MALONE — Malone Complete Streets will host a series of community-centered discussions from May 7-9 with national public health figure Mark Fenton. The series, “Designing Walkable, Livable, Healthy Communities,” is sponsored by the Malone Chamber of Commerce, Malone Revitalization Foundation, and the North Country Healthy Heart Network’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program.
The timing coincides with a New York State Department of Transportation project that will increase pedestrian safety along Main Street in Malone. Fenton will arrive Tuesday, May 7. The Complete Streets Board, Chamber of Commerce, and Malone Revitalization Foundation representatives will host a small meeting of key stakeholders, consultants, and DOT to discuss relevant data, including community vision statements, comprehensive plans, roadway plans and economic development plans. They will take a facilitated walk audit along the corridor to discuss current conditions and design possibilities.
May 8 is National Walk/Bike to School Day, and it is fitting that Fenton will spend some time with students, teachers and administrators. In the evening, all members of the community are invited to participate in a group discussion at the Elks Club. Fenton will have prepared large maps, photos and a customized study of Malone. Discussion will center on recommendations for action, immediate term safety improvement and long-term design goals for the community.
Fenton is a national public health, planning, and transportation consultant, an adjunct associate professor at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and former host of the “America’s Walking” series on PBS television. He is author of numerous books including the bestselling Complete Guide to Walking for Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness. He was a developer of the University of North Carolina’s Safe Routes to School clearinghouse, and facilitator for the walkable community workshop series of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. He now provides technical training and community planning as an independent consultant.
Fenton was a member of the United States national race-walking team from 1986 to 1991 and competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Trials in the 50-kilometer (31-mile) racewalk. He studied biomechanics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a researcher at the Olympic Training Center’s Sports Science Laboratory in Colorado Springs, and manager of Reebok’s Human Performance Laboratory. He has research publications and articles related to exercise science, physical activity promotion, and community level interventions. He is a vocal advocate for non-motorized transportation, a frequent consultant on bicycle and pedestrian community plans, and recognized authority on public health issues and the need for community, environmental, and public-policy initiatives to encourage more walking, bicycling, and transit use.
Malone residents are urged to save the dates of May 7-9 to learn, ask questions and share ideas because the safety of our residents and the improvement of Main Street are essential to a healthy, prosperous community.
To register for one of the public sessions, visit http://bit.ly/MarkFenton2019 or call Jayne Tracy at (518) 483-3760.
For more information, email Mary Scharf at me.scharf@yahoo.com or Andrea Goff, agoff@heartnetwork.org.
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