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STAFF REPORT <br />DATE: 03/06/2024 <br /> CONSENT <br />TO: CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM: SHIP Grant Acceptance <br />FROM: Adam Swanepoel, Assistant Public Works Director <br />REVIEWED BY: Marty Powers, Public Works Director <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The City of Lake Elmo has been awarded a $6000 grant opportunity through Healthy Living in <br />Washington County. These funds are made available through the Statewide Health Improvement <br />Partnership (SHIP) and focus on using Policy, Systems and Environmental changes to increase <br />opportunities for physical activity. <br /> <br />Staff applied for the grant in January and received notification of the award in early February. <br />Criteria for the grant focused on improving access to physical activity for residents and park <br />users. The SHIP program is also geared to help organizations create safe and accessible <br />opportunities for physical activity for all ages and abilities. The grant is intended to prioritize <br />funding for populations that experience health disparities for physical inactivity. This includes <br />older adults, women, people with mobility issues, people of color, and low income individuals <br />and families. <br /> <br />ISSUE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL: <br />Would City Council like to accept the funds from the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership <br />Grant in the amount of $6000? <br /> <br />PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS <br />SHIP funds are to assist community organizations with active living goals to promote biking and <br />recreational activity in the community for all ages and abilities by providing recreational <br />equipment, adaptive bikes, trail benches, bike racks and/or bicycle maintenance stations near <br />community parks and trails. The SHIP program is also geared to help organizations create safe <br />and accessible opportunities for physical activity for all ages and abilities. <br /> <br />Staff took the opportunity to apply for the grant to obtain additional funding for the purchase and <br />installation of two bike repair stations. The two locations that have been identified are; Reid Park <br />and Demontreville Wildlife Park. Both parks serve as a trail access point to local community <br />trails. The City has over 35 miles of community trails and 7 miles of off road biking trails. The <br />city currently has two nonprofit groups that help maintain it’s off road biking trails. These two <br />groups alone account for 300 members, students and coaches. These members utilize these trails <br />daily to help maintain and teach future riders. <br />Recent community survey results from 2023 show biking is the second highest means to visit a <br />city park within Lake Elmo. These results also showed over 30% would prefer to visit our parks <br />by means of bike. This came in as the second preferred method only behind walking/running.