• Sitka dedicates a new covered bike shelter of second-growth wood at Sitka Sound Science Center

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Sitka residents gathered together near the Sitka Sound Science Center to dedicate a new covered bike shelter built using second-growth timber from the Tongass National Forest. Before the dedication ceremony, a group of cyclists led by Sitka Assembly member Phyllis Hackett and including a small girl on a pushbike held a community bike ride from Totem Square to the new shelter.

The new shelter (link goes to previous post announcing dedication ceremony) was constructed by students of recently retired Sitka High School construction instructor Randy Hughey and community volunteers. It was designed by Dan Sheehan to use second-growth timber from the Tongass National Forest. The shelter is part of a project coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society and funded through theNational Forest Foundation’s Community Capacity and Land Stewardship program.

The dedication was led by Sitka Conservation Society employees Ray Friedlander and Marjorie Hennessy, and included a few words from Hackett, Perry Edwards of the U.S. Forest Service-Sitka Ranger District, Sitka Sound Science Center Executive Director Lisa Busch, and Hughey, Hennessey also presented Hughey with a few gifts for leading the construction. After the ceremony, there was a reception at the Sitka Sound Science Center with salmon chowder and locally produced root beer from the Baranof Island Brewing Company. Click here for KCAW-Raven Radio‘s story about the dedication ceremony.

• Two-page flier from Sitka Conservation Society about the young-growth timber used to build this bike shelter

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• Community bike ride set for Tuesday, Jan. 28, to help dedicate new bike shelter at Sitka Sound Science Center

Sitka Assembly member Phyllis Hackett will lead a short community bike ride at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to help dedicate a new bike shelter at the Sitka Sound Science Center, with coordination from the Sitka Conservation Society. Bike riders should meet at Totem Square for a ride to the Sitka Sound Science Center where a dedication ceremony will take place at 3 p.m.

The new bike shelter was constructed using local, young growth timber as part of a project coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society and funded through the National Forest Foundation’s Community Capacity and Land Stewardship program. The project was led by Sitka High School construction instructor Randy Hughey and Dan Sheehan, who designed the building and constructed it with the help of Sitka High School students and community volunteers. The project provided local, young growth timber to students and volunteers to gain practical woodworking skills, produce a community asset, and further explore the applications of young growth timber.

The shelter is a beautiful timber framed structure made of young growth Sitka spruce and old growth red cedar. Not only is the bike shelter a much needed asset, it is charming in its execution thanks to the vision of Randy and Dan’s design. Randy, who recently retired after 30 years, taught the Sitka High construction and industrial arts courses, while Dan is an experienced timber framer. The two partnered up for this project and collectively poured about 300 hours of work and dedication into the construction of the shelter along with the help of SHS students and local volunteers. Collectively, over 900 hours of work and volunteer hours went into the construction and moving of the shelter.

This shelter will serve as a demonstration project, highlighting the importance of local products, local craftsmanship and knowledge, the strength of community and contributing to local economy. Multiple partners came together, culminating in a donation from Coastal Excavation who relocated and installed the shelter on Thursday, Jan. 16.The bike shelter is located near the Sitka Sound Science Center, Crescent Harbor playground, and across from the Sheldon Jackson Museum, making it ideally located to access all of these community amenities, along with the newly installed Sitka Sea Walk.

For more information, contact Sitka Conservation Society Conservation Solutions Coordinator Marjorie Hennessy, or Sitka Conservation Society Executive Director Andrew Thoms at 747-7509, or contact the Sitka Sound Science Center Executive Director Lisa Busch at 747-8878. To learn more about second-growth structures from the Tongass National Forest, watch this video.

(Photos by Adam Andis and Charles Bingham)

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• Scenes from the inaugural Sitka Winter Cycling Celebration held Saturday, Jan. 28

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We actually had some winter weather for the inaugural Sitka Winter Cycling Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 28.

In recent years there hasn’t been a lot of snow in Sitka, so winter riding usually means being out in the rain. But we had more than a foot of new snow during the week leading up to the Sitka Winter Cycling Celebration, and the snowplows were still catching up to the snowfall on Saturday. Add in some hurricane-force winds on Thursday, and Sitka definitely had some weather this week, even a bit of thunder snow.

WINTER CYCLING -- About a dozen cyclists ride together down Lincoln Street on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. The Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition hosted the inaugural Sitka Winter Cycling Celebration, which included a ride around town with a police escort. A warm-up with hot cocoa and door prizes was hosted afterward at Harrigan Centennial Hall, and the movie "Fat Bike" about winter cycling in Alaska was shown. (Daily Sitka Sentinel photo by James Poulson, ran on Page 1 of the Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, edition, reprinted with permission)

Because many people still weren’t getting out of their houses much less riding bikes, the crowd was small for our event. But we did have about 15-20 hardy cyclists participate in the group ride through downtown and several other people joined us after the ride to watch the award-winning film “Fat Bike” (by Anchorage’s Carl Battreall, who donated a copy of the DVD). Dan Etulain now has the DVD and he plans to show it on his TV stations.

Thanks to Father Jim Blaney of St. Gregory Nazianzen Catholic Church for blessing the bikes and joining us on the ride. Thanks also to Eric Haseltine, Brian McNitt and Adam Andis for providing bike safety checks, and thanks to Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop for the coupons for $5 off bike safety gear or safety services. The Alaska Injury Prevention Center in Anchorage donated free reflective tape and zipper pulls for the cyclists, and the Sitka Police Department provided a cruiser escort for the ride. Thanks to the Daily Sitka Sentinel for running our event press release and for photographer James Poulson joining us on the ride, and thanks to KCAW-Raven Radio for hosting Doug Osborne on the Morning Edition interview program on Friday, Jan. 27.

We also had some contests. Adam Andis won the slowest bike award. Bill Foster had the most visible bike. Edward Sugai won best sound. Jim Clare won best winterized bike. Joshua Houston won a gift certificate from the University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus for a free spot in a March bike mechanics class. Salvador Pilgrim won a reflective rain jacket donated by Murray Pacific.

Anyway, here are some photos from the event (all photos in the slideshow are by Charles Bingham, except the one of the riders by the Cable House taken by James Poulson of the Daily Sitka Sentinel).

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• Hames Center manager says thank you for leading the All-Weather Cycling Workshop

(NOTE: This letter to the editor from Carrie Johnson, manager of the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center, was printed in the Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011, edition of the Daily Sitka Sentinel.)

Dear Editor,

Rain, snow, sleet, hail, rain, snow. That was the story told by Sitka weather this past weekend and this upcoming week. Moving from Arizona with no car and my bike as my sole transportation option, I needed to figure out how to get myself through the winter. I purchased studs for my tires, but still was uncomfortable riding in the snow and ice.

Luckily, Doug Osborne and Adam Andis held a class on “All-Weather Cycling” at the Hames Center. Adam individually taught us how to take care of our bikes during the winter months. He nurtured bikes that needed that extra love.

I learned all about how I need to be more safety sensitive when it comes to riding. My helmet is all blinged up now with reflectors from Doug. Doug discussed the major importance of being seen by drivers, which means I need to amp up my gear.

The participants that were involved in the class had so much knowledge about riding in Sitka that it makes me much more comfortable riding in the winter months. When in doubt, “every bicycle comes with a pedestrian!” Thanks, Doug and Adam, for making this community bike friendly and keeping us safe on the roads.

— Carrie Johnson

Hames Center Manager

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• Doug Osborne, Adam Andis discuss all-weather biking in Sitka on KCAW-Raven Radio

On Thursday, Nov. 10, Doug Osborne and Adam Andis were the guests of Rob Woolsey on the KCAW-Raven Radio Morning Edition interview show, and they discussed all-weather biking in Sitka.

In addition to providing listeners with tips about how to safely navigate your bike through the snow and ice of winter, they plugged an all-weather cycling workshop Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center hosted by the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition.

Doug and Adam also discussed what type of lights and reflective items are needed for winter cycling and what types of clothing to make the ride more comfortable. Click here to listen to the interview.

In addition to the workshop, there also was a chance for people to bring their bikes in for Adam to give them a safety check.

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• All-weather cycling workshop offered Saturday, Nov. 12, at Hames Athletic and Wellness Center

Bicycling in Sitka frequently means riding in lousy weather. But people still ride, even during the icy winters. To learn some tricks to safely riding in winter, join the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition for an all-weather cycling workshop from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center classroom, 121 John Brady St.

This workshop will be led by Doug Osborne, a SEARHC Health Educator and League Certified Instructor (LCI) who rides all year long. Doug will provide tips about studded tires for traction, lights and other reflective items so you can be seen by traffic, proper riding gear so you stay warm when you ride, and more. We also will have a bike stand set up so Adam Andis can provide bike safety checks for anybody who brings a bike to the workshop. This is the first of several upcoming cycling workshops hosted by the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition.

This event costs $5 for Hames members, while non-members pay $5 plus the all-day drop-in fee ($4 for children, $6 for seniors and $8 for adults). The fees help support the non-profit Hames Athletic and Wellness Center. Non-members who pay the drop-in fee will be able to use the other Hames facilities on Saturday, so bring your racquetball racket or a basketball for added fun. For more information and to reserve a spot (space is limited), contact Hames at 747-5080.

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