Taking bicycle storage and safety to the next level, Power and Water recently installed a ProPark® bike locker for the T.B. Simon Power Plant department bicycle.

The ProPark® bike locker is made by Cycle-Safe, a company based in Grand Rapids. According to Cycle-Safe's website, the locker is a "pad-mounted modular system that's easy to install, requires minimal maintenance, and provides the ultimate in bicycle security.”

Amanda Groll, planner inspector analyst I, and others (including Gus Gosselin, director of Building Services, Dennis Hansen, senior landscape architect, Deb Kinney, landscape architect III, David Wilber, landscape architect II, Jeff Kacos, director of Campus Planning and Administration, Steve Troost, campus planner and Tim Potter, MSU Bikes marketing and sales coordinator) were members of a committee designed to finalize the bike locker plans and decide which locker would be best suited for the power plant.

After researching a number of bike lockers, the committee felt the ProPark® was the best option for the power plant.

In need of an alternative to bike racks, Groll said the newly installed bike locker is a great way to keep the bikes clean, free from coal dust or ash, which are byproducts of the power plant.

The locker, though it currently only holds one, can hold up to two bikes at one time. It will be permanently located outside of the power plant, near the existing bike racks, and will allow the department bicycle to have a lasting and safe home.

“The bike locker will be a great asset for our cycling employees," said Director of Utilities Bob Ellerhorst. "This gives us, at the power plant, the opportunity to make our employees feel appreciated and that the investment is worth the cost.”

"The bike locker is a great way to store one’s bicycle," said Gosselin. "Knowing that an expensive bicycle can be protected from theft and weather elements is a reassuring thought.”

 

July 28, 2009