By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com
WALDPORT — Pandemic restrictions don’t make anyone happy, but they’ve brought an unexpected boost to the Green Bike Co-op.
While the all-volunteer bicycle sharing/selling/repairing group has been around since 2006, it took the 2020 lockdowns to make business bustle.
“We had our busiest year during the pandemic,” said Rick Hill, long-time volunteer and former administrator of the co-op. “People wanted bikes partly for exercise, partly because kids needed to get out of the house … and we received more than $20,000 in donations.”
That money helps keep things rolling at the co-op, housed for the past dozen years in a familiar setting on the east side of U.S. Highway 101 in downtown Waldport. However, the lot and building have been for sale, and that could leave the co-op with an uncertain future.
The space is rented month-to-month.
“It would be ideal to have our own building and not worry about getting booted out,” said Curt Werner of Waldport, who took over the administrator’s post two years ago from Hill.
Their wish list – a space with about 1,000 to 1,500 square feet with a garage door, bathroom, utility sink, electrical service, and some parking space. The garage door is needed for the occasional adult tricycle that comes through for repair.
Giving access to bikes and repairs
The possible need to move doesn’t keep the co-op from its mission: “to ensure that everyone in the community has access to a bike and bike repair.”
That’s why from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays anyone can stroll into the shop to see about buying or renting a bike, having repairs done, getting advice on bike maintenance, or even getting a loaner bike for free. That last item is why Green Bike was founded — to offer rideshare bikes to anyone who wanted one.
The co-op is a non-profit operated under the umbrella of Seashore Family Literacy Center of Waldport. Co-op proceeds help support Seashore’s other community programs: literacy for children and adults, a community garden, vocational training and summer camps. The co-op was begun by John Mare, a native South African who was active in Waldport, and who has since left the area.
“We started out as strictly rideshare,” Werner said. “We had about 100 bikes, painted them green, and left them around the area for people to use.” Unfortunately, some bikes were damaged or misused, so “We would pick them up, fix them up, and send them back out again.”
Why green?
Hill recalled three reasons: Green is the color of the Waldport High School Fightin’ Irish sports teams, reflects the ecology movement, and was the color of paint on sale at Copeland Lumber when the program began. Because the green bikes became high-profile targets of vandalism, today’s Green Bike models bear just a sticker to identify them.
“… seen it all and repaired most of them”
In the process of repairing the bikes, Werner, Hill and other volunteers — there are about 10 now — became very proficient as bike mechanics.
“People would stop by, ask us to fix their bike, and we’d say sure,” said Werner, who retired to the coast from Utah, where he worked in customer service for an airline. “From $5,000 tandem touring bikes with trailers attached to rusted beach bike specials, Green Bike has seen it all and repaired most of them.”
To hone their skills, both Werner and Hill completed courses at United Bicycle Institute in Portland.
Although self-described as “not really a bike guy,” Werner has logged 11 years with Green Bike because of what it gives to him: “An opportunity to help people … working with my hands … being creative.”
Hill, on the other hand, was an avid cyclist when he retired as director of the Oregon Youth Authority in Salem and moved to Seal Rock in 2000.
After 10 years as the co-op administrator, he was in position to put the pandemic activity in perspective: yes, 2020 was the co-op’s busiest year, but not just because of peoples’ need to get outside. Like many industries, bicycles have been hit by supply chain problems, and there can be a one-year waiting list for some models.
“People are getting old bikes out of basements and storage units, and bringing them in so they can be fixed and ridden,” said Werner.
That same supply issue has spurred other people to buy used bikes. Many of those who come to Green Bike for purchases and repairs end up making donations.
“Over the last five years we have seen an increase of about $2,000 per year” in donations, Hill said. “I remember being elated when we earned over $10,000 about five years ago.”
Since its founding, Green Bike has loaned out about 1,000 bikes. All the bikes at Green Bike are donated, but right now, cash is just as critical, according to Hill. Donations by check can be made out to Seashore Family Literacy, P.O. Box 266, Waldport, Ore. 97395, with “Green Bike” on the memo line.
The cash generated by Green Bike — and donated to Seashore Literacy — comes from fees to repair bikes and bike purchases. Volunteers earn nothing for their time (Werner and Hill work up to 20 hours each a week), and the only paid expenses are building rental and supplies.
Vacation visitors can rent bikes by the week, and anyone can buy a Green Bike vehicle.
A bike can be the key to a job
For people without the means to have a car, a free loaner bike can be a lifeline to employment.
“Having a bike can be a big deal for people living farther out of town; it’s a long walk, buses are infrequent, and a bike helps with flexibility to work the hours people need,” said Werner. The free loaners are available only to residents of Waldport and Yachats, but anyone can come in for repairs, advice, to buy a bike, or ask about volunteer opportunities.
There’s one other market for Green Bike’s work: people who’ve had their driving licenses suspended for driving under the influence. These “D.U.I.” bikes are a small but continuing slice of the loaner activity.
While Green Bike does no advertising or marketing, serious cycling enthusiasts spread the word of one of the few bike shops along the Oregon coast. Cycling blogs and resource books regularly mention Green Bike, as their readers pedal the roadsides from as far north as Canada, south to Mexico and even beyond.
“I enjoy talking with the cyclists that come down the coast,” said Hill. “These folks do 75-100 miles a day, and it’s good for our interns to see these folks coming in — it expands their worldview and opens their eyes.”
The interns Hill describes tend to be teenagers who work during the summer, coming in through Seashore Literacy, which gives them a stipend. Although Werner says the intern program has fallen off recently, it’s still a summer option that builds skills, work ethic and self-responsibility.
“A lot of kids have learned something about showing up on time, calling if they won’t be in,” said Hill. His favorite example is a young man who worked at Green Bike for three years, and showed such aptitude that Hill took him to the United Bicycle Institute in Portland for intensive training.
“Last I heard,” Hill said, “He was assembling bikes in Newport for a big retailer.”
- Green Bike Co-op, Waldport: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday; Phone: 541-563-7328
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com