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 1st 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 1st – 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 8th – Old Main Steps; PA Dept Transportation event – Jamie Bestwick attended, unfortunately press coverage was lacking
- May 15th – The Bicycle Shop
- May 22nd – FreezeThaw Cycles
- May 28th – State College Borough Building
Centre Gives campaign in May netted a total of $1,348.58.
Ride with the Mayor on May 16th 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 17th.
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 2nd
- 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 15th. 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 2nd. 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 2nd. 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
