Aggie Blue Bikes to Begin Shop Remodel June 8
Aggie Blue Bikes — Utah State University’s bicycle education, lending and advocacy program — begins an $89,660 shop remodel Monday, June 8. The remodel will expand internal shop space, allowing for additional work benches, student tool boards and bicycle storage. With increased shop and storage space, ABB will be able to serve a greater number of the USU community, ultimately leading to more bicycle use on campus and a reduction of vehicle related air pollutants.
The construction will be facilitated by Utah State University Facilities.
Aggie Blue Bikes, or ABB, secured funding for the shop remodel through the federal grant pool known as Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Funds (CMAQ), awarded through the Federal Highway Administration for air quality nonattainment communities. The local organization overseeing the distribution of the funds is the Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization (CMPO).
The $89,660 grant will enable ABB to re-design the floor plan of the shop, opening up more space for additional mechanic benches and student benches, allowing for a greater shop capacity for USU community members and shop volunteers. The grant also facilitates the installation of a roof on the west side of the existing storage shed, which allows additional on-site storage.
The grant also enables ABB to build additional work benches and install new flooring and lighting throughout the shop.
“With the remodel ABB will have more functional space which will allow for a more streamlined experience for ABB users,” said ABB mechanic Ashley Casperson. “More benches will also allow us to help more students either rent bikes or repair their own bikes.”
During the shop remodel ABB will be open and operate out of its storage shed, located on the south side of the existing store front (between the Military Science Building and the Fieldhouse) Mondays and Tuesdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Fridays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
“We are so excited to begin the remodel,” said Stephanie Tomlin, ABB program coordinator. “The demand for our three month rentals far exceeds our supply right now. “One of ABB’s biggest obstacles up to this point has been dealing with our small amount of useable space. We could help so many more people if we just had the space to do it. The shop remodel will give us the ability to increase our shop operations, helping more people at the student tool boards and getting more Blue Bikes out to students.”
ABB continues to advocate cycling as a viable form of transportation at USU and in Cache Valley. By removing the barriers to cycling, ABB strives to get more people on more bikes, more often; which helps reduce vehicle miles traveled by USU community members.
In 2014 ABB completed more than 1,410 bicycle check-outs to USU student/faculty and staff, helped 3,000 USU community members repair their personal bikes and completed 30 “Sub for Santa” kids bikes that were donated to local families in need.
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Contact: Stephanie Tomlin, Aggie Blue Bikes program coordinator (office) 435-797-8139, stephanie.tomlin@usu.edu
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