MINUTES of CentreBike Executive Committee Meeting

July 13, 2015

Meeting held at the State College Borough Building

Present:

• Jim Serene, President
• Paul Barsom, Treasurer
• Joan Potter, Secretary
• Brian Dempsey
• Jean Bemis
• Paul Rito

The meeting was called to order by Jim Serene at 5:30 pm.  A quorum was present, and the meeting was ready to proceed with business.

Bike Fest / Nittany Stage Race –Aug 1^st & 2^nd

• CentreBike information table will be set-up near KCF Technologies with membership forms and various information available (Joan will print membership forms)
• Jim, Paul B. and Brian will bring bike stands, pumps & tools to offer limited bike safety checks
• Jim arranged for food trucks to be on-site: “Rita’s Italian Ice” and “Food for Thought” (dinner fare)
• “A Step Beyond” massage therapy will offer free chair massage
• A Slow Bike Race will be organized if there’s enough interest, and Justin from FreezeThaw offered to help with this
• Anyone with unusual bikes are encouraged to bring them
• Family Bike Ride will start at 5:00p – CentreBike members will lead the ride
• Discussed having CentreBike T-shirts printed for all the volunteers to wear so they’re easily identified and to promote CentreBike. Designs were discussed and Paul Rito offered to order them online. Paul Barsom moved to fund the cost of T-shirts (~$300); Jean 2^nd; all in favor.

 

There being no further business to come before the meeting, it adjourned at 6:50 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joan Potter, Secretary

MINUTES of CentreBike General Meeting

June 8, 2015

Meeting held at the State College Borough Building

Present:

• Jim Serene, President
• Anna Morrison Nelson, Vice President
• Paul Barsom, Treasurer
• Joan Potter, Secretary
• Brian Dempsey
• Jean Bemis
• Allan Stoekel
• Brucie Serene
• Paul Rito
• Melissa Bopp
• Dangaia Sims

The meeting was called to order by Jim Serene at 5:30 pm.  A quorum was present, and the meeting was ready to proceed with business.

An annual membership renewal notice was sent to the listserv on May 1^st and resulted in 2 new memberships and 6 renewals. There are 54 current CentreBike members (dues paid within the past 12 months).

Recap of Friday coffee events in May:

• May 1^st – Allen Street Gate; information table set-up all day and staffed with volunteers answering questions; Dan from PSU Transportation Services was great at drawing in people on bikes; tire pump was available which was appreciated by many cyclists
• May 8^th – Old Main Steps; PA Dept Transportation event – Jamie Bestwick attended, unfortunately press coverage was lacking
• May 15^th – The Bicycle Shop
• May 22^nd – FreezeThaw Cycles
• May 28^th – State College Borough Building

Centre Gives campaign in May netted a total of $1,348.58.

Ride with the Mayor on May 16^th had the best turnout ever. The leisurely ride was very enjoyable.

The CDT interviewed Jim Serene about CentreBike and posted a great article on May 17^th.

In the National Bike Challenge, the CentreBike group is currently #16.

Website:  A request was made to add a “DONATE” button on the front page where it’s very obvious.  And as a follow-up to the harassment issue on Brush Valley Road that garnered lots of attention, Paul Rito will post advice on what to do if you’re harassed by a motorist while cycling.

Bike Fest / Nittany Stage Race – Sunday, Aug 2^nd

• Andrew Artz invited CentreBike to organize and host a family-friendly bike festival during the Nittany Stage Race on Sunday afternoon. Anna met with Andrew and outlined a tentative plan to utilize Nittany Avenue between Burrowes and Fraser St which will be closed off for the Criterium race. A Steering Committee was formed with Jim & Brucie Serene, Anna Morrison, Paul Barsom and Alan Stoekl – they plan to meet on June 15^th. Volunteers will be needed to organize and help with this event.

Trish Meek asked CentreBike to consider signing on to the Census Project’s letter. Paul Rito moved to support Trish’s request to sign the letter; Paul Barsom 2^nd. All in favor.

Discussion of CentreBike’s priorities for the coming year:

• Encourage more people in the State College area to get involved in cycling
• Organize rides ending in social events, i.e., gathering at Otto’s
• Work on improving biking infrastructure to increase Bike Friendly Community status from Bronze to Silver
• Encourage more local businesses to pursue Bike Friendly Business status by offering assistance with the application process and small tools that might be needed
  • Brian moved to provide up to five $100 gift certificates from local bike shops for companies applying for BFB status to purchase small tools; Anna 2^nd. All in favor.
  • Melissa Bopp offered her students to help companies with the application process

Melissa Bopp distributed a presentation of “Data on Centre County Bikers” showing results of a PSU survey about how faculty, staff and students travel to campus and what influenced their travel choices. Melissa offered to email a copy of the presentation to anyone interested – please send a request to her at:  mjb73@psu.edu.

There being no further business to come before the meeting, it adjourned at 7:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Joan Potter, Secretary