Slippery Rock seeking grant to improve walkability for students, residents
An effort is underway in Slippery Rock with the aim of improving pedestrian safety for residents, visitors and students at Slippery Rock University.
Leaders of Slippery Rock borough, Slippery Rock Township and the university are collaborating to apply for a $2.2 million to $2.4 million grant that could fund new sidewalks, new streetlights, garbage containers and recycling bins, as well as support refurbishing benches that have been dedicated to past community members.
An application for a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Multimodal Transportation Fund grant will be submitted before the Thursday, July 31 deadline. News about whether grant is received is expected to come around November, according to Justin Zackal, associate director of marketing and communications at SRU.
“This proposed project will increase the accessibility for our students and the extended community to the campus,” Zackal said. “The university is always grateful to partner with the borough to make the community a more welcoming and safer place.”
Sidewalks also are important to preserve Slippery Rock’s small-town character and overall safety, Christian Laskey, borough manager, said.
“The university spreads through the borough and the township, so all three of these are going to be involved,” Laskey said in regards to the sidewalks.
The sidewalks are significant, Laskey said, because of students who are constantly walking from dorm rooms, off-campus living and apartments to school, in addition to other residents who walk to work.
When residents were asked in 2024 what their favorite thing about Slippery Rock was, as per Laskey, walkability was one of the top answers.
“Slippery Rock is a very walkable community. It’s a highlight of our town,” Laskey said. “This (project) will just add to the community’s walkability in a day and age where so much emphasis is put on transportation.”
As for the borough part, Laskey said many streetlights have corroded over the past 20 years since their installment and many of those have had to be taken down. Better lighting also would contribute to increased pedestrian safety, Laskey said.
The township has some involvement, mostly with granting permission to work as a formality, Laskey said. At a July 14 meeting, the board of supervisors signed a consent letter for the project.
In regards to the support from the township, Laskey said, “We appreciate their support because their support helps with the grant application.”
Laskey said while a clear timeline is not in sight yet, if awarded the grant, the next steps will entail figuring out logistics and planning out the project.
“There’s a lot of steps in the process, but usually these grants have a three-year term, where you can take a little bit more time to plan and do it more properly,” Laskey said.
