The Recycle Circle Racks at the Waterfront will be grey, with a corrosion-resistant thermoplastic coating, perfect for the salty sea air
Led by the Waterfront Committee, the City is improving the Cove area at Albany’s Waterfront by installing landscaping, seating and bike racks (plans are available in the staff report here.)
The 12 new racks are being paid for by a $5,000 grant to Albany Strollers & Rollers from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Coca-Cola, secured by AS&R Core Member Susan Moffat and administered by her, John Alexander and me. The grant was part of a program funded by Coca-Cola North America and designed by Rails-to-Trails to catalyze trail development and encourage trail use nationwide.
In providing the grant, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy stated: “Albany Strollers & Rollers was selected due to your longstanding commitment to promoting safe routes for walking and bicycling that connect to the Ohlone Greenway and the San Francisco Bay Trail.”
The Waterfront Committee and AS&R’s representatives selected Dero’s Recycle Circle Racks, made from 96% recycled material, which look like the attached photo but in grey, with a corrosion-resistant thermoplastic coating. The installation of these racks will complement the restoration of the Cove art/seating feature and replace a rusted and inadequate rack with artful bubble-shaped racks that echo the curves of the Cove and that are made of rebar, reflecting the wild nature of the Bulb, which was once a landfill built of construction debris.
We are hoping that they will arrive and be installed by the end of 2012!
In addition to this Cove Enhancement Project, the East Bay Regional Park District’s improvement of Albany Beach is likely to draw more visitors in the future. The racks will be welcomed by park users and will help encourage more people to access this spectacular spot by bicycle rather than car. We hope that as people see the city taking better care of the waterfront through the Cove improvements, including these bike racks, visitors will also be inspired to be better stewards of our shoreline.
Thanks to the Waterfront Committee’s Claire Napawan and Francesco Papalia, the rest of the WFC, and Albany’s Community Development Director, Jeff Bond, for making this process go smoothly!
Fyi, the racks are here in the City. Claire Napawan is just making the final layout, then Public Works can pour the cement and lay the decomposed granite so they can install our beautiful new racks!