Your Club at Work -Portland Bicycling Club

Your Club at Work

Ann Morrow, Vice President

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Club meetings are held the first Thursday of each month (except August and January) at All Saints Episcopal Church, 4033 SE Woodstock Blvd. The church allows us to use their lovely, bright, and roomy  ✎  meeting hall which has been a perfect fit for our club. PBC does pay a nominal fee to the church for the months we use their facility. We have been advised by Cris Breshears, Administrative Assistant that “there is NO PARKING of bikes inside the building. None at all.” So, for those of you riding to the meetings, please lock your bikes outside.

WILSHIRE PARK

This was shared with the board in July by Dave McQuery (who isn’t at all shy about asking for improvements for cyclists!):

9:10 AM 7/11/2022

I just hung up after talking to Mike Grosso, Maintenance Superintendent for Portland Parks and Recreation.  ✎

I told him about the condition Ann’s Back-in-the-Saddle Ride riders encountered yesterday between 9:00 AM and when the group started gathering and 9:30 AM when we started the ride.

  • All three of the permanent toilets were locked
  • The one portable unit was in disgusting condition
    • The toilet seat was missing
    • There were feces on top of the holding tank
    • There were no supplies at all

I pointed out that this is a very heavily used park

  • There were many joggers and walkers on the trail
  • There was some sort of game going on at the ballfield that appeared to be organized
  • There were parents with small kids in the area with the playground equipment
  • There were people letting their dogs play
  • We had about 20 riders (I think I told him 30)
  • We have several rides each week that start from there.

He responded with

  • Short of staff (believable)
  • Restrooms are usually unlocked by 9:30 AM (no help there)
  • He would try to get the crew to unlock the facilities earlier
  • He would follow up with the porta-potty company

Road Captains, please pass this on to ride leaders and ask them to check the facilities and call Parks and Rec as soon as possible to follow up if there is a problem.

Contact information is Mike Grosso, 503-823-3642.

Mercifully, Kathleen found an open porta-potty a block away at a home remodeling site. The workers there will be astonished to find all their toilet paper gone this morning, so I am guessing that unit will be padlocked in the future!

STP (Seattle to Portland) VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

2022 STP Finish Line concluded for Portland Bicycling Club on a successful and positive note. However, in the deficit column comes Corey Eng’s announcement that he will step away from STP in 2023. Eric Hendricks will assume many of his responsibilities but is looking for someone to get permits from the  ✎  city to allow the event to take place at Holladay Park. Eric states that most, if not all, of these tasks are done via computer and thereby done in the comfort of your own home (with the beverage of your choice at hand)! Eric says permitting for the park is usually started in November, so a replacement is needed within a few months. This is not a role you will assume in a vacuum. Notes, assistance, guidance are all available. Please reach out to Eric with questions [email protected], or volunteer with confidence that help is at hand to support you in accomplishing these tasks.

REACH THE BEACH

A second reminder that 2023 will be Dick Weber’s last year of organizing the training rides for Reach the Beach. This is an opportunity to make this tradition your own and develop a series of about 13 rides to help riders build up to the 100-mile ride to the beach. Or, take over the existing rides and work with what is  ✎  already in place. These training rides are seen as an invaluable way to reach new people and help them achieve a cycling goal while introducing them to PBC. American Lung Association (ALA), organizers of Reach the Beach, appreciate our assistance as well. Talk to Mr. Weber if you can catch him (!) at 503-781-3938.

Ann Morrow, Vice President