BELLOWS FALLS-The Bellows Falls Community Bike Project, active in the village for 11 years, has raised enough money to be able to buy its current location at 30 Henry St., on the corner of Atkinson Street.
Project founder and director Bonnie Anderson hopes the nonprofit will sign a sales agreement this fall.
Funds raised by the end of August totaled $80,454 which, along with $9,450 worth of donated professional services, means the group can buy the building without needing a mortgage.
Anderson credits the idea of purchasing the building to Fred Tipton.
The former shop manager, assistant director, and head mechanic was an integral part of the development of the bike program for several years.
While Tipton, who died in 2021, didn't live to see his idea come to fruition, the next year, the Bike Project signed a purchase-and-sale agreement on the building.
Anderson said that she modeled the Bike Project after the Old Spokes Home, a nonprofit in Burlington, where she lived for some years.
When she returned to the Bellows Falls area, "I didn't see a lot of bikes, but I did see kids with weight issues and not a lot to do. I thought to myself, 'This town could use a bike project.'"
Anderson said that the initial goal for the bike project was to provide a space for people, especially young people, to have access to bicycles, to learn bicycle repair, to learn safe riding skills, and to repair and recycle affordable used bicycles.
"Our vision is a flourishing culture of bicycling, as a means of alternative transportation, self-sufficiency, and overall wellness," the Bike Project says in its mission statement.
The road home
When the Bike Project started in 2013, it operated out of very limited storage space. Things improved when it moved to its first official headquarters at 24 Canal St.
Anderson said that Gary Fox, administrator of Rockingham's Planning and Zoning Department, "really helped me to get things set up."
With an official location, Anderson said, the Project was able to form a board of directors, to begin a regular series of fundraisers, and seek grant help from various funding sources.
In 2016, the Bike Project moved to its current location, a former laundromat with a vacant apartment space on the second floor.
"That was such a great move," Anderson said. "It was a big project - we had to get rid of all the washers and dryers to begin with."
The building, which contains a full-service repair shop, has worked out well, providing the Bike Project with a large, attractive, well-lit workspace and display shop, a second floor for parts storage, and a large outdoor space with a work area and a covered section for relief from sun or rain.
"We don't buy bikes," Anderson said. "We take the donations, fix them up, and sell them at a good price. We don't turn people away if they need a bike. We figure out a way for them to get one."
Daniel Hoviss is the shop manager and head mechanic. A former student volunteer, Aidan Quinoñes, is the Bike Project's mechanic and third employee.
Quinoñes is one of hundreds of student volunteers who have come to the shop to learn bike repair skills. "We work a lot with the youth of the community," Anderson said. "Mostly from the middle school."
The Henry Street location is just a block away from Bellows Falls Middle School, making it a convenient place to spend time after school or on the weekends.
"It's become an important part of the extra activities available to kids after school," Anderson said. "We're kind of an informal, after-school drop-in program for a lot of kids."
Cleaning up
Because the site was once a laundromat and dry cleaner, extensive environmental testing has been underway as part of the sales process of the commercial property, complying with federal environmental law.
The development of a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) is part of that process. The closing is scheduled for November, once the CAP is approved.
The Bike Project envisions some much-needed renovations on the building, painting the exterior, fixing the parking lot, and raising more funds to keep it a viable force in the community.
Mike Foster, the organization's board president, and Carol Blackwood, a board member, were recently at the headquarters helping to get ready for a bike ride in Massachusetts that the Bike Project was organizing.
"We're thrilled" to be buying the building, Blackwood said, praising Anderson's efforts.
"Bonnie really did all the hard work," she said. "The idea seemed daunting to begin with, but here we are!"
Volunteers always needed
There is always a need for more volunteers at the Bike Project.
"We have hundreds of bikes on hand," Hoviss said. "We receive donations, we fix them and keep stuff out of the landfills. There is no shortage of bikes, just a shortage of good bike mechanics."
Not a mechanic, but would still like to volunteer at the Bike Project? That's fine. Volunteers wash and clean the hundreds of bikes that come through the shop each year.
"We have bike cleaning parties and they are very successful," Hoviss said. "Bikes need a lot of cleaning to remain safe and rideable."
And for those who would like to expand their skills, the Bike Project also offers "lots of classes and workshops where we teach people how to fix bikes," he said.
Rebuilding a better bike
On a recent afternoon, the shop was buzzing with customers and workers.
Two families were at the shop picking out first bikes for their young daughters. Another rider was there to replace his mountain bike, which had recently been stolen. A couple of other potential customers wandered the shop looking over the hundreds of bikes for sale.
Hoviss said that he doesn't encourage families to buy bikes from the big-box department stores out of concern for the lack of quality and endurance of many of those bikes.
He noted that the Bike Project goes through every bike it sells to ensure it's restored properly and safe to ride. If a donated bike is poorly built, he said, it gets new life in the form of parts.
For the donated bikes that can be nicely rebuilt, they can remain a good value for years, if properly maintained, Hoviss said. The Bike Project regularly sees a huge variety of bikes donated, from basic beginner bikes to some high-quality bikes that are sold at reasonable prices.
During the busy biking season, the Bike Project averages three to four bike sales a day, in addition to all the repair work the shop does.
"We'll even customize bikes for buyers," Hoviss said. "And Bonnie is great at fitting someone to the right bike."
The Bellows Falls Community Bike Project is open Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday. Contact the Bike Project at info@bfbike.org or 802-460-0662, or visit bfbike.org.
This News item by Robert F. Smith was written for The Commons.