This post came from reports published by our friend Stacey Page. Check her page out online. Thanks for the coverage Stacey!

Last month, the Warsaw City Plan Commission gave its approval for the Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake Master Plan. Then earlier this month on February 4 it was approved by the Warsaw Common Council.

In the absence of councilman Jeff Grose, the full council agreed to adopt the master plan and begin moving forward with the development of what is expected to be 87 miles of bicycle/pedestrian paths.

With little discussion, the council accepted the final plan to which Mayor Joe Thallemer noted, “Now the work begins.” The vote brought a round of applause from several of the committee members who have worked for nearly a year to develop the plan.

Previously, at the end of January, the Warsaw Common Council, which has the final say on whether the plan moves from a proposal to a final project, was presented with an hour long synopsis of the plan, as presented by Jonathon Mooney of consulting firm RW Armstrong. “One year later, here we sit with a blueprint,” said Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer in introducing Mooney.

Using a Powerpoint program, Mooney summed up the 67-page master plan with an hour-long review. He told why the bicycle and pedestrian plan was born – to provide mobility and increase the quality of life initiative – how data was gathered for the project, and ultimately how creating 87 miles of bicycle/pedestrian paths can be made possible.

During the planning and development stages of the master plan, the public was asked to complete an online survey of 28 questions. A dozen questions focused on walking, 12 on biking and the remaining four were basic questions.

Thallemer credited the efforts of the KCV Cycling Club and the bicycle advisory committee for their tireless work in preparing the master plan and recognized the committee individually. The committee includes Staci Young, chair; Brad Bishop, Bill Crane, Greg Demopoulos, Mark Dobson, Denny Duncan, Fred Helfrich, Robin Mitchell, Steve Riffe, Ron Robinson, Greg Schroeder, David Taylor and Troy Turley.

We will continue to work with the Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake advisory committee and our community government leaders to begin evaluating and prioritizing the first 3 years of infrastructure improvements and updating ordinances to follow Complete Streets standards, as well as utilizing the “5 E’s” report card from the League of American Bicyclists to ensure we’re also focusing on things like Education, Enforcement and Encouragement.

Furthermore, we’ll submit again this month, our bid for Bicycle Friendly Community to the League of American Bicyclists and continue to work together to offer great opportunities for people to get involved with bicycling and pedestrian activities in our community.

Please join us. We can always use more volunteers to spread the word, help out at events and serve on subcommittees. Together, we can help make our community a better place to live, work and play!

You can find a link to the Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake Master Plan here.

Yes, we know, we’re going into March, but it’s better late than never to take a look back at 2012 and celebrate the many accomplishments and efforts in helping to make our community a better place to live, work and play through bicycling (and walking/running). Thanks to everyone that lent a hand and is behind these efforts. It takes all of us to make a difference. Take a look at what we can celebrate…

• Over 35 cycling events available in the county
• Record numbers for attendance and participation at Fat & Skinny Tire Festival, Downtown Classic Criterium, Poverty Cycle Challenge and other cycling events in the community
• 3-5 weekly group rides provided (on average Spring through Fall)
• Monthly family-friendly First Friday Fun rides (May – October)
• Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake Advisory Committee started
• Application for Bicycle Friendly Community submitted
• Indiana Department of Health Grant Awarded – provided funds for the now passed Ride+Walk Master Plan
• K21 and Kosciusko Community Foundation Grants received for Bike Lane, Sharrow and other Bicycling-related infrastructure signage and paint, as well as funds for a safer event entrance to the Winona Lake Trails
• First Community League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor – with others in process
• Maintain-A-Mile program formed for the upkeep of the Winona Lake Trails – over 30 regular volunteers and many more for Trail Maintenance Days logging nearly 1000 hours
• Increase in Bike-to-Work Week/Day participation
• Master Plan Committee work includes significant time in the field and public open houses for community discussions
• First Bike Lanes, Sharrows and Signed Bike Routes in town created
• DePuy becomes first area Bicycle Friendly Business | Biomet and others in process as well
• Multiple wins and podium finishes throughout the midwest for the Racing for Riley/KCV Team
• Community cyclists and events that helped to raise thousands of dollars for charitable partners including Riley Children’s Hospital, Fellowship Missions, 2nd Mile Missions, Kiwanis, American Diabetes Association, Cystic Fibrosis, With Love Left Over, Grace College Military Fund, IU Cancer Center, Combined Community Services, Optimist Club, Rotary and many more.

As we jump into 2013, our goals will continue to focus on raising awareness, building access and providing events for bicycling in our community. We are convinced that a Bicycle Friendly Community is a better community! Join us. We can all pitch in a hand somewhere – from volunteering, raising money or just having a conversation with someone unaware of the benefits that cycling provides personally and to the community.