The City of Hobart and the Hobart YMCA held a “Walk-able Community Day” to promote and expand the concepts of walk-able neighborhoods, safe routes to school and complete streets. The participants formed a “walking train” starting from different locations around the city, ending at the Brickie Bowl just before the start of Bring Back Brickie Bowl.
Each of five color coordinated “trains” or “lines” left from different locations around Hobart with an engineer and a conductor. The engineer led each group, blowing a whistle. The conductor gave each walk participant a ticket and punched the ticket.
Dale Pollomchak, CEO of the Hobart Family YMCA, said that the event was a result of a grant the city received. “We got a state grant to support the surgeon general’s call to action on walk-able communities.” he said. “So this is our event supporting the surgeon general”
According to Pollomchak, Hobart is a very accessible city. “If you move in anywhere within a half a mile from town you’re able to get downtown for these kind of events and you don’t even have to take the car out of the garage.”
The city provides sidewalks and safe crossings for people within a half a mile from town, making downtown events accessible to the public on foot.
“We were happy to be part of this” said Pollomchak.
The results of the event, including a video will be taken back to the Indiana State Alliance of YMCA meeting in the fall.