April 8:
PedNet, Columbia Public Works, the Columbia/Boone County Health Dept., and the CARE program open the Douglass Neighborhood Trail (DNT) in a ceremony led by First Ward Councilperson Almeta Crayton and Mayor Darwin Hindman. The DNT is a one-mile loop trail consisting of footprints painted on the sidewalk by teenagers participating in the CARE summer program and marker posts installed by PedNet volunteers. An associated walking program encourages local residents to use the DNT to achieve regular physical exercise.
April-May:
PedNet's first Walking School Bus (WSB) Coordinator Margy Tonnies (appointed in January) recruits and trains 25 volunteer WSB "Drivers" and coordinates a successful program in which approximately 120 children in 12 WSB teams at 5 schools walk to school every day or most days during the 9-week program.
April-July:
The Columbia/Boone County Health Dept. and the PedNet Coalition launch the "Why Do YOU Do It?" social marketing campaign with 560 minutes of radio advertizing and 1,000 large, full-color posters donated by Boone Hospital. Each of the eight ads targets a different demographic group with a message tailored to promote active living or healthy eating.
May 4:
"Bike, Walk, and Wheel: A Way of Life in Columbia,"receives the national "High Gear" award at the annual Active Living by Design grantee meeting. The project is recognized for "building remarkable momentum across all areas of the Active Living model." Mayor Darwin Hindman receives the national "Active Living Leadership" award.
May 6-13:
More than 2,450 Columbians, including about 1,100 schoolchildren, take part in the fifth annual Mayor's Challenge: Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week. A record ten separate events make up the week's celebrations. 100 donated bicycles are given away at Cycle-Recycle, organized in partnership with the Columbia/Boone County Health Dept.
June:
PedNet membership passes 5,000.
June 15:
Mayor Hindman's 35-member Advisory Committee, appointed to oversee Columbia's $25 million federal Pilot Program grant, votes unanimously to name the project, "The PedNet Project: Connecting Columbia."
July 8:
The PedNet Board holds an all-day retreat attended by Board and staff members and 20 strategic partners, to identify goals and resources for the next 1-3 years. Stacia Reilly (Columbia/Boone County Health Dept.), Ann Cohen (University of Missouri and YouZeum), and Sarah Ashman (Walt's Bicycle, Fitness, and Wilderness Company) are appointed to the Board of Directors.
August 15:
Using money from the "PedNet Project" federal grant, the City of Columbia appoints Ted Curtis, co-founder and 18-year Director of the St. Louis-based Trailnet organization, to be the City's first Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner. This represents the fulfilment of one of PedNet's original goals and another huge step forward towards the vision.
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