[OKC] Community Improvement Grant Application for Bike Racks Downtown by Urban Neighbors

[Mark Gibbs]

Hi:
   
  Do you think it would be possible to post this message on your listserv?  I spoke with some of you members last week at the Green Drinks and they seemed to think it would be possible to do so.
   
  Many thanks,
   
  Mark Gibbs
    Summary
  - U.N. is applying for a grant to put bike racks downtown.
   
  - A condition of the grant is to collect matching donations of volunteer hours, supplies or cash.
   
  - Volunteer help could be easy tasks like taking pictures, helping with a launch party or participating in group bicycle rides.
   
  - Deadline is September 7.   Since time is short you can email us your pledge. 
  Urban Neighbors, the new Downtown Neighborhood Association (the "U.N."), is applying for a Neighborhood Partnership grant from the City of OKC.  These funds are available for beautification and improvement projects in the downtown area east of the train tracks. 
   
  Our project, on which we are partnering with Downtown OKC, will be bike racks, some of which would be pieces of street art.   We believe that these would offer many benefits to the neighborhood and to Oklahoma City in general, such as:
   
  - Enhancing livability so that residents, workers, and tourists in downtown and other nearby areas can easily cycle to enjoy the attractions of Bricktown, the Deep Deuce and the river. 
   
  - Offering an option for low-income workers to reach jobs in this area outside Metro Transit's hours of operation. 
   
  - Helping reduce pollution and parking pressures. 
   
  - Encouraging exercise and supporting fitness initiatives.
   
  This is an excellent opportunity for our developing association, and the grant writing process is already serving to build our profile and to reach out to potential new members and partner organizations.   Indeed, the City's key goal for this program is actually to build communities and neighborhoods, so the U.N. has to match the $10,000 that the City would provide in actual cash. 
   
  One way to do this is to collect pledges of volunteer support and labor, which are counted with a nominal value of $18.77 per hour.   Pledges would only be due if the grant is successful, and indeed they may not be fully needed in the end.  They could be for helping prepare the sites, taking photos, writing press releases, etc.   We will particularly want to promote the bike racks once installed, through a launch party or simply by having volunteers move their bike around some of the locations to increase public awareness of this amenity. 
   
  Donated professional work, such as designing and construction, can count towards the matching target at the relevant professional rate. 
   
  Of course, supplies, in-kind donations and obviously cash, also due only when and if the project is successful, would be great.   The most important thing about the pledges is that we are demonstrating to the City that the project has broad-based support from the neighborhood and the wider community that would benefit from the project. 
   
  If you have any ideas – such as about possible rack locations – or have a particular way you could contribute please let us know.  A copy of the pledge form is attached.  Our application must be submitted by Tuesday, September 11, so we would need to receive pledges back by Friday, September 7.  You can mail or fax back the form; alternatively, you can simply email us the necessary information on the form.
   
  If I can provide further information or answer any questions, my contact information is listed below. 
   
  Many thanks,
   
  Mark Gibbs
  Grants Committee Chair
  Urban Neighbors
  pledge at urbanneighbors.org
  (405) 414-9714
  (405) 235-3501 (Fax)
  326 NE 3rd Street, #303
  Oklahoma City, OK 73104
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