Adding crosswalks would make the area around Brownstown Central Middle School safer for students going to and from school.

In Crothersville, putting a crosswalk in front of the gymnasium would improve safety for people walking near the school building. Repairing sidewalks along routes to school and adding signage to draw attention to the town’s parks also would be beneficial.

It’s now up to the town councils to submit proposals for a chance to receive money to cover materials needed for the projects.

In 2016, a $1.15 million obesity prevention grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was awarded to Jackson and Lawrence counties since they had the highest obesity rates in the state.

Kris Darlage Meyer, healthy community champion for the grant and an educator with Purdue Extension Jackson County, is encouraging officials in both Jackson County towns to turn in their proposals.

Applications must be submitted by July 1, and projects have to be completed, photographed and reported by late August. The two-year grant runs out in October.

The money is available to the two counties on a first-come, first-served basis.

“It’s there on a time crunch,” Meyer recently told the Crothersville Town Council. “We need to be sure that they are things that you are ready to do, that you can do, that you want to complete by the deadlines and that we have the applications for the money.”

In early March, Mark Fenton, a public health, planning and transportation consultant from Massachusetts, was invited by the Healthy Jackson County coalition to spend a couple of days discussing possible sidewalk and crosswalk improvements in Brownstown, Crothersville and Seymour.

In Crothersville, Fenton toured the area around the school and the parks.

He recommended making the crosswalks at the three-way stop in front of the school more prominent by painting the lines brighter and having students paint designs in them.

Since students come and go from the gymnasium entrance and the public uses it to access sporting events, Fenton suggested adding curb bumpouts and a crosswalk on Preston Street.

The curb would come out into the street about the width of a parking space and then have a crosswalk in the middle of the street.

“Cars have to slow down not to hit the bumpout, and it keeps people from parking too close to the crosswalks, so there’s more visibility for people in that crosswalk,” Meyer said.

The funding would cover paint for a crosswalk, temporary bumpouts, curb stops and signage.

“If you decide to take them up and it doesn’t work for you, you could do that, or if you decided you love it and you’re going to make them permanent, then there’s your outline and you can go in later and pour (concrete) and make it whatever you would like,” Meyer said. “This is a way to get you started and build it.”

Councilman Lenvel “Butch” Robinson and Street Superintendent Chris Mains both expressed concerns about the bumpouts.

“I don’t agree with concrete bumpouts sticking out in the street. I’m afraid there will be some wrecks,” Robinson said.

“I’m not sure I like the idea of it being temporary,” Mains said. “I like the idea of the crosswalks and signage, but I’d have to see some examples of the bumpouts.”

Meyer said she could provide some examples of similar projects Fenton has worked on in other communities.

Lighting near the gymnasium entrance also was an issue, but Mains said Duke Energy recently fixed a streetlight in that area to make it brighter at night.

Another proposed project in Crothersville is improving a sidewalk along Main Street near the post office that students use to walk or bike to and from school. Meyer said the sidewalk has cracks and is chipped up.

“If it’s already a sidewalk that’s there that is on a main route that you designated that kids are using, we can repair or replace, but we can’t just start from scratch and build new,” she said. “Any place that you don’t already have a sidewalk, this grant will not help with that.”

The town council also agreed signage is needed to direct people to Countryside Park on the north end of town.

Meyer said another possibility is creating fitness stations at Bard Street Park behind the school where people would stop at each one and do a different exercise.

The town would be responsible for finding someone to do each project because the grant does not pay for staff or labor expenses.

In Brownstown, Police Chief Tom Hanner was among those attending Fenton’s workshop and also is part of an initiative in town that recently met to discuss options for safety around the schools.

One area of focus is crosswalks around Brownstown Central Middle School. Hanner said he would like to see curb extensions, painted crosswalks and signage on Walnut Street. The crosswalks could be painted by students as a way to get them involved, he said.

“I know that’s a hot spot right there, and it would be really nice to get some visual and something done there,” Hanner recently told the town council. “That could be a possible way to get some of this stuff rolling. I would hate to see this die because it’s something that I think is very inexpensive, but it’s going to have a large impact.”

Hanner also said he would like to slow traffic down on Bloomington Road on the other side of the school. He said some motorists, mostly from out of town, use that road as a shortcut to avoid the stoplights on U.S. 50.

One option includes building up an area with a crosswalk and landscaping so traffic has to slow down.

The portions of Walnut Street and Bloomington Road near the school are school zones with 20 mph speed limits.

“It’s just to keep the kids safe and slow the traffic down,” Hanner said.