South Entrance of the TRWA Bike Parking Completed.
Ask and when you have special people working with you, the results are sometimes too good to be true. Rodney and Allison Pearson proves this point with the creation of the new Bike Racks and Bicycle Parking Area at the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum.
One of projects on the Master Plan for the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum (TRWA) was to install proper bicycle parking. As we were working on the upgrades to the entrances to the TRWA Rodney and Allison took on the task of creating bicycle parking that would fit in with the surrounding landscape and the look and fell of the River Walk. After seeing some examples of logs that were used for bike racks and making a couple of prototypes, the cartoon light bulb finally went off above Rodney's head and proceeded to create the final product that is a perfect fit for the TRWA.
The racks are made to accommodate several bike tire sizes and parking on both sides. A bumper is placed about 8 inches from the rack so that the tire has a place to rest securely. Bicyclists can also chain their bikes to the racks to secure them while walking the TRWA. They are made from 3 and 4 inch round fence posts, the same as the railing down the south side entry steps and the fence around the iris garden.
Allison then ordered "Bicycle Parking" signs that were placed on each of the racks. A 3" to 4"layer of fine compacting gravel was place on the bike parking area with a 1/2" - 1" layer of Tennessee brown crushed rock to finish.
If you are a bicyclist, stop by and give them a try. If you aren't stop by and admire the construction and placement of the parking area.
When you see Rodney and Allison, around Townsend, give them a big THANKS! Dedicated volunteers like these are hard to find and we are so glad to have them working with us.
The Townsend River Walk & Arboretum does not receive government funding and is completely managed and maintain by volunteers. All funding comes from donations, grants and the Tuckaleechee Garden Club Plant Sale. To continue our effort in upgrading the TRWA we need your donations. Material costs have risen significantly and there are several projects on the horizon.
A special thanks goes to Elaine Russell for donating money to purchase the materials used to build the Bike Racks!
Make a donation to the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum, TODAY!
