20201203_LeRoy Gets Active With Wheels-to-Go Bike ProgramFocus on Small Cities
LeRoy Gets Active With
Wheels -to -Go Bike Program
BY DEBORAH LYNN BLUMBERG
hen the weather is nice, the Shooting Star State Trail
beckons to LeRoy residents and visitors who are eager
to bike past fields of sunflowers, indigo, and asters.
The z9 -mile trail starts in LeRoy
(population 955), which is just south
of Lake Louise State Park. The trail
winds through the park before head-
ing west to Austin. Wannabe cyclists
in LeRoy, however, had a problem.
Visitors often didn't realize they
needed a bike or didn't want to lug
one from home. It was also a hassle
for some residents to bring their bikes
to the trail.
Last year, LeRoy found a solution. It
started a Wheels -to -Go Bike Program
that lends bikes of all sizes free of
charge. The program has been a hit
since it launched. It has promoted
outdoor family activities and healthy
living while also helping attract more
people to downtown.
"It's been a really good program,"
says Patty White, LeRoy's city clerk
and treasurer, and one of several
Bringing the program to life
At first, Wheels -to -Go shared an office with an EDA member
who owns a business in town. This year, it moved into an empty
EDA building downtown, benefitting
from a larger space and its location four
it blocks from the start of the Shooting
o Star trail.
Word of the program has run in the
= local paper, and Axel Gumbel, a mem-
her of the Leroy EDA who's overseeing
the endeavor this year, often posts
community members that helped launch the endeavor. "It's
another service we can offer as a city for both local people
and visitors."
Getting it started
The program was kickstarted in early 2019 when a former
member of the LeRoy Economic Development Authority (EDA)
spotted a brochure for a similar program in Pine Island and
brought the idea to the EDA. `Everybody was on board and
excited about it," White says.
The EDA received funding for the program from the State-
wide Health Improvement Partnership of Mower County, the
LeRoy Community Foundation, and the Community Giving
Program through Mayo Clinic Health, for a total of $9,Soo. In
addition, residents and others donated bicycles.
Area resident Sharon Jacobson, an avid cyclist, volunteered
to serve as a liaison with a cycling shop in Austin and helped
choose additional bikes for purchase. The program ended up
with a mix of road bikes for adults and children, adaptive bikes,
pull -behind child carts, and tag -along bikes. The EDA also
purchased bike helmets, bike pumps, and bike stands, and used
funding to make brochures, signs, and bike labels.
"It really complements the camping season at the state
park," says Jacobson, "and it's a good activity to do during
COVID. It's easy to distance outside."
about it on the city's Facebook page.
Gumbel also supervises an employee
who checks bikes in and out. The
employee and volunteers help with
minor bike repairs, while more signif-
icant ones require a trip to the Austin
bike shop.
Bikes are available Fridays 4-7 p.m.,
and weekends 8-10 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.,
from Memorial Day through September.
They're also available during the week
by calling City Hall.
Cyclists 18 or older register by filling
out a waiver, then select a helmet and
bike. Children can borrow bikes with the signed authoriza-
tion of a parent or guardian. Parents can also choose to sign a
longer -lasting disclaimer.
Cyclists can keep bikes for a few hours, the full day, or even an
entire weekend. Rentals are free, though donations are welcome.
ular, ;ng the parr mic
During the program's first season in 2ot9, zo5 bikes were
checked out and none were vandalized or stolen. This year, due
to the coronavirus pandemic, the program stayed shuttered in
May and June.
After Gumbel pushed for opening with enhanced sanitizing,
the program finally reopened in early July. "In a pandemic, this
is one of the activities you can do relatively safely," he says.
With expenses, but no income, long-term funding will have
to be addressed, Gumbel says, but for now there's money to
support a few more seasons. Ultimately, Gumbel wants to add
more rentals to the mix.
"It does take a considerable amount of work," he says. "I
think part of the success is that it's a very low-key, nimble oper-
ation, and it's the combination of having the funds and having
the manpower. The program was much welcomed when we
premiered it, and I'd love to see it grow."
Deborah Lynn Blumberg is a freelance writer.
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