Newsletter - April 2008

Dear supporters of Yellow Bike,

We have lots of events and projects to report upon in this month's newsletter, and this is just the warm-up for BIKEMONTH in May.  Read on for the details, and please come join us at some of this month's events.

-The Yellow Bike Project (YBP)

AUSTIN CYCLING ASSOCIATION (ACA) HOSTS CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM - Monday April 7th, 3700 Lake Austin Blvd in the Hancock Bldg, 7pm.   The ACA, League of Bicycling voters (LOBV), and YBP are sponsoring this event to give Austin cyclists a chance to hear the views of prospective council members on bicycle-related issues.   It is also a good way to show our future council persons the strength and political awareness of Austin's bicycling community.  This is important in increasing our leverage to improve cycling conditions in Austin as a whole.  We are closing the 51st street shop this evening in order to encourage folks to attend the forum, and we're leading a ride, leaving at 6pm, from our main shop down to the LCRA building (click here for map of the ride route).

UPDATE ON BICYCLE ISSUES AT CITY COUNCIL -  

1) The presentation of the Street Smarts Task Force:  City Hall, Council Chambers,  301 W. 2nd Street, no date available at the time of this writing.  Check this site for updates on agenda.   The task force was created in response to the proposed helmet law in 2006 and is proposing comprehensive improvements in infrastructure, education, and enforcement efforts in Austin that IF approved by council will be a mandate to city government to implement changes that will benefit all cyclists.  We've mailed out hundreds of postcards in support of the recommendations, written by Yellow Bike volunteers and shop users, and will continue to do so until this issue is heard at council.  See http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/streetsmarts.htm for more info.

2) The Yellow Bike Project long-term lease on City land: We're pleased to announce that on Thursday, March 20th, the City Council authorized the City to negotiate a 50-year long-term lease with YBP on approximately one acre of land at 1200 Webberville Road.  The City's legal department is now drafting the terms of the lease, which we hope to sign in the next month or so.  Once the lease is signed, we will begin the process of building a 3000 sq ft facility on the site as our new headquarters.  With a clear picture of our new headquarters now in mind, we are stepping up our fund-raising efforts to support this important construction project.  If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation to the cause, you can do so on our website (http://www.austinyellowbike.org/donate.htm), or mail a check to us at 2013 E. 51st street.  If you'd like more info on our project, send an email to austinyellowbike@gmail.com.

REI STAFF WORKSHOP - Tuesday April 15th, 5-8pm.  A group of REI employees will be volunteering their time at a special workshop to build community bikes and organize the shop on this day.  We look forward to their contribution in advancing the YBP mission and improving the shop experience for others.

UPCOMING YELLOW BIKE RELEASE -  Saturday April 19th.  YBP will be releasing 20 or so yellow bikes at the Earth Day celebration held downtown at Republic Square Park (http://www.austinearthday.com/)  We hope to see you there buying locally-produced food and enjoying the festivities.

EARTH DAY AT TERRAZAS LIBRAY - Monday April 20th.  Yellow Bike coordinators Sachi DeCou and Alonso de Araya will be giving a bike mechanic's demonstration at 6pm as part of the Earth Day celebration at the Terrazas branch of the Austin Public Library at 1105 East César Chávez St.

FOUR WEEK ENROLLMENT-ONLY KIDS/FAMILY MECHANICS CLASS - Saturdays April 19th - May 11, 11am-1pm.  We will be running a four-week structured parent/child class for folks interested in learning to maintain and repair bikes together with their children.  We are asking $40 for each parent/child enrollment, and are limiting enrollment to the first 15 child/parent teams that sign up.  Click here to get on the list.  We'll get in touch with the first 15 to sign up, and finalize arrangements.

HILL COUNTRY RIDE FOR AIDS - Saturday April 26. YBP coordinator Mateo Scoggins is organizing a Yellow Bike team to participate in this year's ride.  For more information on the event and to learn how you can help Yellow Bikers raise money for this important cause click here.

FULMORE MIDDLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY BIKE SHOP - At our April meeting EJ Romero gave a presentation on the Bike Shop at Fulmore, which is part of the schools drop out prevention and Service Learning programs.  Participating students gain mechanic's experience by repairing bikes for fellow students and staff members, then get to use their new skills to build a bike for themselves.  A strong group of community partners have contributed used bikes to the program and students will soon be working on a "shopping list" and coming to the Yellow Bike shop to get the parts neccessary to get the bikes up and running.  This is an exciting program and Yellow Bike is happy to do our part to support it.

EDUCATION CHAIR NEEDED -  YBP is looking for a professional in the Education Field to serve as our Education Chair on our Representative Council, an advisory board to our collective council.  Duties include attending monthly Representative Council meetings, and working with our Education Coordinator as an advisor in developing/improving our educational programs.  Send an email to: austinyellowbike+education@gmail.com if you are interested in this one-year commitment to improving YBP's educational programs.

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND AUCTION ITEMS -  YBP is planning a silent art and bike auction at our 11th birthday bash on Saturday May 31st.  We need donated artwork and classic/high quality bicycles and components for a successful fund-raising event.  Artists and creative-types alike are encouraged to submit bicycle-inspired art by Thursday, May 1st.  There are no rules and no limits to the type of medium artists choose, however used or recycled materials and re-use of surplus bike parts is highly encouraged.  Free bike parts will be available at our main shop at 2013 E. 51st Street, and all proceeds from the silent auction will be donated to YBP for the new building construction fund.  Artists must submit the following to be considered:

1. Name, address, phone number, email
2. Photo, Sketch and description of Art Works to be entered in auction
3. Acknowledgment and agreement that all proceeds from the auction of art will be donated to The Austin Yellow Bike Project.

Please submit via email to mlancaster@dwr.com or screekmore@dwr.com
Or mail:
Austin Yellow Bike Art Show
c/o Design Within Reach
200 W. 2nd Street
Austin TX 78701

APPRENTICE COORDINATORS APPRECIATED -  We're happy to thank the new folks stepping up to increase the number of shop coordinators at YBP; we had two new volunteers sign up as apprentice coordinators at the April Collective meeting, which helps ensure that everyone has a positive experience at the shop.  We now have 19 active shop coordinators and five apprentices.  We can still use new shop coordinators; the only requirement is an interest in learning to work on bikes, a love for teaching others, and an ability to reliably commit to a shop once per week.  No experience necessary.  Like everything at Yellow Bike you learn while getting your hands greasy and going for it.  Develop your mechanics skills and learn shop procedures while helping people repair their bikes.  If you'd like to be part of our continued growth as a community resource, come to a monthly Collective meeting (first Tuesday, 7:30 pm at 51st street main shop) or simply talk to a coordinator when the shop is open and let us know when you can help out.

SCHEDULE -

(Bilingual) - Indicates a bilingual shop. Volunteers that speak Spanish will be present.
* Red Hours indicate Volunteer Shops: These shops are reserved for volunteering. Volunteers are also welcome anytime our shops are open. Volunteer Shops are usually less busy and facilitate a better learning experience. Personal projects are not allowed during volunteer shops; they can only be worked on during Open Shops. While volunteering, you can learn to fix bikes while giving back to YBP or accrue volunteer hours counting towards a free bike of your very own.
** Collective Meetings: Shop "closed" for collective meeting at our Main Shop (51st Street) on the 1st Tuesday of the month. Meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Open to the public. If you would like to contribute ideas to the collective, make requests, learn more about the project and its internal workings, or just get more involved this is the forum for you.
*** Volunteers Needed: We need volunteers so that we can expand and maintain hours of our shops. We want to be open more often. Come to the main 51st street shop to learn how you can help.
***Main shop closed Monday, April 7th for City Council Candidate's Forum.