Drew, et al,
I agree with Frank's comments,
It will help us measure our progress and as we learned with the last BFC application, the form itself is a prompt for what other top communities are doing.
It has helped businesses recruit new employees, I was doing a presentation for the US Dept of Forestry office here, on what they could do to promote commuting to work and a new employee that had relocated from the Pacific Northwest commented in the question period that he had transferred to Morgantown because of the cities and the Forestry Offices BFC rankings.
With the Alta plan it will be a lot easier to fill out the applications as they have quantified what our infrastructure is and what it will be with proposed improvements. A lot of things that were proposed on our last application have been completed.
Finally, doing the applications might also help the bike board see how we will fit in with more involvement from the city.
Chip
---- Original Message ----
From: "Frank Gmeindl via Bikeboard" <bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com>
Sent: 12/17/2019 1:50:39 PM
To: "(John)Drew Gatlin" <jgatlin@morgantownwv.gov>
Cc: "Bike Board \(bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com\)" <bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com>
Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] BFC Status: Expires in 2020, application due August 12, 2020
Drew,
Thanks for sending out this inspiration. I think the City should apply for both BFC and PFB recognition. They provide an opportunity to measure and document progress which the City might not otherwise do.
Indeed, the City has made substantial and steady progress. We have bike lanes; more people riding bikes for more reasons; tool stands at trail heads and we have a nationally recognized contractor (Alta/Stantec) making us a bicycle plan. Just to name a few.
Implementing the new plan will take money. Being a BFC could help us get grant funds.
Just seeing all the City's accomplishments wrapped up in one package can motivate citizens to get involved - provided the City promotes it well.
Just this morning at a cafe, I asked a retired couple that bicycles if they think the City should apply for BFC renewal. They said, “Yes! We feel so lucky that we can ride here and that we have found such a great community of cyclists to ride with! Learning that Morgantown is a Bicycle Friendly Community attracts people to want to live here." They moved here some years ago from the DC area.
I can only speak for myself when I say that working on the previous applications with the great teams that we had and winning the awards made me proud. I hope others that worked on them will also respond to your request.
Completing the applications should be easier than past applications since the new applications could probably be as simple as updating the last application.
I think this would be a great project for the City to restart a Bicycle Board especially with so many Councilors and City Staff now promoting bicycling.
Frank
Given how low our rating is on PFB, I wonder if the BFC thing is worthwhile. It might be a good idea to have a meeting in some point in January, since we haven't met lately.
Barry Wendell
Hello board members of the past and future,
Just wanted to address some inquiries about the BFC application for our city. I received confirmation today that our award does not expire until the end of 2020. This sets our application due date in August, not February.
I have questioned the utility of the award in the past; I'd like to start a conversation about what value you all see in the award going forward - both in the application process and in the award itself. It is perhaps obvious to state that the application process requires significant energy from city officials and citizens. In return, we receive recognition, a report card that theoretically helps guide future efforts, and a summary of survey responses. Possessing BFC certification may also indirectly attract/retain certain populations to/in our area.
Other tools exist to rate communities and give pointed feedback. One example is the People For Bikes Community Rating System. You can find Morgantown's rating in that system
here.
If you all want to continue to apply for either rating -- I would suggest that we need to reconvene the bike board at some point in the near future. Perhaps January?
Best,
Drew
J. Drew Gatlin
Staff Engineer
389 Spruce St., Rm. 24
Morgantown, WV 26505
Office: (304) 284-7411
Cell: (304) 719-7900
Fax: (304) 284-7409
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