News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Van Buren County School Board voted to help the City of Spencer improve sidewalks with a grant match Wednesday night.
Engineering Consultant Zeida Hillis said the Safe Routes to School Sidewalk Project requires a 20 percent match. Director of Schools Jared Copeland said the city is asking the school system to help pitch in $31,239 which is 50 percent of the match cost. Copeland said the board voted to help cover the cost as the project would benefit the school system and the community.
“This area right in front of the school doesn’t currently have a safe sidewalk,” Copeland said. “There’s no real area for students that live in this part of town to really safely get here if they walk so it’s just both groups saw a need that needs to be met and agreed to partner with it and get it done.”
Chairman Tim Hodges said the school board originally approved chipping in $22,000 for the project several years ago before the project was severely delayed. Spencer City Council will vote to apply for the grant during Thursday night’s council meeting.
Copeland said even though the cost has gone up, the school board’s budget will not take a major hit.
“It has been in the works for a while,” Copeland said. “Cost did increase a little bit and you know obviously, it will over a span of time but nothing prohibited us from tackling it.”
Copeland said for a small school system they do have quite a few students who walk to school.
“Surprisingly yes, there are some students that live in that direction where the sidewalk will be built,” Copeland said. “So it will just be easier and safer access for them. Right now they kind of have to go up a hill and through a ditch and it’s not just real clear and safe.”
The project will place a five-foot-wide sidewalk that starts at the Van Buren County High School baseball field and will connect to another sidewalk on Billingsley Street.
In other business, the board approved the school year calendars for the 2026-2026 and 2026-2027 school years.
The board to make changes to the Student Suicide Prevention Policy. Copeland said the recommendation came from Check Mental Health and the changes are to clean up some verbiage the policy lacked.
