Photo: APNBA
The Belmont Area Business Association has received a $5,000 grant that will go towards a project to install two on-street bike parking facilities on SE Belmont Ave (you might recall my story on this project from back in February).
The grant was awarded April 23rd at the annual meeting of the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA).
Belmont-area business owner Bill Stites — the man behind Stites Design human powered vehicles — sits on the board of the Belmont Area Business Association as a rep for the Sunnyside Neighborhood. Stites says the $5,000 award is a matching grant and he now plans to approach local businesses and other organizations for additional funds. He says Laughing Planet Cafe has already committed to help fund the project.
“I’ve drafted a budget of about $13,000 for everything we want to do. The city will supply the staple racks, but the main cost is the installation. We’re also looking to incorporate public art into the racks.”
(File photo)
Stites says the neighborhood wants to build two, on-street bike parking facilities (similar to ones in North Portland) on the southern corners of SE Belmont at 33rd and 34th Streets. The structures would each be 37 feet long and would include 11 staple racks each. They would also remove existing staple racks on the sidewalk which Stites hopes will “de-congest” the area for pedestrians.
City parking officials have already examined the site and the proposed plans and are enthusiastic about the project. Watch for the new on-street bike parking to be completed by the end of this fall.