discussion-l Mailing List: BikeAthens Discussion: BikeAthens announcement: 4/22/11

[Weekly announcements for BikeAthens (announcements-l]

Weekly Announcements 4/22/11

1. Congratulations to our 7th Annual GreenFest Awards Recipients Fred
Smith and Richard Shoemaker!
2.  A quick and easy way to support Safe Routes to School
3. New BikeAthens flickr group
4. BRP back in full swing
5.  Elsewhere on the Athens bike scene
6. On the Horizon

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Congratulations to our 7th Annual GreenFest Awards Recipients Fred Smith,
Richard Shoemaker, and Amy Johnson!

Each year, organizations in the Athens area come together for a
community-wide celebration providing citizens with the opportunity to
raise their awareness of and interest in improving the environment of
their home, yard, business, and community. On April 15th, we presented our
Volunteers of the Year Award to Fred Smith and Richard Shoemaker and our
Advocate of the Year Award to Amy Johnson!

Fred seems to have boundless energy in the Bike Recycling shop. His skills
range widely from welding contraptions using scrap bicycle frames and
other parts (including several cargo trailers and bikes) to designing
custom computer systems to log volunteer hours, track our bicycle
inventory, and handling incoming bike requests! He also designed and built
a novel bike storage system to help us more efficiently use our storage
area.

Richard jumped into BRP with both feet, moving from novice to senior
volunteer in less than a year. Heâs the welcoming, friendly face of the
BRP shop, putting his 37 years of teaching skills to good use introducing
new volunteers to shop procedures and guiding less experienced mechanics.
He has truly been a much-needed energizing shot in the arm for the Bike
Recycling Program!

Amy has been a BikeAthens board member for 5 years, is the BikeAthens
representative on the GeorgiaBikes Board of Directors, and heads the
BikeAthens Transportation Policy Committee. Over the years she has worked
tirelessly to get more bike, bus, and pedestrian friendly projects for
Athens through her advising former mayor Heidi and current mayor Nancy on
TSPLOST, through her own work on ACC SPLOST proposals, through her work
with Alice Kinman on ACC sidewalk selection criteria, and through
constantly contacting our mayor and commission on tons of alternative
transportation issues. Our guardian and watchdog of policy issues that are
near and dear to our heart, we couldnât do it without her!

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A quick and easy way to support Safe Routes to School

Last week a group of senators introduced legislation to sustain and
strengthen the federal Safe Routes to School program. This is especially
important now, with Congress looking to slash spending anywhere they can.
If passed, this legislation would sustain the program at its current
funding level and make some policy tweaks to strengthen the program. To
send a preformatted letter to your senators encouraging them to cosponsor
this bill, just click on this link and follow the easy directions!

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/7093/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6372
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New BikeAthens flickr group

If you have a flickr accoutn and have photos related to biking, walking,
and transit in Athens, please consider joining our new flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bikeathens/ . Photos in this group will soon
appear in a sidebar widget on our forthcoming website rebuild.

Itâs easy to join the group: once youâre logged into flickr, go to the URL
above and follow the instructions to join. From there, simply click âadd
photosâ and you can post any of your relevant photos to the group pool. We
may select some outstanding shots for display on our site, in which case
we will contact you for permission.
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BRP back in full swing

BRP workdays are held Mondays & Wednesdays from 6-8 and Sundays from
2-4:30 at the Chase St. warehouses. Volunteers need not have any knowledge
of bicycle maintenance; just be willing to get their hands dirty
repairing, tuning up, cleaning, and outfitting bikes. Feel free to bring
your own repair stands and tools although it is not necessary that you
have these items to participate.

BikeAthens' Bicycle Recycling program, a cooperative venture with local
social support agencies, distributes reconditioned bikes to individuals in
the Athens community who are underserved by private and public
transportation. We rely exclusively on volunteers to recondition the
bikes.
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Elsewhere on the Athens bike scene

The 2011 Tour dâOconee- Tame the Lion!
On Saturday, May 7, 2011, hundreds of cyclists will descend upon
Watkinsville to try out their whips on the Lion of Oconee! The primary
course is 62 miles and there are optional routes of 15, 25, and 35 miles.
The whole county is involved, and downtown Watkinsville is pulling out the
stops with live entertainment Friday night for their âFirst Fridayâ
celebration. The ride is presented by the Oconee County Cycling
Organization, Inc. All riders who register by Saturday April 16 wil
automatically be entered into a drawing for cash prizes. Check out their
website to register and learn what taming the lion means!
www.TameTheLion.com

Riding for a Reason with the Athens Land Trust
The Athens Land Trust is hosting a scenic 48 mile bike ride on Saturday
May 21! Proceeds will go to supporting the Land Trust, a local non-profit
organization with a 15 year history of protecting forest and farmland,
providing energy-efficient affordable housing, and revitalizing
neighborhoods. This includes building and renovating homes for low-income
families. The ride will start in Winterville and end in Washington. At the
end of the ride, folks will have the choice of either returning to the
start on a shuttle provided by the ALT, or staying overnight at the
Fitzpatrick Hotel and riding back the next day. Special rates will be
available for all riders and their guests. Registration begins March 15
To register or for more information check out their website:
http://www.athenslandtrust.org/. And if you are interested in volunteering
or becoming an event sponsor, contact Patty at 706-613-0122 or
patty [at] athenslandtrust.org

Twilight Criterium needs volunteers!
HandsOn Northeast Georgia, a program of Community Connection is looking
for volunteers to assist with the Twilight Criterium, Athens' annual bike
race event. They specifically need strong, hard working volunteers to help
with set-up, take down, and other tasks.  Volunteers will receive a
t-shirt and 'front row' seats at the exciting event.

For more information about Athens Twilight, visit:
http://www.athenstwilight.com/

For specific information about volunteer needs, visit:
http://volunteer.truist.com/hng/user/events/one.tcl?event_id=10365357074

And if you havenât seen any rides that appeal to you yet,
athensgabicycling.com keeps a calendar of rides of all lengths and skill
levels around town- so check âem out!
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On the Horizon

May 6- Group Ride from Earthfare
The second ride of the season is Friday May 6, starting and ending at
Earthfare in Five points. The BikeAthens Group Ride is a leisurely,
law-abiding group bicycle ride around Athens. The purpose of the ride is
to
1) provide a safe, enjoyable atmosphere for all ages and skill levels to
ride bicycles, and
2) to demonstrate that bicycles, vehicles under state law, belong on our
public streets and roadways

These rides are great for folks looking to hang out and meet other
cyclists, for folks who would like to ride a bike in Athens but find the
roads scary, or for folks who would like to get experience riding in a
group. We hope to see you there with your helmet and plenty of water!
There will be goodies courtesy of Earthfare at the end!

May 19 - Bike to Work Day Rally!
Hooray- May is national Bike to Work Month!  We have a lot of fun
activities planned for the month including our annual Rally the evening
before Bike to Work Day. This year Earthfare will be hosting us on
Thursday May 19 from 4 - 7 PM, so put it on your calendars and keep your
eyes peeled for more details in future announcements!
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Keep in touch at our blog http://bikeathens.blogspot.com/ and facebook
page http://www.facebook.com/pages/BikeAthens/126325948567


-- 
BikeAthens appreciates your continued support towards its mission of
improving transportation options in Athens-Clarke County. Get more info,
join, renew your membership, or volunteer at at www.bikeathens.com
_________________________________________________________________
- BikeAthens appreciates your continued support towards its mission of 
improving transportation options in Athens-Clarke County. Get more info,join, 
renew your membership, or volunteer at at www.bikeathens.com

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