New bike walk center coming to north Minneapolis
The Minneapolis City Council today approved a proposal by Redeemer Center for Life to operate a new bike walk center in north Minneapolis that will help improve access to, and affordability of, physical activity opportunities for north Minneapolis residents while encouraging them to bike and walk more for transportation and recreation. Redeemer Center for Life is a non-profit, faith-based, community development organization located in the Harrison neighborhood.
The new bike walk center, located at 1830 Glenwood Avenue North will sell bicycles, bicycle-related products, pedestrian goods (reusable shopping bags, compact grocery carts, umbrellas, transit passes and other accessories) and provide bike repair and maintenance services. The bike walk center will also include programming and resources to encourage residents to bike and walk for transportation and recreation.
The Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support (MDHFS) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) in February to operate a new bike walk center and received one proposal from Redeemer Center for Life. A panel then reviewed the proposal and sent it to the City Council with many recommendations for approval including:
- Redeemer Center for Life’s strong partnerships with organizations who could start work immediately on the project,
- their experience with youth bike repair programming,
- solid relationships with north Minneapolis community residents and organizations,
- a history of good youth employment and training strategies,
- a clear vision for how the space will function for the many services which need to be provided and,
- a business plan with realistic financial projections as reasons for approving this proposal.
Support for this $350,000 project comes from the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support as part of its Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Published May. 13, 2011