If city officials approve it, North Minneapolis could get its first full-service bike shop by the spring of next year.
In response to a request for proposals that the city sent out some months ago, the
Cultural Wellness Center submitted a proposal for Major Motion Bike Walk and Coffee, which uniquely emphasizes walking for fun, exercise or transportation, according to Kristen Klingler, who works in the city's health and family department.
Her office recommended the proposal to a City Council committee, which will weigh in on it in January.
The South Minneapolis-based Cultural Wellness Center, a nonprofit organization that develops cultural approaches for health, economic development, and community building, plans to lease a 3,718-square-foot space at the corner of Lowry and Penn avenues north for the $450,000 project, Klingler says.
Major Motion Bike Walk and Coffee will offer new and used bikes, related gear and other accessories, plus bike repair and maintenance services and a coffee shop.
The shop will be stocked with items such as bus passes, compact shopping carts, reusable shopping bags and more, to help people make transitions from foot to bike to bus, according to Klingler.
Classes and workshops to "help people get comfortable riding the bike paths," for instance, along with spinning classes, will be held at the shop.
The goal is to "give access to things residents need to be active on a regular basis," says Klingler, adding, "Improving health is the main focus."
The Wellness Center has enlisted the help of the
Major Taylor Bicycling Club, an Upper Midwest group which tries to increase bike riding among African Americans. Other partners are the North Side's
EMERGE Community Development, which provides youth employment and job training, and nearby
NEON, a collaborative network that specializes in small business development support.
Klingler says the city has a $350,000 grant from Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) that was funneled through the Minnesota Department of Health from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to help with the center's up-front costs.
The bike/walk center is part of a larger health initiative in the city and state that has programs geared around obesity prevention, physical activity, and healthy eating.
In North Minneapolis and beyond, strategies include expanding the Nice Ride bike-sharing program, new bike lanes and walking trails, and wayfinding signage for bike and pedestrian access--all of which will feed into the bike/walk center. "We're really excited about it," Klinger says.
Source: Kristen Klingler, City of Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt