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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 02/10/2017 - On January 27, the City of Cle Elum and the City of Ellensburg were selected for the Complete Streets Award from the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB). Cle Elum will be awarded $125,000 and Ellensburg will be awarded $250,000 to pursue “complete streets” within their jurisdictions. Cle Elum and Ellensburg are two of 39 awarded agencies, out of 87 who were nominated for the award.
In order to be eligible for the awards, both cities were required to adopt a complete streets ordinance. The concept of complete streets is to create an infrastructure that allows everyone safe access whether they are walking, biking, or riding/driving in an automobile. The idea of complete streets is the intention to ensure access for all ages and abilities. One example of a complete street concept is “sharrows” or road markings that remind motorists to share the road with bicyclists in areas where bike lanes are not available. Both municipalities have ordinances that address health equity, sustainable partnerships, and have history of using complete street concepts within their cities. In addition, each city was required to be nominated by one of four state agencies including their local public health department or one of five non-profit transportation partners in order to receive the award. “We were pleased to nominate both Cle Elum and Ellensburg to receive this funding,” states Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) Administrator Robin Read. The Washington State Legislature created the Complete Streets Program and the TIB was charged with implementing the program. According to the TIB, TIB staff and board members have been working to create a program that achieves the goals of incentivizing complete street ordinances and ethics. For more information about the TIB funding, visit http://www.tib.wa.gov/grants/completestreets/completestreets.cfm or for more information about how the Kittitas County Public Health Department has worked with complete streets, please call (509) 962-7515.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515