Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

BBPSC awards $3,000 to bike projects around town

The Bloomington Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission  selected three recipients last week for the annual Local-Motion Grant , a fund for activities that encourages biking and walking on community trails.

Out of six applicants , the Bloomington Bicycle Project , Middle Way House  and the Buskirk-Chumley Theater  have been awarded money for their proposed projects.

This year, $3,000 was made available through the grant program , according to a press release from the BBPSC , with Bloomington Bicycle Project contributing $1,500 of that total.

“Fortunately, with the additional support from the Bloomington Bicycle Club, the BBPSC is able to award and support three grant requests, which we hope will result in positive returns that far outweigh these investments,” said Vince Caristo , Bloomington Bicycle and Pedestrian coordinator.

Funds for each application were capped at $1,500.

Bloomington Bicycle Project was granted $900 for a Winter Cycling Fellowship Program, and Middle Way House was granted $1,500 for a bike share program for residents.

The Buskirk-Chumley was granted $600  for a planned, one-day celebration of local cycling called Bloomington Cycles. The core activity of Bloomington Cycles is the screening of ‘Breaking Away,’” said Danielle McClelland , executive director of the Buskirk-Chumley.

The event is scheduled from 2 to 9 p.m. Oct. 5  and will be presented in partnership with Open Streets Bloomington,  which will also be organizing a parade-like activity in the street.

“October is when we have some of the most beautiful weather, and we thought it would be a great day for a bike ride,” McClelland said.

Other activities include a bike tour of the places in “Breaking Away” led by Jim Schroeder  and another screening of a documentary called “Half the Road ,” a film about female cyclists.

“It encourages people to kind of take back the streets beyond automobiles,” McClelland said.

The event will also include a short film competition that is open to the public, according to the Buskirk-Chumley website. Interested filmmakers can submit a three-minute short film centering around the theme of “Bloomington ?Cycles.”

The films will be shown before “Breaking Away,” and viewers will have the chance to vote online for their favorites following the screening, according to the theater’s website.

The competition’s winner gets to use the Buskirk-Chumley’s stage for one night, rent-free, McClelland said.

The event also goes along with the theater’s efforts to be more environmentally friendly, she said.

“Being a downtown location, we really encourage people to come using alternative modes of transportation,” she said.

The event will be a great way for people in the community to get in front of the Buskirk on Kirkwood Avenue, McClelland said.

She added that the event could be a great way for Bloomington residents and IU students to get together.

“‘Breaking Away,’ we feel like, is such an iconic film telling an American story but really goes to the core issues of Bloomington life,” McClelland said. “We especially want newcomers to the community to see that film.”

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe