Herkimer Incentive Funds Available

This is a release from Herkimer County HealthNet:
 
Herkimer County HealthNet Announces Incentive Awards for Herkimer County Municipalities

September 20, 2012

CONTACT: Adam Hutchinson, Executive Director, Herkimer County HealthNet, (315) 867-1552 or

Alison J. Swartz, Coordinator of Creating Healthy Places, (315) 867-1499

HERKIMER -Herkimer County municipalities may apply for Incentive Awards from Herkimer County HealthNet to support the efforts of the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work, and Play grant initiative funded by the New York State Department of Health. Herkimer County HealthNet is offering four-$5,000 awardsto be used for non-infrastructure, municipal projects that promote extracurricular physical activity, access to outdoor recreational facilities, areas that support bicycling and walking, and safety in areas where persons are or could be physically active. Projects that qualify should take place between the dates of April 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013.

The Creating Healthy Places grant's purpose is to assist communities with infrastructure improvements that will decrease rates of childhood obesity and Type 2 Diabetes by increasing opportunities for physical activity for all abilities for Herkimer County residents.

Recommended municipal improvement strategies and measures to help communities tackle the problem of obesity through environmental change and policies that promote physical activity include but are not limited to the following:

Signage and/or promotional materials that encourage physical activity at parks and playgrounds locations as well as on trails and roadways

Improvements to access points that link an area to physical activity locations (parks, playgrounds, trails, etc.)

Lighting promoting safety for pedestrians/cyclists of all abilities

Crosswalk striping and crosswalk signage

Foot Bridges (friendly for pedestrians/cyclists/wheel chairs)

Improvements made on highway projects that encourage physical activity, etc.

Parking Areas and Parking Area Improvements to promote pedestrian safety (adjacent to sidewalks, bicycle routes, trails and trail heads)

Bicycle racks that promote bicycling use throughout the municipality

The deadline for submitting the grant applications is Friday, November 9^th, 2012. Applications are available by e-mailing Alison J. Swartz, ajswartz@herkimercounty.org or calling (315) 866-1499.

For more information about Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play in Herkimer County, please visit www.facebook.com/CreatingHealthyPlacesInHerkimerCounty.

Herkimer County HealthNet's mission is to improve the health and well-being of individuals who live, work, play, and learn in Herkimer County.