State Farm Neighborhood Assist ® 2018

East Brewton Sidewalks for Safety in Memory of Devon Spencer

My mission is to construct sidewalks in a rural community to provide a peace of mind to walk safely.

The morning of February 11, 2016, changed the lives of two families when 12-year old saxophone player and football star, Devon Spencer was struck by a teen while walking to school on Williamson Street. Devon died four days later from fatal brain injuries related to the accident. Two years later, the teen is now serving a five year prison sentence and Devon's family is starting to pick up the pieces of their lives without Devon.

Currently, the community of East Brewton still lacks sidewalks on Williamson Street which is the main street for two schools where approximately 960 students attend. There are also 53 families that live on this street.

Because of the lack of sidewalks, residents and students must walk on the grass or along the side of the street close to traffic. New sidewalks will remove pedestrians from the roadways and act as a traffic calming tool for vehicular traffic.

This grant would enable the city of East Brewton the ability to provide safety to pedestrians including students walking to and from school. East Brewton has about 2,500 residents with a median household income of approximately $27,000. The local government lacks the funding to complete a project of this nature while meeting the other needs of the community.

The area still lacks sidewalks on Williamson Street which is one of the main streets for the community's elementary and middle school which serves approximately 960 students. There have been other incidents in this area where students have been in risk of getting injured due to the lack of sidewalks.

With the increasing cost of gasoline, safe walking routes to local businesses and destinations will become an even greater necessity. This grant would improve the lives of every single person that walks along Williamson Street and provide peace of mind to parents of the children that attend the schools in the area. This project will also provide a rise in physical activity as people will feel more comfortable walking with the protection of sidewalks. There will be a reduction in traffic speed and allow pedestrians to safely walk with a reduction in risk of vehicular injuries. The community still mourns the loss of two of its youth; one to a fatal accident and one to a unfortunate mistake that may have been avoided if there were sidewalks in the area. The community of East Brewton would sincerely appreciate this grant to positively impact their community.