The State of Olympia Community Bikesby Rod Thurman Since I became involved with Olympia Community Bikes in July 1996, I have answered a lot of questions about our organization. Most people want to know how are organization is doing. "Are you guys still doing the Pink Bikes?" Other commonly asked questions are, "Do many bikes get stolen?" and "How many bikes do you have on the streets?" My response to the first question is, "Yes, we are still at it!" We have been going through a period of questioning the value of our service, but have come to agree that our goals are worthy of our efforts and now our group is having a resurgence of enthusiasm. About bikes being stolen/privatized and/or abused - yes, that is still happening, and will continue to happen to a degree. While sometimes we find the bikes in trees or with wheels bent in half, we also find that generous people in the community have taken it upon themselves to fix injured bikes on their own. Also, as you may have read in the last issue of Green Pages, our Wrenching Committee is working on new improvements, i.e. The Super Wheel, which should help in reducing bike down-time. The newest addition to the fleet, thanks to a generous grant from the Community Sustaining Fund, is our Bike Ambulance. The Ambulance is a bicycle trailer specially fitted to haul up to four injured bikes at a time. The trailer will greatly increase our ability to respond to injured bikes. Even though we are working constantly on improvements and ideas for our organization, active membership totals about 15 people, which by the way is about how many healthy bikes are now on the streets of Oly. Our volunteers are amazing, motivated people, but remember, we are trying to provide a service for the entire downtown core. Our essential commitment is to put free to use community bikes on the street. However, it takes more than just bike mechanics to keep O.C.B. rolling. We are always in need of members to help with our fundraising efforts, advertising and countless other administrative tasks. We also need people to help us to solve dilemmas like this... Our current work facility is on the east side of town, in a basement that has been graciously donated by Ian Hannah, a former board member of O.C.B. Like a Hermit Crab who has outgrown its shell, we have outgrown our workspace. Unfortunately we are still looking for a new shell , and are getting more than little constricted. As our workspace is becoming more cramped, and the need for new members to help fix bikes is increasing we find ourselves in a bit of a "pickle" - volunteers and nowhere to put them. We never turn away volunteers but we also want to insure that they have a quality experience. This is where you, our supporters and community members, can make a difference. If you or anyone you know can help us find a new workspace at an affordable price, "free" or damn near it, it would help us immensely. A downtown space would allow community members to return injured bikes to our facility immediately for repairs. The space would also enable us to work more efficiently on bikes and accommodate more volunteers who are eager to participate in our program. It has been said that the future is created today. If a vision of people riding the streets of Olympia on pink bikes is one that you are interested in, please give us a call. Thanks for your support. Olympia Community Bikes meets the first Thursday of ever month at The Energy Outreach Center from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for new member orientation, and every Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1315 Puget St. for work parties. Information: 709-8769. Rod Thurman is a long-time volunteer with Olympia Community Bikes.
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