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Michelle Bruch
Bikers gathered in Downtown's Mill District on Thursday to test out bike sharing equipment that is slated to come to Minneapolis next spring.
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City to launch bike-sharing program
UPDATED November 6, 2008, 3:40pm
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By Michelle Bruch
The city is working to roll out a bike sharing program that would plant 75 bike stations populated with 1,000 bikes in Uptown, Downtown and the University of Minnesota campus. City officials are working with the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation to launch the $3 million program in May 2009. Bill Dossett, a consultant on the project, said that half of Hennepin County residents ride bicycles, but only a fraction of those riders use bikes for transportation. This bike sharing program would be targeted at people who might take a bike out during lunch, or bike to a meeting in the middle of the day. Workers could log on to a web page that would tell them how many bikes are currently available nearby. Bikers would buy into the bike sharing system by paying an annual subscription fee of about $50–$75 for unlimited rides. The bikes proposed for Minneapolis were designed by Stationnement de Montréal, which is the city of Montreal’s parking authority. The agency is launching a bike sharing program in Montreal next spring and it beat out six other companies to take the Minneapolis job. The bike’s front-wheel movement creates an electrical charge that automatically powers lights at the rear of the bicycle. The chain is covered, and all of the gears and brakes are internal to the hubs. Bikes feature a unisex heavy-duty frame and handlebars, and a front-hanging basket. A broad seat is designed to be quickly adjustable. One bike kiosk would have about 20 bikes, and bikes would be removed from docks by using small key cards. To ride with no extra charge, bikers are asked to return bikes to a rack within about a half-hour of taking them out. Average trips are expected to take riders one–three miles. The self-service bike docks would be powered by solar panels and they would be movable — advocates say the flexible design is a key improvement over the huge bike sharing program in Paris, which has bike stations entrenched in the street. Most of the docks would go into storage over the winter. Staff at the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation (the organization that runs the annual Loppet event) have been working with the city since the summer to develop a nonprofit business model for the bike sharing program. Staff are working to secure grants that would pay for $3 million in startup costs. Bike sharing is popular in European cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Stockholm, but it has yet to take hold in the United States. Washington, D.C. is currently launching a pilot program, and New York is planning a program as well. Paris put 20,600 bikes on the street last year. In Barcelona, each bike is rented an average of 10–15 times each day. For more information, visit twincitiesbikeshare.com.
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Carmichael Lynch drops Harley account
UPDATED August 30, 2010, 2:29pm
By Gregory J. Scott
When it comes to selling muscle bikes, three decades is enough. Downtown advertising agency Carmichael Lynch announced August 23 that it was resigning from its Harley-Davidson account, ending a relationship of 31 years with the iconic motorcycle brand. In a prepared statement, Doug Spong, president of Carmichael Lynch, said, "Our agency leadership came to the consensus that we've taken the Harley-Davidson brand as far as we can. It's in our best interest to part ways." Mark-Hans Richer, Harley’s CMO, said, "Our strategies have been moving away from a singular consumer target and a one-size-fits-all agency solution. Rather than accept this new reality, Carmichael Lynch chose a different path and we respect that." The
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Community notebook :: Florence Court apartments
By Gregory J. Scott
1 Comment
At Florence Court, new apartments up, courtyard staysThe mid-August groundbreaking came and went quietly for the FloCo Fusion Apartments, a chic rebranding of a ramshackle cluster of student housing near the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus. Despite years of resistance from current residents, the new building is officially going up, fanfare or no. Florence Court, as the community used to be called, is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the Midwest, dating back to 1886. The L-shaped structure sits at the intersection of 10th Avenue SE and University Avenue, but is tucked back from the street, hidden until recently behind a BP gas station. The 33-unit complex surrounds a leafy courtyard, which its residents — a colorful
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Watching out for the homeless
By Sarah McKenzie
// Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight award //After Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues. The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the Downtown-based organization. “My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be
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Downtown visioning session looks to 2025
By jake weyer
// Whether to add a park north of Central Library will be part of the discussion, meant to produce a 15-year plan for Downtown //It’s been nearly 15 years since Downtown business leaders got together with city staff and elected officials to hash out a long-term plan for the area. Back in 1996, those stakeholders came up with Downtown 2010, a vision that included such grandiose plans as a new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins, a light rail line along Hiawatha Avenue, a new Central Library, completion of the Target Center and the development of the Downtown Improvement District — all realities today. “We’re standing now, planless,” said Sam Grabarski, president of the Downtown Council. “And a lot of good
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A mountain out of a bronze molehill?
By Gregory J. Scott
// The Sid Hartman statue stirs debate about public memorials Downtown //
OK, no one disputes that the guy deserves a statue. Sid Hartman, the nonagenarian sportswriter who has spent the last 65 years reporting for the Star Tribune and WCCO, is probably getting bronzed. The Department of Public Works is ironing out technical details for installing a metallic Sid replica, complete with TV reporter microphone and newspaper tucked under the arm, right outside of Target Center and a block from the Twins stadium, at the corner of 6th Street and 1st Avenue. The Public Works assessment is the final stage in a roughly six-week approval process to get the statue out into the public. No one’s upset about that. As Nick Legeros, the artist who designed
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Biz buzz :: Construction costing Elliot Park businesses
By Gregory J. Scott
1 Comment
For Elliot Park businesses, street improvements come with a price
True to its motto, Band Box Diner can turn “grease into a feast.” But the Elliot Park gem can’t make much out of the road construction that’s transformed its streetscape into a scarred industrial zone.
The throw-back diner is one of the businesses standing to benefit from a sweeping, 15-block reconstruction of Chicago Avenue South — if only it can survive through to the project’s completion.
“It’s kind of like, if you have a half hour for lunch, and then you get lost for 45 minutes, what are you gonna do?” says Brad Ptacek, who has operated the diner for the last 13 years.
Ptacek’s breakfast
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