HADLEY — Hadley officials are supporting a possible expansion of ValleyBike Share to town, although they want assurances that costs associated with adding new stations are not borne by local taxpayers.
The Select Board recently agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding that will allow for an application for a new round of funding from a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality federal grant.
The electric-assist bike program, which began in 2018, has been funded by similar federal grants, as well as by sponsorships and local communities. It is already in service in surrounding Hampshire County communities like Amherst, Northampton and South Hadley and is slated to expand in Easthampton this year.
If received, the grant would pay for stations and the bikes that would be placed at the stations, said board member Christian Stanley. Additional funds for installation, including the concrete pad and a 24-hour electrical hookup, would have to be covered by the town. Each pad is estimated to cost $3,000 to $4,000, though the price tag to run electricity to the pad is unknown, he said.
To cover the cost of installation, the town could earmark an existing Uber fee that has to be used for public transportation, Stanley said. Board member John Waskiewicz said public-private partnerships could also be used to pay for this work. Sponsors are used to cover the costs of maintenance and upkeep.
ValleyBike Share presented three possible locations in Hadley, two near the malls where the Norwottuck Rail Trail passes by, and the third closer to Hadley center, also close to the bike path.
The program began with 47 stations and 470 bikes, with an anticipation to have 54 stations with 540 bikes when it resumes service April 1.
The Hadley sites could be part of 22 new stations in the region funded by the federal grant, including additional ones in Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton and Springfield, and at the University of Massachusetts campus, as well as adding stations in Chicopee and West Springfield.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
