Village of Sodus News
Sodus residents conduct walking audit, paving the way for a more accessible community
WayneTimes.com October 26, 2025
Walking Audit Volunteers (left to right): Janet Englert, Ellen Zuroski and her granddaughter Rosemary, Melissa Kersten from APHW, Shawna Cornwell RN, BSN from WC Public Health. Not pictured: Karen Cline, Village of Sodus Clerk.
Residents and community leaders gathered on September 23, 2025, for a village-wide walking audit, a collaborative effort aimed at enhancing pedestrian safety and accessibility.
The event, a partnership between the Village of Sodus and Active People Healthy Wayne (APHW), a program of Finger Lakes Community Action, brought community members together to identify opportunities for improving the village's infrastructure.
Volunteers walked predetermined routes, closely examining the condition and layout of sidewalks, crosswalks and overall community accessibility. The data collected will be used to create a detailed report for the Village Board, highlighting areas where upgrades could create a safer environment for walking, rolling, and biking for people of all ages and abilities. "The walking audit is an impactful and affordable tool used in many communities to help maintain sustainable practices," said a representative from Active People Healthy Wayne. "It supports our elderly or disabled people aging in place, while providing great places to raise families".
The Village of Sodus Board recently added an annual walking audit to its Complete Streets Policy, demonstrating a continued commitment to community well-being. This formal policy ensures that infrastructure planning considers the needs of all road users not just motorists. The community 's proactive approach has also secured additional funding from the New York State Department of Health's Creating Healthy Schools and Communities grant. This grant will help offset local tax dollars and fund improvements. This latest initiative complements ongoing efforts, which include new sidewalks on Elmwood Avenue, upgraded trash cans, new dog waste stations, and improved street lighting.
The findings from the audit are expected to inform future infrastructure projects, helping the Village of Sodus continue its mission of creating a safer and more accessible community for everyone. For more information contact Program Director Pamela Precourt at pamela. precourt@waynecap.org
Sodus Village Earns NYS Climate Smart Community Bronze Level Certification
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that the Village of Sodus has earned the prestigious Bronze Level of Certification in New York State’s Climate Smart Communities Program. The honor recognizes eight years of hard work in which the Village has implemented policies that save money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making the village more climate resilient. The next measure of the village’s on-going success will be the Silver Level of Certification
The certification process is voluntary for municipalities who have pledged to be Climate Smart Communities. After being designated five years ago by the state as a Clean Energy Community, the village wanted to challenge itself to achieve the next level of fiscal responsibility and sustainability. Highlights of the village initiatives recognized by the state were its implementation of:
a climate smart advisory board,
a system to track and reduce village energy usage over time,
LED streetlighting,
LED lighting systems at the Sodus Municipal Building,
new policies for solar permitting and new construction energy efficiency,
a process to develop on-going climate action planning.
These highlights are a few examples of well over thirty Climate Smart Community initiatives that the Village of Sodus has completed to build a sound foundation for its sustainable and fiscally responsible future.