BACA Minutes 2005

About 70 people present.

Announcements: BACA member Gordon Fisher has entered BACA into the Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade on December 3, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. BACA participants should decorate themselves and their bicycles and assemble at 3rd and Chester Street by 2:00 p.m. BACA t-shirts are encouraged.

Ken Gould introduced Skip Rutherford, Chair of the William J. Clinton Foundation,who spoke about plans for the conversion of the old Rock Island (RI) Railroad Bridge to a bicycle-pedestrian bridge. Rutherford stated that the old RI bridge had a lot to do with the design of the Clinton Presidential Center. The planners wanted to turn the area in to one of the finest urban parks. The Bridge is an integral component, and the architect has been looking at a number of options for the bridge design. The design will most likely be a n arched pedestrian-bicycle walkway. It will be ADA approved, the bridge will be kept old to match the depot. There will not be any elevators but one continuous walk/bikeway. Obtaining funding of about $5 to $5 ½ million is almost complete. Rutherford anticipates that about two to 3 months is necessary to obtaining permits and then an additional 9 to 12 months to complete the bridge. The main challenge at this time is access to the bridge on the North Little Rock side. Mayor Hays and North Little Rock have been highly supportive of the bridge, but there are challenges with access on the Little Rock side. Also to be considered are whether the 12 foot width of the bridge is sufficient and what type of light system is required especially on a navigable river. What can we do? (1) express our opinion on what kind of access we want from the North Little Rock side (e.g., straight, turn right, turn left) and (2) buy a paver on the bridge.

Discussion: The Lock and Dam bridge is 15 feet wide. Right now as a temporary measure, steps are planned for the North Little Rock side.

Additional announcements: (1) The Little Rock police have arrested a person who has been charged in connection with Jason Pratt's death. (2) Arkansas Bicycle Club holiday party on December 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Little Rock Garden Club. (3)BACA is still formulating a position with regard to consideration by the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and Riverdale businesses to open the Jimerson Creek section of the River Trail to vehicular traffic. BACA will not go public with a position until there is a proposal. Discussion: Inform the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce that we will help them in developing a proposal. (4) There is support to bring the ARKY 100 to Little Rock. Little Rock Parks and Recreation has approved it. (5) Ron Rizzardi has posted routes around Central Arkansas on the website. Anyone who has a route that could be used by bicyclists, please contact Ron on the discussion forum. (6) No meeting in January, 2006.

Judy Lansky BACA Secretary

About 85 people present.

President Ken Gould made a number of announcements:

1. Death of Jason Pratt update: Judy Lansky has been in contact with the Little Rock Police Department and the Pulaski County Prosecutor. Something will be happening next week.

2. French Hill, Rob Lambert, & Ken Gould are a committee of 3 to try to find solution to River Trail in the area of the Episcopal Collegiate School. They have been given authority by City to come up with a route & to make a recommendation to the City. All possible routes for the Trail are on the table. Ken stated that it feels like we are back to square one when after 3 years there is still no route.

3. Section of River Trail in front of Junior Deputy Park has been bid & construction will begin at the end of the year.

4. December meeting: Completion of the River Trail involves completion of Dam Bridge & trails on LR & NLR side & then bridge over the old Rock Island Railroad at the Clinton Presidential Library. Skip Rutherford, President of the Clinton Presidential Center, will talk about Bridge at the December meeting.

5. Ken reported about learning of a move afoot to open the Trail from the Lock and Dam to near the I-430 bridge to vehicular traffic. Ken gave a history of that section of the trail. In 1987 there was a bond issue to build roads. Part of the issue was to open that road, resulting in some road construction which is still present from the I-430 bridge. In 1991, the Audobon Society & some individuals brought suit to enjoin opening of the road to auto traffic. Federal District Judge George Howard enjoined the construction because the Corps of Engineers and the City had failed to get an environmental impact statement. In Oct. 1992, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision. That decision coincided with an election in Little Rock to consider closing the road to auto traffic. The electorate voted, 55-45, to close the road. The road was closed and the bridge over Jimmerson Creek was dedicated in 1997. Ken heard rumors that there is now interest in opening for auto traffic. Business interests & Chamber of Commerce are interested in exploring the possibility of opening to auto traffic. There is a rumor that Alltel has hired a lobbyist to explore possibility of opening trial to auto. The Chamber has hired a public relations firm, Paschall & Associates, to explore the possibility of opening the road. Don Erbach, a representative of Paschall and Associates, called Ken, wanting to meet with him before the BACA meeting, and Ken met with him the morning before the building. According to Erbach, the business interests in the Riverdale area are concerned with the ability to expand and construct additional buildings in the area. Alltel is concerned that if it wants to expand its headquarters to the area, it will need to provide better access to its employees who live west. Dillards is also concerned. The businesses see opening the road as good for business; that the present situation thwarts development. The Chamber is exploring all avenues & options including: * 4-lane road from Riverdale to River Mountain Road (which would require doing something with River Mountain Road for it to accommodate motorists and bicyclists) They don't know if that is feasible. If it costs too much, then it would probably not be feasible. *making a 2-lane road; but close it to auto traffic other than during the AM & PM rush hours * 1 or 2 lanes; east in a.m. & west in p.m. All plans contemplate making provisions for bicyclists & pedestrians The Chamber and businesses are also concerned with traffic from Hillcrest, Heights, Country Club area. They are looking at the possibility of widening Gill St. as a way to feed traffic to Riverfront Drive, etc. This could create a conflict with where trail itself will go. Erbach stated that Alltel is concerned with the Trail running in front of its building. There are a number of exit & entrance locations. Someone had been killed there in 1980s. We want a coordinated, thoughtful consideration of our response to this. The BACA Board will meet to consider, get additional input, and come up with a recommendation.

Discussion: Representatives from other organizations are at this meeting. We need to build coalitions with other interested groups. Reps of other groups at the meeting include: Audubon Society of Central Ark; League of Women Voters Pulaski County; Canoe Club of Ark; Sierra Club; LR Roadrunners; Pulaski County Ozark Society, CARP, ABC; Q: Would they would be willing to run the Trail along the River behind the buildings if the street was open to traffic. Some of the original art work of Save the River Parks campaign in the early 1990's is available if we need it. The County will build a boat ramp from Two Rivers to the River Trail. We need to get vocal & loud now before the County spends money on it. Some disagreement over the need to get real vocal and loud early. There are a number of environmental, engineering, & cost issues which must be overcome. Need to take reasoned approach & decide what trade offs we want. Transform the idea to transportation alternatives. Maybe we could propose light rail system, express bus service; bicycle commuter facilities. Channel 11 news here. There will be something about that on 10 p.m. news. If you are interested in joining the discussion go to discussion forum at www.bacar.org & weigh in on it.

Program: Basil Hicks & Gary Lamb presented a program on mountain biking, particularly ways to improve biking in general and & mountain biking in Central Ark. CARP has mountain biking at camp Robinson. Basil and Gary gave a history of the of development of trails at Camp Robinson. The trails were built early on with no organization. About 10 miles of trails were built before Camp Robinson said no more people. Gary's group & Basil's group got together. They decided they needed to talk to people at Camp Robinson. The people at Camp Robinson said they needed to get organized, obtain liability insurance, and confine themselves to a certain area. So about 10-15 years ago, Basil and Gary formed CARP, Central Arkansas Recreational Pedlars. They associated CARP with an international mountain biking organization, got liability insurance through it; could keep dues low ($10/year). There are now 35 miles of bicycle trail. CARP had some opposition from hunters & wildlife people, but that is no longer a problem. Camp Robinson has 35,000 acres. It is a State military reservation, with a small federal area.

What CARP has done: It is an affiliate club with the International Mountain Biking Association. In the past, CARP has brought in IMBA & it has taught classes; assessed trails; hands on in the field. For last several years, Chainwheel has put on 100 minutes of CARP mountain bike race. Two times CARP has brought in internationally known mountain biker Tinker Juarez to be part of 100 minutes. He also taught classes on racing & training. CARP has work days to maintain trails. Basil is trailmaster. He has another trail in mind to build. In summer CARP has cook outs. CARP has donated money to a number of different causes, including BACA and has donated money for bikes to Kenya. Individuals have contributed enough to provide over 100 bicycles. CARP helped sponsor Tour de Rock. It has an internet site and you can join on-line.

What needs to be done: Four areas - image, access, trail construction and maintenance, and promoting mountain biking. The image of mountain bikers needs to be improved. We need to dispel the image of the wild biker. Need to get access to the area to promote to areas where it is safe. Camp Robinson is the safest place to mountain bike in Arkansas. Beyond access, we also need to advocate for trail construction & maintenance. Participation is important. We will not be able to maintain a bicycling community unless we get young people interested. Mountain biking is way to get young people interested in bicycling. Need to get children on bikes.

Discussion: Trail at Mountain View. The first 2 phases are built. There are about 30 to 40 miles of trail. It is steeper than anything here but wide. It is recognized as Epic trail by IMBA. There is a lack of family friendly mountain bike trails. CARP is looking to build more trails, especially beginner trails. . North section of Boyle Park is easy.

End of meeting. Judy Lansky Secretary

About 35 people present

President Ken Gould gave updates & announcements: The BACA Board met on September 27, 2005 and discussed a number of projects and initiatives which include:

1. The possibility of getting a part-time paid administrative assistant to handle administrative work. The potential source of funding for this position would require that we expand our mission to include other transportation alternatives, such as walking, buses, in-line skaters. The Board has asked that Ken obtain additional information from the funding source about what would be required.

2.With the high cost of gas, now is a good time to promote bicycling commuting. Bicycle sales are up. Andy Pearson, a newscaster on Channel 11 who is also on the Metroplan Board as a bicycle representative, has arranged for the Downtown Athletic Club to provide showers for our use free on October 7, 1st Friday bike to work. The Downtown Athletic Club has offered to give a reduced monthly rate for bicycle commuters who want to use the shower facilities In addition, on October 6, 2005, Channel 11 filmed Ken Gould for a 10 p.m. news story on biking to work. That story was run as the headline news on 10:00 p.m. and was also posted on Channel 11's website. The story can be accessed by going to www.todaysthv.com and entering commuting into the THV Story Search. In addition, check the BACA News link for a story on the October 7th bike to work ride].

Will Barns and Ron Rizzardi are heading up an important bike commuting initiative. Will Barns reported on this at the meeting. He stated that he hoped BACA can collect information about bike commuting, including identifying health facilities which could offer facilities to commuters; identify businesses with similar facilities; encourage government to pass bills to make it easier to bike to work; work with bicycle shops to provide discounts; identify people who commute & post on website; gather ideas from BACA members. We need publicity about commuting. In addition, Will is developing a survey which will be e-mailed to BACA members about bicycle commuting. Any one who has ideas about bicycle commuting should post them on the BACA discussion forum. Andy Pearson is working with CATA to try to get bike racks on busses.

3. We will start trying to find out what the city does to collect bicycle accident statistics.

4. Ron Rizzardi is working on revisions of the drivers license manual & test.

5. Annual Bike to Work Day. Monty Cole, who will head this up, reported. We want to have an employer challenge and want to have more of a committee type arrangement in terms of organization. We are also considering doing a simultaneous ride out west.

6. Monty Cole is also working with Arkansas Children's Hospital about co-sponsoring a ride and/or children's carnival.

7. There is a lot of money passed in the last transportation bill for developing a Safe Routes to Schools program. We need someone to head up this project.

8. Bill Kopfsky has suggested that we have a laminated small card with a bicyclists bill of rights which would include Arkansas law on bicycling along with other relevant regulations

9. Ellen Brownlee & Monty Cole are heading up the Share the Road Campaign. We have bumper stickers available. Ellen is also looking into having a regular program on the Public Access Channel.

10. Mark Taylor is heading up an initiative to work with Little Rock to have designated bike routes and bike lanes in Little Rock. Rob Lambert is working on bicycle routes in North Little Rock.

ON ALL THESE PROJECTS/INITIATIVES, we need volunteers. Anyone who is willing to help on any of the projects should contact mailinglist@bacar.org.

Ken reported that the investigation into the death of Jason Pratt continues. Little Rock has formed a task force to pursue negotiations with the Union Pacific Railroad concerning the problems with routing around the Episcopal Collegiate School. Rob Lambert & Ken Gould are chairing task force. Board Member French Hill and Mayor Daley are also on the task force. The task force has been given authority to pursue negotiations with Union Pacific and explore other routes. French Hill has written an op-ed piece about bicycling for the Democrat Gazette.

Future meetings include: In October, Basil Hicks & Gary Lamb will present a program on mountain biking from advocacy standpoint; December we hope to have Skip Rutherford from the Clinton Presidential Library. BACA members should plan on attending to show support for development of the old Rock Island Railroad Bridge at Clinton Presidential Library into a bicycle/pedestrian bridge. We hope to have Andy Pearson speak about Metroplan in early 2006.

Steve Shepherd gave a Treasurer's report: We have $4,964 which includes $1,275 for the Jason Pratt reward. In addition we have an additional $1000 pledged to the $2500 reward.

Program: JP Francoeur, Chairperson of Governor's Council on Fitness JP discussed the focus of the Governor's Council. There is concern in the state with the problem of childhood diabetes. Arkansas has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes for children in the nation. Childhood diabetes has increased by 800% in Arkansas; it has grown to epidemic proportions.

The major focus of the Council is directed toward five populations: youth, adult, seniors, special populations, and business. The following goals may be applied to any one or all populations: Develop, strengthen, and coordinate services and programs of fitness for the people of Arkansas. Work with local government and communities in developing fitness programs. Assist educational agencies and associations in developing quality school health and physical educational programs. Encourage employee fitness programs in public agencies and private companies. Encourage cooperative programs with medical, dental, and other professional societies to promote sound personal health and physical fitness. Enlist the support of citizens, civic groups, amateur and professional sports associations and voluntary organizations to promote and improve fitness. Sponsor fitness workshops, clinics, conferences, and other special emphasis activities. Collect and disseminate pertinent fitness information and initiate public service advertising programs. Recognize outstanding programs, developments, contributions, and achievements in fitness.

In the past the Council has done several events to promote fitness. It has a press conference every year where the Governor rewards people and organizations for their volunteerism & contribution to the state. JP suggested that BACA might want to be nominated for such an award. The Council also sponsors the Great Arkansas workout where fourth graders participate in physical activities on the Capitol lawn. To date, the students have not been introduced to bicycling. The Council also sponsors Out for Lunch, a program to get people to walk on their lunch break.

JP discussed how BACA could fit in with the work of the Council. BACA member Ron Rizzardi has been working with the Council:

1. The Council has a well-established state-wide network, which can be of assistance to BACA. JP stated that the Council could work with BACA to plan and seek appropriations for bicycling infrastructure. Bike racks have been tried before & failed. JP stated that the bike rack idea might have failed in the past because the bus routes didn't cater to cycling commuters. The Council could help influence Central Arkansas Transit to get bike racks on the busses and work with CAT to get buses to go to commuter routes. The Council could also work on getting reduced fares on buses for bicycle commuters.

2. The Council could include bicycling as form of fitness in the Governor's publicity. He would like to add cycling as recreation & transportation in the Council's promotional materials.

3. The Council could support changes in state laws to benefit cycling. The Council could endorse recommendation or act as a facilitator with legislators. The Physical Education Bill required schools to provide 1 hour/week of physical activity. (3 - 20 minute segments of physical activity /week). The Council is trying to change the law to require more time for physical education.

4. JP has recommended that Ron Rizzardi fill vacancy on the Council.

Other recommendations (goals) for the Council to adopt: Encourage the Governor to promote bicycling as form of fitness; encourage city & state to develop bicycle routes; link on www.arkfitness.com for BACA. In addition, www.JPFitness.com has a road and mountain biking forum on its website.

The Governor's Council has a grant (Trails for Life Grant) out of the tobacco settlement money. The grant is for $300,000/year to build fitness looping trails in primarily rural communities. It took 3 years for the grant to be implemented so the first year there was nearly $1 million to give away. The first year, the Council gave Little Rock $115,000 for the River Trail. Last year the Council gave $300,000M to mostly rural cities. A standard grant is about $35,000 for the building of trails and there is a provision for additional funding for a custom grant.

Discussion: We need to commit money to building infrastructure conducive to bicycling. LR Parks & Metroplan are coming up with bike routes. Might want to link buses with bike routes. Need to try to work with the state highway department bicycle coordinator, Steve Wesson. Chris Pyle is the fitness coordinator for Governor.

Keith Jones, Director of Central Arkansas Transit, is supportive of bike racks on busses. He needs to raise local match for federal money. Send e-mail or write to Keith Jones. His address is director@cat.org.

About 50 people present. President Ken Gould made a number of announcements.

1. He recognized the recent tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

2. BACA is still accepting contributions, although our official annual fundraising drive is over.

3. BACA has engaged in a number of advocacy actions over the past few months: A 29-year old bicyclist, Jason Pratt, was killed by a hit and run driver on August 6th. Within a few days of his death, BACA along with the Arkansas Bicycle Club and other concerned individual cyclists, organized a Ride of Silence held on August 13, 2005, with over 80 people attending. The following Monday, August 15, BACA held a press conference organized by Monty Cole, BACA Vice President, announcing a reward fund. Since these events, we have been advised that the Little Rock police have a suspect and there may be an arrest soon. Ken will call the prosecutor, Larry Jegley, to let him know that we want to be kept informed of developments in the case. Also, on August 17, 2005, Little Rock Parks and Recreation held a meeting at the River Market with the Rails to Trails Conservancy Vice President who was in town to assess the Little Rock side of the River Trail, particularly the specific location of the trail from Junior Deputy Park to the Medical Mile. About 3/4 of the people present were BACA members. Ken has also met with Bryan Day, who is head of Parks and Recreation and acting City Manager, to discuss a number of issues, some of which are noted below. Board Member Will Barns has put together some excellent ideas to promote bicycle commuting. We hope to arrange for a press conference to address bicycle commuting, as well as e-mail a survey to the BACA membership about bicycle commuting, survey businesses with shower facilities and places to store bicycles, as well as encourage the businesses to encourage their employees to commute to work by bicycle. Ken talked to Bryan Day about the possibility of a bicycle stations (like the one in Millenium Park in Chicago), and Bryan is interested in setting one up in downtown Little Rock. Anyone wanting to work on the bicycle commuting initiative should contact Will Barns. BACA member Ron Rizzardi has been doing a number of things. He has been working with the Governors Council on Fitness to incorporate bicycle safety and education in the Council's work. He also has been working on incorporating bicyclists' rights into drivers licensing procedures and the driver's test. The Bicycle Coalition of the Ozarks initiated a similar effort and we may join them in their efforts. In addition, we are working on the possibility of installing bicycle racks on C.A.T buses. Monty Cole is looking into BACA co-sponsoring a charity ride or bicycle festival. An additional advocacy idea: Promote bicycle education and safety by using the public access channel. We need people experienced in TV production to help with this. In general, we need people who are willing to work on the initiatives discussed above.

4. The Share the Road Bumper Stickers are available for BACA members and supporters who agree to put the sticker on their vehicle's bumper. In addition, through the efforts of Ellen Brownlee we have a large Share the Road banner which was displayed at the August 17th press conference.

5. River Trail & Lock and Dam Bridge update: Construction of the section in front of Junior Deputy Park is being bid on now. That means that construction of that section of the trail will be done perhaps before the end of the year and when completed will eliminate the dangerous bottleneck behind the Jr. Deputy ball fields. The City has received a $90,000 grant to help with that section, and the money that had been devoted to that section can now be used elsewhere.

The section of the River Trail from Rebsamen Golf Course to Harvest Foods will most likely be on North side of Riverfront Drive. The bridge over the Union Pacific railroad tracks is being designed and probably will go on south side of the La Harpe Blvd. viaduct. Having the trail going behind Dillard's doesn't look like a possibility because it would be prohibitively expensive to construct. Just getting construction equipment to the site would be extremely difficult. So, it looks like the Trail will go behind the Episcopal Collegiate School and a detailed survey is being done now of that area. The Railroad has approved the bridge and has not yet approved the trail going behind the Episcopal Collegiate School, but is considering it.

6. There is a possibility that BACA might receive funding for a part-time paid administrator.

7. Steve Shepherd gave a treasurer's report: $4825 in bank which includes $1175 specifically for the reward fund.

8. Ian Hope announced the Arkansas Bicycle Club's ARKY 100 ride. There are 3 sponsors - Chainwheel, Market Place Medical Clinic, Orbea USA. It is Sunday, Sept 25. The registration fee for the ARKY is $25.00. Ham radio operators will provide logistical support and there will be five fully supported rest stops

During the scheduled program, and totally unknown to us, we learned that Jason Pratt's parents had come to the meeting. Jason's father spoke, saying that they had come to applaud us for our work. We were truly honored and moved by their presence at our meeting.

Program: BACA Board member George Cobb gave a most entertaining program on his solo bicycle trip around the perimeter of the state, entitled State Border Ride or how to survive walking into a country store in bike shorts and living to tell about it. It was a fundraiser for Arkansas Children's Hospital, where George works. He raised $10,600.00.

George specifically reported on bicycle advocacy issues he encountered on the ride: The road shoulders in Southern Arkansas are very rough. Highway 71 near Ft. Smith is great. You will meet some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet on a ride around Arkansas, but also some wackos. There are lots of mountains, especially on Highway 71. He saw many cyclists on Highway 71. Dead armadillos were everywhere. A country road can turn into a dirt road very quickly. Ask local people before going onto road.

George's best rides were: Highway 71 from Ft. Smith to Fayetteville; Highway 412 from Springdale to Harrison, and Highway 71 from Texarkana to De Queen (it is a brand new road).

Not So Good Roads: Highway 82 around the El Dorado area; De Queen to Mena (dogs everywhere, hardly any shoulder and lots of truck and car traffic, creek runs over the road.)

Best bike towns: Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Jonesboro and Crossett. Fayetteville was the most bike friendly with lots of bicyclists.

Bad Bike Towns - Helena (getting in & out is the worst, Highway 49 is horrible. George stayed on Highway 1 coming into Helena); Hardy (a beautiful town but no shoulder on 412/62 which is a main artery for Walmart truck & anyone coming in/out of Oklahoma); Harrison - lots of traffic going to Branson.

Concerns: *Paving the roads but not the shoulders *Shoulders that disappear in towns *Educating drivers *Educating cyclists - especially to wear helmets *Making bicycling safe for families & kids *Loose dogs and the owners who watch

His route: Ft. Smith to Springdale/Fayetteville; Springdale to Yellville; Yellville to Salem; Salem to Jonesboro; Jonesboro to West Helena; W. Helena to McGehee; McGehee to Eldorado, Eldorado to Texarkana; (end of 1st week) Texarkana to DeQueen; DeQueen to Mena & then Mena to Ft. Smith . This totaled a little under 900 miles. Then Ft. Smith to Booneville & Booneville to LR. A piece of advice for anyone considering a ride like George's: Call local newspaper to find out about hotels. He took 2 jerseys, 2 pairs of shorts; and extra socks.

About 40 people present. Ken called the meeting to order and made a number of announcements.

1. Update on construction of River Trail. The Medical Mile has been asphalted and is now complete to the Baring Cross bridge. The Arkansas General Assembly this last session appropriated $1 million for a bridge across the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

2. CARTI will be holding the Tour de Rock on June 11th at Burns Park. The ate Brothers Band will play; there will be a criterium race and an 18 mile bike ride. CARTI needs volunteers and contact Renata Partin if you are interested.

3. BACA is in middle of an annual fundraising campaign. Static Cling decals will be the premium for giving donation. Decals are available for sale for $2.00.

4. National Bike to Work Day is May 20th. Check the website for more information

5. Little Rock Parks & Recreation Commission and the City in a Park Conservancy will host a Parks Symposium Wednesday, May 18th, 2005 at the Arkansas Art Center from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Mr. Doug Blonsky, New York Central Park Administrator and President will be the presenting speaker. The event is designed to share thoughts about the underlying values of parks, recreation facilities and cultural activities, specifically the economic, social, environmental, and aesthetic impact that these resources have on our community.

6. We now have extra large t-shirts for sale for $10.00

Program: In conjunction with Bike to Work Month, we thought it might be useful to have program on bicycle commuting. Panelists Panel discussion. Melody Myers, Celia Storey, George Cobb, Ron Rizzardi, Coreen Frasier, Laura Cameron, and Ken Gould Each panelists described their routes and facilities available. Ken bikes about 15 miles each way and has a shower facility at work. Laura's commute is about 10 to 15 minutes and she bikes in what she wears to work with a rinse off if necessary. Coreen commuted 2 days/week when she taught. About 10 miles each way. She took a shower before biking and toweled off at work if necessary. Ron Rizzardi bikes from NLR Park Hill to the Jacksonville Air Force Base, 16 miles each way. He can shower at base gym George Cobb bikes from Sherwood to Children's Hospital. He has a shower facility at work. In fact, Children's is opening a new fitness center and anyone who is interested should contact George about bringing their bike to work and using the shower facility. Celia Storey commutes 7 miles one way. She cleans up in bathroom Melody Myers commuted in Boston but not in Little Rock. In Boston, she sold her car & bought bike. Work was 30 minutes away (faster than she could do than on subway), school was 5 minutes away. She biked to the grocery store. There are separate bike trails in Boston and motorists are used to cyclists. A good number of people with whom she worked commuted. The subway was a back up plan. She didn't clean up as she didn't ride when it was really hot. Bicycle commuting is common in Boston.

What to do about rain?: No question that you are going to get wet. Ways to reduce this is to wear goretex, keep your things in plastic bags inside the panniers or back pack. How do you carry clothes: Some people used a back pack; some take clothes in on days that they don't commute & leave them at work; trunk rack that expands; messenger bags keep things from wrinkling if they are wrapped in garbage bags & plastic; keep extra clothes at work; keep work shoes at work because shoes are bulky; wear bicycling what you wear to work; carry extra shoes to work; store good clothes at work in old armoire; use panniers.

Has the attitude of drivers toward bicyclists improved? - Coreen stated that she goes through a high traffic area and the only trouble is someone honking; if people expect you then watching you. Bright clothing helps. Ron said that drivers will give room if you ride predictably & follow the road signs; wear bright colored clothing. A mirror is necessary to see what is going on behind you. George said that the morning ride is great but in the afternoon people are cranky. Celia has noticed a significant change - people are moving over now, wave, stop, very considerate. Ken said he tries to ride as far to right as can, tries not to interfere with traffic, and signals drivers to come around

Demonstration/Discussion of Equipment: Lights (front & back), in winter-heated pads with AA batteries for feet. Check www.icebike.com for interesting stories & cold weather biking tips; booties; chemical heat warmers; South Summit flasher, armadillo tires - can ride them flat; skort; plastic tire liner between tube & tire (tuffy or roughy tuffy); yellow strobe light on bike & red flasher on helmet, flashing lights in front on handlebars & light on helmet. 2 reflectors on wheel; reflector strips drive defensively.

We will create a section on the website for bicycle commuting; link to national websites

About 40 people present. Ken called the meeting to order.

1. Ken mentioned the support poles that are up for the Dam Bridge

2. BACA received the Sierra Club Award for outstanding environmental organization of the year. Thanks to Laura Cameron for the nomination

3. BACA Board met with Roberts & Williams, the landscape architects who have the contract to come up with the Pulaski County bicycle/pedestrian plan. We reviewed the maps and added some additional routes to the proposed plan.

4. Events coming up: Bike to Work Day May 20th. Ride of Silence - Brad Gridley organizing the Ride of Silence. It is a 10 to 12 mile ride, 2 abreast in complete silence in memory of bicyclists killed. Let Brad or Monty Cole know if you know of anyone killed bicycling.

5. Monty reported on Bike to Work Day. Everything is going well. We need a few more people on the North Little Rock side as bike buddies. Most of the posters are going out. The BACA internet site will have a posting. This year we will have a commuter challenge; employers will be challenged to see who has the most employees participating in the event. See www.bacar.org. for more information on Bike to Work.

6. Steve Bentley reported on the CARTI Tour de Rock, June 11th at the Burns Park Soccer Complex; the Cate Brothers will entertain, food will be provided. There are three events planned (1) a criterium at Burns Park, at 10:30 (Basil Hicks & Steve Shepherd - co-chairs) (2) a family Ride (Gary Lamb is coordinator) of about 18 miles at 8:30 a.m. and (3) at mountain bike ride at Burns Park . About 35 to 40 dedicated bike riders are involved in planning for event. It is a benefit for CARTI Foundation. Last year, the Tour de Rock raised $35,000 for CARTI.

7. The May BACA meeting will focus on bicycle commuting. Tell Ken if you are interested in participating in a panel on bicycle commuting.

8. The BACA by-laws call for elections in April. The BACA Board met & amended the by-laws to expand the Board. We will now have six (as opposed to 3) at large members w/ staggered terms of 2 year terms. In addition, the Board voted on having the term for officers be one year this time (i.e., until April 2006) and then 2 years thereafter. The Chairs of Committee are also members of the Board. In addition we are adding two more people to the Board, an Ark. Bicycle Club liason & CARP liason. Nick Dawson, chair of the Nominations Committee, reported on Nominations: The Committee proposed the following for officers: Ken Gould- Pres; Monty Cole- Vice PresidentP; Judy Lansky - Secretary; Steve Shepherd - Treasurer. At large Class One (to serve until April, 2006)- Rob Lambert, Gene Pfeifer, Mark Taylor; Class 2 (to serve until April, 2007)- Doug Pope, Ellen Brownlee, George Cobb Basil Hicks moved and Jess seconded that the slate of nominations be accepted & elected by acclimation. Passed

9. BACA supporters are asked to write/e-mail a letter to Keith Jones, Director of Central Arkansas Transit (CAT) urging that CAT install bicycle racks on busses. Coreen has composed the letter. We will send it out via e-mail so that members can send it on to Keith Jones

Program: Coreen Frasier was the BACA representative to the National Bike Summit. Coreen is an avid biker, having biked across the country 2 ? times and an ardent advocate for bicyclists. Coreen reports: If you want a summary of the Summit, go on line to LAB - www.bikeleague.org. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, (D-Or) was the first speaker. He commutes all over. There were 3 breakout sessions. The first was Bicycle Friendly Community Status from All Angles , which included a discussion on how to get an award for being a bike friendly city. We need to make Little Rock a bike friendly city, which would include getting bike racks on the buses. 2nd breakout session was Complete Streets: It?s Not Just About Bikes. Discussion of the various groups who through their lobbying efforts help the bicycling community including AARP, America Bikes, US Access - Disabled . The Keynote speaker at lunch was Transportation Secretary Norman Minetta. 3rd Breakout session was Safe Routes to School: What do we do, when do we win? 850 MILLION dollars will go to states in next 5 years. 10 % will go to education. Safe Routes model in Austin. Coreen talked to her former principal at Rockefeller Elementary. We have to work with culture; parents are afraid to send kids to school and want to take kids to school in cars. We have to think of another way to handle that.

Groups -there were about 7 states with only 1 representative at the Summit (including Arkansas). Representatives were to meet with the state?s congressional delegation for lobbying. 5 points re: lobbying - 1) we want TEA 21 authorized. Transp. Equity Act for the 21st Century. If reauthorized, $850 million will be disbursed over states w/ 10% going to education; (2) Safe Routes to School - TEA 21 will fund it (includes walking, sidewalks) (3) safety - no money spent on bike pedestrian safety in Arkansas. If TEA 21 authorized, will get 13% but only need 6% (4). Bicycle Commuter Act ( Vic Snyder co-sponsored )- Employer stipend to employees who commute by bike to work. (5) Complete Streets - need sidewalks Coreen lobbied on those 5 points. She met with congressional aides with the exception of Rep. Vic Snyder (who was there with 2 aides). Reps. Mike Ross & Vic Snyder are both on bike caucus.

LAB gave John Kerry an award for being supportive of biking.

2nd day - Bike ride at noon - 2 senators attended. 150 bikers. Biked around streets of Washington.

Coreen's list of things that we need to do: 1. Set up an appointment with the executive director of the State Dept. of Transportation 2. Take pictures of positive/negative things in community 3. Apply for bike friendly city 4. Write to congress people 5. Need funding/scholarships for LAB leadership 6. Need more people attending National Bike Summit next year 7. Need grant writers - Bikes Belong gives lots of money out each year 8. Need not to lose steam; 9. Need to get engineers involved 10. Need a cross-state ride & sponsor We have help from a number of organizations including Thunderhead Alliance. Bikes Belong, America Bikes, LAB, Maine Coalition, Rails-To-Trails, South Carolina Department of Transportation, etc.

BACA is on the right track. Maine started like we did 8 years ago. It is far more advanced than we are. We have to get retailers involved. Retailers get involved through Bikes Belong.

Elizabeth Mabry was the Executive Director of Transportation for South Carolina. South Carolina had the highest number of bike/pedestrian fatalities in US. She wasn't going to let it happen. They are building a bike/ped bridge, they have bike racks on all their buses. Biking is becoming very visible in S Car.

Questions: Criteria to become bike friendly city; do we need 2? Suggestion that we have mayors of LR and NLR challenge each other for bike friendly status. Looking into bike station downtown - place to leave bike/shower April 19th - City Transportation National Convention. Wyndham Hotel in NLR (National Convention) - Bike Ride at 5:00 p.m. - meet at parking lot at Wyndham Hotel. Want bicyclists to help out; wear BACA shirt.

Next Tuesday at 4:00pm Orbea is having a grand opening. North across broadway bridge on right hand side.

45 people in attendance. Ken reported on latest developments. On February 22, we presented a plaque to Judge Villines & and the Pulaski County Quorum Court. Ken asked people to send the County Board and Judge Villines an e-mail (www.co.pulaski.ar.us) or letter to acknowledge what they have done for the County (e.g., Two Rivers Park, the Lock & Dam Bridge, design of new bridge across Little Maumelle River to Two Rivers Park)

National Bike to Work Day is May 20th. Monty Cole stated that we need volunteers to assist in all areas. Please contact Monty at mcole@aristotle.net or 954-8480 to help.

A group of BACA members from North Little Rock and North Pulaski County are interested in working on street issues/bike lanes/etc. Those interested should meet after the meeting to arrange future meetings and e-mail connections. If you are interested, contact Rob Lambert, Basil Hicks or Charlie Hight.

Ken reported that there is a threat of serious state & federal budget cutbacks which may affect bicycling issues. We may be asking members and supporters to take some concerted action in response. We will keep everyone posted if that is necessary.

The National Bike Summit is March 16-18. in Washington, D. C. It is a national meeting of all bicycle advocacy organizations. The BACA board authorized sending a representative to the Bike Summit and paying partial expenses. Corrine Frasier has volunteered. Corrine is the perfect person. She has biked all over the country, and is extremely knowledgeable about bicycling and advocacy.

BACA Board member Laura Cameron nominated BACA for Sierra Club of Arkansas conservation organization of the year award & we won. The banquet is March 12, at the Clinton Presidential Center. Tickets are $50.00, which includes a tour of the library. Jim Hightower is the featured speaker. If you are interested in being part of a BACA table, let Laura know at tallgirl75@sbcglobal.net.

Ken reported that the League of American Bicyclists has a Bicycle Friendly Cities program. With the many improvements and changes in trails & other bicycling facilities in Central Arkansas, we might try to qualify for that designation in the future.

BACA will undertake a fundraising effort in the future by general e-mail solicitation. We are trying to get 501(c)(3) status, Chris Parker, an attorney, will assist with that.

Our next meeting if Thursday, April 7th. We will have election of officers and three at-large members of the Board.

Tonight's Program: BACA member Dr. Rob Lambert. Rob not only developed the idea of Medical Mile but was instrumental in the formation of BACA when several years ago he discussed with Ken and others the need for an organization that promotes bicycle advocacy. Rob stated that his partners, fellow cardiologists Eleanor Kennedy & Lynn Davis, as well as the CEO of Hearth Clinic Arkansas have done a lot of work in developing and promoting the Medical Mile. He stated that he wanted to acknowledge Terry Eastin (consultant with the City of Little Rock, who brought government and private agencies together in an umbrella group known as the Headwaters Partnership), Lorri Davis (a landscape architect with the City of Little Rock) and the City Board of Directors, particularly Mayor Daily and City Administrator Bruce Moore for all the work they have done. The City Board of Directors just funded the purchase of the railroad right of way for the Medical Mile for $1.2 million.

Rob presented a slide show of what the trail looks like now & what it will look like in the future. 1st part of trail of the entire River Trail on the Little Rock side (going west from downtown) will be the Medical Mile. St Vincent's has given $250,000, that will be used for a plaza that will be at the beginning of the Medical Mile.

Rob also reported on developments in North Little Rock. A group of BACA members (Charlie Hight, Basil Hicks, Rob Lambert) met with Mayor Hayes and Robert Voyles of the North Little Rock Planning Commission. Mayor Hays is interested in developing more trails in North Little Rock. He is looking for ways for people bike to work, to school and to shop. The BACA members have had several meetings with the city officials. A bicycle route coming down from the Presidential Library bridge through downtown NLR, and going up North Hills Blvd into Lakewood was suggested & is on the City's bike plan that was adopted in 1999. A route traveling along Five Mile Creek to the NLR YMCA to the Indian Hills swimming pool is also under consideration. Funding for the YMCA portion of the trail has been requested by the state senator for that area. A route from Donovan Briley Road (already has bike lanes), over to Burns Park and the red covered bridge in Burns Park is also a possibility. Crystal Hill Road has been redeveloped & it can connect with the red covered bridge in Burns Park. NLR and BACA members hope to have a loop through NLR that will connect with the Presidential Library Bridge. The City has applied for a grant through Highway Dept. to go from Crystal Hill road to Young Road.

About 80 people in attendance. Ken Gould, BACA President, reported on an number of items:

1. Bryan Day, head of LR Parks Department, reported that Little Rock has purchased land from the railroad to complete the portion of the River Trail from the River Market to Baring Cross Bridge.

2. Friday, May 20 is National Bike to Work Day. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Monte Cole at mcole@aristotle.net or 954-8460.

3. Our next BACA meeting will be Thursday, March 5. BACA board member Dr. Rob Lambert will be in charge of the program, and will make a presentation about the Medical Mile as well as discuss exciting recent developments concerning bike routes in North Little Rock. So far, $729,000 has been raised for the Medical Mile.

4. There will be elections for the Board & officers at the April meeting (April 7th)

5. At the February 22nd meeting of the Pulaski County Quorum Court, BACA will publicly acknowledge the work of the Quorum Court and County Judge Buddy Villines. The meeting will be held at the County Administration building, 2nd & Broadway, 4th Floor, 7:00 p.m. Please plan on attending to show your support for Judge Villines and the Quorum Court. Ken then showed the plaque that BACA will present on February 22nd to Judge Villines.

6. BACA is in need of funds for operating expenses and other expenses, such as membership in advocacy organizations, sending representatives to conferences, insurance. We will be starting a fundraising effort soon.

Program: Judge Villines and Jim Pfeifer, Project Manager for the Corps of Engineers, discussed progress on the Lock and Dam Bridge. The construction contract for the Bridge was signed in September. The early sketch of the bridge has changed; the railings will be lowered so it is truly a recreational facility. They are looking into doing some interesting lighting on bridge. Basic plan of the Bridge: 4200 feet with a 5percent slope. There will be long approaches on each side. There is an historic African-American cemetery that is between the temporary detour ramp and the construction site. Plans are to have some interpretative signage for that. Piers are being constructed on the South side. There will be 38 piers for the entire bridge. Construction crews are driving piles into ground where the bridge supports will be. There will be a steel substructure to support the Bridge & support utility lines that may go over river. Railings will be 4'6" high; low enough to look over & enjoy views. There will be 4 observation areas, that is, areas where the bridge will widen. Phases: Starting on South side then pick up on North Side. A little more complicated on the North side. The Bridge will be open 24 hours a day. It will be 14 ft wide; concrete curbs going up to accommodate maintenance vehicles. Time frame : 2 year construction contract; contract was awarded in September, 2004. A major construction company experienced in bridge building is the general contractor for the bridge (Jensen Construction). The Bridge will be 35 feet above the current Dam - tall enough to allow barges to go through. It will be 90 feet above the water on the east side; 72 feet above on the West Side Planning on 2 openings for the Dam (especially because of the lighting)

Judge Villines reported on other developments: (1) County doing study of trails - getting ready to finish that. Priority is how to connect trails that we have; how finish getting from River Trail to Pinnacle (2) County is planning on buying old Rock Island Right of Way - Have money to buy it. Planning on a bike trail & then light rail which would connect Fourche Creek (South LR) to Saline County. Saline County is buying part of Rock Island RR right of way in Saline County. (3) Feasibility study finished for Bridge from River Trail to Two Rivers Park. Now in the design stage to build a bridge over the Little Maumelle, from the boat launch under the 430 Bridge to Two Rivers. Hope to get design & identify funds to build the bridge within the next year. (4) Looking at options for getting from Two Rivers to Pinnacle Mountain (5) Planning a tree park in Two Rivers Park.