New bike rack & FIXIT bike repair station!
Grand Forks, ND — The Downtown Development Association and the City of Grand Forks have partnered to bring a creative bike rack and FIXIT bike repair station downtown. With help from a grant by the Community Foundation Grand Forks/East Grand Forks & Region, the DDA purchased a “bookworm” bike rack, while the City of Grand... View Article
Grand Forks, ND — The Downtown Development Association and the City of Grand Forks have partnered to bring a creative bike rack and FIXIT bike repair station downtown. With help from a grant by the Community Foundation Grand Forks/East Grand Forks & Region, the DDA purchased a “bookworm” bike rack, while the City of Grand Forks purchased a FIXIT bike repair station. Both were installed at the corner of the Central Ramp downtown (corner of 4th St. N and 1st Ave.).
The FIXIT includes all the tools necessary to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes. The tools and air pump are securely attached to the stations. The FIXIT bike repair station is the first of its kind in downtown, however a few can be found on the University of North Dakota campus.
“With the help of Altru Health System, Healthy Choices Greater Grand Forks, the local bicycle community and our city leadership, we are recognizing the advantages of a walkable, bikeable community,” said Stacey Majkrzak, executive director of the DDA. “There are health advantages, but also social advantages to walking and biking around your community.”
In recent years, the City of Grand Forks has concentrated on bicycle infrastructure, like the sharrows on University Avenue, and according to Stephanie Erickson, a city planner with the City of Grand Forks Planning & Community Development Department that is key. “It is an opportunity to make our community a vibrant destination, a place where people don’t just live, work and play, but thrive.”
Grand Forks/East Grand Forks recently received a bronze award rating from the League of American Bi
cyclists recognizing Greater Grand Forks as a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC), joining more than 325 visionary communities from across the country.
“The bronze BFC award recognizes Greater Grand Forks’ commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. This initiative is in line with the vision of the City. Grand Forks Mayor Michael Brown pointed out in his 2015 State of the City 
address that physical connections affect social connections. “We will focus on making better connections with public transportation, walkability and greater bikability,” he said. “… Let’s get to that next level with more actions like sharrows along University Avenue, creative signage, bike racks downtown, bike repair stations and bike friendly transportation oriented development.”
The GFDDA’s vision is a downtown that is stable and growing; encourages economic development and business diversity; is walkable and pedestrian friendly; and is safe and clean. This is a downtown in which business, residents and visitors can take pride, visit frequently, and use to its fullest potential.