DATE: November 18, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Retroactive Approval of the Measure C Safe Routes to School Grant Program Applications
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively approve and authorize the Director of Public Works and Planning’s previous submittal of four applications to Fresno Council of Governments for the Measure C Safe Routes to School Grant Program; and
2. Adopt and authorize Chairman to execute the Resolution required by Fresno Council of Governments stating the County’s approval of and commitment to the Measure C Safe Routes to School Program.
REPORT
To meet the grant filing deadline, the Department of Public Works and Planning (Department) submitted the Grant Applications on October 14, 2025, to the Fresno Council of Governments (FCOG), for the Measure C Safe Routes to School (MCSRTS) grant program funded by the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA), contingent upon your Board’s approval. Grant announcements are scheduled to begin by late fall of 2025. The impact of this item pertains to Districts 1 and 4.
Approval of the first recommended action will approve the previous submittal of four applications to FCOG for the MCSRTS grant program.
Approval of the second recommended action will adopt a resolution required by FCOG as a condition of award for the grant applications submitted to FCOG for the MCSRTS grant program.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the first two recommended actions are not approved, the Department will withdraw the grant applications, and the proposed projects will no longer be considered for funding under the current MCSRTS grant program.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County cost associated with the recommended actions. At the time of this writing, the total funding for the four applications is not known; however, the County would receive 100% of the funding for the projects awarded under the MCSRTS program, if any are awarded.
DISCUSSION:
Fresno County Voters passed an extension to the Measure C sales tax program in November 2006, continuing a half-cent sales tax for transportation purposes. Much of the planning and implementation of the Measure C Program is done by FCOG staff, while the agency responsible for overseeing the implementation of Measure C is the FCTA. The current Measure C extension is set to expire in June 2027. The continuation of Measure C beyond 2027 is yet to be determined. FCOG is charged with working with the community to develop a transportation plan that could become a renewal of the measure. They have been hosting community meetings, attending events, and making presentations to groups as requested to find out what is most important to Fresno County residents.
The MCSRTS program was identified in 2024 being derived from funds not expended in existing programs from the 2006 Measure C Extension. Beginning in 2023, the MCSRTS Subcommittee met to discuss and identify investment needs to support educational institutions throughout the County, specifically in priority communities. The goals of the MCSRTS allocation are to support transportation projects serving primary and secondary students in accessing public school facilities to:
• Enhance the safety of children walking or biking to school;
• Prioritize schools with significant safety concerns or risk to children bicycling or walking to school based on crash data, traffic analysis, or traffic behavior around primary and secondary schools; and
• Support disadvantaged and low-income communities with fewer transportation safety options to ensure all children have access to safe routes.
In addition to improving safety and accessibility of routes that children take to school in Fresno County, the MCSRTS program works to support walking and biking as a safe and accessible option for students by addressing high-risk areas, improving infrastructure, fostering community engagement, and ensuring that students from disadvantaged and low-income communities and those with disabilities benefit from safer streets and active transportation opportunities.
In the Summer of 2024, the Department was awarded a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for the Department's Safe Routes to School Action Plan (SRTSAP), which launched a safety assessment to evaluate the most critical transportation issues students face at 15 schools located in or adjacent to unincorporated areas of Fresno County. The Board approved that submittal on September 24, 2024 (see Reference Material).
On October 14, 2025, the Department submitted four grant applications to the MCSRTS program. The projects were recommended by the County’s consultant, Toole Design, Inc., as part of the Department’s SRTSAP. The projects consist of safety countermeasures that will be executed both temporarily as demonstration projects and permanently as construction projects, depending on the needs of each community. The projects are listed below:
Riverdale High School Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) - At the intersection of Mount Whitney Avenue and Feland Avenue, install high-visibility crosswalks and curb extensions, and replace the existing flashing beacon with a PHB, to increase safety for pedestrians and improve traffic flow.
Cantua Creek Elementary Pedestrian Pathway - This project would construct a shared use bicycle & pedestrian pathway on the north side of Clarkson Avenue from San Mateo Avenue to Santa Clara Avenue, and a shared use pathway on the east side of San Mateo from Clarkson to the service road. High visibility crosswalks will be included at the intersection of Clarkson and San Mateo to connect the pathway. Solar lighting will also be provided along the pathway on Clarkson.
West Park Elementary Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) - This project would upgrade the flashing sign at Jensen and Valentine Avenues to a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, install high visibility crosswalk and curb extensions, advance crosswalk signage on Jensen Avenue to slow vehicles down upon intersection approach, add intersection approach rumble strips on all approaches, and install intersection lighting. In addition, the speed limit might be reduced from 50 mph to 40 mph.
Del Rey Elementary Sidewalk Improvements - This project would add sidewalk along Jefferson Avenue from Morro Avenue to Del Rey Avenue and along Carmel Avenue from Jefferson to Chico Avenue.
If any grants are awarded, the Department will return to your Board for approval of any funding agreements with FCTA.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #9, September 24, 2024
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Location Maps
On file with Clerk - Resolution
CAO ANALYST:
Maria Valencia