some recent surprises have come out in the last few weeks, we have money for rent and be able to open up a space for the bike kitchen much sooner than we thought. during our latest meeting we discussed the pros and cons of different locations and decided ideally we would like to open up a storefront along university or el cajon between city heights and north park/normal heights in order to be accessible to the bike community at large.
we have also discussed partnerships with local businesses, bike shops, bike gangs, and advocacy groups such as the bike union and bike coalition.
as for how a space could function, we set out some basic ideas as tentative guidelines. we would like to ask for a donation of $5 a day to use the space and tools or a $20 monthly membership, all which would be on a sliding scale. members of other bike groups and students would receive a discount, and volunteering or work trade could be done in place of a donation.
additionally we would like to hold workshops, some that would double as volunteer training, and use the space for art projects or shows. within the organization we would like to have keyholders or core members who switch positions and have a minimum mechanical experience and volunteers who could become core members over time. all members and volunteers get to participate in meetings and decisions. volunteers would be there to fix bikes to sell, assist visitors during open hours, and keep the space running in general.
hours would be based on keyholder availability, and occasional events would be manned by volunteers and members.
IN OTHER NEWS we discussed the new south east farmers market, which we are set to begin friday afternoons once we get them a nice letter with our mission statement.
we have also begun thinking about writing a mission statement.
