital area to Stepping Stone Falls and even Geneseeville on Mott Lake via trail systems along the Flint River.

Lukasavitz states that trails such as this bring to a community a better quality of life, better health, increased economics, increased home and property values, and an alternate form of transportation. He says they are already receiving very positive comments from those who live along the trail route and from early users. The Flint River Kettering Extension is the first major non-motorized transportation facility to be constructed in years within the City of Flint. This trail will become a major connection to other similar projects to be constructed within Flint.

Construction is underway and about sixty percent (60%) complete on a new universal multi-use hard surface blacktop pathway in the City of Flint along the Flint River. This facility, the Flint River Kettering Trail, was provided $1.017 million from the stimulus fund (American Recovery and Investment Act). Gould Engineering, Inc.’s president, Victor Lukasavitz, is pleased that his firm was selected to design this project for the City of Flint.

Trail along SunsetBoulevard and Mott Park Golf Course indicating early users.

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Fitness & Public Transportation