News room
For Immediate Release |
Contact: Michele Skeele |
Walk Wise, Drive Smart Seeks Benches for Hendersonville Neighborhood
April 4, 2008. Walk Wise Drive Smart, a partnership between the city of Hendersonville, the Council on Aging for Henderson County, and the Highway Safety Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, has been working for two years to identify and improve walking routes in city neighborhoods where older adults are likely to walk. Of ten routes in the greater Hendersonville area, the first to be upgraded and stenciled with the "walking apple" was the Downtown/Sammy Williams Center route on Third and Fourth Avenues. The city's public works department has worked hard for months to correct safety issues along the sidewalks, including encroaching shrubbery and cracked pavement. A route kick-off last December was held at the Sammy Williams Center to celebrate the success of the partnership.
The program now needs your help. Many older adults who walk along the downtown sidewalks need a place to rest periodically. The benches along Main Street have been a significant addition to pedestrian comfort and Walk Wise, Drive Smart would like to continue that trend by adding benches along Third and Fourth Avenues. For $250, Hendersonville residents or businesses may sponsor a bench along the Sammy Williams Route. The price would include a plastic covered metal bench and secured plaque recognizing the contribution by an individual, family, or business. The public works department has agreed to anchor the benches along the route as they are purchased. For more information, call Michele Skeele at the Council on Aging, 692-4203.
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