Hart Summeier, Merlyn Winters and Deby Low look over plans for a new bike share system to be installed at select Greenfield Parks in the spring, after a Greenfield Rotary meeting Dec. 8. Summeier and Winters are part of the group spearheading the pilot program through Leadership Hancock County. Low, Greenfield Parks board president, said the bike share program will be a great asset for the community.
GREENFIELD — Shareable bikes will be available at select Greenfield parks next year, thanks to a project led by Leadership Hancock County.
The bikes can be “rented” with a credit card, but users won’t be charged so long as the bikes are returned, said Greenfield Parks board president Deby Low.
The bike system was proposed by local real estate broker Hart Summeier, who first heard about the concept from Sara Joyner of Joyner Homes. Both the broker and home builder thought the bike share system would be a great benefit to local residents and guests.
Summeier got approval to pursue the project as a member of this year’s Leadership Hancock County class, which encourages members to make a lasting impact on the community through various capstone projects.
He was paired in a small group with fellow class members Hilary Engleking, Danielle Hunt and Merlyn Winters, who have been working to make the bike share goal a reality.
The group got the green light from Greenfield parks director Ellen Kuker to work toward installing bike share stations at Brandywine and Depot Street parks in the spring, with the possibility of posting bikes at Riley Park as well.
The team has already raised $13,000 of their $18,000 goal, which would cover the cost of 12 bikes, bike racks, signage and the software system to run the share program.
The group has secured sponsorships from Hancock Regional Hospital, Joyner Homes, Dynamic Legacy Planning and Stillinger Family Funeral Homes, in addition to the $2,000 being chipped in by the Greenfield Parks Department
“We need three more $2,000 sponsors to make it to our goal. We’re reaching out to potential sponsors hoping they’ll want to contribute by the end of the year,” said Summeier, who thinks the bike share system will be the perfect complement to the parks department’s ongoing efforts to eventually connect all five major parks.
“The City of Greenfield has spent a lot of time, money and energy on the parks and the trails and on connecting those areas, so we thought this was a great addition to that,” he said.
Low said the bike share system will offer a great way for people of all ages to hop on a bike and enjoy the outdoors while going from one park to the next via the Pennsy Trail.
She said the goal would be to have bikes installed at Depot Street Park in downtown Greenfield and Brandywine Park off Davis Road, two parks which are now connected through the Brandywine Connector and the Pennsy Trail.
Another alternative would be to place bikes at Depot Street, Brandywine and Riley parks.
Low said the exact spots are yet to be determined as the parks department assesses the best locations, after Kuker consulted with another city that runs a successful bike share program.
“She got a lot of good information from them and a lot of lessons learned, which will help us carry out this project in a way that makes the most sense,” said Summeier, who owns the Level Up real estate group in Greenfield.
As a real estate broker, he knows that a bike share program and connected parks are two great amenities which can go a long way in retaining residents and drawing in new ones.
“It shows the community that the City of Greenfield is invested in offering the same type of amenities you find in major cities like Fishers and Carmel,” he said.
Low said parks board members felt the same way. “There was a lot of feedback from the board saying, ‘We see people using this in downtown Indy, why not bring it here?’ I don’t know of any other small communities around here that have this available,” she said. “It provides another avenue for people to explore the city in a healthy way, which we think is a win-win situation for everybody.”
Summeier said the bike share system spearheaded by Leadership Hancock County will serve as a pilot program for the Greenfield Parks Department.
“I think the city is taking a very calculated approach to this,” he said. “Committed partners are paving the way through sponsorships to get these bikes here, allowing the city to focus on the maintenance and running of the program and those nuanced details.”
Leadership Hancock County’s director, Melissa Ewald, said the bike share program is a great example of how class members work collaboratively to make a lasting impact on the community.
“It’s not just about the projects, it’s about creating better leaders in our community,” she said.
“While these projects vary in scope, they give our classmates the opportunity to not only connect with other people but to think about how they can help the community, which I think is the best thing about the program.”
Summeier said he’s been blown away at the opportunities to learn and grow through the leadership class, which welcomes a new class of members each fall.
“It’s one of those silent organizations that gets a lot done, and it’s built around a cooperative spirit,” he said. “If you reach out to someone and say you’re with Leadership Hancock County, a lot more doors will open because of that cooperative spirit. I give a lot of credit to the alumni who stay connected to get a lot done.”
The broker encourages all professionals to consider taking the nine-month long leadership class, especially younger generations.
“The more young people get involved in programs like Leadership Hancock County the better,” he said. “The adage is, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,’ and programs like this really drive that home and make visions like this (bike share system) come to fruition.”
Those interested in sponsoring Leadership Hancock County’s bike share program should contact Summeier at 317- 747-3755 or [email protected] by Dec. 31.
To learn more about Leadership Hancock County, visit leadHC.org.
