The Bowling Green Community is invited to participate in Walk & Roll to School Day, which will be held on Wednesday, October 4 with all Bowling Green public and nonpublic/parochial schools coordinating activities that encourage their students to participate.

Walk & Roll to School Day is a part of the City’s Safe Routes to School Travel Plan currently being developed with guidance from a 15 member committee comprised of city and school officials. The goal of Ohio's Safe Routes to School Program is to assist communities in developing and implementing projects and programs that encourage and enable children in grades K-12, including those with disabilities, to walk or bike to school safely.

The plan will take approximately three months to complete, and should be ready for public review and comment in late November.  Local planning consultant Reveille and Mannik Smith Group are assisting the city in the Plan’s development.

As a critical educational component of school travel planning process, Walk & Roll to School Day is an annual event that involves communities from across the country (and globe!) walking and rolling to school on the same day.  It began in 1997 as a one-day event. Today, thousands of schools across America participate every October.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and adolescents get one hour or more of physical activity each day. Research suggests that physically active kids are more likely to become healthy, physically active adults, underscoring the importance of developing the habit of regular physical activity early.

According to Mayor Mike Aspacher, “The whole community benefits from efforts to enable and encourage more children to walk, bike or roll to school safely. Bowling Green is committed to taking the long-term steps necessary to activating the community through multi-model/pedestrian connectivity solutions.”

The City of Bowling Green, the Center for Regional Development (CRD), and Bowling Green State University (BGSU) are excited to announce the completion of downtown Bowling Green’s first Pedestrian Experience Plan (PEP). The Pedestrian Experience Plan is a strategy that was formulated through Downtown Forward. Downtown Forward is a collaborative initiative to enhance placemaking in downtown Bowling Green. The Downtown Forward partnership was formed after the City of Bowling Green was selected to participate in the Reimagining Rural Regions (R3) program with CRD.

Over the last year, CRD staff, graduate assistants, and undergraduate placemaking and community engagement (PaCE) fellows, with guidance from the Downtown Forward Steering Committee, went through an extensive public engagement process. Through two public information sessions last fall, followed by focus groups and a community wide survey, CRD was able to garner feedback from stakeholders in the community. The iterative process brought the Steering Committee to the decision to create a Pedestrian Experience Plan.

The goal of the Pedestrian Experience Plan is to provide Bowling Green with information and project ideas that can be implemented to enhance the walking experience in the downtown. Members of the CRD presented the PEP to Bowling Green City Council members and members of the public on September 18.

The plan outlines in more detail the community engagement process used in the planning process, demographic data about Bowling Green, and information and case studies for each area of focus. The areas of focus are:

• Alley Beautification
• Public Art
• Signage/ Wayfinding

The information for the case studies was collected by the PaCE fellows, who conducted peer reviews of projects in other communities, as well as interviews of those involved in the projects to collect firsthand knowledge on how to implement projects that can be replicated in Bowling Green. In addition to the case studies, the PEP includes an “alley inventory” of downtown Bowling Green which is a map and list that identifies the alleys in BG, the status of each alley, and whether it is publicly or privately owned.

The R3 program is funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the USDA Rural Development Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC).

To help improve the conditions of City streets, Bowling Green is partnering with StreetScan, a company that has assessed streets in over 280 communities in North America. Beginning September 20th, residents may notice a marked, “StreetScan”, vehicle with equipment mounted to its roof, driving throughout the City.

StreetScan employs vehicle-mounted sensing technology to assess road conditions in normal traffic flow. The system utilizes its technology to determine the health of each street and to identify road defects including potholes, bumps, and cracking. This data helps the municipality to identify and prioritize repair needs.

Questions about this work should be directed to the Public Works Department by calling 419-354-6227.

The Inner Peace Homes, Inc. Fore the Kids Golf Scramble is looking for sponsors. If interested, please review the form below and either scan the QR Code to secure your sponsorship online or return the form to Inner Peace Homes at 136 1/2 S. Main St. All proceeds for the event go directly towards benefiting their foster families and children.

Efficiency Smart is hosting a Focus on Community Photo Contest. This contest is a fun opportunity for residents to celebrate and highlight their community. Residents who submit a photo of Bowling Green will be entered to win up to $100, an energy efficiency kit, and to have a photo feature on the Efficiency Smart website. Submissions will be open through September 25. Efficiency Smart will select finalists from submissions received throughout participating communities, and a vote will take place in October to determine the winners.

Efficiency Smart is giving you a chance to win up to $100 and an energy efficiency kit for sharing a photo of Bowling Green. Visit https://woobox.com/n6xhwi to learn more or to enter!

The City of Bowling Green is proud to announce that its Historic Preservation Commission has been awarded a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant. This grant will enable the commission to embark on an exciting project that will enhance the city's downtown area with historical interpretive signage.  The project is made possible in part by a Federal grant from the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, and administered by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection.

The CLG Grant, a testament to the city's commitment to preserving its rich heritage, will facilitate the development and installation of informative and visually appealing signage throughout Bowling Green's downtown. The historical interpretive signage project aims to educate residents and visitors alike about the city's past, allowing them to engage with its unique history in a meaningful and interactive way.

Through this initiative, Bowling Green's Historic Preservation Commission seeks to bring additional excitement into the downtown area by celebrating its architectural, cultural, and historical significance. These carefully crafted signs will showcase important landmarks, pivotal events, and influential individuals who have shaped the city's identity over the years.

By providing historical context and engaging narratives, the interpretive signage will foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for the city's heritage. This project will not only promote a sense of civic pride among residents but also attract tourists who are eager to explore Bowling Green's remarkable past.

The grant funds will be utilized to design, produce, and install the historical interpretive signs in strategic locations throughout the downtown. Historians, designers, and the HPC will collaborate closely to ensure that the signage accurately reflects the city's historical significance.

The Bowling Green Historic Preservation Commission will work diligently to implement the downtown historical interpretive signage project over the next year. Through this endeavor, the city hopes to foster a stronger connection between its vibrant present and illustrious past.

The City of Bowling Green is one of 90 projects receiving state grants to address critical water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Ohio communities. In total, 64 counties will receive $135 million.

The funding comes from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Ohio BUILDS (Broadband, Utilities, and Infrastructure for Local Development Success) water infrastructure grant program, administered through the Ohio Department of Development.

The City of Bowling Green will receive a $1,182,741 grant to make upgrades to the water treatment plant’s aging low service pump station to improve water quality to the service area. Project activities include replacing stationary bar screens and slide gates at the inflow channels, two traveling screens, four raw water vertical turbine pumps, the motor control center, and heating and ventilation equipment. New drives and controls will also be provided to allow remote operation and monitoring. The project will also include general rehab to the pump station structure, including painting, roof replacement, concrete repair, and more. The project will benefit 46,578 people.

“From the first dollar awarded through this program to now, we’ve made hundreds of transformative investments in the future of our communities,” said Governor DeWine. “Having a strong water infrastructure not only safeguards the health and well-being of our residents, but it makes our neighborhoods more resilient and better prepares local leaders for sustainable economic growth.”

Today’s announcement is the fifth round awarded through the program, which opened in July 2021. In total, nearly $500 million has been awarded to 343 critical infrastructure projects through the Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grant program.

“This additional round of funding will help communities from one corner of the state to the next replace aging, overwhelmed infrastructure, ensuring that Ohioans have access to clean drinking water,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “These projects will not only greatly improve the quality of life for residents in these areas, but they also boost economic growth related to business expansion and housing development.”

In total, the program received more than 1,200 grant applications requesting nearly $1.4 billion in funding.

“Businesses that choose to set up shop in Ohio do so, in large part, because of the generational investments we’ve made in local infrastructure,” said Director Mihalik. “Through the vision of Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted, and the support of our state legislature, we’re creating more opportunities for communities large and small to be Ohio’s next great economic success story.”

Funds awarded today will help reduce or eliminate the local financial burden associated with critical infrastructure needs such as the construction of new water systems, the replacement of aging water lines, and the installation of new water mains. Grants will also fund projects to prevent sewer system backups and replace failing household sewage treatment systems with new sewers.

“The City of Bowling Green is thankful to the Ohio Department of Development for these grant dollars,” said Mayor Mike Aspacher. “The funds will benefit our community for years to come and strengthen our ability to provide high quality drinking water to our citizens and customers,” he said.

The Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grants are a continuation of Governor DeWine's H2Ohio initiative, which launched in 2019 to focus on ensuring plentiful, clean, and safe water for communities across the state.

Ohio BUILDS focuses not only on strengthening Ohio's communities through water infrastructure upgrades, but also supports other necessary investments in targeted solutions that impact quality of life such as broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, the demolition of blighted buildings, and more.

Additional information on the Ohio BUILDS water infrastructure grant program can be found on the program webpage.

The Ohio Department of Development empowers communities to succeed by investing in Ohio’s people, places, and businesses. Learn more about our work at development.ohio.gov.