Bike Repair Station in the Works at Steve Miller Park
OnFocus — “We’re about getting others onto bikes,” Marshfield Clinic Health System Associate Radiation Safety Officer Shari Mask, RRPT, said of the Marshfield Clinic Health System Cycle Club.
Part of getting others onto bikes, she said, is keeping a vibrant and useful trail system in place. One need identified along the trails in Marshfield is a bike repair station and Mask said she made it her mission to help fund a project the Marshfield Area Friends of the Trails (MAFOTT) had underway to purchase this repair station.
Mask organized a donation drive among members of the Marshfield Clinic Health System Cycle Club and raised $850, which was donated to MAFOTT earlier this year, but the cost of the repair station is closer to $2,000. So Mask also nominated MAFOTT for Security Health Plan’s Employee-Driven Corporate Giving Campaign. Mask said she is not involved with MAFOTT herself, but said as president of the Marshfield Clinic Health System Cycle Club she has an overlapping interest with MAFOTT.
Security Health Plan will invest $1,000 in MAFOTT, whose mission is to promote a fully integrated, non-motorized trail system that supports improving health and providing recreation and commutability within Marshfield and the neighboring communities.
MAFOTT president Jack Farris said the organization focuses on trail improvement, maintenance and expansion, so the organization is excited to be able to add the repair station, which he calls a bike fixation station. The station includes various tools needed to make minor repairs and adjustments on a bike. Mask and Farris both said the tools on the repair stations will help fix little things that would normally send a rider home in the middle of their ride.
“With the fixation station they can stop, tighten this or secure that and continue on their ride,” Farris said.
Farris, who has been involved with MAFOTT for over 10 years, said with the Marshfield park board’s approval, the fixation station will be installed at the Steve Miller Park near the public restrooms and water fountain. He said he sees MAFOTT’s role as “assisting” the city in promoting, maintaining and adding extra features to the existing trails. He said adding this fixation station at Steve Miller Park will be a great addition to the culmination of a 10-year project to create a connecting trail between the trails at Wildwood Park and on the north side of town.
“The grant enables us to get something we see as an added feature for this trail,” he added. “The repair station was my brain child, I’ve been seeing them pop up in other cities and I thought we could really use one of these in Marshfield. When I first heard about this grant I thought, WOW! This is a good thing! That brand new trail will be finished this fall and this will be a nice amenity to that.”
MAFOTT is funded by donations and the group meets monthly. Farris said the meetings are open to the public and anyone is welcome to attend. In addition, MAFOTT hosts work events to clean up the trails throughout Marshfield and extra hands are always welcome. He said they not only keep the trails clear of garbage and debris, but the group also works to remove invasive species and replace them with native plants like sumac and pine.
“We’re here and we’re super excited,” Farris said of MAFOTT. “Here’s your outlet to develop a better trail system in the city of Marshfield.” To get involved with MAFOTT join the group at the Everett Roehl Public Library, Marshfield, on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. for its monthly board meeting. Farris said the meetings are informal and anyone in attendance becomes a voting member.
“We just want to make sure people find the trails enjoyable and that there are services available to continue using the trails,” Farris added. “
Every month, Security Health Plan invests $1,000 as part of its Employee-Driven Corporate Giving Campaign. Marshfield Clinic Health System employees are encouraged to nominate an organization that it is making a positive difference in the community.
Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., part of the Marshfield Clinic Health System, is helping its 230,000 members in Wisconsin and beyond reach their best health. Accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Security Health Plan offers health insurance coverage for employees of large and small businesses, individuals and families. Security Administrative Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Security Health Plan, provides full service third party administration for self-funded employers in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.
