The committee that worked to bring a bike lane to Flandreau is applying for a grant that would help connect areas of the community to the city’s aquatic park.
The Move More committee that is part of the Healthy Hometown project is asking for $12,500 to plan ways that Flandreau could get better access to its main park. The grant is through Safe Routes to Parks and is being submitted by the Flandreau Development Corporation.
The grant would provide funding for the planning stages of how the community can better connect people with the park, said Kelley Ramsdell, a volunteer helping with the grant application.
“What we’re hoping for is the funds would help us develop our master plan of increasing the connectivity of sidewalks and crosswalks in Flandreau,” she said. The project would encourage a healthy lifestyle and help people move more in the community, she said.

The grant addresses connecting the sidewalk system on Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal ground with a park route, for example.
“We’re showing in this application that one of our goals is to connect down Veterans Street to be able to connect to the sidewalk on First Avenue,” she said. “What we think we’re lacking the most is the connection on Veterans Street.”
There is no sidewalk or off-road path on Veterans Street from the tribal property to north of Pipestone Avenue where the park is located.
The park is centrally located to other resources in the community, too, including the Flandreau Public Schools, the William J. Janklow Community Center, the Moody County Resource Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Moody County.
The committee working on the grant has asked for support to apply from various organizations in the community, including the Moody County Commission and the Flandreau city administrator. Both have given approval.
The grant is due Dec. 16, and Ramsdell expects to hear quickly on whether the proposal is accepted. The money for planning would have to be used between February and September next year.
Seven communities nationally will be chosen, she said. Last year, more than 100 communities applied.
The committee also has worked to get a bike lane on First Avenue to connect other parts of town with the school and to provide a safer route for children. This grant application is separate from the bike lane work, Ramsdell said.
The committee also will continue to work on better access to crosswalks on busy streets and routes to school, she said.