Health foundation grant to connect APSU campus to Clarksville Greenway

Bicycle

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation (CMCCHF) recently awarded nearly $400,000 in grant funding to the Austin Peay State University Foundation to connect the APSU campus to the Clarksville Greenway.

The project will consist of a new, 10-foot-wide asphalt walkway that spans a little more than half a mile, from Kraft Street to Robb Avenue. The City of Clarksville has agreed to extend its end of the greenway to meet Austin Peay’s property at the former railroad underpass on Kraft Street.

“The APSU Sustainable Campus Fee Committee and the APSU Physical Plant have been working together for the last year to secure funding for this important connection to the Clarksville Greenway,” Haley Randell, APSU sustainability coordinator, said. “We are focused on getting more people on bikes for commuting and recreational use and for the benefit of our environment and collective health. With the combination of the free use of our BCycle stations and the car-free Greenway, the APSU community can take full advantage of the trails in our beautiful city.”

route In 2017, Austin Peay installed a BCycle station at the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center that is free for all APSU students, staff and faculty. Additionally, Clarksville has four other BCycle locations. This resource, in combination with the connection to the Clarksville Greenway, will open up more than 10 miles of bike paths and further Austin Peay’s long-term goal of encouraging commuters to use alternative transportation.

According to the 2016 APSU Parking and Transportation Master Plan, less than 2% of all surveyed participants reported riding a bicycle to or from campus because of safety concerns, but a recent study published in the Journal of Transport Geography found that bicycling to work improves productivity, happiness and physical health.

“The mission of the CMC Community Health Foundation is to promote general health in our community by awarding one-year grants to organizations that propose projects that promote and improve the health of our residents,” Khandra Smalley, chair of the CMCCHF public relations committee, said. “Once submitted, grant applications undergo a review process, evaluating the impact of the proposed project. Since 2009, the CMCCHF has approved over 150 applications, totaling over $10,900,000 in grant funding. The expansion of the Greenway will be another great exercise option for APSU students and area residents.”

For information on the CMCCHF, visit communityhealthfoundation.org. To support APSU fundraising initiatives, contact the Office of University Advancement at 931-221-7127.

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