The Community of Pierre was recently awarded a grant from the South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to study or determine just how easy is it for residents to walk and bike in Pierre. Information gained will help policymakers support urban design, land use and transportation policies that promote physical activity.
Tom Farnsworth, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Pierre, states the first step in this process is to educate ourselves on the subject and then conduct an audit of an area of the community, "That will be the goal of our workshop December 4th, to educate ourselves on why walkable communities are important." A “Walk Audit” is the first step for communities like Pierre, interested in implementing healthy design principles, to assess how walkable and bike friendly we really are.
With this background, the City of Pierre cordially invites you to attend and participate in our first “Community Walk Audit”. The meeting will be held Thursday, December 4 at the Chamber of Commerce building, from 8:30 am to 11 am. Those attending will be trained and weather permitting, will actually go out into the community as a group to do an assessment.
If you are interested in walkable communities please contact Tom Farnsworth at Tom.Farnsworth@ci.pierre.sd.us or you can call him at 773-2527.