Six schools in the Pendleton community will participate in Safe Routes to School Walk Audits and Community Meetings the week of October 7^th. This is a cooperative project between Umatilla County, City of Pendleton and the Pendleton School District.

Pendleton recently received funding from the Oregon Department of

Transportation (ODOT) Safe Routes to School Project Identification Process (PIP). The funding is for creating a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Plan to identify how to improve streets near the school to support families in getting to school safely. The SRTS Plan will also outline opportunities for education and encouragement events to promote walking and biking to school. Planners from Alta Planning + Design (www.altaplanning.com), active transportation planning consulting firm, will lead the planning process.

The Walk Audits and Community Meetings will identify walking and biking opportunities and challenges around the school area. Alta planners, school leadership, roadway authority representatives and family members will document conditions that may discourage walking and biking to school, and work to identify solutions to these challenges.

The schedule is:

• Pendleton Early Learning Center, October 7^th
  Walk Audit-2:15 pm, Community Meeting-3:15 pm
• Pendleton High & Hawthorne School, October 8^th
  Walk Audit-7:30 am, Community Meeting-8:30 am
• McKay Creek Elementary School, October 8^th
  Walk Audit-2:30 pm, Community Meeting-3:30 pm
• Sherwood Heights Elementary School, October 9^th
  Walk Audit-7:45 am, Community Meeting-8:45 am
• Sunridge Middle School, October 9^th
  Walk Audit-2:15 pm, Community Meeting- 3:15 pm
• Washington Elementary School, October 10^th
  Walk Audit-7:45 am, Community Meeting-8:45 am

All Walk Audits will begin at the flagpole in front of each school. Students, parents, teachers and community members are invited to participate. Following the Walk Audit, there will be a Community Meeting to brainstorm improvements for walking and biking to school and discuss opportunities for SRTS education and encouragement.

Additionally, ODOT asks families to share feedback and experiences getting to school using the Interactive Online Tool. For more information about the Walk Audits and Community Meetings, please contact Chris Fritsch, Pendleton School District Superintendent, 541-276-6711, or visit ODOT’s SRTS Page.