Rotary Log for July 12, 2018
In her inaugural meeting President Cleo kicked things off with the Pledge of Allegiance. Al Lantinen led us in the singing of America the Beautiful. Jim Rini greeted us and led the Rotary 4-way test. John Rice provided the invocation that included a request from above to bless the new administration of President Cleo. That request was met with approval from Rotarians who responded with warm applause for our new President.
Announcements
Ramona Dow, Chair of Basic Needs said that the request for proposal for a Non-Profit partner was closing Friday, July 13th. With last year’s successful partnership with the Richie McFarland Children’s Center, Ramona is looking forward to working with our next partner.
Cleo reminded us that starting August 1, the weekly cost of lunch will increase from $18 to $20. The cost of lunch is a direct pass through for our club to the Portsmouth Country Club. (Justin Finn is OK with this since he saves $40 in groceries with each Rotary lunch – that’s a 50% savings plus time saved!)
Jo Sabel Courtney, Farmers’ Ambassador from Cabot Creamery joined us. She gave us a preview of Cabot’s community service work. We’ll hear more about that when they return as our program in October. Based in Vermont, Cabot is a cooperative of 1000 farm families. Interestingly Cabot is a B Corporation which means Cabot is certified by the nonprofit B Lab. The concern has to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Our very own auctioneer (and man of many talents) Walter Liff auctioned off Cabot cheese. Bill Hurley was high bidder.
The Program
New Rotarian Laurie Watkins introduced our speaker, Jeff Latimer, owner of the Seacoast’s own Gus’ Bike Shop.
Jeff made a compelling case that bicycles mean business. He explained that bike-friendly trails and other infrastructure can be a boom to local business where bikers eat, sleep and shop. It turns out they do a lot of all three.
We saw beautiful photos from Jeff’s recent trek from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. The first leg was along the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile bike trail. From there Jeff connected to C&O Canal Towpath to D.C. For more information check out www.trailtowns.org. But Jeff wasn’t here to brag about his biking exploits, or even to sell bikes. Rather his point was that providing access for bicyclists means money for businesses along the route. The Pittsburgh to D.C. bike path generates $50 million annually in direct spending. (These bikers have money to burn!)
Quebec clued into this opportunity early, with the 120-mile Petite Train Du Nord now generating $95 yearly to local businesses. (Zut Alors!) In Oregon, the industry generates $1 billion annually in tourism and jobs. Colorado, another $1 billion. Iowa, $400 million. (Author’s note – check out RAGBRAI if you like the sound of a 500-mile rolling block party across Iowa from the Missouri to the Mississippi.) Vermont generates $83 million in revenue and $41 million in wages. In Maine its $61 million. And in New Hampshire – who knows? – no one it turns out.
Our fair state ranks last in the East when in comes to accommodating bicyclists. Through his advocacy work Jeff is on a mission to change this. One modest success was getting road signage displaying the state law requiring motorists to provide “3 FEET MINIMUM TO PASS BICYCLES” in 30 MPH areas. It’s even more clearance where speed limits are higher. There’s hope, though, for N.H., with the East Coast Greenway, an “urban Appalachian Trail”, extending 2,900 miles from Calais, Maine to Key West, Fl. The trail must go through New Hampshire because it would be a long way around!
The present route through N.H. is Rt 1, however there is a desirable stretch of abandoned railroad from Portsmouth to Hampton. A 4.5-mile portion is owned by the State of N.H., and the remaining 9.7 miles is owned by Pan Am. The use of this corridor as a bike path is under negotiation. Reuse of the New Hampshire rail segment would be a key component of a 124-mile bike lane from Portland to Boston. If it could be as successful as Quebec’s similar length trail, that would mean $95 million a year in direct spending to local businesses.
Portsmouth stands out in our state with its Portsmouth Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that envisions improvements over 20 years. Those improvements will make biking around Portsmouth comfortable and convenient. Enlightened communities around the country have recognized that bicycles are an integral part of the transportation network. Because of their convenience Wired Magazine recently called bicycles “The Vehicle of the Future.” Bikes are good for business, and town and city planners are beginning to adapt. Jeff’s presentation was convincing, that if you build biker-friendly infrastructure, then bikers and their spending habits will follow.
If you want to join the effort, Jeff suggests you connect with the 600-member Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders at seacoastbikes.org.
And who was Gus, asked Rotarian Larry Gray. Gustave Van Cauwenberghe started the shop in 1971. He was a Belgian pro rider with major wins and high finishes in a short career. Gus retired from cycling in 1942 in German occupied Belgium. Riding a bike was not enough to pay the bills for young Gus. Gus went on to compete in the U.S. as an amateur into his late 70’s.
Respectfully submitted, James Petersen
