A master plan to make the city bicycle-friendly and the ensuing event that kicked off that effort were key components in garnering a major award for a non-profit group representing nearly 1,800 downtown business and commercial property owners.
The Downtown Long Beach Associates received the International Downtown Association's Pinnacle Downtown Achievement Award, considered its highest honor and one of six awards given to organizations in the country. The awards "celebrate and communicate the most successful and innovative efforts in worldwide downtown development," according to the association's Web site.
The DLBA's entry focused on Long Beach's efforts to revive the Bicycle Master Plan -- which seeks to encourage the use of bicycles through education and infrastructure -- and the Long Beach Grand Prix Bicycle Festival and Bicycle Race, which drew hundreds of pro- and amateur cyclists and bicycle enthusiasts to the two-day event downtown and East Village.
The DLBA, which boosted the number of events it was sponsoring or producing to draw more visitors, stepped in as an event producer, investing about $30,000 into the weekend event.
"We had a short timeframe to put the festival together and the folks at DLBA and city events services worked really hard at it," said Festival and race director Mark Bixby, who flew with DLBA President and CEO Kraig Kojian to Milwaukee to accept the award at the association's 55th annual conference Sunday. "It was a great cooperative effort and I'm pleased to see that our efforts were recognized."
In a statement, Mayor Bob Foster said the "prestigious recognition by the IDA speaks volumes" of the community's efforts to make Long Beach the nation's most bicycle-friendly urban city.
The Downtown Long Beach Associates received the International Downtown Association's Pinnacle Downtown Achievement Award, considered its highest honor and one of six awards given to organizations in the country. The awards "celebrate and communicate the most successful and innovative efforts in worldwide downtown development," according to the association's Web site.
The DLBA's entry focused on Long Beach's efforts to revive the Bicycle Master Plan -- which seeks to encourage the use of bicycles through education and infrastructure -- and the Long Beach Grand Prix Bicycle Festival and Bicycle Race, which drew hundreds of pro- and amateur cyclists and bicycle enthusiasts to the two-day event downtown and East Village.
The DLBA, which boosted the number of events it was sponsoring or producing to draw more visitors, stepped in as an event producer, investing about $30,000 into the weekend event.
"We had a short timeframe to put the festival together and the folks at DLBA and city events services worked really hard at it," said Festival and race director Mark Bixby, who flew with DLBA President and CEO Kraig Kojian to Milwaukee to accept the award at the association's 55th annual conference Sunday. "It was a great cooperative effort and I'm pleased to see that our efforts were recognized."
In a statement, Mayor Bob Foster said the "prestigious recognition by the IDA speaks volumes" of the community's efforts to make Long Beach the nation's most bicycle-friendly urban city.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
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