REVIVE THE UPHAM ST. BIKE ARCH!
Donation protected
Dear San Luis Obispo and bike enthusiasts everywhere, please help us revive the beloved Rainbow Bike Arch as a cultural icon in our community. The Bike Arch was a welded sculpture composed of bike frames adorning the front yard of 880 Upham St. Its' creator, a local entrepreneur, bike-lover, and goofball Rory Aronson is having a birthday and we would like to surprise him with the revival of his artwork.
We love Rory, Rory loves bikes, and about 3 years ago Rory mixed his passions with a welder and produced an iconic piece of art for the front entrance to his house. It was known simply as the Bike Arch and for a time it served as a colorful way to both terminate (near) the Bill Roalman Bike Boulevard and to share bike enthusiasm with the local community.
Then along came city officials. They drove up one day and knocked on the door. “You can’ t have that,” they told him, “it’s illegal without the proper permit!”. So Rory got to work researching all he could how to make the Bike Arch a legal part of the community. Wading through the red tape was painful but free. The permit, he found, was not free – a cost of $1000!
Unfortunately one night in June, before it could be properly permitted, the Bike Arch was vandalized . It is hard to say exactly what happened, but it appears that somebody hung on the center of the arch and it collapsed under the pressure. It was the end of an era, and while the scraps were hauled away, plans were made to rebuild the thing stronger than ever. A truly legitimate structure it would one day be!
So Rory got to work designing. He drafted plans for the new structure. He found architects and engineers who could sign off on his drawings that the arch would be structurally sound upon completion. He then got to work fundraising - things were looking up! To raise the funds, Rory hosted an afternoon benefit concert comprised of local singer/songwriters interested in helping the cause. Many attended, and as the afternoon progressed, a few unexpected visitors arrived – two policemen with a ticket in hand for noise violation. The concert, having been a massive success, raised nearly $1,000 for the new Bike Arch – all of which was then paid toward the fine for noise violation.
Here we are now, years later, with a void in our hearts where the Bike Arch once was and a desire to see it return! Being that his birthday is this week, we (his friends) would like to honor the impact he has made on the local community by bringing back the Bike Arch. The associated costs come to roughly $1,200 as follows:
$1,000: ‘custom gate/entryway permit’ – City of SLO
$200: Materials (mostly scrap bike frames and assorted steel)
TOTAL: $1,200
HELP US SHOW OUR LOVE AND SUPPORT FOR RORY BY CONTRIBUTING WHATEVER YOU CAN TO BRING BACK THE BIKE ARCH!
We love Rory, Rory loves bikes, and about 3 years ago Rory mixed his passions with a welder and produced an iconic piece of art for the front entrance to his house. It was known simply as the Bike Arch and for a time it served as a colorful way to both terminate (near) the Bill Roalman Bike Boulevard and to share bike enthusiasm with the local community.
Then along came city officials. They drove up one day and knocked on the door. “You can’ t have that,” they told him, “it’s illegal without the proper permit!”. So Rory got to work researching all he could how to make the Bike Arch a legal part of the community. Wading through the red tape was painful but free. The permit, he found, was not free – a cost of $1000!
Unfortunately one night in June, before it could be properly permitted, the Bike Arch was vandalized . It is hard to say exactly what happened, but it appears that somebody hung on the center of the arch and it collapsed under the pressure. It was the end of an era, and while the scraps were hauled away, plans were made to rebuild the thing stronger than ever. A truly legitimate structure it would one day be!
So Rory got to work designing. He drafted plans for the new structure. He found architects and engineers who could sign off on his drawings that the arch would be structurally sound upon completion. He then got to work fundraising - things were looking up! To raise the funds, Rory hosted an afternoon benefit concert comprised of local singer/songwriters interested in helping the cause. Many attended, and as the afternoon progressed, a few unexpected visitors arrived – two policemen with a ticket in hand for noise violation. The concert, having been a massive success, raised nearly $1,000 for the new Bike Arch – all of which was then paid toward the fine for noise violation.
Here we are now, years later, with a void in our hearts where the Bike Arch once was and a desire to see it return! Being that his birthday is this week, we (his friends) would like to honor the impact he has made on the local community by bringing back the Bike Arch. The associated costs come to roughly $1,200 as follows:
$1,000: ‘custom gate/entryway permit’ – City of SLO
$200: Materials (mostly scrap bike frames and assorted steel)
TOTAL: $1,200
HELP US SHOW OUR LOVE AND SUPPORT FOR RORY BY CONTRIBUTING WHATEVER YOU CAN TO BRING BACK THE BIKE ARCH!
Organizer
Myles Wittman
Organizer
San Luis Obispo, CA
