Beanzie- In the News
DeKalb receives federal funding for bike path
DeKALB – The city has been awarded federal funding for a new bike path that will connect neighborhoods southwest of DeKalb High School to the school and nearby parks and athletic fields.
Under the plan, the path will run on the north side of Fairview Drive from Heritage Drive to Route 23, then it will turn north on the highway to Lucerne Lane.
The $168,000 from the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation, Community and System Preservation grant program requires a 20 percent local match, or $42,000, said Joel Maurer, assistant director of public works for building, engineering and transportation.
This could come from motor fuel tax funds or another source, he said.
The Fairview Drive project was one of 16 projects selected among more than 100 proposals from around the country, according to a memo from the FHWA. It was the only one selected in Illinois.
“The biggest thing is that it’s for all those residents, not only the new residents of the City of DeKalb that have been annexed in, but all the people who live in the subdivisions back there,” said 4th Ward Alderman Brendon Gallagher, whose district includes that area.
In July, about 30 homes on that stretch of Fairview Drive were brought into city limits through a forced annexation process. Gallagher said that the impetus for annexing the land was to be able to bring city water to the properties if the road ever is reconstructed, but that a bike path was secondary.
“The actual bike path, I guess that’s an added benefit for the residents who live there,” he said.
He also noted that the path would be “a natural thing” to have when the high school building is converted into a middle school next year because more bike and foot traffic will be expected.
Maurer said the first step is a consulting engineering design agreement that will come before the city council for approval at its next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 13.
“That is the date they would endorse going forward or not,” he said.
The grant stipulates that funds must be obligated during the current fiscal year or they will be lost.
By DANA HERRA dherra@daily-chronicle.com
Page 92 Invironments Magazine “Biking with Beanzie”
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2009/07/23/68073572/
Letter to the Editor. Thanks for Beanzie support.
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2009/07/19/80652286/
Beanzie Article 7/19/09
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2009/07/14/66039563/
Barry Schrader’s Tuesday articles on Beanzie and Toney
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2009/07/06/12009695/
Pre-Beanzie Article thanks to Sue.
3M Community Support Group 2010
Midweek News June 20, 2010
Dresser Road Bike Path a Collaborative Effort
Biking with Beanzie riders fight through the heat
DeKALB – The temperature was higher than 90 degrees when Joan Mulcahy ended her 46-mile bike ride Sunday, coasting into the parking lot at DeKalb High School. But far from being exhausted, the Chicago woman looked exhilarated.
“It was hot, but it was fabulous,” she said. “It was challenging, but it was beautiful. And it was for such a good cause.”
Mulcahy was one of about 530 cyclists who braved Sunday’s muggy heat for the 12th annual Biking with Beanzie charity ride. The ride, sponsored by the Kishwaukee Kiwanis Club, raises funds for community service projects, primarily building and maintaining bike and walking trails around the area.
Mulcahy rode with her daughter, Cathleen, and friends Trish and Abby Hinkes, also of Chicago. The quartet said the ride was challenging but a lot of fun.
“It was very well-organized,” Trish Hinkes said. “All the volunteers were wonderful. They were encouraging, and they were always ready with water and snacks and Band-Aids.”
Volunteers patrolled the ride’s routes – which range from 23 to 101 miles – with eight enclosed vehicles and at least seven motorcycles, said Kiwanian Tony Xidis, whose childhood moniker of “Beanzie” inspired the ride’s name.
The heat was tough on some riders, Xidis acknowledged. Volunteers picked up several cyclists complaining of stomach cramps and heat exhaustion, as well as at least one who had mechanical problems with her bike.
“This morning was ideal with the cloud cover, but once the sun came out it was a scorcher,” Xidis said. “But people who like to ride come out. Hot, sunny, humid, it doesn’t matter. People who enjoy riding always come out.”
Rick Arnopolin of Wheeling and John Loesch of Villa Park have been participating in the ride for at least the last five years, maybe longer, they said. The day didn’t offer the most comfortable riding conditions, but they remember years it was hotter.
They chose the 62-mile route, but an onboard computer on Arnopolin’s recumbent bike showed they had finished 71 miles by the time they rolled back into the high school parking lot, Loesch said.
“I want credit for every mile,” Arnopolin quipped.
The ride routes wind along rural, paved roads and include frequent rest stops where cyclists can get water and snacks, Xidis said. The routes are also peppered with small signs featuring jokes, jingles and other bits of humor.
“The signs are just there to make it more fun,” he said. “Otherwise it’s just corn on your right, corn on your left, and how long can you ride with nothing to look at but corn?”
Community supports Biking with BeanzieTo the Editor:
The Kishwaukee Kiwanis Club of DeKalb thanks our community for a successful 12th annual Biking with Beanzie on July 18.
Riders chose from 23-, 43-, 66- and 101-mile routes. More than 500 bicycle riders from throughout the Midwest participated in the ride with no injuries. It was extremely hot, but, thankfully, there was no rain.
Kiwanis is a global organization of member-volunteers working to change the world, one child and one community at a time. Profits from the Beanzie ride go to support the DeKalb County Bike Pathway and other worthy projects throughout DeKalb County, helping to make our community a better place to live.
Special thanks goes to our supporters: Kishwaukee Community Hospital; Northern Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine; 3M Community Support Group; Ken Spears Construction; Mike Mooney Chevrolet/Cadillac/Pontiac; DeKalb School District 428; DeKalb North Central Cyclery, 4-H Clubs of DeKalb County and Johnna Jennings; Sycamore Key Club and Kathy Dombek; AKtion Club of Opportunity House; Northern Illinois Water Works; Resource Bank; Brad Manning Ford; Competitive Edge; Oak Crest Retirement Center; WDKB-B95; WLBK; the Daily Chronicle; the MidWeek; Plainview Printing; Mike Bentley.com; Ride Like an Egyptian Committee; DeKalb Fiber Optics; Big John, the Rescue Riders Motorcycle Medics; and the Wild Roses Motorcyclists Chapter of Women on Wheels.
Kishwaukee Kiwanis club meets weekly on Wednesday from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. for lunch and a community speaker at Hopkins Park, 1403 Sycamore Road, in DeKalb. Visitors and prospective members always are welcome. For more details, visit www.KishKiwanis.org . Next year, the Biking with Beanzie ride will be July 17.
Jennie Cummings, Sue Doubler, and Toney Xidis
2010 Biking with Beanzie chairs
Kishwaukee Kiwanis Club