Promoting a cycling community
Editor: May Is National Bike Month and the members of Bike Lodi would like to encourage everyone to ride their bikes. National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Whether you bike to work or school; ride to save money or time; to improve your health or the environment or simply to explore the wonderful routes in the Lodi area; riding your bike is a positive all the way around.
Bike Lodi is very grateful to the many community supporters including Ken Parish, owner of KPI Signs, for creating and donating our new banner, and to Rabobank who provided the funding for new portable bike racks. These racks will be used at the free bike valets every Thursday at the Chamber of Commerce Farmers Market and, for the first time, we will be providing a bike valet for Zinfest participants.
We hope to provide several more bike valets at community events. Thanks to the support of Dave Kirsten, Sam Rehmke, and the staff from the Public Works department, you will soon be able to use new permanent bike racks in Downtown Lodi.
Finally, City of Lodi, San Joaquin Council of Governments’ Dibs (formerly Commute Connection) and Bike Lodi are partnering to host Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 25. The event is open to all members of the community. It will be held in the pedestrian walkway adjacent to Woolworth Plaza (115 South School Street) from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
School House Grounds is generously donating coffee to go with home-baked goods and snacks. Bike Lodi is working towards being a positive influence by supporting bicycling projects for all ages and all abilities. We are a group of bicycle enthusiasts working to promote bicycle tourism in the Lodi region.
Our mission is to educate and advocate for the safe use of bicycles as a viable and sustainable means of transportation and enjoyment. We are creating an exceptional cycling community. KATHRYN SIDDLE Bike Lodi Chairman
EPA overstaffed, out of control
Editor: This is response to Mr. Lowe’s editorial regarding the EPA. While I am sure there is some value to this organization in certain areas, they are totally out of control in others, especially in label and product approval.
EPA is an overstaffed, money-making monster which is totally counterproductive to new product development in a number of areas. From the top down you cannot find two individuals in EPA that will give you the same answer or guidance. They may say one thing this week and a company will proceed on the path recommended to only end up at the finish line and have someone else in EPA say “oh no, that isn’t correct, you need to go back and do it this way.”
The organization is overstaffed for what they accomplish and you almost get a sense that they come to work each day to only reach their goal of retirement. The fees they charge companies are exorbitant; thousands of dollars for label approval and thousands of dollars each year based on the sales of your product, sometimes $40,000, $50,000 or more per year based on how successful the company is.
It takes years to get an approval, if a company is fortunate to get one. To make matters worse, small and large companies have no way of knowing how to navigate their systems, forms and submissions, so they have to hire a consulting firm to help, which is very costly. The small entrepreneur doesn’t have a chance of success unless he/she is fortunate to have an outside funding source to provide funds to move forward.
This is an agency that sorely needs to be cleaned and streamlined. It is a hindrance to businesses large and small and when the end product is possibly realized it will be priced higher because of the costs of getting through EPA red tape.
I am writing from direct experience so I know all stated above is true. I hope Mr. Pruitt does some serious house cleaning and rule changing in the EPA — it can’t come too soon for this American. ORLENE DENTONE Acampo
Gwin Paden is right
Editor: I commend Gwin Mitchell Paden for her editorial contribution entitled, “Where is my country?”
You have done a wonderful job of emphasizing how disjointed our government and country has become! I agree with you 100 percent. CAROL MORAN Lodi