BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The Bellows Falls Community Bike Project (BFCBP), a local nonprofit located at 30 Henry Street, recently purchased the building they have been operating from since 2016. Founding director of BFCBP Bonnie Anderson and her staff have been working hard to raise funds to purchase the building they have been renting for nine years.
Launched by Anderson in 2013, BFCBP formed a five-person board of directors and first opened its doors on Canal Street in Bellows Falls under the umbrella of the Sustainable Valley Group. As the organization created momentum through volunteers, promotion, and outreach, they obtained their 501(c)(3) status.
It was BFCBP’s former mechanic and shop manager, the late Fred Tipton, who first suggested the idea of purchasing the building, and when the owner, Alan LaCombe, expressed interest in selling, Anderson and the board finally felt they were in a good enough position to purchase the building in early 2022. Owning the building gives BFCBP better financial stability, control over repairs and upgrades, and eliminates any possibility of a private buyer forcing them to leave or raising the rent.
“Beginning in October of 2023, we reached out to all our donors in a capital campaign to buy the building,” Anderson said in a recent interview. “People and businesses were very generous and supportive of the effort, including a $10,000 matching donation for funds raised in April of 2024.
“Many in the community also came out to our silent auction fundraiser that same month, with all the proceeds going towards the campaign. By the end of August, we had raised the full amount of $80,000 to purchase the building. A huge thank-you goes out to all our supporters, volunteers, board members, staff, and customers,” Anderson continued.
Owning the building outright and not having to carry a mortgage is huge for the organization, as the second floor of the building is now used for storage. Other steps and improvements in the process include environmental testing and remediation, painting and insulating the building, further cleanup and organization of the second floor, repairing the parking lot, and rebuilding and extending the narrow roof along the front of the building.
For more than a decade, BFCBP has been providing local residents access to bicycles. They accept bike donations, then refurbish and resell them at very reasonable prices. They also offer bicycle repair training, and are always dedicated to supporting safe bicycling for all, and thus a more active, healthy lifestyle as well.
On Saturday, April 26, BFCBP will host its annual silent auction fundraiser at the Bellows Falls Royal Order of Moose Lodge, at 59 Westminster Street in Bellows Falls, from 6-9 p.m.
For more information about BFCBP, visit their website at www.bfbike.org, or contact them by email at bonnie@bfbike.org or by phone at 802-460-0662. Donations can be made at the website, or by mail at P.O. Box 883, Bellows Falls, VT 05101.