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Help us Connect SLO County

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Our 2017 Annual Fundraising Campaign concludes on Friday June 16th and we still have a long way to go to reach our fundraising goal of $30,000.

This week we’re highlighting 5 different Bike SLO County programs and efforts that need your help:

DAY 3: Advocacy

Connect SLO CountyA large part of Bike SLO County’s core mission is to advocate to connect the entire county with safe paths and roads for everyone. Whether you ride a bike, walk or use a wheelchair, safe paths raise quality of life, encourage a healthy lifestyle and create opportunities countywide.

Since 2001, Bike SLO County has advocated and will continue to advocate for the completion of the Bob Jones Trail.  We’re excited by recent progress on the next phase of the Bob Jones trail, and are equally excited to advocate for the Templeton Connector, a multi-use pathway that will provide a much needed one mile non-motorized connection between northern Atascadero to southern Templeton between the Salinas River and Highway 101.

Additionally, Bike SLO County is focused on making sure that the youngest bike riders and pedestrians have the opportunity to safely ride or walk to school. To that end we advocate for sidewalks, bicycle paths & pedestrian-friendly infrastructure to create Safe Routes to School countywide.  

Connecting SLO County is not an overnight endeavor and we need your help to make sure the job gets done. Please give what you can – your donation today is an investment in a more bike and pedestrian friendly future. 

A one time donation of $100 or more will significantly help drive our Advocacy efforts forward. Donations of any amount a greatly appreciated as we strive to reach our goal to raise $30,000 by Friday, June 16th.

Click here to make a one time donation.

Prefer to make a recurring monthly donation? Click here to make a monthly donation.

Already support Bike SLO County? Thank You!

Advocacy Alert

Finish the Bob Jones Trail Extension

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Ask Parks and Rec to Move the Bob Jones Trail Forward

This Thursday, March 23, 2017, the SLO County Parks and Recreation Commission will consider “strategy for funding the Bob Jones Pathway Construction Documents and Right-of-Way consulting services” for the trail’s 4.4-mile extension from the Octagon Barn to the Ontario Road staging area.

At stake is grant funding for a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consulting services to prepare construction and right-of-way documents for the trail’s long anticipated extension. This work is needed to move the project to “shovel-ready” status and thus eligible for grant funding. Bike SLO County and other groups that support completion of the Bob Jones Trail disagree with the County Parks and Recreation Department staff recommendation to delay bringing any funding requests to the Board of Supervisors.

We take issue with any further delay for this project of regional significance for locals and visitors. The Bob Jones Trail extension is in the final stages of environmental study and review and needs to move forward. While the $775,000 in grant funding earmarked for the RFP are insufficient to cover its estimated $1.1 million cost, the Board of Supervisors can choose to cover the estimated $380,000 shortfall now with Parks Public Facilities Fees or funds from other sources. The important issue is for the SLO County Parks and Recreation Commission to recommend bringing the RFP funding request  to the Board of Supervisors. Failure to move forward endangers work already completed and paid for, adding additional cost and time to a project already years behind schedule.

The Bob Jones Trail extension has been promised for decades. Other pieces of the trail network, including the Octagon Barn and Bob Jones trailhead, are in the works.

The Parks and Recreation Commission meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers in the county Government Center, 1055 Monterey St., SLO. Bob Jones Trail is item 9 on the agenda.

What can I do?

  • Attend the meeting and ask the Parks and Recreation Commission to recommend bringing the RFP funding request to the Board of Supervisors.
  • Email the Parks and Recreation Commissioners and let them know that you want the Bob Jones Trail to move forward now. Email addresses for the Commissioners:

Pandora Nash-Karner
pandora@pandoraandcompany.com

Bruce Hilton
bruce.hilton@post.harvard.edu

Connie O’Henley
connie@clarkcenter.org

Kenny Dahlen
kennydahlen@gmail.com

Whether you attend the meeting, email the Commissioners or both, here is some language that might help:

Dear Commission Chair and Members:

Please recommend that the Board of Supervisors allocate Parks Public Facility Fees or other funds to cover the estimated shortfall for the Request for Proposals to provide consulting services for construction and right-of-way documents for the Bob Jones Trail 4.4-mile extension.

This work is needed to move the extension project to “shovel-ready” status and thus eligible for grant funding. The county must fulfill its commitment to complete this stretch of the City to the Sea Trail. Further delays could cause work that has already been completed to expire, adding additional cost and time to a project already years behind schedule.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

Additional Info:

WHEN:        Thursday, March 23, 2017 6 PM

WHERE:     SLO County Government Center, 1055 Monterey St., SLO (map)

WHAT:       SLO County Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to consider “strategy for funding the Bob Jones Pathway Construction Documents and Right-of-Way consulting services”.

Agenda: http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/822/QWdlbmRh/6/n/75506.doc

Staff Report: http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/7205/SXRlbSBEb2N1bWVudCAoUHVibGljKSA=/14/n/75504.doc

Bike Fest

Bike Fest! Bob Jones Trail Day! More!

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Saturday April 30th: A big day for Bikes

San Luis Obispo County has a lot going on for bikes this Saturday. Bike Fest? Yup! Bob Jones Trail Clean Up Day? You bet! Bike Valet at Family Fitness Day? Yes indeed!

Bob Jones Trail Clean Up Day

JaimeHillThe Friends of the Bob Jones Trail, in conjunction with the city of San Luis Obispo, is holding a trail work day on Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to noon. Ready to volunteer? Our focus is the city’s stretch of trail from Prado Road to Los Osos Valley Road, including an area that needs to be weeded and replanted near the new bridge close to Los Osos Valley Road. The city will provide tools, water and snacks. Pulling weeds is hard physical work, so pace yourselves.

To participate, confirm with Lea Brooks, at lea2skip@aol.com that you want to participate, and she’ll will send you more details about the cleanup and parking.

Bike Fest

Get ready for an awesome day of bicycles in the Village of Arroyo Grande – the 8th annual Bike Fest takes place on Saturday, April 30th from 12:20 – 4 PM and this year is going to be better than ever.

Bike Fest is a fun-filled celebration of Bikes and the people who love them!  The festivities kick off with a Bike Parade around the Village starting at the Rotary Bandstand on Nelson Street at 12:20 PM. The Bike Parade concludes at Branch Street Deli where the fun continues at 1 PM with great food, fantastic music, incredible prizes (you can win a bike!) and discounted beverages from New Belgium Brewery.

Bike Fest is sponsored by the Bike SLO County, Rideshare, Lezyne, Branch Street Deli, Ira’s Bike Shop and New Belgium Brewing Company.

All ages are welcome, so grab your bicycle, join the Parade then enjoy the festivities at Branch Street Deli (map) – It’s going to be a blast!

Family Fitness Day

The SLO Marathon + Half’s Family Fitness Day will have FREE activities for children of all ages and abilities, on Saturday, April 30 and our free Bike Valet will be there parking bicycles. The fun goes from 9:00am to 2:00pm at the iconic Madonna Inn property. Each family can participate in a variety of games and activities at no charge and will receive a Race SLO Champion sticker, play with all the local team mascots and get lessons in fun and sportsmanship from a variety of local sport teams and clubs. Food and vendors will be at the festival as well as all weekend long.

FREE activities for children and adults include:

    1. Soccer Ball Kick with Cal Poly and Musty Mustang
    2. Basketball Toss with Cal Poly
    3. Baseball Pitch with SLO Blues Baseball and Bluebelle the Bull
    4. Sack Race with Downtown Brown
    5. Cornhole, Ladder Golf, Croquet and Giant Connect Four with SLO Coast Shenanigans
    6. Golf Putt with Sunset Honda
    7. Rope-a-Steer with Cal Poly Rodeo

In addition, on Family Fitness Day, there are three running events:

    1. Kids One Mile (8:00am start)
    2. 5K Run / Walk / Strollers (8:15am start)
    3. Kids Quarter Mile Dash (9:30am start)

For more event information or to register for races before they sell out, go to: www.slomarathon.com/family-fitness-day

Plus, enjoy the food, beer and wine (adults 21 & older only!) garden all day!

Sunday too?

Our free Bike Valet will be back at Madonna Inn on Sunday, parking bicycles for the SLO Marathon + Half. We’ll be there from 7 AM – 2 PM: Bike down and watch the big finish!

 

The Bob Jones Trail Needs Your Help

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Tell the SLO County Board of Supervisors to move forward with the Bob Jones Trail

Tuesday, February 24th is a busy day for bicycles in San Luis Obispo county. Yesterday we talked about octagonbarn440SLOCOG’s Edna Price Canyon Anza Trail Project Workshop #1 taking place on the night of February 24th, and today we’re highlighting the upcoming SLO County Board of Supervisors certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report for a 4.5 mile section of the Bob Jones Trail earlier the same day.

Help complete the Bob Jones Trail

The Friends of the Bob Jones Trail (a partnership of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition and the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County) needs your help on an important milestone regarding the long-awaited extension of the Bob Jones Trail. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the SLO County Board of Supervisors will consider certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a 4.5-mile extension of the trail from the historic Octagon Barn on Higuera Street to the trail’s staging area on Ontario Road. The board will also approve the trail’s alignment, which includes under-crossings of San Luis Bay Drive and Highway 101.

What can you do?

1. Mark February 24 on your calendar. We won’t know what time the public hearing is scheduled until a week before the meeting, but want as many people as possible to attend to show their support for the Bob Jones Trail. Families with children are especially encouraged to attend to underscore the importance of introducing children to nature and recreational activities. The meeting will take place in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers, County Government Center, 1055 Monterey St., SLO, CA 93401. We will let you know what time as soon as that information becomes available.

2. Take a brief survey about the Bob Jones Trail at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DMXCMMM. We will compile the data and present it to the Board of Supervisors. We want as many trail users as possible to take the online questionnaire.

3. Send an e-mail to your county supervisor or the entire board asking them to certify the Final EIR and approve the trail alignment. Supervisors and their e-mails are:

District 1: Frank Mecham – fmecham@co.slo.ca.us

District 2: Bruce Gibson – bgibson@co.slo.ca.us

District 3: Adam Hill – ahill@co.slo.ca.gov

District 4: Lynn Compton – lcompton@co.slo.ca.us

District 5: Debbie Arnold – darnold@co.slo.ca.us

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The Friends of the Bob Jones Trail is a partnership of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition and the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. Our No. 1 goal is encouraging and shepherding completion of the trail in a more timely fashion. The EIR is posted on the SLO County Planning Departments website at www.sloplanning.org under “Environmental Impact Reports.”