appropriate building in April of 1992, the CAT really began to take form. The upstairs has apartments, which were renovated first. One is home to VanderTuin, and another is for guests of CAT. The other rooms upstairs house Auto-Relief, Eugene’s only bicycle advocacy group, and Oregon Cycling, Oregon’s monthly bicycle paper. Both groups are part of the CAT project, which is under the non-profit Rain Umbrella. The downstairs area was quickly transformed from a dark and almost windowless cavern to a lightened, livable working area. Corrugated plastic “windows” were removed, and real windows and skylights added. A wall covered with mirrors, remnant of a previous owner’s attempt to build a nightclub, was left alone, because no one could think what to do with mirrors the size of garage doors. One storage room has been converted into a darkroom, for photowork related to Rain Umbrella projects, and another into a noncirculating library on bike construction and transportation. With all these projects in one space, the center becomes a catalystfor community action. The CAT houses Pedalers Express, a courier group using workbikes to haul everything from newspapers to photographs, pasta to paste-ups. Pedaler’s Express has grown quickly, and became self-sustaining after only six months in operation. Human-Powered Machines is the manufacturing sector of the CAT. A symbiotic relationship exists between it and Pedalers Express: HPM provides the bikes, and the builder is on site should any problems arise. Pedalers CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TRANSPORT Express in turn provides high profile exposure for the bikes, and therefore the whole CAT project. The CAT intends to stress the benefits of such close, cooperative relationships for community work. When bikes are built and used locally, the manufacturing process is decentralized and the communal element is added. The workers and consumers involved begin to understand more than just a comer of an economy. This education through broad, fair relations makes the CAT a force which can affect deep social and economic change. Reaching out to the community isn’t so difficult. Pedalers Express has one bike with an insulated container for ice cream sales. On summer evenings and weekends, it rolls onto the nearby river bike path. Its distinctive appearance and chiming bell have become well known, and the ice cream sells well on hot days. People are very responsive, and often stop the riders just to talk about the bike. One rider has taken an unusual angle, dubbing himself the Short Order Poet. He sells ice cream and poems, which he creates on the spot. Bringing the community inside the CAT is a form of outreach. There’s a large meeting room that can be used by any appropriate activist group or club in town, where even films or slide shows can be shown (there’s a popcorn popper, and a ping-pong table for breaks). The space itself thereby makes connections between existing groups that Above: The Grand Opening of the Centerfor Appropriate was' promoted with a huge “ticket” sporting this illustraTransport was a community party of tremendous energy. It tion by Dennis Kuklok: “We’ve saved you a seat!" RAIN Spring 1993 Volume XIV, Number 3 Page 55
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