ELKINS — The Randolph County Housing Authority does more than provide housing solutions for the community, as evidenced by a safety project it recently helped complete.

Thanks to the RCHA and its stakeholders, the North School Sidewalk Project has become a reality. The completed project will allow students to transport back and forth to the school more safely.

The finished project features a new sidewalk that stretches alongside North Elementary School and runs all the way down the street to the Highland Park apartments. A crosswalk was also installed to help students cross Kennedy Street safely.

“The RCHA can do more than provide housing solutions, as our mission is to promote strong communities and a healthy quality of life,” said Karen Jacobson, RCHA executive director. “We are proud of our efforts to spearhead this project and fulfill that mission by improving safety for families in the Highland Park neighborhood.”

While conducting a local housing and transportation study back in 2012, it was discovered that the area around the school was unsafe for students.

So the RCHA started looking for solutions and eventually applied to the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives grant program, which funded 80 percent of the project.

The Randolph County Commission, Tucker Community Foundation, Snowshoe Foundation, Randolph County Schools and North Elementary School all contributed toward meeting the required 20 percent matching funds.

During the nine years it took to design, construct and complete the project, the RCHA provided project and grant management support throughout. The City of Elkins provided labor and construction management of the project.

“This truly has been a community effort to get this sidewalk installed,” said RCHA Project Manager Heather Croson. “It took the many parties who championed this project to wade through the challenges we hit over the past nine years. But overcoming those challenges shows the strength of our community.”

Engineers with the state Department of Highways provided the designs for the sidewalk. The design work was completed in 2019, but the start of the project was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Construction finally began in the summer of 2020.

“I am so excited that this project is completed,” said former North School Elementary Principal Cindy Bodkins. “This sidewalk now provides a safe pathway for our students to come to and from school.

“Our students no longer have to jump from the busy road into the ditch as a car travels by them. It is also beneficial to our community members as they also have a safe place to walk. Special thanks to everyone that has been supportive of this project and putting our students’ safety first.”