Bikes Belong Awards $50,000 in Grants

Tue February 12 2008
Posted Feb 12, 2008
16,810

No... Iowa was not the recipient of any of these grants, but it is interesting to see where the funds go for to other projects around the country. Bikes Belong Awards $50,000 in Grants Boulder, CO—February 11, 2008 Bikes Belong just awarded six grants to grassroots groups in Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington to help build new bike paths and trails. Great facilities like these enable and encourage people to ride their bikes more often and make communities safer, healthier, and more enjoyable places to live.

Greater Houston Off-Road Biking Association (GHORBA)—Double Lake Recreation Area Trail Expansion The Greater Houston Off-Road Biking Association (GHORBA) will receive $10,000 to help expand the mountain bike trail system at Double Lake Recreation Area, one hour north of Houston, Texas. The grant will enable GHORBA, an all-volunteer group, to speed trail construction by hiring professional trail builders, helping to meet the increasing demand for mountain bike trails in the area. Bikes Belong's funding will serve as a match for a Recreational Trails Program grant. More about GHORBA. . .
Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, Woodstock Chapter (SORBA Woodstock)—Blankets Creek Trail Expansion The Woodstock, Georgia, chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) will use their $10,000 grant to expand the popular mountain bike trail system at Blankets Creek. Plans include extending the beginner loop and creating an advanced loop with technical terrain. SORBA has more than 2,200 members and a great deal of community support. They've garnered significant funding for the trail project from individuals and local businesses, and they have tremendous support from many bike shops in northern Georgia. More about SORBA Woodstock. . .
Whatcom Council of Governments—Coast Millennium Trail Link The Whatcom Council of Governments, in Bellingham, Washington, will receive a $10,000 grant to help build a key link in the Coast Millennium Trail. The trail link will bypass a busy, narrow bridge that is currently a barrier between the popular Bellingham Greenways system and the northern continuation of the Coast Millennium Trail. This trail bypass will provide a safe route for commuters and school children. The group has already secured Safe Routes to School funding for the project, and they will use Bikes Belong's funding to help match a state Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Grant. Local bike shops, the Mt. Baker Bicycle Club, and many others are very supportive of this important project. More about the Coast Millennium Trail. . .
Centerville-Washington Park District—Iron Horse Trail A $10,000 grant will help the Centerville-Washington Park District, along with the cities of Centerville and Kettering, Ohio, construct the Iron Horse Trail. The new bike path will eventually connect the communities of Centerville and Kettering (suburbs of Dayton) to an extensive multi-county trail network, enabling cyclists to commute by bike more easily and ride to recreation instead of driving to area paths. Bikes Belong funding, a contribution from the William & Dorothy Yeck Nature Fund, and support from an area bike shop will leverage Clean Ohio Trail Funds for project construction. More about the Park District's Multi-use Trail Plan. . .
Trails and Open Space Coalition—Pikes Peak Greenway/South Tejon Street Connector Colorado Springs, Colorado's Trails and Open Space Coalition will receive $5,000 to help build a safe, ADA-approved link between the heavily used Pikes Peak Greenway and the bike lanes on South Tejon Street. This link will also give path users safe and easy access to the nearby public transit station, encouraging people to commute by bike. Bikes Belong's funding will help meet a shortfall in the city's Trails, Open Space and Parks budget for the project. More about Trails and Open Space Coalition. . .
Yukon BMX Parents and Riders Association—Track and Trail Enhancements A $5,000 grant will support the Yukon BMX Parents and Riders Association, in Yukon, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, as they work to resurface their track and build a mountain bike trail surrounding the BMX facility. These two improvements will help Yukon BMX support a growing number of young riders during peak times, and the singletrack trail will give kids who are interested in bicycling, but not necessarily in BMX, the chance to ride with their friends in a safe, off-road setting. This timely grant comes on the heels of Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett's challenge to his constituents to collectively lose one million pounds through healthy eating and active living. More about Yukon BMX. . .

About Bikes Belong Bikes Belong Coalition is the U.S. bicycle industry organization dedicated to putting more people on bicycles more often. Bikes Belong lobbies to increase federal bike funding, awards grants to support innovative bike projects, promotes bicycling and its benefits, and backs crucial national efforts such as Safe Routes to School, Bicycle Friendly Communities, and the National Bike Summit. The affiliated Bikes Belong Foundation focuses on improving bicycle safety and enhancing children's bike programs. Since Bikes Belong's Grants Program began in 1999, we have funded 160 grant proposals in 44 states and the District of Columbia, awarding nearly $1.3 million in cash and leveraging more than $476 million in federal, state, and private funding. Our facilities grants alone have helped finance nearly 1,400 miles of bike paths and trails that link close to 6,400 miles of trail facilities. For more information, visit bikesbelong.org.