Help city get state funds for improvements; write emails, letters of support today!

Tehachapi City Engineer Jay Schlosser and city staff are seeking residents' comments as they work frantically to meet a May 21 deadline to submit applications for state Active Transportation Program grants for non-motorized transportation. If successful, the grants will remedy several major mobility problems and improve safety for children walking to and from school.

The projects include a quarter-mile track at Warrior Park, complete with exercise nodules; improvements that will keep students off the dirt and off the streets in their walk to school; and a major overhaul of Mill Street bridge, which, in its current traffic configuration, is a scary place for pedestrians and cyclists.

"We are desperately looking for your comments and support," Schlosser said. Residents can make a real impact by sending emails or letters to him, which he will include in the applications. In a blitz of presentations to civic groups beginning May 5 at the City Council, Schlosser said that it's good to include personal experiences related to the applications.

The state rolled out the program – which makes available an unprecedented pool of $360 million – on March 21. Training was available on April 21 and the completed applications are due May 21. "I will be starting production by May 15," he said. "I need all the comments by Wednesday [May 14] or Thursday [May 15]. Tehachapi, as a rural community with lower-than-average income for the purposes of the applications, qualifies for 100 percent funding.

Email [email protected] or drop off a letter at City Hall, 115 South Robinson St. For more information, see the city web site, http://tehachapicityhall.com.