Meeting Summary June 8, 2023
Attending: Hultgren, Clark, Serazo, Thorne, O’Keefe, Gosselin, Palmer
The meeting began shortly after 7 pm in the lobby of the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center.
O’Keefe and Hultgren reported on their progress in fundraising for the 4th Grade Bike Ed project. The SustainableCT $7,500 matching grant threshold has been reached, and the total collected and promised (including the matching grant) is a little over $22,000 of the $30,000 needed to get everything. They are still actively seeking grants from the businesses/corporations in Town.
The tabling at the Farmer’s Market went well with a number of people getting information on the 4th grade project as well as Cycling Without Age (CWA). Thorne, Clark and Hultgren staffed the table, and Thorne displayed one of the electric 3-wheeled bicycles that the CWA program will use. There were about 60 riders in the preceding Tour de Mansfield, and a record number (50) riders in the previous week’s Ride of Silence. Hultgren, O’Keefe and Thorne will be staffing a Bike Mansfield table at the public grand opening celebration at the new Mansfield Elementary School this coming Saturday.
Clark reported that UConn had new administrators dealing with transportation and sustainability and that the Bicycle Working Group would be working (with the new Sustainability Coordinator’s blessing) to update the sustainability web page dealing with bicycling on campus. She also said that it appears that some of the recommendations in the UConn active transportation plan were being implemented, although perhaps not officially. She said that some Towns have received grants from their local health district (example: New Britain) for bicycling under the federal Safe Roads to Schools program.
Hultgren reported that due to the 4th grade funding campaign there were now about 58 individual members of Bike Mansfield and about 27 business members (qualifying donation amounts included 2023 memberships).
Hultgren also said that he had met with John Hankins to figure out how to incorporate the Parks and Natural Resources Committee’s most recent comments into the Town’s bicycle/pedestrian master plan. He will be working with the Engineering staff to make these “final” edits prior to the plan going to the Council and PZC.
Valentine has been posting on Bike Mansfield’s social media platforms. Posts on the Ride of Silence and the Tour de Mansfield have recently been made.
Thorne said he had been speaking with many people about getting a CWA chapter established in Mansfield and is hoping to formulate a plan involving the major stakeholders soon. It was suggested that he ask one of the Town’s administrators/departments that deals with seniors and human services to help facilitate this effort.
The meeting concluded at approximately 8:05 pm.
Lon Hultgren, Secretary Treasurer
hultgrenlr981@gmail.com