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Fairfield Selectmen Postpone Decision On Bike-Sharing Program

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Residents will have to wait another two weeks to find out whether the Fairfield Board of Selectmen will vote to accept more than $10,000 in state grant money to fund a bike-sharing program, after the agenda item was once again postponed at Wednesday night’s meeting.

Bicycles purchased for use in the Health Department's bike-sharing program would be chained to this bike rack located on the front end of the Fairfield Woods Branch Library.

Bicycles purchased for use in the Health Department's bike-sharing program would be chained to this bike rack located on the front end of the Fairfield Woods Branch Library.

Photo Credit: Salvatore Trifilio

The grant, applied for by the town’s Health Department, would help set up a pioneering bike-sharing program in partnership with the Fairfield Woods Branch Library with a goal of preventing cardiovascular disease.

“This is meant to promote active living,” Health Director Sands Cleary told the Board of Selectmen at the Jan. 8 meeting when the plan was first introduced. “It will give someone the chance to try out a bicycle … and maybe get inspired to add it to the list of activities they do.”

Cleary said the grant of $10,463, would allow the Health Department to purchase 10 to 15 share quality bikes, helmets and locks that would be housed on the bike racks at the Branch Library. For a fee of about $3 to $6, a resident with a Fairfield Library Card could check out a bike for three to four hours at a time, he added.

Given the type of grant and the program, the Board of Selectmen could alone vote to accept the grant, Cleary said. The Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting would not have to vote on it. 

Although the selectmen were interested in pursuing the project, they provided a lengthy list of questions for Clearly that would have to be answered before moving forward.

Selectmen Sheila Marmion said there “needs to be an educational component married to this” - such as possibly programing by the library - for the cardiovascular disease prevention cause.

First Selectman Michael Tetreau also added that the town counsel would have to examine whether the town charter would allow the Board of Selectmen to solely approve the grant, despite the state's policy on the matter.

The board was also interested in how the pilot program would be evaluated and whether there were plans to duplicate it throughout the town.

“Assuming success,” Cleary said, “my vision is that if we can demonstrate success, I think we would be able to find a grant,” to grow the bike-sharing program.

Because Cleary is unable to make the Jan. 21 Board of Selectmen meeting, the next vote is expected to be at the Feb. 4 meeting.

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