Mass in Motion Fall River Coordinator Julie Kelly and  SSTAR Community Prevention Coordinator Eric Andrade, both of whom are working on the "1422 Project" funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to improve opportunities for physical activity, invited staff from WalkBoston to Fall River to conduct a walkability audit around the Greene Elementary School in the Niagara Neighborhood on May 10, 2017. Fall River Police Department School Resource Officer Chris Gibson, Principal Lourdes Santiago, Fall River Traffic Director Laura Ferreira, Adjustment Counselor Robin Thorpe, St. Luke's Episcopal Church Pastor Rev. Susan Lee, Partners School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard, Erin Reed of MassDOT's Safe Routes to School Program, and SRPEDD Director of Highway Planning Lisa Estrela-Pedro joined Eric, WalkBoston Project Manager Adi Nochur and Senior Project Manager Dorthea Hass for the audit. Together they reviewed some of the ways that walkability can potentially be improved and then walked through the neighborhood so they could make note of both problems and assets that affect the ability of children, parents and others to safely navigate the streets and sidewalks.  Click here for a 40-minute   video of the session. For more information about walking resources in the City, to to  WalkFallRiver.org or the  WalkFallRiver Facebook page. To learn more about Mass in Motion Fall River, contact Fall River coordinator Julie Kelly at 508-324-2405. 

(Top row) Fall River Police Department School Resource Officer Chris Gibson, Partners School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard, Principal Lourdes Santiago, Fall River Traffic Director Laura Ferreira, SSTAR Community Prevention Coordinator Eric Andrade, Adjustment Counselor Robin Thorpe and ,SRPEDD Director of Highway Planning Lisa Estrela-Pedro, left, gather at the school with St. Luke's Episcopal Church Pastor Rev. Susan Lee, WalkBoston Project Manager Adi Nochur, Senior Project Manager Dorthea Hass, and Erin Reed of MassDOT's Safe Routes to School Program, center. (Row two) Ms. Estrela-Pedro, Ms. Picard, Mr. Andrade and Principal Santiago listen to a PowerPoint presentation by Mr. Nochur before leaving the school to conduct the audit as children leave the building at the end of the school day. (Row three) The group goes to the front of the school and then divides into several groups to observe walking and traffic patterns and record their observations. (Bottom row) Mr. Nochur takes photos along the audit route before retuning to the school with the group where Ms. Hass asks them to report on positives and negatives that they observed while Mr. Nochur records their remarks.