downtown to get first 'pedlet'

Pedlet Pilot Project Funded by Klamath County Tourism Grant
and Klamath Falls City Parks Scheduled to be Installed at Mermaid Garden Café

​Klamath Falls, OR – May 18, 2021 – Blue Zones Project-Healthy Klamath has been working in collaboration with the City of Klamath Falls and S&S Manufacturing to produce the first pedlet, scheduled to be installed Tuesday, May 18 at Mermaid Garden Café.

​In order to create infrastructure to foster increased walkability and social health in downtown Klamath Falls, Blue Zones Project applied for funding through the Klamath County Tourism grant and partnered with the City of Klamath Falls Parks Department. As one of the awarded projects, both agencies have been working with S & S Manufacturing to build a pedlet. A pedlet is designed similar to a boardwalk that connects to the sidewalk and provides a diversion around customers enjoying the outdoor space.

Locally, the pedlet will serve as a seasonal structure that adds a thoroughfare for downtown pedestrian, to be extended around outdoor dining and retail spaces in front of businesses. Pedlets have been a unique way of expanding businesses without compromising ADA accessibility, sidewalk access, or the businesses being able to easily access customers. In recent years, other communities have implemented similar projects to help create more vibrant outdoor spaces and increase business for participating retailers and restaurants.

With collaboration from the City of Klamath Falls and Klamath Falls Downtown Association; the Blue Zones Project Built Environment Committee has been working to fund a pilot prototype pedlet that will be mobile, versatile, easy to assemble, store, and disassemble. In working with S&S Manufacturing a prototype has been constructed with an aluminum foundation and Trex decking to create a safe, durable structure.

​The structure is scheduled to be installed May 18th at Mermaid Garden Café. After extensive research and piqued interest from the beginning, Mermaid Garden Café was chosen as the pilot location due to their engagement and investment in the project. Since the first pedlet is a pilot project, the funding structure is different, to gauge interest and success of the prototype. After manufacturing, the pedlet will be the property of the City of Klamath Falls and will be a part of a pedlet/parklet Program they are developing. In the near future we hope to have additional pedlets installed at more businesses. If you are interested in learning more about pedlets and built environment, please reach out to Kelsey Mueller at bluezonesproject@healthyklamath.org or to learn more about the downtown pedlet/parklet program, Kristina Mainwaring at the City of Klamath Falls (KMainwaring@klamathfalls.city).

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About the Blue Zones Project
​
Blue Zones Project® is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city's environment, policy, and social networks.

Established in 2010, Blue Zones Project is based on research by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five cultures of the world—or blue zones—with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. Blue Zones Project incorporates Buettner's findings and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-being. Currently, 56 communities across North America have joined Blue Zones Project, impacting more than 3.8 million citizens. The population health solution includes two Health Districts in California; 15 cities in Iowa; Albert Lea, Minnesota; the city of Fort
Worth, Texas; Corry, Pennsylvania; Brevard, North Carolina; the Walla Walla Valley in Washington; and communities in Southwest Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Blue Zones Project is brought to Klamath Falls with support from Sky Lakes Medical Center, Klamath County, City of Klamath Falls, and Cascade Health Alliance, in partnership with Sharecare, Inc. and Blue Zones, LLC. For more information, visit bluezonesproject.com.

Klamath Falls is Oregon’s first Blue Zones Project Demonstration Community. To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Klamath Falls at
BlueZonesProject@healthyklamath.org, or visit www.healthyklamath.org/bluezones.

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