Jack and Patrick talk Earthworks Bike Project

JV: Maybe you can give me a brief description of how the program got started, or where the idea came from?
PC: I’m not sure where the original idea came from; possibly a couple things were happening in that direction at the same, but it was really one individual in particular that started talking about setting up some shop space at the soup kitchen. He had been borrowing tools to do occasional work on his bike over the years and he’s a pretty charming guy, but it was becoming a bit of a hassle so i approached him to set up a regular time for folks to work on their bikes. We had a couple of organizing meetings at the beginning of 2009 to gauge needs, identify problems that people consistently had, etc. After we had some things sorted out, we started weekly meetings to figure out things like a tool bench, rules of the shop, etc.

Throughout the process, because of the way the Capuchin Soup Kitchen works in the community, we tried to promote ownership of the space by its users, and I deliberately resisted taking on an authority role when issues arose. I was worried that motivation for the project would flag if we waited too long to set something up, so inevitably some things were figured out on the fly. 

JV: What would you say have been the strengths and weaknesses of the supplier relationship with the Hub of Detroit?
PC: Well, because the used parts needs of the Hub are roughly similar to our own needs, we have dealt with some basic shortages as the season went along. Things like 26″ and 27″ rear wheels, certain sizes of tires, etc. We also have pretty significant space constraints, so we have had to keep that in mind.

For a while during the season, we had a couple people who were meeting weekly to determine what was needed and then going to pick it up (often by bike) from the Hub. I think that was one of the more positive developments; I think it helped those folks feel some ownership for the work being done each week. 

JV:Have you encountered anything unexpected, that you might not have foreseen when planning the program?
PC: I didn’t expect to lose my temper. When it happened, I didn’t see it coming. It was the kind of situation where we were already really busy, and I got to the point that I closed the shop temporarily to sort things out. In some ways, you end up creating more work without meaning to because you say to yourself: “I’m going to do everything I can to get this person rolling again,” because in most cases these folks have no other means of transport.

JV: Are there any measures you have thought about taking to prevent high-stress situations?
PC: One key is getting more folks to invest themselves regularly in the shop. We do have one or two consistent participants, but we also have quite a few people who help out for shorter periods of time. This community is so transient that I feel having even one or two seriously involved is a reason to celebrate. In some cases, I’ve had to acknowledge that if a volunteer can’t be around because they decided to go to rehab or get their GED, that that represents progress and is a positive outcome of the space. One thing we definitely plan on doing is displaying more prominently the few guidelines we have for using the shop when it’s open.