Jerry Hiniker of Colvill, an avid bicyclist and partner at Superior North Outdoor Center in Grand Marais, was recently appointed to serve as the Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) coordinator. For more information about SRTS, contact Hiniker at (612) 581-4509.
The Grand Marais Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) committee recently received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to fund a two-year program to increase the safety of the school zone between ISD 166 and Great Expectations School for children walking and biking to school. The group’s application was rated No. 1 in the entire state of Minnesota, due in part to the strong partners involved in the effort and the track record of working together to improve safety in the school zone.
The Grand Marais SRTS committee includes representatives from the school boards, County Highway Department, City of Grand Marais, county board, law enforcement, Public Health, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, North Shore Hospital/ EMS, the Superior Cycling Association, Superior North Outdoor Center, parents, residents, and biking and walking advocates. The SRTS committee has worked for the past three-plus years to create a safer school zone for walking and biking through actions such as morning law enforcement patrols, a driver feedback speed sign, training student crossing guards, coordinated snow removal along the County Road 7 sidewalk, and Walking School Bus/ walk to school events.
The Grand Marais SRTS program has outlined three major efforts for the next two years: 1) integrating the MNDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Curriculum through classroom education at both school districts, 2) organizing walk and bike to school events, and 3) expanding the audience of the annual Bicycle Safety Rodeo to include activities for middle school students. Other goals of the SRTS grant program are to publish a map of common walking routes in Grand Marais, including the suggested Safe Routes to School, and to install a software program at ISD 166 which will electronically tally the number of students who are walking or biking to school and allow for friendly competition.
The Grand Marais SRTS committee also announces the first step in launching the two-year SRTS grant plan – the hiring of Jerry Hiniker as part-time SRTS coordinator to administer the program at both ISD 166 and Great Expectation schools. Hiniker brings considerable experience and enthusiasm to the position; before moving to Grand Marais five years ago he owned a bicycle shop in Blaine and was active in metro bicycle safety programs including serving on the MN State Bicycle Advisory Board. Hiniker is certified as a youth and adult cycling instructor. He recently completed the League Cycling Instructor (LCI) training program, along with Mark Spinler of Cook County. The LCI award is the highest certification for bicycling education in the country. There are currently 60 such instructors in MN, mostly in the Twin Cities metro area.
Hiniker is currently a partner at Superior North Outdoor Center in Grand Marais. He is an elected board member of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, representing them at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. Locally, he has been an active member of the SRTS committee, the Active Living Steering Committee, the Bicycle Safety Rodeo, the Superior Cycling Association, and was recently elected to the Cook County Soil and Water board.
For more information about the Safe Routes to Schools program in Grand Marais, or to get involved, contact Jerry Hiniker at 612- 581-4509, or srts@boreal.org. Questions may also be directed to Principal Gwen Carman at 387-2271, or Administrator Peter James at 387-9322.
Leave a Reply