HOWLAND – Walking or biking to work, school or shopping may enhance a community’s quality of life.
But uneven or missing sidewalks, absent bicycle lanes and unsafe crosswalks make that difficult. So, Howland is developing an active transportation plan to determine where residents believe improvements are needed and then decide how to address them.
The Trumbull County township received a $120,000 Ohio Department of Transportation grant to work on the plan.
Active transportation – running, walking, cycling, even rolling – came out of the township’s comprehensive planning update late last year.
That process involved a lot of community involvement and feedback, according to Kim Mascarella, township planning director.
“And what came out of that was the need for a comprehensive look at our current state of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure,” she says.
An ODOT-selected contractor, Toole Design, facilitates the planning process and the grant money is paid to the firm rather than the township.
“What we’re looking at is the existing conditions, the state of the existing conditions,” Mascarella says. “We’re a suburb where most of our housing units were developed in the 1960s when sidewalks weren’t commonplace to put in.”
The process will evaluate areas with sidewalks as well as where gaps related to sidewalks and bicycle facilities, and where crosswalks are missing.
“But the biggest piece of this is actually going out to the community and finding out where they want sidewalks and bike paths,” Mascarella says.
That process allowed community members to offer input via a survey and map on the township website. They input their frequent destinations, dangerous intersections and where walking and biking routes should be added. They also submitted information about barriers that keep them from safely accessing their frequent destinations. By early July, the survey had collected 200 responses.
YSU STUDENTS’ ROLE
Youngstown State University students in the doctor of physical therapy program also participated in the plan, performing a walkability audit.
Weiqing Ge, professor in the YSU Department of Graduate Studies in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, says in an email that the work fits in with YSU’s GuinFit project. That project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (Reach) Program.
“We experienced sidewalks, street crossings and intersections, driver behavior, etc,” he says. “We also brought a wheelchair and a walker for accessibility. After the walk, we discussed the 3 P’s: Program, Project, Policy Level Interventions, both short term and long term.”
Nicolette Powe, associate professor of public health in the YSU Department of Graduate Studies in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, says in an email that GuinFit is a comprehensive interdisciplinary community health engagement program to support racial/ethnic and underserved populations. It uses community approaches to help people in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties eat healthful foods and be physically active.
“YSU Guin Fit is looking for various community partners to support policy, systems and environmental changes,” Powe says in the email.
An abstract of the students’ findings, provided by Nancy Landgraff, professor and chairwoman of the department, says students in the community applications class found two streets that didn’t have sidewalks, additional streets with cracked or severely damaged sidewalks and “all streets but one were highly trafficked, and one street was blatantly unsafe to travel on.”
The students used the Let’s Go for A Walk toolkit from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership for the audit.
The toolkit rated the area a four out of five for sidewalk quality and safety – with five out of five being the worst. For the quality and safety of street crossings, it rated 3.8 out of five; 2.5 for quality and safety of driver behavior; and 2.5 for both overall feeling of safety in the area and comfort and appeal in the area.
HOWLAND’S PARKS
As part of developing a plan, the township established a steering committee that includes representatives from Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the Trumbull County Engineer’s office, other township and county offices as well as residents.
Jessica Gault, a member of the township park board for about eight years, sits on the committee.
“I’m representing the park’s interest regarding the plan,” she says, adding that the steering committee is in its early stages.
Howland has three parks. While most people are familiar with Howland Community Park, they may not realize the other two are in the township, Gault says.
Bolindale Deforest Park is on Ridge Road in the southwestern area of the township and Morgandale Park is on Weir Road in the northwestern section.
“The community park is just more centralized,” Gault explains. “The others are on the outskirts of the township in different areas.”
Bolindale features playground equipment, two covered pavilions and pickleball courts that see a lot of use.
“There’s been talk of trying to connect Bolindale more as part of the Active Transportation Plan because it’s on the outskirts of the township,” Gault says.
Morgandale’s amenities include a field, playground and shelter.
Both parks are cut off geographically from much of the township.
In the proposal submitted for the ATP, Mascarella referenced the Bolindale and Morgandale neighborhoods, which are Howland’s two low-to-moderate-income areas.
“Bolindale is classified as a food desert,” the proposal says.
The township worked with local clergy and the Trumbull County Health Department to start a food pantry at one of the churches to try to meet the need.
“While this is helpful, safely reaching a grocery store without a vehicle is nearly impossible for those living in the Bolindale neighborhood,” the proposal says. “Efforts are needed to link this neighborhood to the nearest grocery store.”
The Morgandale neighborhood sees challenges too. It’s adjacent to the Elm Road commercial corridor.
“However, this dangerous corridor is plagued with gaps in its sidewalk network that prevent safe access to essential services,” the proposal reads. “The sections of old sidewalks along Elm Road are narrow and uneven and devoid of shade. Crosswalks and signalization are virtually nonexistent.”
BENEFITS
Kris Kriebel, a health educator with the Trumbull County Combined Health District, also sits on the steering committee for the Howland Active Transportation Plan. He worked on the ATPs for Warren in 2020 and Niles in 2021.
He’s also active with the Healthy Community Partnership’s Active Transportation Committee. The partnership is an initiative of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
Active transportation benefits communities environmentally with pollution reduction and with better physical and mental health among its residents, Kriebel says. And it improves safety. “Especially with families and with little kids, you want to make sure they’re safe,” he says.
Also, having more ways to reach a destination besides driving promotes economic development, Kriebel says.
Barriers to active transportation plans include buy-in both from elected and appointed officials and residents as well as costs, he acknowledges.
DEVELOPING THE PLAN
The contractor for Howland’s ATP, Toole Design, will develop a prioritized list of projects in the township and identify available funding sources.
“Ultimately our goal is that walking and biking in Howland will be safe and convenient and accessible for everyone,” Mascarella says.
It’s a tall order because unlike a city like Warren, Howland was rural when it became a township. People didn’t walk to work, and it wasn’t designed with pedestrians in mind.
But it’s a need voiced by even younger township residents, Mascarella notes.
A group of teenagers attended one of the township comprehensive planning meetings and were asked how the community could improve.
“They live on the east side of state Route 46,” Mascarella says. “All they wanted to do was get their bikes and ride across 46 and down into the park which is located on the west side of 46. And they felt they couldn’t do that safely because of state Route 46.”
It’s one of the major corridors in the township. There are other obstacles to safe bicycle travel as well.
“We have Mosquito Creek which runs north and south so getting across that is a challenge,” she says.
Surveys submitted by early July indicate that people want to see sidewalks and bike lanes south of state Route 82, Mascarella says.
The contractor is expected to deliver a draft plan in December and residents will be able to comment on it.
“We know that it’s a quality-of-life issue that we want to make better for our residents,” Mascarella says.
Pictured at top: Kim Mascarella, Howland planning director, shows a map at the township administration center where residents were able to indicate their frequent destinations and where they believe sidewalks and bike lanes are needed.