Elementary school sidewalk finally underway

The wait is over as the Blackwell Elementary School and Ferguson Avenue sidewalk project has finally begun. The project, which will see a sidewalk built from Blackwell Elementary School east to the Ferguson Avenue and 13th Street intersection, has been in the planning stages for months at Blackwell City Hall.

The City Council approved the project in November. Boyd Construction, LLC, was hired to complete the project at a cost of $84,280. Insurance company State Farm provided $25,000 for the project.

Blackwell Elementary School teacher Haley Curfman secured the funds in a State Farm community grant contest three years ago.

Curfman applied for the grant in 2019, and she said she “couldn’t be more happy” to be one of the grant’s 40 recipients from across the nation.

“It’s a great feeling to see so many positive things going on in my hometown, and to see how well this community supports students, teachers, and the Blackwell Public School system,” she said. “It really wasn’t anything special I did. The magic is in our community. When citizens of Blackwell band together, they make things happen.”

According to statistics from State Farm, approximately 4.5 million votes were cast throughout the 10-day online voting period.

Registered users logged on to vote for the grant recipient of their choice. Of those 4.5 million votes, 22.5% were cast in favor of education-related causes. Seventy percent were cast in favor of community development projects, and 7.5% went to causes that promote safety. Curfman’s grant, titled “The Road to Education,” fell under the “safety” category