Okaloosa County Public Works, the Okaloosa School District and the Sheriff’s Office want to improve kids’ routes to school.

Michael Anderson, an engineering technician for the county, said the three agencies are working on an application for the Safe Routes to School grant through the state Department of Transportation. The grant covers the costs of needed infrastructure within a two-mile radius of the county’s most deserving schools.

“We have citizen concerns at a couple of locations where students were walking and it is a hazard,” Anderson said.

Those areas include north Crestview, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville, Anderson said. Anderson said the grant would cover 100 percent of costs associated with the extent of the work needed.

“We are trying to figure out where our needs are,” Anderson said. He said from what he sees on a regular basis, some schools need updates.

“There are schools in the county where kids are walking in ditches,” Venuti said. It’s a priority not only for the (school) district, but for us.”

Anderson said he is not sure when the funds will be awarded if the county wins the grant, but it is something he will make a priority now and in the future.

“It’ll be a lot safer for kids,” Anderson said.