Help us connect Tama-Toledo with safe sidewalk & intersection access for schools, pools, parks & more.
Help Us Reach Our Goal of $217,000 by October
Connect Tama-Toledo
From Middle School to Elementary… and Everywhere in Between.
Our hometowns need a sidewalk route to enable all citizens including children to safely travel to their school. This route will create a way to travel from the Elementary/High School campus to the new Middle School. This plan fills gaps connecting Tama and Toledo. It will help citizens travel safely to schools, banks, grocery stores, parks, clinics, and the pool. The developed plan involves three segments.
Why Connect Tama-Toledo?
Kids, parents and people of all ages will have access to sidewalks allowing for safe pedestrian travel. In addition, drivers will have less concern about children walking or biking in the streets.
The need for sidewalks to schools, the pool and park has been 20+ years in the making, Now is the time to make it a reality through community financial support to make up the 20% match required for this project. The cities of Tama and Toledo are partnering with Hometown Action Team (HAT), DOT, local businesses and you.
Safer Routes to School
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Better Pedestrian Connections
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More Accessibility for Seniors
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Increased Opportunities for Physical Activity
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Safer Routes to School ~ Better Pedestrian Connections ~ More Accessibility for Seniors ~ Increased Opportunities for Physical Activity ~
“…what a great thing to do. Get kids outdoors, get them walking…”
Tama-Toledo Citizen
“…stoplights are so important to the safety of our students and the community at large.”
Tama-Toledo Citizen
“…wider sidewalks would be great for those of us who want to walk around town.”
Tama-Toledo Citizen
“…our kids need a stoplight so they can get to school safely.”
Tama-Toledo Citizen
Frequently Asked Questions
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Through the Visioning Process, residents expressed their concerns that Tama/Toledo was not a walkable community. In preparation for the Safe Routes to School Grant Application, surveys were conducted by Region 6 in 2023. From those surveys, 70% of parents reported that their child has asked to walk or bike to school within the past year and 94% of the parents reported that safety of intersections and crossings as a contributing factor to whether or not they will let their children walk or bike to school. Currently 81 students walk to school and 13 bike. The number of students driven to school is 585. The number of students who ride the bus is 520. 1080 students live within 2 miles of a school.
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Safe Routes to Schools (Sidewalks)
Total Project Cost = $752,856
DOT Amount 80% = $602,284
Local Match 20% = $150,572(HSIP) Hwy Safety Improvement Program – (Stoplight) Pending
Total Project Cost = $210,000
DOT Amount 100% = $180,000
Engineering Fees = $30,000Total Project Costs = $962,856
SRTS = $150,572
HSIP (Pending) = $30,000
20% Contingency = $36,114Total Amount to Raise by October, 2025 = $216,686
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The HAT or Hometown Action Team is comprised of local volunteers from Tama and Toledo. This group started in 2020 through Iowa’s Living Roadways Community Visioning Process which was a partnership with IDOT, Trees Forever and ISU. Members include: Lori Baier, Denise Fletcher, Trudy Koch, Mark McFate, Karen Mixdorf, Shelly Riley, Warren Riley, Jeff Shaw, Larry Thomas and Dorothy Zmolek.
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The Fiscal Agent for this project is The City of Tama, 305 Siegel Street, Tama, IA 52339, 641-484-3822
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DOT TENTATIVE TIMELINE
October, 2025: Under contract. Project manager is assigned to this grant at the IDOT level.
November, 2025 to February 2026: engineering procurement, getting engineering under contract (could take 3-4 months)
February, 2026 to January, 2027: Iowa DOT engineering process takes place (expect 9-12 months)
March, 2027: Bidding
Spring, 2027: Under contract with construction firm
Summer 2027: Construction starts
Fall, 2027: Substantial completion of construction