The Columbus Park Foundation has entered into an agreement with the Columbus Bike Co-op to oversee the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the city’s bike-sharing program starting Jan. 2.
A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two parties in mid-November for the ColumBIKE program, said Chip Orben, president of the Columbus Park Foundation. Under the two-year agreement, the park foundation will pay the bike co-op for its services, Orben said.
Financial details of the memo of understanding were not made available to The Republic.
“They are better equipped to run the program because of their skill set in biking and bike maintenance,” Orben said of the Columbus Bike Co-op. “We believe this partnership will benefit the overall community and the overall costs of ColumBIKE to our operating budget.”
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The foundation and the city’s parks and recreation implemented earlier changes over the summer, reducing program expenses in an effort to make ColumBIKE more viable long-term while attempting to reverse declining ridership.
ColumBIKE, which was created three years ago, was relocated to the Donner Center, home of the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, in June from its previous stand-alone location on Second Street.
“At the end of the day, we look at how we fund ColumBIKE,” Orben said. “That’s a tremendous cost savings for us, which means we can do more things for ColumBIKE.”
With the new agreement, Orben said the ColumBIKE program will be based at the bike co-op’s location, 1531 13th St., in the Doug Otto United Way Center starting in January.
In addition to overseeing maintenance and operations responsibilities, the Columbus Bike Co-op will also hire a full-time executive director to manage ColumBIKE and the co-op, according to a statement on the co-op’s website.
“The management of the day-to-day operations of ColumBIKE aligns perfectly with the Columbus Bicycle Co-op’s skill set. We’re looking forward to this opportunity to strengthen both organizations and cotinue to promote cycling in our community,” said Jayme Zobrist, board president with Columbus Bicycle Co-op.
Orben said the park foundation is excited about the collaboration with the bike co-op.
“Their supportive reputation in the bicycle community is solid and their discernible compatibility with the ColumBIKE program makes this partnership a privilege and a perfect fit,” Orben said. “The Columbus Park Foundation and the Columbus Bicycle Co-op will continue their current missions through the partnership, while the co-op will provide more focus on the reinforcement aspect of ColumBIKE.”
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The Columbus Bike Co-op is a nonprofit organization located in the basement of the United Way building at 1531 13th St., where it has operated since 2011. It was founded by Loran Bohall, Justin Meier and Baylee Pruitt.
More information: www.bikeco-op.org or call 812-812-8860.
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