CDBG funds to help West Chester expand sidewalk network

Thanks to $148,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, West Chester Township is able to take a significant step forward in implementing its Connections Plan.  The CDBG funding will be combined with $40,000 from West Chester Township to construct sidewalks along Fountains Boulevard south of Cincinnati-Dayton Road.

"This grant award is a significant milestone in the development of West Chester’s Connection Plan," said West Chester Township Board of Trustees President Lee Wong.  "Sidewalks and bike paths make the community more enjoyable and provide residents with a safe alternative form of transportation."

According to project managers, the sidewalk project will construct a six-foot-wide path along Fountains Boulevard, and its final completed length will depend upon costs at time of construction.

The new sidewalks are being installed in a primarily residential area of West Chester that has experienced tremendous growth over the past two decades.  Since 1990, West Chester has nearly doubled in population and has seen the addition of thousands of new jobs including high profile companies like G.E. Aviation and AK Steel.

"These new sidewalks will provide safer access for residents of the adjoining neighborhoods to the new, growing commercial development," said Trustee George Lang. "Investors in this midtown district of our community have been supportive of the emphasis on pedestrian-friendly development, and this project will strengthen that effort."

The addition of all the new residents and businesses have created higher pedestrian counts in the area according to West Chester officials who state that increased safety and an enhanced quality of life is what's being pursued in West Chester's Connections Plan which is funded by money generated from local recycling efforts.

Writer: Randy A. Simes
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