About Us

 

The Safe Routes to School Chagrin Falls program is a cooperative endeavor between the Village, the school district, the police department and the community. The purpose of the Chagrin Falls Safe Routes to School program is to maintain and improve safe walking conditions around the Chagrin Falls schools. We seek to make walking and biking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age. The Safe Routes team is confident that a few changes each year, as part of an overall strategy to encourage healthy and active lifestyles while raising awareness about safety, can make a big difference in our community. The group holds regular open meetings with meeting dates and times posted on our website.

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a National initiative. Federal funds were made available through the US through legislation passed by Congress in 2005. In this legislation, termed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Congress designated a total of $612 million toward developing the National Safe Routes to School Program. The Ohio SRTS program is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and is administered by ODOT. The Ohio SRTS program aims to assist communities in helping children walk safely to school, while developing good walking habits for a lifetime.

Funding from ODOT has been used by many Ohio communities to first assess barriers to active transportation and later to implement changes to improve safety and encourage walking and biking. The State of Ohio approved over $11 million in funding to Ohio communities in 2010. The implications of SRTS programs within a community can be far-reaching and extend well beyond simply providing safety. Improvements to make walking and bicycling a more accessible and appealing transportation choice for students not only encourage a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age, but also provide opportunities for adults to rely less on their cars. Programs benefit the environment and a community’s quality of life by reducing traffic congestion and motor vehicle emissions.

For more information on the National Safe routes to School initiative, please visit their website.

Our Team

Our core team is comprised of representatives from the school district, police force, village council, library, local small business owners, community organizers and many, many parents.

 

  • Steven Patton (President, Village Council)
  • Kurt Gabram (Director of Facilities and Personnel, Chagrin Falls Exempted School District)
  • Christopher Woofter (Principal, Intermediate School)
  • Rebecca Holthaus (Principal, Middle School)
  • Sergeant Amber Dacek (Chagrin Falls Police)
  • Benjamin Himes (Village of Chagrin Falls)

Community Representatives:

  • Kathryn Garvey (Board President)
  • Angela DeBernardo (Board Vice-President)
  • Lorrie DiGiampietro
  • Jill Markey
  • Jacob English
  • Melissa Thomas