City of Mountain Lake preparing Active Living Plan – in coordination with Drew Hage of SRDC
There is an expression, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion.”
That “body” being kept in motion is typically noted as the human body. But, as well, that “body” can also be thought of as the body of the greater community.
In order to keep each of those definitions of “body” in motion, the City of Mountain Lake, in coordination with Drew Hage, a development planner at the Southwest Regional Development Commissions (SRDC) in Slayton, is preparing for the development of an Active Living Plan.
Active Living is described as a way of life that integrates physical activity into one’s daily routine. Active Living is about fostering an environment that makes it safe and convenient for children and adults to walk, bike and be physically active on a daily basis. This can start with just making small trip. An example of such is walking between stores – instead of driving from one end of Third Avenue or 10th Street – to the other.
The goal of the City enacting an Active Living Plan is for it to become a more walkable community through strategic pedestrian improvements.
But, creating a healthy community depends on the physical design of the community, along with a number of other variables.
Input on plan sought
In order to create an Active Living Plan for the City of Mountain Lake, initial needs are to identify and prioritize future projects that will make it easier for citizens to get around town on foot or by bicycle.
As a first step, the City is asking its citizens to help identify safety issues in the City of Mountain Lake.
Click on this mapping link – http://wikimapping.com/wikimap/Mountain-Lake-Active-Living-Plan.html – in order to add your ideas and concerns.
Citizens can anonymously add input and feedback on a variety of walking and biking issues in Mountain Lake. Those include identifying gaps or other barriers in sidewalks and the trails network, walking routes, destinations, problem intersections, traffic and congestion issues (including speeding), teenage driving issues, other safety issues, access issues, the need for bike parking and other issues related to pedestrian or bicyclist infrastructure.
An initial Active Living Planning Team meeting was held on Wednesday, January 28, in Mountain Lake City Hall. Planning Team members include Dana Kass of the City Council and a local resident, Mountain Lake City Administrator Wendy Meyer representing the City of Mountain Lake, local residents John Oeltjenbruns and Dolores Peters and SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Program) Coordinator in Cottonwood, Jackson and Nobles Counties for Des Moines Vallely Health and Human Services (DVHHS), Diana Madsen.
In addition, a pair of community meetings will be held to assist in plan development. The first meeting will review community input (destinations, existing routes, barriers, safety issues) and identify potential projects. The second meeting will focus on ranking and finalizing projects.
This information will be used to help identify potential projects that will be ranked by the Mountain Lake Active Living Planning Team and the Mountain Lake City Council.
Public input is a critical part of the planning process, so hopefully between the mapping program and public meetings; those making the decisions will be able to gather meaningful public input.
Active Living in smart design
Design/Land Use/Transportation – A smart design can make it more convenient to walk and bike in the community, which can create a positive health impact along with a positive environmental impact. The overall goal is to create an environment that offers opportunities to integrate physical activity into daily life.
Policy – The purpose of incorporating Active Living into land use planning and transportation planning is to create a holistic approach to community design. Transportation policy affects health. Land use policy affects health. Where public facilities are located affects health. Health in all policies is a new approach to planning. When you think about how planning decisions affect walkability and community connectivity, it is essential to include have health advocates at the table creating policy and making planning decisions. The health impact of a project could be a deciding factor in whether a project should go ahead as is or be modified or suspended.
Complete Streets – A complete street is any street on which you feel safe walking or bicycling. In a rural community, a complete street could be a street that is wide enough so a pedestrian can safety walk along the shoulder and that vehicle traffic is not excessive and traffic speeds are reasonable. A complete street may also have a sidewalk or path separate from the street on which pedestrians can walk or bicycle.
