119th sidewalk needs your support NOW!

Letters of support (or emails) are urgently needed to help Washington County secure a $1.2 million grant to build a sidewalk along 119th Ave. The sidewalk would extend from Cornell Road along the west side of 119th, connecting to McDaniel at the Bluffs near Bonny Slope School.

At the October 12 Work Session, the Washington County Board of Commissioners gave the go-ahead to the Land Use and Transportation (LUT) Department to apply for an ODOT Flexible Funding Grant in the amount of $1.2 million to build the sidewalk. LUT has found that it owns enough right-of-way along that side to avoid having to purchase additional land.

One of the factors that will influence ODOT in awarding this grant is community support. Please sit down right now and write a letter or an email to the ODOT Grant Committee, care of Clare Fuchs, Associate Planner at LUT, supporting this much-needed project. They must reach her by Friday, November 5 at 5 pm to be included in the grant application.

There will be a box at the Cedar Mill Community Library to collect letters up until 3 pm on Friday November 5, and then they'll be delivered to the county office. If you send email instead, please provide your full name and address so the grant reviewers know you live in the community.

From the grant guidelines: "Projects identified for these funds should help create livable and sustainable communities where multimodal transportation facilities, services and programs provide safe, comfortable and convenient options that support active living.

"Projects should provide equitable options for accessing housing, jobs, services and educational and recreational opportunities. The outcomes of these investments will help Oregonians access transportation choices and enhance energy independence and sustainability."

TriMet's Line 50 has stops all along the west side of 119th, and Beaverton School District's buses stop there also. Even if you don't use the street for walking currently, you're encouraged to add your voice in supporting this effort to increase safety and livability in our neighborhoods.

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