The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) has selected the 2013 Big Chainring Award recipients: Rick Root with the City of Bend, Andy Barram, Ken Cardwell, Paul Bertanga with City of Sisters, Jeff Schuler with Bicycle Re-Source, Katie Hammer and RARPD Board, and West Bend Property Company.
The awards will be presented at the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners Business Meeting on Monday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Barnes and Sawyer rooms of the
Since 1996, the Big Chainring Awards have been awarded annually to honor individuals, businesses, and public agencies that have made significant contributions in support of better bicycling and walking in
This year’s winners include:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Rick Root, City of
Rick Root has offered the citizens of
• Rick Root’s groundbreaking efforts on roundabouts have allowed the city to develop policies requiring that roundabouts be considered first when assessing intersection control alternatives.
• Promoted Context Sensitive Design as a key feature of roadway design. The strongest example of this was for the Southern River Crossing, now known as
• Achieved design and construction of the undercrossing of Highway 20 at
• Ensured that there is a Trail Master Plan Developed and adopted by the city and park and recreation district.
• No widening policies on minor arterials. This “Policy 21” effort was developed by Rick Root to ensure that these roadways are now and forever walkable and crossable by both people on foot and bike.
• Landscaped medians. This policy has allowed median refuges to exist at most crossings of arterial and collector roadways.
• The “Skinny Streets” policy. Rick Root worked with the community and the fire department to reduce the city’s local residential street width requirement. The skinner streets allow parking, contained speeds, fire department circulation, and enhanced pedestrian and bicycle safety in residential areas.
• Championed and ensured that developers created connections between neighborhoods.
• Ensured that a walking network of planned connections was adopted into the Transportation System Plan.
• SDC funding of sidewalks and bicycle facilities. Mr. Root worked to ensure that capacity enhancements in
The BPAC dedicates this award to Rick Root so that his strong and ever-present efforts to improve walking and bicycling conditions do not go unnoticed. May we may each intensify our own efforts to ensure his rich legacy is carried out into the future, achieving a walkable and bikable town for people of all ages and abilities.
Peter Hanson Memorial Award: Andy Barram
Andy Barram has always had a love for cycling and a long history of volunteering. In recent years, his impact on promoting cycling in the
Big Chainring Award for an Individual: Ken Cardwell
Ken Cardwell is passionate about providing well-maintained bicycles to area students and the homeless community. Mr. Cardwell spends countless hours fixing bikes for students. Not only will he fix and repair the bikes, he will then deliver them to the Family Access Network (FAN) advocates so the students can get the bikes sooner. Additionally, he provides and repairs bicycles for the homeless community so they have a form of transportation. Providing bikes to this community allows individuals to come in for a hot meal at the
Big Chainring Award for a Project: Paul Bertagna, City of
Paul Bertagna, City of Sisters Director of Public Works, was a driving force behind the planning, design, and construction of the Santiam Multi Use Path, a 2000 foot long bicycle and pedestrian hard surface path connecting Sisters’ downtown and residential areas to the City’s major shopping center on the west side of town. This roadway-separated path provides a comfortable and safe route for residents and visitors to Sisters. This project is an excellent example of the effectiveness, usefulness, and safety of a wide hard surface path separated from the highway. The path has received outstanding response from the community and it would not have happened without Mr. Bertagna’s efforts.
Big Chainring Award for Nonprofit Organization: Jeff Schuler, Bicycle Re-Source of
Jeff Schuler is the co-founder of the nonprofit bicycle organization, Bicycle Re-Source of Bend (BRoB). Mr. Schuler organized BRoB in 2011 as a result of the needs within the community for free or low-cost bicycles. As a longtime collector of used bikes of all types and sizes, he has responded to requests from both individuals and organizations with needs for safe, refurbished, and functional bicycles. Mr. Schuler is currently the president of the BRoB board of directors and is responsible for coordinating volunteers, accepting bike donations, delivering bikes, and providing as much energy as necessary to keep the organization going strong. The BRoB has provided bicycles to Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, The Loft, CASA, local churches, Bend Elks Kids Night, Family Access Network, Neighbor Impact, The Shepherd’s House, and many others. Mr. Shuler has a strong commitment to help people with need for a bike for basic transportation and healthy exercise. He has committed hundreds of volunteer hours and money to the advancement of bicycling in
Big Chainring Award for Commercial Business: West Bend Property Company
West Bend Property Company has long understood the value of encouraging bicycle and pedestrian travel within the NorthWest Crossing development. The latest example of their continued “bicycle-pedestrian-friendly” design is when the extension of
no safety conflicts. This particular improvement is just one example of how the developer has sought to build complete neighborhoods.
Big Chainring Award for Public Agency: Katie Hammer and Board of Directors,
The RAPRD Board and their executive director, Katie Hammer, have encouraged the development of the Radlands Trail Complex, a hiking and mountain biking trail system with 10 miles of natural surface trail at present and plans for more great terrain. Today, the Radlands has novice, intermediate, and advanced trails with trail views of the Three Sisters. Ms. Hammer brought the fledging idea to the District Board. Together they guided the idea through the requirements of
For more information about the annual Big Chainring Awards, please contact Deschutes County Associate Planner Cynthia Smidt at (541) 317-3150.
