Hi Steve, Hey, do you have any secrets for buying property? There is a spot in Littleton Colorado that was home to a great Music store and a great record store(Offbeat) in my youth. It has been empty for years, and the property owner lives in Hawaii. I should do some research and find out if the property taxes are delinquent perhaps? I know it could be a boon to the surrounding community again. If you mention Offbeat records to the people who used to hang out there they get a glazed over misty eyed look. Shanti Shanti Shanti! Art
Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 16:58:53 -0500> From: MeetMe@TheAutomat.com> To: Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org> Subject: [TheThinkTank] I own the building Time's Up has been operating from in NYC for the last 4 years> > Now that it has been sold, I want to keep helping nurture engaged > environmental activism by buying not expensive properties and offering > options to buy them from me, in a couple of years, to bike stores and > community bike operations that want to locate there. This is what I have > been putting out on my website www.LightWheels.com and distributed at > BikeBike in Pittsburgh. I only have about three months to find these > properties and make the other arrangements, which is not a real long > time. I am looking for feedback on this . Also take a look at > www.LocalExpression.com at the UpsideDowntown News, which I wrote and > assembled about a year ago, as well.> > Here is some material relating to the community bike movement followed > by a proposal relating to finding good hq's.> > > Sharing Bikes etc.> > Handlebars and pedals make bikes into three-dimensional objects. If > these protrusions can be flattened to the body of the bike when not in > use, the vehicle is about 6” wide and much easier to both store and > transport in the close company of other people. Current technology > permits this modification to be performed safely and conveniently.> > To minimize space needed, there could be a large number of > somewhat-identical bikes using variations of this simple design, with > adjustable seat heights, to keep initial costs low while providing for > the fastest and widest proliferation. At most times, these sturdy bikes > will be fine. Buying a shipload will reduce their cost to such a low > figure that a few months of advertisements, removable after all costs > are covered, could finance the entire exercise. Ads for one month a year > or less could finance ongoing top-level maintenance. If properly > designed they can be free to use and possibly not need to be locked at > special locations as current systems usually demand. > http://bike-sharing.blogspot.com.%3E > Permanent sidewalk or vehicle defacement by ads touting the same > corporate culture of over-consumption that got us in this mess is not > necessary. We cannot afford to allow the bottom-line calculus of Clear > Channel and the other billboard-industry giants, to decide for us how we > share our bikes. Across this country, before this massive invasion of > profit-driven, probably sub-standard systems take hold, Community-based > bike collectives and other people-friendly individuals and > organizations, including some local bike businesses, must begin to > assume these responsibilities.> > This will not destroy the existing bike business, because shops can help > create, maintain and upgrade the fleet continuously. Many people will > want their own machine regardless, and far more people will be riding > all the time. When seas rise so do boats. Paris today is a good example.> > A second system needs to be established, designed and built, which is > comprised of unconventional vehicles, multi-passenger, > weather-protected, electric-motor assisted, art-inspired and plain fun. > Access to this fleet would need to be restricted and require credit-card > id, GPS location devices, special maintenance and a fee-system to help > pay for it. Some support should come from the government since it will > provide many benefits to the public as a whole, the way other > publicly-accessible transit systems ordinarily do. Self-support is ideal > and achievable. This could enable a much more creative and adventurous > effort than one sponsored by a corporation or government.> > It is also being suggested that all this be done in tandem with a > local-neighborhood based, ambitious and creative system, for sharing > rides and vehicles of all kinds. This facility can also accept > tax-deductible contributions, some as valuable as cars etc., and > generate income from the small fees earned for expediting these much > needed various transportation-related companion efforts to reduce > traffic. Anchored by a robust and growing community bike effort, a > strong framework for positive change can be constructed. If a > substantial decrease in the number of cars on the road is achieved this > will also help in the improvement of roadway safety for cyclists and others.> > > The soonest path to the safest, highest quality, most diverse, > appropriate and convenient system, with the least expensive continuous > operating costs, that also rocks, is the goal. The proliferation of > these new forms of transport will also require the taming of our > highways back into the streets that they were intended to be. We must > demand civility and respect from large and dangerous Internal Combustion > Engine (ICE)-Age vehicles, and the complete eradication of any lingering > people-unfriendly behavior. The reward for this change will be an > historic flowering of enjoyable, human-scale, responsible and healthful > transportation in our cities and towns.> > > Bikes and Property> > I want to invest my profit from selling a property in Manhattan to help > enable 10 bike shops to establish themselves in their own spaces. Each > will each be given an option to buy the space they are renting after a > few years, to enable them to grow more rapidly and to own and benefit > directly from the improvements they make to their properties and > businesses. In some cases this would involve buying existing locations, > in others it would mean finding a great local building for sale at a > good price in a good location. (As each group is able to purchase its > building, the money paid is made available to another group in another > state so that they may be able to purchase a building etc..> > If this property investment methodology helps in bringing forth better > means for bike store owners to control their own futures and expand > their businesses, others may decide to invest this way as well. As > mortgage credit tightens, the strength of this industry, in the face of > $3+ gas and frightening obesity and diabetes rates, could entitle it to > an alternate form of investment capital.> > There are many people today on every stratum of society who are starting > to come to terms with the damage being done to a seemingly robust, but > actually dangerously fragile, ecosystem. The central role of > inappropriate transportation is conspicuous in that picture. They want > their kids to be healthy, have a future and love them and they want to > have a cleaner conscience. At the same time they want their investments > to be sound financially. A program such as this could satisfy all of > their needs, while giving bike stores some valuable additional leverage > against overly-aggressive landlords, and a better shot at economic > justice and self-determination.> > It is also my intention to use this opportunity to help gain more > visibility through these stores for hybrid > human-powered/electric-assisted vehicles, including safe, road-worthy > and weather-protected wheelchairs. In an aging population, many stores > may find this to be one of the most high-growth elements of their > businesses and one of the most gratifying.> > Meanwhile re-defining cycling as basic transportation, not just a > pleasurable, recreational activity, will help drive the infrastructure > improvements that we so badly need. These upgrades, a flood of new and > more utilitarian machines, and the dramatic increases in bicycle and > other lightweight vehicle use that they will trigger, will finally begin > to bring this vital activity its due respect.> > > _______________________________________________> Thethinktank mailing list> Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org> http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...