Three bike racks welded by Jefferson High School students were installed across Boulder and dedicated May 7 — the latest step a core group of volunteers has taken to popularize a “Bike Barn” built at Jefferson County Recreation Park and dedicated in May 2017.
“The bike racks are an attempt to increase awareness of the facility and to make downtown Boulder more welcoming for cyclists,” Jan Anderson, Bike Barn promotions committee chair, said by email.
Other enthusiasts volunteering alongside Anderson include Bettie Schleuter, Carolyn Lewis and Len and Concetta Eckel.
JHS students Rich Elshire, Dakota Dorn and William Robson welded the bike racks under the guidance of teacher David Heimann and joined bike barn volunteers on May 7 as the racks were placed at the Bike Barn, the L&P Grocery and near the community swimming pool. Signs on the bike racks honor contributors to the project, including PowderWerks of Helena and Signs Now.
The bike racks are part of a bike barn upgrade and promotions effort financed in the summer of 2018 by an Elkhorn Community Foundation grant, Anderson wrote. Planned promotional activities include the creation of flyers to advertise the Bike Barn, maps to denote area cycling routes and signs to guide cyclists from around the region to the building, and installing there a display rack for flyers from local businesses, a local phone book and a local visitor guide by the Monitor, she added.
The Bike Barn is a facility for cyclists traveling through the area and camping at the fairgrounds to cook, eat, and get shelter from the weather. It was conceived and built as a joint project of the Boulder Area Recreation Trails Committee and the Jefferson County Fair Board.
Inside it has a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker, sink and a few dishes, a couch, and two tables with chairs. Outside is a covered patio, camping space and some bike repair equipment.
Construction of the Bike Barn was funded by an earlier Elkhorn Community Foundation grant, along with a grant from NorthWestern Energy.
Anderson invited local businesses with flyers they would like to be available at the Bike Barn to call her at 406-225-3250 or Schleuter at 406-225-3178.
