Mark Fenton spoke to a small but appreciative group of Collinsville citizens, Cherokee Nation officials and Tulsa County health officials Wednesday at Collinsville City Hall. Mr Fenton discussed the problems and some possible improvements to the rise in sedentary lifestyles via changes we could make in our community.

Fenton commented on the lack of exercise kids get today being a side effect of being more closely watched and restricted in the activities parents allow and more "organized" activities than generations past. He recommended we restore more "free range" play activities for kids and create safer environments to foster that.

Bike parking and paths, walkable destinations (especially schools and grocery), more sidewalks, round-abouts instead of signals, back-in parking, "walking school buses', are just a few of the many points Fenton stressed in his lively talk and question answer session.

Two specific sample recommendations he made for Collinsville were more downtown parking for bikes and making a simlpe gravel walking path over the new sewer line headed to the west. -- Ted Wright