Standish Safe Community Coalition Grant Year End
April 1, 2001 - March 31, 2002
The Standish Public Safety Committee has been awarded the Safe Communities Grant for Year 2. The Year End Grant Report for 2001/02 follows which summarizes the programs and successes of Year 1.
Most of these programs, including an expanded 2nd Annual Standish Health & Safety Fair on September 21, 10 - 2 PM, at George E. Jack Elementary School will be repeated in the second year.
Educational materials are being made available in regards to the new Booster Seat Law which goes into effect on January 1, 2003. Children ages 4-8, less than 80 pounds and 4' 7" are required to be installed in an approved booster seat.
State Farm Insurance and local agent, Becky Loughran, have provided funding for a limited number of booster seats. The seats will be available at the Standish Municipal Center, Dispatch, free to low income families. FMI contact Fire Chief Rick Plummer at 642-4343.
If you have questions or are interested in becoming involved in the Safe Communities Coalition, please contact SCC Coordinator, Pat Price at 642-6827.
Year End Report
The Standish Safe Community Coalition had a very productive and successful first year. The following outlines the major activities of the coalition. In addition, the SCC has been successful in building community awareness of safety issues in Standish. Press releases were issued on a regular basis and several articles in major newspapers have been written in support of the SCC efforts.
1. Bicycle Safety Classroom Education & Rodeo
The Kiwanis Bicycle Rodeo was held on Saturday, May 12, 2001 and was a cooperative effort involving members of the Standish Kiwanis Cub, York County Dare Officers, Buxton Police, Standish Public Safety Committee (SPSC) and the Safe Community Coalition (SCC).
Eleven hundred 2,3,4th graders from SAD#6 and local private schools were shown an educational video (produced by GPCOG) and received a take home packet of bicycle safety information. This required 100 hours of volunteer participation.
Ninety-one 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders from SAD#6 registered for the rodeo and participated in the pre- and post-bicycle safety test. The test consisted of four questions that required a simple yes or no answer. Upon completion, 97% of students knew how to properly hand signal for a turn and 100% knew rules of the road and owned bicycle helmets.
Upon completion of the rodeo the students were given a bottle of water donated by Poland Springs; a canvas goodie bag filled with various donated items and coupons from local businesses, a rodeo t-shirt sponsored by Utilities, Inc., and a Certificate of Completion.
The event was video recorded by volunteer, Dave Perry, for broadcast on Saco River Cable TV. Volunteers for the SPSC included: Gene Nesbitt, Chairman, Dolly Lymburner, and Cathy Walker. SCC: Pat Price, Coordinator, Steve Higgins, Steve Martel, Anna Barry, and Scott Callahan. Press Releases were sent to three major newspapers.
See photos from the bike rodeo and safety education here....
2. Transportation Safety
Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of childhood injuries. The following activities have helped further our goals to prevent unintentional childhood injuries.
The SCC has held six community meetings to build consensus on safety improvements to the Sebago Lake Village intersection of Rte. 114 and 35. Over sixty local, county, and state officials participated as well as community members representing an approximate 430 volunteer hours. The main goal of the meetings was to create a plan for the intersection of Rte. 114 and 35 that included safe access to the village by pedestrians and motorists alike. The plan calls for traffic lights, sidewalks, crosswalks, walking trails, and much more. The Town of Standish appropriated funds for technical assistance for drafting a proposed design for safety improvements to the intersection or Rte. 35/113. A completed plan was presented to the Council in January of 2002.
Mountain Division Trail Committee - The SCC Coordinator has attended monthly meetings of the trail committee to keep safety concerns of the proposed trail in the forefront. This strategy has proven successful as MDOT Commissioner Melrose has proposed installing a sidewalk to connect the trail head with the village center.
Rte. 114 Corridor Committee - The SCC Coordinator attends monthly meetings of the corridor committee to keep safety concerns of the Rte. 114/35 Intersections in Standish in the forefront. This strategy has proven successful as the Committee supports a high priority being placed on improvements to the intersections of Rte. 114/35.
Traffic Calming - In April 2001, the Town of Standish’s Public Safety Committee was awarded MDOT’s Community Gateways Grant ($5,000) for installing street banners in all three of Standish’s villages for the purpose of traffic calming, as well as visually unifying the villages separated by 2-6 miles. The SCC Coordinator created the designs for the banners and administrated the grant. Grant funds ($500) were used for one of the installations of the banners.
3. Health & Safety Fair
In September, the SCC sponsored the Standish Health & Safety Fair held at the George E. Jack Elementary School. Eighteen organizations participated and contributed a total of 175 volunteer hours. Three hundred parents and children attended the fair, which included Child Safety Seat Inspections, low cost bicycle helmets ($5), photo screening for lazy eye, the Seat Belt Convincer, Driving Drunk, a Fatal Experience as well as other activities and services. Crash Test Dummies, Vince and Larry, were entertaining and educated children on the importance of buckling up. Fundraising efforts were rewarded with $375 cash donations and an additional $1654 donated in kind service and donations. Door Prizes were given to all ages including two bicycles for ages 5-16. Participants felt the fair was a success and would
like to participate again next year. This event validated the SCC and gave it visibility in the community.
See photos from the 2001 Health and Safety Fair here....
Child Seat Safety Inspections - The Portland Fire Department’s Child Passenger Safety Team and Standish Kiwanis Club performed 35 child seat inspections of which one (1) was installed correctly. There was an average of six (6) errors. Four (4) damaged or recalled seats were removed and replaced. A total of seven (7) new seats were provided to parents.
Bicycle Helmets - The Standish Kiwanis Club fitted and sold 68 children’s bicycle helmets for $5 before running out of small sizes. We have an inventory of large helmets (28) that we will make available at the next Kiwanis Bicycle Rodeo in 2002. Bicycle safety literature was available for participants.
Skateboard Demonstration - Windham Dare Officer and a youth group performed demonstrations for teens on the use of safety equipment for skateboarding.
Safety Rules T-Shirts - The SCC gave away 117 T-shirts to children participating in events and/or activities. A list of safety rules was on the back of the T-shirts. Four adult size shirts were sold for $5 each.
Coloring Table - Safety Booklets and pages on all subjects were available for children to color at two tables. A volunteer student from St. Joseph’s College monitored the tables.
The Standish Public Safety Committee is reapplying for the Safe Communities Grant for Year 2 in order to continue building the coalition and long-term sustainability of established programs.
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