The work of the Gray Bike-Ped Committee is not quite done, but it is already paying off! This week we learned that Gray has been awarded two Maine Safe Routes to Schools mini-grants. This is federal money that is distributed by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. This is the first time in years that Gray has received these funds.
The two grants target the Gray-New Gloucester Middle School and Russell School. At the Middle School, the funds will allow the Gray Recreation Department to hold a “bike rodeo” aimed at 5th to 8th graders. The bike rodeo teaches bike safety and offers youngsters a challenging course to ride through and test their skills. The rodeo is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 8th. For more information, or if you want to help out, please call Dean Bennett at Gray Rec, 657-2323.
The other grant will provide bike safety instruction to K-2 students, especially those attending Russell School. Students will be invited to ride their bicycles in the Memorial Day parade, and will receive the safety instruction as part of that event. The Gray Optimist Club is taking the lead on this; for more information contact Sue Austin, swaustin@maine.rr.com.
It’s exciting to get this support for our efforts to encourage biking in Gray, and we look forward to these events!