Future cities are safer for seniors

SANDPOINT — Cities of the future would be much safer for senior citizens if local sixth-graders were on the job. 

Geothermal energy, for example, could be used to create safer environments for senior citizens by melting the snow off sidewalks and roads. Self-driving cars and hover pods would transport residents around the cities. Other alternative energy sources would be used as well, including solar power and harnessing the energy from bolts of lightning.

"In our city, we are powered by windmills and solar panels and wind turbines," said Washington Elementary sixth-grader Alayna Lies. "Wind turbines work by converting kinetic energy into mechanical power ... A generator can convert the mechanical power into electricity that can power homes, school and business."

Alayna was referring to her team's project for this year's Future City competition in which the theme is "The Age-Friendly City."

The Washington Elementary sixth-graders have been working on their projects since the first day of school. The students began by learning about the scientific method and Isaac Newton's three laws of motion in September, followed by a tour of Sandpoint, said Jeanne Warwick, sixth-grade teacher at Washington. The students then spoke with the city's planning and economic development director, as well as others in the community, including several seniors from Luther Park.

Then they created virtual models of their cities using the SimCity computer game. This month, Warwick said, the kids began building scale models of their cities using 99 percent recycled materials.

The semi-finals were held Friday morning in which each Future City team presented to a panel of judges. Each judge volunteered their time — they were rewarded with free coffee thanks to Evans Brothers — to listen to the kids' presentations and decide which two teams will move on to state competition in Boise.

"I think it's really neat," said former Sandpoint Mayor Carrie Logan, who said it is the second year she has judged the competition. "It's fun to see how their minds work and to see them collaborating — collaboration is the key to everything in my mind — and I'm just really excited that kids are introduced to these kind of topics and have an interest in detailing them."

Aaron Qualls, the city planning and economic development director, was another of Friday's judges. He was also a guest speaker for the students earlier in the semester and said it is a great opportunity, as a city planner, to engage with local youth.

"There are some really innovative ideas that come out of sixth-graders," Qualls said. "I am always pleasantly surprised. They always have such a good perspective that we don't always account for in city planning and it's a good reminder to me to really see through the eyes of kids, the issues that they encounter in getting around a city. They are a really important user group of our city that we don't always get feedback from."

The first place winners of Friday's competition were Blayne Kanning, Noah Bednarczyk, Miles Landrum, Pierce McDermott, and Sawyer Treadaway with their city, "Cambria." In second place was "The Bright Idea," built by Klein Fragoso, Etta Francis, Peyton Cessna, Eoin Eddy, and Jett Longanecker.

The state Future City competition will be held at Boise State University on Jan. 20, where the top teams from across Idaho will vie for the chance to compete at the national competition in Washington, D.C., in February.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.