26 Jan - City Council Meeting 6:30 tonite to discuss Pedestrian Plan

Good morning,
If you haven't already made your plans for this evening please consider coming out to the city council meeting at City Hall where the budget for the next year will be discussed.  A major sustainable transportation initiative to be discussed will be the Pedestrian Plan and fee proposed by the Pedestrian Safety Board.  The board is asking your support, here's Christiaan Abildso's email describing what you can do.

1) Tues, Jan 26 6:30 - City Council meeting to develop budget priorities (Don Spencer will propose the fee as a priority)

---I will attend to encourage ped plan/fee prioritization; not many others need attend

2) Thurs, Jan 28 6:30 - Public Forum hosted by the DP re: plan/fee - South Middle School auditorium

---Bill & I will present the plan

***!!!we need as many as can be there to be there!!!***

 

In other news, we are continuing to write grant applications to help get funding to cover our operating costs now that we've gone beyond just bike recycling.  Eventually we expect to get sustaining income from memberships, consulting, education programs, etc - but we are now in the organizational phase known as "capacity building".  For this funding we are looking to city, county and foundation grants.  Naturally the easiest programs to get funded are the ones that we are already doing, so our focus is on bike riding/repair skills and trip planning.  If you'd like to help draft these proposals, which are due in the next few weeks, we could really use your help.

Additionally we are receiving a large amount of student volunteer help from the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Multi-Disciplinary Studies (MDS) teams and individuals.   We can also use help supervising these volunteers.  Call the shop for details.

Special thanks to Jessica Weber, a new WVU grad student in Public Administration who has volunteered her time and energy.  Jessica spent the past year as an intern for the Alliance for Biking and Walking in Washington DC.  Although her time is limited, her energy doesn't seem to be and we look forward to working with her.

Let's make the 2010 the year we "Bike and Walk to Break Gridlock"!

20 Jan - Good reading

A couple of new book have arrived at the Positive Spin Sustainable Transportion library and are available for viewing or checkout:
"How to Live Well Without Owning a Car" by Chris Balish
"Bicycle Design" by Mike Burroughs

These are in addition to some other titles that may interest you:
"Effective Cycling" by John Forrester
"Human Powered Homes"
"Pedaling Revolution"
"Bicycling and the Law"
"Traffic Skills 101/102" from the League of American Bicyclists

There are some childrens' books for the younger crowd:
"Sally Jean the Bicycle Queen"
"Mike and the Bike"
"Michael Recycle"
"Gracie Goat's Big Bike Race"

And we have various videos on bicycling, bike repair and bike safety.
Come in and check them out, and volunteer while you're here.
Nick

19 Jan - Update

There's too much new stuff going on to just talk about one topic.  So here's the rundown.
- This morning we helped out in a workshop at MTEC teach bike mechanic skills to students in Scheryll Richard's class.  Special thanks to Rob Voorhees, the local Cannondale rep who donated his time/tools/skills to organize and conduct the session.  From now on we'll be showing up regularly on Thursdays to cover a new subject and work with the students rehabbing bikes for the shop.  We are in need of donations of money, a workstand and wheel truing stand to equip the shop.  If you have any of these items sitting around unused please consider donating them.  Contact Positive Spin.
- Preparations are well underway for the Bike Skills classes to be taught at Apex, NC next month.  Last Friday I travelled to DC to assist with a class there that will be similar to the classes I'll give.  Special thanks to the Washington Area Bike Coallition for giving us this great experience.  We are now looking for volunteers to help with planning and organizing for the event.  If you can help out please contact the shop.
- We've received calls from our first "Community Service" volunteers of the semester.  In addition to working in the shop they'll be helping in the office - setting up our member database, email contact list and other tasks as needed.  Some of these students are doing the work for classes, others as atonement for various infractions - we're OK with that.  We'll make this the kind of punishment that keeps them coming back for more.

If you haven't been to the shop in a while, or you've never been, don't wait until you need a bike.  Come in for the tour and stay to help out.  If you want to come in outside posted hours just call and make an appointment.  And just as a reminder that we're about more than just bikes, check out this article showing the savings for riding a bus.

13 Jan - Alliance grant is complete, Next task....

I've just sent in the application for the Alliance's Advocacy Advance Grants.  This is the preliminary round, if we're selected at this stage then we'll have to turn in a final application in March.  Thanks to those of you who helped with this round.  However, the work isn't done yet.  We've just received applications from the city and county where money is available.  These deadlines are coming up quick, if you can help out with the applications please don't hesitate to call.

Today is another great day for riding while the temps are still below freezing.  By tomorrow it will warm up and the melting will leave a salty, mushy mess in its path but it will be the first time we've gotten above freezing in a few weeks.  Hope you're all enjoying it where ever you are.  This weekend I will be travelling to Washington DC to get a taste of what it's like to try and teach bike/pedestrian skills to unruly mobs of K-5 schoolkids.  This is in preparation for the classes we'll be teaching in Apex (Raleigh) NC next month.  This is another task I can use help with.  This would be a particularly good job for any physiology or phys. ed. students who want to see what a gym class setting will be like to deal with.  Again, if you can help please call the shop.

Just for fun, if you want to see some outrageous bowling check out this video. 

12 Jan - It's Grantwriting Season

It was a beautiful day for biking in the snow, well for some of us anyway.  For the rest of you, if you've got some time for sitting around and are looking for something really helpful and rewarding to do, how about helping us write grant applications for the following funding sources:

Morgantown Community Block Development Grants (Due Feb 8)Mon County Grants (Due Early March)
Alliance for Biking and Walking:  Advocacy Advance Grants (Final App due Mar 3)

We've applied for grants in the past, but so have lots of other people and we need your help to make a compelling case for why we're the best investment for these limited funds.  If you have time and, particularly if you have experience, please call the shop and find out what you can do.  Also, feel free to make comments on this post if you can suggest people or other resources that might be helpful.  Chances are that the changes you make possible will stay in the community for a long time to come - better health, safer streets, cleaner air and a nicer place to live, work and get around.

Thank you,
Nick

11 Jan - Pedestrian News

This past weekend I travelled to Charleston, WV to offer assistance to a group who are starting a community bike shop there in the Habitat for Humanity - Restore.  They have a great looking facility, even includes heat and decent lighting.  If anyone reading this list is in that area please consider volunteering to help them out.  I'll have contact details soon.  Otherwise lookup Zoe Beavers, the force behind the organization.

Tonite after returning the rental car I walked downtown on Willey St from the Mileground and started thinking about how much room has been left for improvement in this corridor.  There is NO sidewalk for most of the way, and the road is so narrow that you are left no choice but to stop traffic until you can get to a safe place to pull aside.  The sidewalks that there are haven't been shoveled (in violation of unenforced city ordinance) so it's still a sub-optimal experience at best.  Since the Pedestrian Safety Board meeting was planned for 4pm today I made that my destination.  The discussion at the meeting was mostly focused on the new pedestrian plan for Morgantown and how to present the $1/ft assessment as an investment that will end up raising housing values and saving costs that more than offset it.  I promised to supply a link to the PLAN and to the PETITION if support you can sign.  Next month the city council votes on putting it in the budget (Jan 26 at 7pm in the council chambers) - your presence at the meeting would help let the city know that this is a priority.  Find more information at our website link.

Jan 6 - Welcome to the New Year

Positive Spin re-opens its doors today after the holiday, we hope you'll be dug out of the snow and can come by to help out with the new projects we have going on for the Winter season and prepare for biking in the Spring.  There are lots of exciting new opportunities to increase biking/walking and reduce traffic congestion.  In the next few days we plan to have a newsletter out describing some of them, but don't wait.  If you want to help make big changes in Morgantown transportation call anytime.

Note:  Our regular shop cellphone has gone missing (I lost it).  Until it turns up you can contact the shop on my personal cellphone at 304-685-8954.