I am absolutely delighted by Matthew's initiative, and very impressed by the results he is getting so far!
Over the last six years I have mentioned this several time that when I attended that same school, I asked the principal if a secure place could be provided to park my bicycle. His basic answer (minus the walking part), and this isn't even the same principal .. deja vu ..
He said, "I don't need that problem". He said that students' safety is his top priority and that the streets and sidewalks are not safe to bicycle or walk to school.
Because I was pretty persistent and the principal realized he couldn't prevent me from bicycling to school, he said I could ride my bicycle to school, but I couldn't park it there because the school would be liable. At the time, the interest and support for bicycling to school by my peers was non-existent. Being an aberration, I did ride my bicycle to school, but parked it in the garage of a friend of the family about a block away. Even more recently, one of Nick Hein's child experienced the same thing, and they practically lived across the street from the school. :)
This school has an established history of not allowing children to park their bicycles on school property, despite the fact that Suncrest provides an
extremely bikable neighborhood. What irony.
Some of you should remember my recent email on 5/2 with the subject, Bicycle Plan Funding. Please read it again if you have forgotten. In that email I established that what we really needed was
strategic funding team/committee as a prerequisite to grant-writing. There are many, many sources of money for SRTS programs at schools, but it is futile to pursue them until there is strong support from the target audience. Most SRTS initiatives have started from within schools just like Matthew is doing, and he is going around it in the exactly correct way. In fact, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) could be a possible source of funding, as could fund-raisers by the students. I highly recommend watching these two webinars:
Building a SRTS Bike Brigade: Tips on Getting Started and Spreading the Success:http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/events-and-training/srts-webinars/bbrigade
Leaving No Stone Unturned: Tips and Tricks for Funding Your SRTS Program: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/events-and-training/srts-webinars/funding-tips
At this point, the Bicycle Board needs to provide moral support, we need to break down barriers, and help foster a new culture in this school. We should get a representative to the PTA meeting Matthew has scheduled. But keep this in mind because it is absolutely the key to success based on what I have learned from real-world stories, that crucial support and impetus for
this change needs to be coming from the parents and their children attending Suncrest Middle .. exactly what Matthew is working towards.
While the APBP guidelines are good for rack specs, what students at schools really need and want, remember I was once a student at that school, are secure
and sheltered parking. I rode to that school all year long in all types of weather; contrary to popular opinion, snow and rain do not prevent children from bicycling to school. Several years ago when we talked to the UHS and MHS principals, we showed them a variety of shelter designs. One such design, a permaculture bike shelter would compliment the educational purpose of Suncrest Middle School and would be another feather in this National Blue Ribbon School.
This situation is all very exciting, revolutionary and could be transformative for Morgantown!
-Jonathan
Sources of Funding:
Parent Teacher Associations
(PTA)
Business sponsorship
School District Foundation
Hospital Foundation (good advocacy for them)
Public Health (city or county) - if not grants may provide in-kind support (printing, mailing)
State Department of Health grants. Local Health Department could help write the grants
SRTS has a mini-grant program of about $1,000
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Health Foundation (lots of money)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (reverse child obesity)
Appalachian Stewardship Foundation (Added by Jonathan Rosenbaum)
On 8/20/2012 8:27 PM, Frank Gmeindl wrote:
Thanks to Damien, Chip and Ryan for their prompt, positive and useful responses. Below, is my planned response to Mr. Watson. In it, I will list Suncrest Middle School's Partners in Education, recommend that the School contact them for bike rack funding, provide the attached bike rack selection guidelines, etc..
But, before I respond to Mr. Watson, I would like your thoughts on the following.
School was just letting out while I was there and the principal, James Napoleo was outside and asked me what I was doing. I said I was taking photos of good locations for a bike rack. He said, "I don't need that problem". He said that students' safety is his top priority and that the streets and sidewalks are not safe to bicycle or walk to school. He doubted that we would get the money for the rack but said he wouldn't install it until the streets were safe for bicycling to school. We did talk for about 10 minutes. I explained to him that SRTS is our top priority and that work in all 6 Es would be required to make SRTS. He said he and his wife are cyclists and that they love the rail trail. He recognized that students need more physical activity. He suggested that we could deliver a one-week safe cycling class at his school. He also suggested that the school have a bicycle club. I
don't know what it would take for him to say that the streets are adequately safe for kids to ride to school but he did mention bike lanes and sidewalks.
Do you think I should send the following message to Mr. Watson? Anything else?
Here's the message that I plan to send to Mr. Watson.
Mr. Watson,
Thank you for contacting me about obtaining a bicycle rack for Suncrest Middle School. I am chairman of the Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board and our program is called Bike Morgantown. The Bicycle Board does not have a budget so we can't provide you funding for the bicycle rack. However, the following businesses which are Partners in Education with Suncrest Middle School may be able to help:
• Mylan
• Dynamic Physical Therapy
• Centra Bank
• Dan Ryan Builders.
If you can't get help from your school's Partners in Education, the National Center for Safe Routes to School has a grant program that might provide a mini-grant for your bike rack. You can find information on the program at
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/funding-portal/mini-grants/previous-recipients/spring-2012-0 .
I've attached Bicycle Parking Guidelines that might help you select an appropriate rack.
If your Parent-Teacher-Group favors getting a rack, I'd also suggest that they contact Morgantown City Council for support. Last May, the Morgantown City Council unanimously adopted the Greater Morgantown Bicycle Plan,
http://bikemorgantown.com/Plan/morgantown_bicycle_plan_v15.pdf . Establishing Safe Routes to School in Morgantown is one of the City's highest priority actions in the plan and having a secure place to store your bike when you've ridden safely to school is a logical part of that action.
On Aug 20, 2012, at 1:52 PM, Damien Davis wrote:
I like Chip's idea. Most of the schools have a "Partner in Education" Suncrest Middle's Partners in Education are Panera Bread, Mylan and Centra Bank (although I don't know if Centra Bank exist anymore). Those three should be able to scratch together enough to purchase a bike rack.
Assistant City Engineer
City of Morgantown
Public Works Department - Engineering Division
389 Spruce Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
Office: 304.284.7398
Fax: 304.284.7409
From: "Chip Wamsley" <
chip@wamsleycycles.com>
To: ddavis@cityofmorgantown.org, "Frank Gmeindl" <
fgmeindl@gmail.com>
Cc: bikeboard@bikemorgantown.comSent: Monday, August 20, 2012 11:01:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] Fwd: Bike Rack at Suncrest Middle School
To All,
Don't the schools have larger companies that partner with that specific school. They might want to do a bike rack as part of their partnership.
Chip
-----Original Message-----
From: "Damien Davis" <
ddavis@cityofmorgantown.org>
Sent 8/20/2012 9:16:45 AM
To: "Frank Gmeindl" <
fgmeindl@gmail.com>
Cc:
bikeboard@bikemorgantown.comSubject: Re: [Bikeboard] Fwd: Bike Rack at Suncrest Middle School
Frank,
Maybe the Bike Board could partner with the School or the School Board and apply for a Bikes Belong grant to get bike rack for more than one school.
Assistant City Engineer
City of Morgantown
Public Works Department - Engineering Division
389 Spruce Street
Morgantown, WV 26505
Office: 304.284.7398
Fax: 304.284.7409
From: "Frank Gmeindl" <
fgmeindl@gmail.com>
To: bikeboard@bikemorgantown.comSent: Monday, August 20, 2012 7:31:28 AM
Subject: [Bikeboard] Fwd: Bike Rack at Suncrest Middle School
What shall I tell Mr. Watson?
Begin forwarded message:
Date: August 19, 2012 10:25:07 PM EDT
Subject: Bike Rack at Suncrest Middle School
Dear Mr. Gmeindle,
My name is Matthew Watson. I am an 8th grader at Suncrest Middle School here in Morgantown, WV. I have a strong interest in riding my bike to school, but my school does not have a bicycle rack for me to lock my bicycle to when I get there. I have already written a petition to have my classmates sign to show their interest in getting this bicycle rack at our school, and hope that this will show the administration the interest in getting one. To this point, my petition has approximately 70 signatures, but I am sure that I will have many more in the days to come. In fact, many students and their parents have approached me to say that they are really excited about the idea of getting a bicycle rack so that they can ride to school. I have also approached the school Parent-Teacher-Group to ask that I be allowed to talk at their next meeting about getting this bicycle rack. I have been placed on the agenda for
the next meeting in early September.
My father works at the Coliseum with Dr. Christiaan Abildso and was talking with him about my push to get a bicycle rack at my school. Dr. Abildso mentioned your name and the Bike Morgantown initiative. He also indicated that you might have a budget or grant program that might allow me to secure the funds to purchase a bicycle rack for my school. I would love to talk with you more about this opportunity. I am very excited about this possibility given the mission of your group as I read more about it on your website ("....advocate for the provision of bicycle travel opportunities to and from locations such as residential, employment, commercial, education, recreation and transit centers; promote the development of safe bicycle routes to schools;"). Based upon what I have read, I feel as if your group is the perfect group for me to ask for help from. If you are unable to help me, do you have any ideas
where I might go for help?
Thank you very much for any help that you might be able to give me. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. You may contact me at this e-mail address, or call my father on his cell phone at 304-692-1454
Sincerely,
Matthew Watson
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