Greenfield Parks director Ellen Kuker takes a ride around Depot Street Park on one of the bikes offered through a new bike share program created by a Leadership Hancock County team. Staff photo by Tom Russo
Greenfield Parks director Ellen Kuker takes a ride around Depot Street Park on one of the bikes offered through a new bike share program created by a Leadership Hancock County team. Staff photo by Tom Russo
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GREENFIELD — No bike trailer? No problem.

A new bike share program will soon get underway in Greenfield, where 10 white bicycles will be available to use for free — from dawn to dusk — starting within the week of May 1.

The bike share program — managed by the Greenfield Parks and Recreation — was created by a Leadership Hancock County team, which took on the program as their required project for this year’s leadership class.

Hilary Engleking, Danielle Nylund, Hart Summeier and Rev. Merlyn Winters not only designed the program through a bike share vendor, but also did the fundraising to make the program a reality.

“Thank you for your hard work in executing this plan. We really appreciate the effort you put into this project,” said Greenfield parks director Ellen Kuker before a crowd of about 30 people gathered for the ribbon cutting at Depot Street Park on Tuesday, April 25.

Standing by a row of shiny white bikes, Kuker gave the leadership team credit for conceptualizing the bike share program and bringing it to fruition.

“It was their vision. It was their planning. It was them going out knocking on doors raising money. They did the research to make sure we aligned ourselves with a reputable company, Dynamic Bicycles, which has been great to work with,” said Kuker, who also thanked the sponsors who funded the program.

The Greenfield Bike Share program features 10 bikes placed at three city parks — four in Depot Street Park, four in Brandywine Park and two in Riley Park at the Splash Pad adjacent to the Kathy Dowling Aquatics Center.

The program works through a digital app which riders can use to check out a bike.

Users must first enter a credit card number, although users won’t be charged so long as the bikes are returned to one of the three designated bike racks.

“That ensures that people return the bikes rather than leave them lying around town,” said Greenfield park board president Deby Low.

Once a credit card number is entered, the app will allow a user to unlock a bike and take it from park to park. Two of the parks — Brandywine and Davis — are connected by the Brandywine Connector and the Pennsy Trail, while Riley Park is accessible by sidewalk from the Pennsy Trail.

While most users will likely ride the bikes within the parks, Greenfield mayor Chuck Fewell hopes riders will also use them to explore other nearby amenities like the shops and restaurants downtown.

Fewell said the bike share program is yet another great amenity for the community, in a county which strives to promote health and wellness opportunities for residents and guests.

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, ranked Hancock County as the fourth healthiest county in the state this year, up 15 spots since the Hancock ranked the 19th healthiest county in the state in 2013.

Nancy Davis, president of the Hancock Health Foundation, said sponsoring the bike share program was a no-brainer for the local hospital.

“I think we like to give a little bit of extra attention to something that can make Hancock County a healthier community, and this bike share program certainly can do that,” she said. “It makes it easier for our friends and families to get out and do something healthy, which is really great.”

Low thinks the bike share program is a great addition to the city’s park system.

“The way it’s set up, you could even cross-train by riding a bike from one park to the next, then walking or running back. I can’t wait to see it being put to use,” she said.

Clothe-a-Child, Each bike station can accommodate twice the number of bikes starting out at each location, which makes it easier for users to find space to return bikes at any of the three locations. Parks staff will relocate bikes during their morning trash runs if any racks become overcrowded.

Winters, a leadership team member who Program moved to Greenfield from Columbus, Ohio two years ago, is happy to see such a public-friendly amenity being offered in a city the size of Greenfield.

“I don’t remember seeing anything like this when I lived in Columbus, so to have this here is really great. I can’t wait to see the impact it will have,” she said.
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