WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

Anything you can contribute to help make BICAS a permanent part of Tucson will be greatly appreciated (by both us and, more importantly, the hundreds of people we serve each week).

Urgent! BICAS Needs a Building!

Tucson, May 12, 2009: BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage) is requesting help to acquire a building within Ward 1 or support for us to stay in the Citizens Warehouse as a leaseholder.

We at BICAS love the communities we are serving and collaborating with here in Downtown Tucson. It is vital for us to remain in the heart of downtown where we can continue to be the hub of bicycle culture and provide solutions for the transportation needs of the people.

With the recent 215% rent increases we've received (two rent increases in the last 6 months raised our rent from $600 to $1,890 per month) we might have to leave Citizens, but our heart is here and we want to stay in this space or within the Downtown Arts District.

The two options we are considering are as follows:

  1. Stay in Citizens Warehouse but spend our time and financial resources on renovations, as well as managing the space through an artists' collective (rather than the current single-person management system).
  2. Move our organization to a new location but remain in the area that we have served for the past 20 years. Ideally, we would have an ownership situation in which we could use our resources to upgrade, renovate, or build onto our new space.

We want to stay in Ward 1 and be a community leader here. We need your support to make this happen.

BICAS is important to the community!

  • For 20 years BICAS has been serving Central Tucson and surrounding communities.
  • We provide affordable transportation options and resources for everyone.
  • The youth work force can develop skills and training through our Earn-A-Bike Program and work trade and community service opportunities.
  • Over 5,000 unduplicated people come through our doors each year.
  • Over 2,200 hours of community service hours are completed each year at BICAS.
  • Over 5,100 hours of work-trade are traded for bicycles and services each year.
  • BICAS employs 13 people.
  • BICAS contributes to the vibrant art culture and community festivities for which Downtown Tucson is known.
  • We have received the Governor's Arts Award, 2 years standing.
  • We received the Meyer and Libby Marmis Humanitarian Award from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona for our significant and lasting contributions in the fields of human welfare and social reform.
  • We have participated in Weed and Seed since its founding, and collaborated with the Tucson Police Department through W&S.
  • We have collaborated with a diverse group of community organizations such as: El Grupo, City High School, Davis Elementary, Iron Horse Neighborhood, Dunbar Spring Community Garden, All Souls Procession, Parade of Lights, Ghost Bike Project, etc.
  • BICAS is known as a leader among community bicycle organizations, both nationally and internationally.
  • We are the second oldest community bike project, still in existence, in the US.

Our stability is being threatened

  • In the past 6 months two rent increases have more than tripled our rent from $600 to $1890 per month. These increases are not sustainable for our organization.
  • The lack of a lease provides no security from future rent increases, which have been suggested by our building manager.
  • We have been improving the Citizens building and Citizens/Lucky Street property with independent grants and labor since 1996.
  • BICAS has financed all renovation projects and improvements to our occupied space.
  • We do not have security in this property nor a way to recover/protect our investments.
  • BICAS is growing and our current location is jam-packed with bicycles, tools, repair stands, art, and people! We are pushing our limits of expansion and occupancy.

For BICAS to continue serving this community, we need a secure, long-term building plan. We are asking for your support to either remain in the Citizens Warehouse, operating through an artist-led coalition, or to move to a comparable, affordable building in your district. We know that with the support of the community we can continue our mission to provide cheap, reliable, pedal-powered transportation far into the future. We have the desire and dedication to grow into an increasingly valuable resource to the people of Tucson and we ask your help to do so.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please help by donating money or contacting us with leads on a building.

Sincerely,

The BICAS Collective

BICAS programs have been well-established and used in the community for over twenty years and our influence seems to be growing and gaining momentum. Since our founding, we have trained thousands of youth and adults in the trade of bicycle repair, maintenance and safety, and restored tens of thousands of bicycles, saving them from the waste stream. BICAS has become more of a household name for thousands of residents of Pima County and bicycle and recycling advocates nationally. We have established lasting partnerships with numerous schools, affiliated organizations, local artists, neighborhoods and coalitions, and hundreds of community members who truly believe in the BICAS mission.