There’s a new street scapearound Trewyn Middle School in Peoria. A $1.1 million road improvement project was completed just in time for the first day of school and might be a model for future effort. But it’s been a long time coming.
For more than 15 years Folkers Avenue from Fremont to Latrobe Streets flooded when it rained. The sidewalks were less than kid friendly for a school neighborhood in what’s considered one of the poorest zip codes in the country.
But the Folkers Avenue Reconstruction changes all of that and goes a long way toward making a safe welcoming area around the school.
First District Peoria Councilwoman Denise Moore pushed to have the project completed. She says the Trewyn students might not know how much the project means to them, but they’ll feel it.
“When they see that everyone here was concerned enough about them, you supported this project, you can’t imagine what that must feel to them when they come in and see that somebody cared about them.”Moore made the comments before the ribbon cut in front of a number of the people who helped with the project in some way.
The new road system includes green drainage as well as sidewalks with pedestrian friendly curbs and crosswalks. There are new stop signs, planters that separate the road and sidewalk in front of the school, trees, sod, lighting, benches and integrated trash cans.
The nearly 30-percent of the project was completed with minority workers and 13 businesses and agencies worked with the city and school district to achieve it.