Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The village of Walbridge held a special council meeting on Aug. 12 in which officials authorized mayor Edward Kolanko to apply for grant funding through the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program.
The STBG program is used by states and localities for projects intended to preserve and improve the conditions and performance of any federal aided highway, bridge, or tunnel project — as well as pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Essentially, it’s for anything transit related.
Kolanko said they identified this grant as a way to improve the infrastructure on Union Street, and with the application deadline prior to the village’s next council meeting on Aug. 20, they held the special meeting in which council approved the application by a 6-0 vote.
“We're often kind of limited on time,” Kolanko said. “These things pop up, and this one was kind of time sensitive.”
This is a federal program, and Kolanko said that Union Street is considered a federal roadway.
Thus, Walbridge officials will seek to replace the aging sidewalks on Union Street all the way through town and provide a pedestrian-focused traffic control device to allow safe passage across the street.
“We’re constantly looking for areas that we can apply for (improvements through grants) — whether it's federal money, state money, or park money. We’re always trying to do that to better our infrastructure.”
Kolanko said there’s only $1.5 million of total money available within this specific grant program, which is earmarked for pedestrian traffic, bike lanes, and things of that nature.
The project could potentially see a cost of $700,000 with approximately 80 percent of that being funded through the STBG program should Walbridge’s application get approved.
Work would begin on Union Street in 2030.
“It’s forward-thinking,” Kolanko said. “TMACOG does a great job with bike lanes, pedestrian traffic and things of that nature. It's kind of geared in those directions, so it's really (about) making it a safe passage. Hopefully we get awarded. We'll see. I think it's a great application. Time will tell.”
