Young city citizens honored for their ideas to improve safety

MONTROSE — A pair of the city’s young citizens recently took their insight as neighborhood children and crafted ideas that will make Montrose a safer place.

As part of the Six-Year Capital Improvement program, Zhado Trumbo, 11, and Zhaman Trumbo, 12, each submitted ideas to enhance safety in key areas of the city. For their contributions — which were chosen to be a part of the program — the siblings received Key Citizen Awards and keys to the city Thursday.

“These young citizens turned in requests for sidewalk and trail improvements for the capital improvement program looking beyond only their needs (and) considering the safety of all children walking to school,” said Mayor Erica Lewis Kennedy in presenting the honors. She said the requests have been scheduled in the capital improvement plan and the process of applying for safe routes to schools grants has begun.

Zhado suggested the city put in a sidewalk between South Fourth Street and Centennial School. Zhaman submitted an idea for a sidewalk to connect South Fifth Street and Hillcrest Drive.

“Every time I walk to Centennial you have to walk in the street and that’s not safe for kids to do,” said Zhado. “A lot of the kids I know live around here and they’re going to sixth grade (at Centennial). It would be kind of dangerous for them to walk in the middle of the streets trying to get to school. I don’t like that, it scares me.”

Zhaman said he came up with his idea because he also wanted to improve safety. “One time when I was walking home, people were working somewhere so I walked down into the street and I was nearly hit by a car,” he said.

The Trumbos received their awards in a surprise announcement at Thursday’s meeting. Lewis said the city rarely gives keys to children and only awards about three to four keys each year.

“It is inspiring to have young citizens like these wanting to improve the community in which we live,” Kennedy said at the council meeting. “I think it’s special when you have any citizens involved but when you have children I think it’s really exciting.”

Zhado said she was surprised but excited about the honor. She keeps her little golden key to the city in her jewelry box and her brother keeps his on the entertainment center.

Both children said they want to continue participating in the community. “I want to do as much as possible to make the world a better place,” Zhado said.

Her brother, Zhaman added, “I want to make Montrose safer.”

Amiessa Jutten, the siblings’ mother and a member of the Montrose Improvement Team that compiled the plan, asked her children if they had ideas to improve the city. “I try to keep them up to date on what’s going on,” she said.

No estimated project amounts were available for the Trumbos’ projects, “Miami Sidewalk” or “Walk to Centennial School,” according to a fact sheet on trail and sidewalk projects.

Earlier this year Montrose residents were asked to submit requests for capital improvement projects. A total of 57 requests were received, said city manager Mary Watt. Projects selected for the program include city hall/annex rehabilitation and invasive species removal along the river corridor.

Watt said the entire list of projects should be posted on the city’s Web site (www.cityofmontrose.org) by the end of next week.

The capital improvement projects — for the period between 2010 to 2015 — total an estimated $52 million, with transportation taking up the majority of funds, Watt said. No projects were scheduled for 2009 because of anticipated budget constraints, she added. No new CIP projects were proposed for the 2009 city budget. City staff recommended the council convene a blue ribbon committee by this fall to examine funding mechanisms to help accomplish the program’s goals.

Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com