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Really?
By
Jim Knaup
It is fun to open mail that makes your chest puff
out and your head swell, but you can feel a little more than deflated
when you find out it was just a scam.
“This
packet is to inform you that upon completion of our 9th annual ‘Best of
Prescott’ survey, your business, Ironclad Bicycles, has been voted: -
“Best Bike Shop” - 2009!”
For a few moments it felt really nice to think we
had been recognized for our pursuit of quality, at least until I read
further and found out all I had to do to get an imitation marble plaque
certifying this fact was to send a $400 check to some place in New
Hampshire. After going to their website, looking at the actual survey
(and a printable copy of the survey where there wasn’t even a bike shop
category listed), and last year’s list of winners, I felt confident
that if we paid $400 this year, we would be assured of “winning” next
year too (so long as we kept on paying).
While I felt a bit embarrassed for other local
business that have been sending checks out of state for a number of
years, I would rather spend forty dollars locally to have my own plaque
made than to display one of theirs. We are serious in our pursuit of
quality, and we strive every day to make Ironclad a place where our
crew is proud to work, and a place our customers trust for the best
service and advice.
We want to be recognized as the best bike shop in
Prescott, but we really want to make sure we deserve it.
Prescott
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update
PBAC
effort
Prescott City Council adopted Prescott’s first
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in 2003, and a lot has transpired in
the intervening years to render that document obsolete or irrelevant .
Over the past year, the Prescott Bicycle Advisory Committee has been
re-evaluating that plan and the priorities listed, comparing them to
the cities capital improvement plan, as well as documented safety
concerns to produce an updated plan... and that plan is now ready for
public review and comment.
There will be a couple public presentations
scheduled in the near future, but in the meantime the draft plan is
available in PDF form to download from the cities website: http://www.cityofprescott.net/services/streets/alternative.php
Take a look at the plan and leave a comment, since it is a draft, your
input could well influence the final plan. We will need community
support to get this updated plan adopted, so please let our cities
leadership know you support PBAC’s efforts to insure pedestrian and
bicycle facilities are included in Prescott’s future.
<> City
Election
now
We think it is time we had a bicyclist on city
council, therefore we are endorsing Paul
Katan for council. Paul is a certified cycling
instructor by the League of American Bicyclists, and he coordinates
PAT's" safe routes to schools" program. He cares about bicycling in
Prescott.
Considering their recent support of the proposed
Gurley St. project, we also support incumbents Jack Wilson and Bob
Luzius.
Everybody should have received their mali in ballots
by now, but that does not mean the process is clear... This is a
primary election - but if any candidates get over 50% of the vote...
they are in... the others will have to fight it out in the general
election. The Ballot instructions will tell you to "vote for not more
than three" candidates... which also means you can only vote for one or
two if you want. Don't waste the third vote on a candidate who is not
bike friendly... it will only dilute the pool and make it less likely
that a good candidate will win the first time around... and who wants
to help a jerk get elected? You can always vote for the lesser of evils
at the general election.
Free rides and clinics
Irohnclad
crew
Our shop rides have still been going out every Sunday. We have also
posted a ride calendar on our website to help you plan.
Don't forget our "Get to Know Your Bike" clinics the last Sunday of
each month at 2:00 PM.
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