On Monday, July 22 Savannah City Council voted to restore $1 million in SPLOST funding for Tide To Town.
Thank you, Mayor and Aldermen, for your support in this endeavor. And thank you all for writing to your elected officials — we are overwhelmed by the community support we received for this visionary project.
Thank you for supporting the people-powered movement!
We have an urgent ask for our supporters today.
Later today (July 22) Savannah City Council will be meeting to discuss the final SPLOST project list. Unfortunately, Tide To Town is no longer on that list.
We ask that you contact your alderman today and ask them to support restoring SPLOST funding for Tide To Town. This is an urgent call to action — the meeting is at 5:30 p.m.
We understand the difficult decisions that must be made to compile this list, but complete removal of this project is not acceptable. Not only does Tide To Town satisfy the expressed recreational priorities of Chatham County residents, it directly represents the needs requested for walkability and community connectivity in the Savannah Forward strategic plan.
It also serves as the only direct commitment to infrastructure for people who bike in Savannah and Chatham County, another request of the Savannah Forward plan.
We have two direct asks for city council and staff:
- To restore SPLOST funding for Tide To Town at a minimum of $1 million.
- To update the terminology used in SPLOST to refer to “pedestrian infrastructure” rather than the current “sidewalks”. There is no downside to this terminology change and it doesn’t commit the city to anything specific, but it would create opportunities for a wider range of design solutions for safety, accessibility and connectivity.
Support through funding Tide To Town would reaffirm the City’s commitment to people who lack access to a motor vehicle in our community, which is nearly 10% of residents. This will also be a legacy infrastructure project every Savannahian and visitor will come to cherish and enjoy for decades to come.
Again, we ask that you contact your alderman today and ask them to support restoring SPLOST funding for Tide To Town.
Thank you for continuing to support a Savannah for all road users, no matter their mode of transportation.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly at caila@bikewalksavannah.org.
Caila Brown
BWS Executive Director
