Omaha Bikes July Meeting Minutes

OmahaBikes Meeting Minutes
July 13, 2010

In Attendance: Stuart Shell, Joe Simoens, Jason Niven, Sarah Johnson, Mark Siepker, Bob Brindamour, Kurt Goetzinger, Tammie Dodge, Ananth, Rich Wilson, Jake, Julie Harris

News/Announcements:
1. It’s official, we got the OVG grant! $3700 is in the bank. The Omaha Pedalers Bicycle Club has already pledged $500 as a partial match.

2. LCI Classes: Stuart reports that he is in the process of scheduling the upcoming LCI certification course, which will be held the weekend of October 15. Participants will pay the $200 class fee themselves, but then will earn an honorarium ($125 per class was discussed) for each class taught so that the investment will be recouped. There will also be one more Traffic Skills 101 course offered on August 21 for those who need to get this pre-requisite to the full certification class. Contact Stuart if interested.

3. Bike Parking at Shakespeare on the Green: The initial design and system was tweaked during SotG and seemed to work well. The PVC pipe may not hold several bikes without bending. The volunteers answered several questions about OB and biking in general in addition to parking bikes. The new OB banner looks really good, too.

4. Keystone Connector Trail Update: There will be a public meeting on July 29 at the Kroc Center that will explain the proposed changes to the original route plan. Please plan to attend to learn more and support the most bike-friendly option available.

5. There is an upcoming Pedestrian Safety webinar series. Please see www.walkinginfo.org/training/pbic/dps_webinars.cfm for more details.

Existing Business:
1. OVG Grant money expenditures to date: OmahaBikes Banner (FastSigns), helmet cam, bike parking materials.


2. Tammie is still working on the possibility of adding a PayPal link that can be used for people wanting to make online donations.


3. The OwL ride has 300 registrations and could still use volunteers for bike parking and ride rangers.


4. Bike Friendly Merchants: The BikeDenver model of having people nominate businesses for the “BFB of the Month” award was discussed – easy to implement, highlight these places on the blog, give them a sticker or certificate to post at their location.


5. Bicycle Parking: 20 bike racks have already been installed with 30 more to go. The North Downtown Business Alliance received a grant to install 50 racks in their area, so that frees up several that were scheduled to be placed in that area originally. Please continue to send your suggestions for bike parking to Tammie and she will make sure they get on the list.


6. Youth/School engagement: Julie will need some volunteers to help with the Saddlebrook Elementary Hike and Bike Tune Up (bike rodeo) day on August 14 at 6p. Assignments: help with bike obstacle course, assisting kids practicing locking/unlocking bikes from rack, helping with basic bike tune ups. Contact Julie if interested.


7. Website Update: With our limited budget from the OVG money, we will need a significantly discounted or pro bono help to get it developed. Contact Bob if you have referrals.


8. Update from Bike/Ped Advisory Committee: there has been a tentative offer extended to a candidate for the new Bike Ped Coordinator position with the city! The candidate will be visiting Omaha soon for a face to face visit and tour.


9. Sarah and Greenstreet Cycles is pursing a grant from Specialized to get a fleet of rental commuting bikes.


10. Activate Omaha is submitting an application to host the national Safe Routes to School Conference in 2011. If we are selected, we’ll need all hands on deck from OB!


11. OB has the opportunity to set up an online store through the Creative J (local company) that will allow us to upload our logo onto shirts and other items. (Similar to Café Press.) Anyone interested in helping with this – specifically, helping to determine what items we should include in our store – please contact Julie.

Upcoming Events:
Handlebar Happy Hour: Tom Snyders, a bicycling comedian, will be performing on August 2 at Barley's Bar in the Tip Top downtown (15th and Cuming) from 7:30 – 8:30. A portion of the proceeds (tickets are $8) will benefit OmahaBikes, so get all of your friends to attend! A potential pre-event Handlebar Happy Hour and group ride from Benson via the newly completed Benson Route on the 20 mile loop was discussed. Watch Facebook and Twitter for more details.

Book Signing: The Omaha Pedalers is sponsoring a book signing at for the author of The History of Cycling on Sept 22 at the Book Worm in Countryside Village.

Omaha Bikes June Meeting Minutes

OmahaBikes
June Meeting Minutes

In attendance: Matt Martin, Joe Simoens, Kurt Goetzinger, Jakob Wilson, Jean Duffy, Julie Harris

Julie just realized that she never transcribed or posted meeting minutes for May. Oops. It was a good meeting with approximately 20 people in attendance. :)

Omaha Venture Group grant application: The award announcement party will be June 10 at 5:30. Julie will be going; Bob is riding BRAN, and Julie could use some company at the party. We know we are receiving a grant, we just don’t know how much it will be.

Stuart Shell will be leading a clinic on Wednesday on the benefits of and how to apply for Bicycle Friendly Business designation from the League of American Bicyclists. It is free and all are invited to attend.

Kurt Goetzinger updated us on the Benson SummerFest scheduled for June 12. There will be bikes on display and a booth with information. A CBSO volunteer will also be attending to provide bike tune ups.

The Red Route (Benson) of the Bike Omaha system is going in as we speak. Public Works reports that it should be complete in the next 6-8 weeks.

There is a new bike shop that recently opened in Bellevue: Olde Town Cyclery.

New Business:
Temporary Bike Parking. As we get more organized rides and events going in Omaha, it has been suggested that we invest in building and maintaining some temporary bike parking. Potential revenue could be raised by renting it out to other events. Matt Martin has volunteered to build it. Joel VanderVeen from the OWL Ride committee has a potential idea for free or cheap storage. Various design ideas were discussed, and input is welcome from others who have ideas. (PVC pipe has been identified as the material, based on weight and ease of transport.) Matt is also going to explore the idea of making preferred bike parking available at Shakespeare on the Green – perhaps doing “valet” bike parking for a small fee with proceeds going to OmahaBikes.

Stole Bike Protocol. There has been a rash of stolen bikes recently, especially in the downtown area. Some bikes have been recovered as a result of quick social networking blasts. We discussed the idea of offering cyclists the opportunity to submit a photo and description of their bike to OmahaBikes so that the info can be blasted out ASAP incase of theft. This may also be a potential revenue opportunity or benefit of potential formal membership.

ActivateOmaha has received a small amount of grant money to support bike commuting activities this summer. We are considering hosting a “bagels on the trail” or other type of informal event and hope that OmahaBikes members will be willing to help.

OmahaBikes Meeting Minutes -April

OmahaBikes Meeting Minutes
April 13, 2010
In attendance: Joe Simoens, Kurt Goetzinger, Chris Wolff, Jean Duffy, Jason Nieven, Lester Katz, Bob Brindamour, Tammie Dodge, Julie Harris, Marty Shukert, Joel VanderVeen, Mark Siepker

News:
The IMBA Trail Care Crew was in town April 8-11 to host a trail building school and to get us started building a beginner level mountain bike trail in Adams Park. THOR and Activate Omaha also assisted. The group got a good start getting the trail cut, but we will need more volunteer sweat equity from cyclists and the community to finish the remaining portion.

Omaha Venture Group Grant: Julie and Bob met with a subcommittee from the OVG to discuss the initial grant application that was submitted on behalf of OmahaBikes. Feedback was taken from that meeting and used to strengthen our final application, which was submitted for consideration on April 15. We have the potential to receive up to $5000 from this group, and we will receive word in late May.
Priorities for funding identified in the grant:
Professional marketing materials
Website development
LCI training for 2 OB members
Equipment (laptop, projector, helmet cam, etc.)

Upcoming Events:
Omaha Health Expo & bike ride; April 25
Mayor’s Ride: Friday, May 14
Bike to Work Week: May 17-21
Belleuve Bicycle Club “Spoke and Hub” ride on May 15
Urban Omaha- the Ultimate Adventure, Saturday, June 5. (**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! Hint, hint  )

Existing Business:
The group voted on the sound bite tag line for OmahaBikes. The winner:
“The voice of citizen cyclists.”

Joel VanderVeen from the OwL ride committee gave the group an update on the event they are planning. OwL = Omaha with Lights, and will take place on July 17 starting at 11pm at the Playing with Fire concert on Lewis and Clark Landing. More information on this can be found at www.owlride.org. Proceeds benefit people with developmental disabilities.

The majority of the meeting was dedicated to Marty Shukert, who brought the most recently updated version of the Bike Omaha bicycle system. Marty provided detailed information about the specific treatments being proposed for all of the streets on the various routes.
(Julie will type up all of the details and provide it on the blog at a later time.)
The routes that will be painted/striped by the end of 2010 will be:
1. Red (Benson)
2. Blue (16th St/Zoo)
3. Yellow (Happy Hollow)
Discussion continues on the treatment of the Green Route (Aksarben, via Leavenworth), which will be the most complicated to complete. Feedback from bike commuters has been and will continue to be valuable as the plan for Leavenworth takes shape.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 11, Courtyard Marriott, 11am

OmahaBikes March meeting minutes

Omaha Bikes
Monthly Meeting, March 9, 2010
First Data, 11:10am to 1:05 pm.
>
Present: Joe Simoens, Ben Brounlow, Sarah Johnson, Pete Lieben, Chris
Wolfe, Mark Siepker, Bob Brindamour, Ananth Nagarajan
Via teleconference: Scott Redd, Kevin S, Chris S, Dave D, Steve H,
Dale R, Julie Harris
Action Items:
Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 13, 11am at Courtyard Marriott Hotel on S. 67th in Aksarben Village.
> Mark to set up meeting with Lisa re. UBF / Stinson Park use.
> Tammie to organize meeting of the Mayor's Ride committee.
> Next social event: May 21st at Rick's Boatyard
> Kassie (sp?) to set up meeting with Sarah, Stuart, and Kevin for Bike
> Friendly Merchants.
> Dale (and Ryan?) to craft a letter in support of Leavenworth lane diet.
>
> Discussion:
> Review of mission statement and logo. Send comments and suggestions to Bob.
>
> Introductions - "what is Omaha Bikes to you?"
>
> Activate Omaha is representing in DC at the Bike Summit. They will be
> meeting with elected officials.
>
> Sarah is interested in helping with Bicycle Friendly Merchants and
> Stuart and Kevin will help. Stuart is planning to host a Bicycle
> Friendly Business application workshop in April at RDG.
>
> World Environment Day - Alternative Transit Week is May 2 - 8. Talk to
> Sarah with ideas.
>
> Bike Parking update: first rack is installed and the city if moving
> forward with the additional identified locations.
>
> Scott is making progress with the website. A graphic designer is
> needed to 'finish' the look.
>
> Bike Pedestrian Committee update: Still seeking a Bike Pedestrian
> Coordinator. Upcoming rides include OWL and a route along Farnam from
> Turner Park to Memorial Park.
>
> THOR / IMBA is installing singletrack in Adams Park on April 10. Sign
> up to help by March 19. Contact Dale.
>
> Urban Bike Festival: We reviewed concept paper for the event. All
> agreed to plan a smaller social event in lieu of a large event. This
> could be a handlbar happyhour event. All agreed that the festival is a
> good idea and planning should commence for a 2011 festival. Contact
> Mark if interested in meeting with Lisa to discuss opportunities at
> Stinson Park.
>
> Organizations priorities were discussed. Some priorities identified
> included building a coalition, establishing our voice as an advocate
> for cyclist rights, and working to connect with our target audience.
>
> All suggested the E-W bike route to Elmwood be routed along
> Leavenworth and NOT just along the back alley route.
>
> Bob will work to create 'before-and-after' videos of bicycle
> facilities currently planned.

OmahaBIKES February Meeting Minutes

OmahaBIKES Meeting Minutes
February 9, 2010

Attending: Mark Siepker, Bob Brindamour, Tammie Dodge, Ben Brownlow, Scott Redd, Joe Simoens, Sarah Johnson, Chris Wolff, Dale Rabideau, Julie Harris, Chris Seitzer

Existing Business:
The group reviewed the 4 potential logos for OmahaBIKES – majority ruled on one, pending a different color choice.

Handlebar Happy Hour committee – The group is proposing to merge their smaller, more frequent events into one larger event: the Urban Bike Festival. Aksarben Village was discussed as a potential location, as they have shown interest in bringing events to Stinson Park. Date yet to be determined; May would be ideal due to bike month, but early July was determined to be a more realistic timeline. Mark and Julie will follow up with the rep from Noddle/Aksarben Village to discuss the possibilities.

Bike Friendly Merchants – It was decided that this group and the new Membership subcommittee should merge, as their goals are intertwined. A revenue stream is needed for OmahaBIKES, and various models for this were discussed that involved businesses and other bike-related organizations.

Bike Parking – the first of the bike racks (U-shaped) that have been funded from the Eastern Nebraska Trails Network (via the Corporate Cycling Challenge proceeds) will be installed later in the week. Tammie will send a link to the Google map that the committee is using to identify existing racks and potential new locations. Please send any recommendations for rack locations to Tammie! The group is also considering the formation of bicycle parking ordinance that could be recommended to the Mayor.

Youth/School Engagement – Julie would like to create a short video that can be shown to kids that features local cyclists and how they use their bikes in their every day lives. Julie will also be calling on OB members to come to Saddlebrook to help with their walk ‘n roll project.

Web Committee – Scott is working on a new website for OmahaBIKES. It will be set up so that content can be added by all of us.

Bike/Ped Advisory Committee Update – Bob and Tammie brought us up to speed on what was discussed at the last meeting. Much time was spent discussing the trail snow removal concerns that our group has identified. It was noted that the trails were plowed within 24 hours of the most recent snow, which was an improvement from past storms.

Adams Park Update: Tammie updated the group on the IMBA trail project that is in the works for Adams Park. It will be a beginner, kid-friendly “gateway trail,” and we will need plenty of sweat equity from the bike community to make it happen. More information about how to get involved will be made available when the work plan is finalized this spring. The trail could potentially be open as early as June.

New Business:
Social Media: We need help with keeping the blog, twitter and facebook pages current. Please talk to Bob if you are interested in helping. Several members already have author privileges on the blog – so feel free to add content anytime you see something interesting! We have to keep things extremely current to keep folks tuned in.

Inviting Others: If other bicycle-related organizations that would fit with our mission are identified, please let Bob know so that a formal invitation can be sent to join our group. Five local bike shops are represented in our group as of February, and we would like to have all of them around the table.

Activate Omaha update: AO has a new intern, Kassi, who is a senior at UNO. She will be helping to organize the Bike Month calendar, and helping with the Bike Friendly Merchant project, Safe Routes to School, and the Urban Adventure Race.

News and Upcoming Events:
Sarah is helping with World Environment Day group, and they have designated May 2-8 as “Alternative Transportation Week.” Great addition to the Bike Month calendar!

Julie, Tammie and Matt Martin will be attending the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. in March. Julie will take over the OB twitter, facebook and blog and bombard with regular updates.

June 5 – Activate Omaha’s 2nd annual urban adventure race: Urban Omaha: The Ultimate Adventure (Note: we need lots of volunteers for this event and would love to have your help!)

“Blanchard and Back” ride this spring – Bob is organizing – ride the Wabash with an overnight in Shenandoah.

Upcoming Events for potential booth presence:
Union Pacific Earth Fair, April 21
Omaha Health Expo – April 24 & 25 (Omaha Pedalers table) – also a group bike ride, same route as CCC.
Green Expo May 2 (can somebody provide details? Didn’t get them.)
May 17-21 is Bike to Work Week. Plans for the Mayor’s Ride yet to be determined.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 9, 11am. Location TBA

Omaha Bikes January Meeting Minutes

Omaha Bikes meeting minutes
January 2010
Wohlner’s Grocery, 11:00am

In attendance: Bob Brindamour, Dave Reinarz, Ryan Feagan, Mark Siepker, Julie Harris, Joe Simoens, Jonathan Nieve, Scott Redd, Sarah Johnson, Ben Brownlow, Mike Douglas, Matt Martin, Tammie Dodge

NEWS:
There is a sample letter in the process of being drafted that can be used to send to our public officials regarding the concerns over time/process for trail projects and other improvements. We will make that available on the blog and other places when it is complete.

The National Bike Summit is being held in Washington DC from March 9-11. It is a pricey trip, but any and all are invited. Activate Omaha staff will be attending, and will be setting up meetings with our congressional representatives to discuss bicycle transportation issues. It was also noted that bike shop employees, that have never attended The Nation Bike Summit, could apply for a scholarship to the event to help reduce the cost of attending (Dave Reinarz has details on what organization offers that scholarship).

There is a public “Resource Conservation” meeting on January 20 – Details are available on the blog.

Greenstreet Cycles is having a social event on January 21 at 6pm. Go and support Sarah! Details are available on Sarah’s facebook page.

Sarah Johnson noted that she is working with a group involved with World Environment Day – they are looking at taking the Earth Day message about alternative energy and continuing beyond the one day event on April 22. Contact SarahJohnson to get more information!

EXISTING BUSINESS:
We have shifted our official name from Bike Omaha to Omaha Bikes. This is to avoid the assumption that we are part of the city’s Bike Omaha bike lane loop, etc. The Omaha Bikes blog, @OmahaBikes Twitter, Facebook and other communication have shifted, so please adjust accordingly.

It was decided that officers will be elected each January for 1 year terms. This year’s group:
President: Bob Brindamour
Treasurer: Tammie Dodge
Secretary: Julie Harris

Bike De’Lights was a success! We had 27 riders, and all had a great time. We definitely want to make this an annual event. Thanks to all who helped plan and everyone who came to ride.

Subcommittee Updates:
1. Handlebar Happy Hours – 3 events coming this spring/summer. Aksarben Village identified as a potential location; Mark is in communication with them.
2. Bike Friendly Merchants – Sarah has spoken to some business owners to get an idea of what they might be willing to pay for, and what the benefits might be. The AO grad student helping out this spring will be able to help with this committee.
3. Bicycle Parking – 50 racks are available, being created by a local steel fabricator. A meeting was held on January 7 to discuss the process for requesting a rack, and the potential locations for racks. Please email Tammie (Tammie [AT] activateomaha [DOT] org) if you have ideas for good locations. Ideas can also be provided via the Omaha Bikes facebook page, and the Omaha Bikes blog.
4. Youth Engagement – There will be plenty of opportunities where volunteers will be needed to help out at schools this spring; please step up if you can when those requests come out from Julie.
5. Ryan Feagan is now attending our meetings as the Nebraska Cycling Association liaison. Roxzanne Feagan also plans to attend future meetings as the T.H.O.R. liaison. Ryan noted that there was a meeting on 1/16 with the IMBA representative. Dale also represents T.H.O.R.

NEW BUSINESS:

A Membership committee has been formed. The first tasks for this committee will be researching other bicycle federations (Chicago, New York, etc) to see how they evolved, and seeing what we can learn from them. Please let Bob know if you are interested in helping with this sub-committee.

Finding a centrally located and quiet meeting location for our group is ongoing. Our next meeting will be at the First Data Visitor Conference Room at 6855 pacific street on February 9th from 11:00am till 1:00pm.

Sign up sheets were distributed for the various committees. In addition to those listed above, we now also have membership, and social networking/Web. If you could not attend the meeting, please let us know where you want to plug in!

Please feel free to invite others to join our meetings – send contact information to Bob (underdahill [AT] gmail [DOT] com) or Julie (jharris [AT] activateomaha [DOT] org) and we will make sure they get on the list when meeting reminders are sent out.